Uber Fort Lauderdale

[BNBR]

8 hours ago, cruisegus said:

my major problem at FFL (Verizon service) has been being able to connect to data at the airport, much like at a major concert where everything bogs down.  Once i get away from the airport Uber has been great.

 

Have done internet searches and found FLL is know for bad internet service from all carriers

 

I have T-mobile and never had a problem with service at the airport. Use Uber all the time. 

[cookingmom]

We used Uber for the very first time last month FLL to 17th Street hotel and then from hotel to the cruise terminal the next morning. Great experiences and bargain prices. However, when exiting the cruise terminal I was unable to get a signal/connection (Verizon) and we took a cab back to FLL. The cab was waiting and by the meter the fare was about $15. It was a step down from the Uber rides since the driver was gruff and the vehicle was stinky!

[Paulinda]

14 minutes ago, cookingmom said:

We used Uber for the very first time last month FLL to 17th Street hotel and then from hotel to the cruise terminal the next morning. Great experiences and bargain prices. However, when exiting the cruise terminal I was unable to get a signal/connection (Verizon) and we took a cab back to FLL. The cab was waiting and by the meter the fare was about $15. It was a step down from the Uber rides since the driver was gruff and the vehicle was stinky!

You are sooooo right!  You must have had the same taxi driver/stinky taxi we had last year when we decided to always use Uber from then on.  We always tip the Uber drivers more because its a much better ride and the drivers will talk to you or leave you alone. 

[Dagent145]

My experiences were mixed.  Going from airport to the Hilton Marina was fine.  From hotel to port, my guy clearly didn't know his way around Port Everglades and I had to backseat drive to get to the terminal.  No real problems,  but nothing stellar to say. 

[trystran72]

We used Uber multiple times for our cruise in March in Fort Lauderdale and every single one of them were fantastic, honestly.  The one taxi we did use was horrible.  I'll stick with Uber for all my upcoming visits!

[mac1_131]

Mine was great, no issues.

[Judyrem]

On 3/27/2019 at 7:46 AM, BNBR said:

It's highly unlikely, if not nearly impossible to see surge pricing at airports. The drivers are in the waiting area for a long time, upwards of an hour, just waiting for a request. They are way overloaded with drivers. Surge is overall pretty rare in South Florida. More likely when a concert let's out or something like that 

How about next Feb. Super Bowl weekend?  I booked a cruise oblivious to Super bowl happenings down there🙄  The hotels were almost all sold out NOW.  I had to do an AirBnB in Lauderdale by the Sea.👀 

 

BTW, we lived on Bayview drive near the Galleria for 2 1/2 years. Loved it.

[chubbypiggy]

Anyone knows if Uber is allowed to enter the Port Everglades Princess pier?  There are 4 of us with 4 large suitcases.  Last time at the FLL airport, we had to take 2 taxis because we couldn't find a minivan taxi.  This time, we are thinking of taking a Uber minivan from FLL airport to Port Everglades.  Just not sure if they are allowed to enter the pier.  

[cheeseclan]

13 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

Anyone knows if Uber is allowed to enter the Port Everglades Princess pier?  There are 4 of us with 4 large suitcases.  Last time at the FLL airport, we had to take 2 taxis because we couldn't find a minivan taxi.  This time, we are thinking of taking a Uber minivan from FLL airport to Port Everglades.  Just not sure if they are allowed to enter the pier.  

We used Lyft this past January and they dropped us off right at the Crown Princess.  No issues whatsoever.  We also used one to pick us up and take us to MIA to catch our flight post cruise.   No issues that time either.

[Ngraham54]

Just a few notes about using UBER which we use exclusively to get around Fort Lauderdale. We first used UBER three years ago. ( We don't even have a taxi service in my small town so using UBER for the first time was a little intimidating!)  Since then, we have used UBER in Boston and Chicago with no problems!  Only one time we got a guy that put his headphones on as soon as we got in the car!  😱 Obviously we were not having any kind of conversation with him!!

 

BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE AP ON YOUR SMART PHONE WHICH REQUIRES YOU TO GIVE A PAYMENT METHOD.   Read up a bit on how to use it before you actually use it. This will reduce your stress!

 

We stay an extra week in FLL staying 3 or 4 days before and after a cruise.  Once we have our luggage at the airport, we go outside, turn right and walk until you see the share ride sign.  When you pull up the UBER ap on your phone, it will give you choices of different rides and their associated fee.  The cheapest option may not be your best choice. We usually get UBERX for the two of us with two suitcases total and my DH has a back pack and I have a small roller bag.  Some of the cars are small so keep this in mind!  Once the luggage is at the hotel, you can use UBERpool and your rate will be lower and you may or may not actually end up with other riders. Once you confirm choice of vehicle, the next screen may ask you how many persons are riding and the rate will go up a bit for the each person...I think about 50 - 75 cents in our case.  I love the UBER ap because when you pull it up, it shows little black cars driving around on the map in your location which means there are rides!!  If no little black cars...not good!   LOL! But you'll have no problems in FLL!  Once you have been assigned a driver, you'll see only your driver's car on the map and it tells you how many minutes until he arrives.  Pretty slick.  Pretty funny too because you sometimes see the driver going the wrong way and then they correct themselves and eventually get to you.

 

From Embassy Suites to the 15th St. Fisheries, we paid less than $5 total for the two of us each way. One year we stayed about a mile south of Sunrise Blvd at the Soleado Hotel and we ubered to the Publix store up on Sunrise and it cost us $3.45 one way and $4.20 on the way back.  As you have seen posted, the rates appear to change based on time of day, and supply and demand.

UBER prices used to include a tip. Not anymore!  If you choose to tip, you can tip the driver directly or a message will come up on your phone after your ride asking you if you want to rate your driver, give him a message or leave a tip. 

 

When you request a ride, sometimes it takes a minute or two to locate a driver.  My son drove for UBER and he said you receive notice of people wanting rides and you can agree to take whichever one you want. When your ride is found, the driver's name and his rating (from previous riders completing info) come up on your phone.  Our drivers have always had at least a 4 star rating out of five. It cost about $12 from FLL to Embassy Suites.  From ES to the cruise ship is about $8 for both of us.  Compare that to ES Shuttle at $7 each and the hassle of riding with a van full of people and waiting for your luggage to be pulled from a pile of 30+ pieces!!  Also, I preorder our ride back to the airport the night before our flight.  UBER sends you a notification and says your ride will show up within fifteen minutes of your desired time.  (Keep that in mind!)  It also says if they can't find a rider by the end of that 15 minute time, they will notify you.  That was a little concerning the first time I did this but when I went to the front entry of hotel about five minutes before my desired time, I pulled up the UBER ap and a driver had already been assigned and he showed up at exactly my desired time!

 

Another note....UBER drivers are from all over the place in Florida.  I was surprised that almost all of them were using the GPS to find out where they were taking us.  I incorrectly assumed they lived in FLL and would know where all the major hotels are located.  Not so.  Many of our drivers live in Miami but prefer the FLL area because there is more business and easier traffic!!  How interesting.  So yes...if you can give a driver a tip about how to get to your destination, do it!  For example, the entrance to Embassy Suites requires you to go one stop further than what the GPS told our driver.  So the next trip we let our driver know!

 

Also, make sure you pay attention to the map that shows up on your phone.  It tells you your pick up point.  Make sure you are at the right location!  My iPhone has a blue dot that blinks on the map to show my exact location.  The pickup spot is on there too and they should match!  Know that you can contact your driver if you think something is not right.  You used to call him on his phone but this time it had you send a text.  It is pretty fool proof!   I have had drivers call me when they couldn't find me.  When the driver pulls up, he puts his window or the passenger window down and says, "Nancy?"...Yep...got the right guy!  LOL!

 

UBER DRIVERS will have an UBER logo (about 8" square) in their front window.  Give it a try!  Pretty slick operation in my opinion!

[Irule7]

Just make sure your Uber driver has been to the cruise terminal before and knows the rules.  We had one pick us up at the hotel and on the way to the cruise terminal we asked if he had been there before, he said yes, but he still REALLY relied on GPS to get there.  We get to the check point and they ask if he has a gun in the vehicle, he says "Yes."  Which doesn't bother me at all, however you CANNOT get passed the check point with a gun in the vehicle.  We had to get out of his vehicle with all our luggage and the security guard said you'll have to call another driver.  So we walk across to the other side, where the cars are leaving.  I'm trying to flag an outgoing taxi and then the security guard comes over and THANKFULLY says the gentleman in the Park N Ride bus will take us to the terminal for free.  

[Ngraham54]

5 hours ago, Irule7 said:

Just make sure your Uber driver has been to the cruise terminal before and knows the rules.  We had one pick us up at the hotel and on the way to the cruise terminal we asked if he had been there before, he said yes, but he still REALLY relied on GPS to get there.  We get to the check point and they ask if he has a gun in the vehicle, he says "Yes."  Which doesn't bother me at all, however you CANNOT get passed the check point with a gun in the vehicle.  We had to get out of his vehicle with all our luggage and the security guard said you'll have to call another driver.  So we walk across to the other side, where the cars are leaving.  I'm trying to flag an outgoing taxi and then the security guard comes over and THANKFULLY says the gentleman in the Park N Ride bus will take us to the terminal for free.  

Oh my!   We've had no problem with this but will certainly ask from now on.  Interestingly, we were not required to go through a security checkpoint at PE last month for our Regal Princess voyage going out of terminal 2.  So guess our guy could have had a gun!