Post Cruise Flight at FLL

[CruisingAndDiving]

Hi Everyone...

 

Doing a last minute booking for Fort Lauderdale flights for our cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam.  I can get a fantastic deal if we take the 10:50 am departure.  If we do the self disembark and take our own luggage...can we make it from Port Everglades in good time?

 

Thanks!

Warren and Yvonne

 

[catl331]

If Mr Murphy doesn't raise his ugly face, yes.

[*Miss G*]

If everything goes smoothly you can absolutely make it.  (Caveat Emptor, however.)  You will need to fill out the form to self-disembark and be ready to leave the ship as soon as they give the all-clear.  Taxis will be waiting as soon as you exit the terminal for a 15 minute (+/-) drive to the airport.

 

You will need to carry your own luggage off the ship unless Luggage Direct is an option for you.  I’ll let someone with experience comment on that.

Edited November 20, 2019 by *Miss G*

[CruisingAndDiving]

5 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

If everything goes smoothly you can absolutely make it.  (Caveat Emptor, however.)  You will need to fill out the form to self-disembark and be ready to leave the ship as soon as they give the all-clear.  Taxis will be waiting as soon as you exit the terminal for a 15 minute (+/-) drive to the airport.

 

You will need to carry your own luggage off the ship unless Luggage Direct is an option for you.  I’ll let someone with experience comment on that.

 

No issue with carrying off our own luggage.  All Clear is usually given between 8:00 and 9:00 am?

 

 

 

[catl331]

45 minutes ago, CruisingAndDiving said:

No issue with carrying off our own luggage.  All Clear is usually given between 8:00 and 9:00 am?

Usually the self-debarking starts between 7:30 and 8:00.

[CruisingAndDiving]

6 minutes ago, catl331 said:

Usually the self-debarking starts between 7:30 and 8:00.

Brilliant!  that works for the timing for sure...  I'll sacrifice a KFC chicken tonight just to make sure lol

[Mary229]

I would check how many cruise ships are in port the morning you are debarking.  I was shocked at how long the lines were at FLL.  RCCL had a 6000 passenger ship in the next berth at the same time plus a variety of other ships.  It was crazy. 

[ZSandy25]

Would Lyft of Uber work for you if there is a l-o-o-o-g line for a taxi?  It's a short ride to the port and if everything goes smoothly you shouldn't have any problems.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I hope all goes well for you.

 

The lines at the Ft Lauderdale airport can be very long to get through security -- especially on weekends.

 

Check out cruisetimetables to see how many ships will be port with you on your departure date.

[aa7yy]

I have had great luck just letting HAL handle it. Pay the money, find your bags and get out.

Take the bus. I am usually at the airport by 10 and waiting for an 11:50 flight. I never go for an early bus.

The big advantage of doing the self disembark is getting to the front of the immigration line.

[YXU AC*SE]

4 hours ago, CruisingAndDiving said:

I can get a fantastic deal if we take the 10:50 am departure.  

 

Off a Nieuw Statendam TA on 10 November, with Zuiderdam, Regal Princess, and Allure of the Seas also in port.  Was to the gate at FLL with an hour to kill for a 09h45 departure, so barring unforeseen circumstance, you should be more than fine.   Scott. 

[Ryten]

Just off the Volendam today. We were the sixth of six ships arriving in the morning, including Zuiderdam and Veendam along a very large Princess and Royal Caribbean ship. We had a 10:30 flight to make. We were cleared to disembark around 8:15 and were in a taxi by 8:25. We were able to get through customs very quickly only because we had our Global Entry cards, otherwise there was a significant line through the process which would likely have added an additional 20-30 minutes. Hope this helps with figuring out the timing. You really should check out how many ships will be arriving on your return so there are no surprises. Enjoy your cruise.

[Walfam]

2 hours ago, ZSandy25 said:

Would Lyft of Uber work for you if there is a l-o-o-o-g line for a taxi?  It's a short ride to the port and if everything goes smoothly you shouldn't have any problems.

There is a separate line for shuttle buses, can't recall if it is after the taxis.  Prices are publicly posted outside at the shuttle line.  They fill up quickly so no waiting around to fill one before you go to the airport.

[Tapi]

3 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

The lines at the Ft Lauderdale airport can be very long to get through security -- especially on weekends.

I agree with this. However we’ve learned that if you get to the FLL airport early enough and beat the crowds, the lines are non-existent because they haven’t started building up yet. 
 

We did self assist (another cruise line) and we arrived at the airport at 7:45am. There were zero lines at the check in counter and zero lines at the TSA checkpoint. We got to the gate so early that we were able to standby on an 8:45am flight home.

 

Now, the last time we flew out of FLL we didn’t get to the airport until 9:30am and the lines were pretty long by then. But we still made our 11:00am flight without problems. 

[CruisingAndDiving]

Thanks everyone for the responses and advice.   Still going back and forth, so will sleep on it and google the ships in port that day before making a final decision in the morning!

 

Warren

[Crazy For Cats]

We left the NS on 10/17 with six ships in port.  We were through security and at the gate by 8:30.

[mcmarya]

The key is really to self disembark and also get in line to leave the ship--discouraged, of course, but necessary if you have an early flight.  Sometimes it takes a long time to get through immigration and sometimes it does not.  The key is to be near the front of the line.  That also ensures that you will be near the front of the line for a cab (if there is any line).  You should be OK unless the ship is delayed in arriving at port for some reason.

[CruisingAndDiving]

Thanks for the advice and tips everyone.  Based on everyone's experiences I've gone ahead and booked the flights with a reasonable assurance we will make it.  I did check cruisetimetables for the 14th and see 6 ships in port that morning, so will just make sure that DW and I are ready and near the front of the line on Nieuw Amsterdam so we can hopefully be among the first!

 

Warren

[DaveOKC]

Just to add my experiences at FLL.  We normally are in the first group off AFTER the self-disembarkation group and take a taxi to the airport.  We seem to beat the rush this way and are normally at our gate by 9-9:30 am.  Once the cruise buses start hitting the airport it becomes a real zoo at times and will take alot longer.  We do have TSA Pre-Chk.

 

 

[tk2fast]

We have not been on a cruise for 20 years and had a question. We are taking Sky Princess in April 2020 and wanted to know a real timeline for disembarkation in order to catch a flight at 11 am.

 

I read through this thread and got a good idea but was looking more at Princess's practices on this. Just not sure if most cruise lines are the same or not.

 

Thank you all

Edited November 21, 2019 by tk2fast

[aliaschief]

Yesterday we departed the MS Rotterdam at 8:00 AM and were seated in the Delta Sky Lounge at 9:00AM. Plenty of time awaiting our 11:00 AM flight.

 

We do have priority check in with our airline and TSA pre check. Yesterday the airport was a zoo with six cruise ships in port plus regular activity. It was SRO at many gates.

 

 

 

 

[Hlitner]

This Monday we disembarked from the Emerald Princess with more then 3000 other passengers.  Our ship docked around 6am and was cleared shortly after 7am when "walk offs" began.  We were in an early walk off group, took our time, and breezed through our Passport check (Global Entry does help).  We immediately walked over to the taxi queue, hopped in a taxi, and we were at FLL before 8am.  We quickly checked-in, went through TSA, and were cooling our heels at the gate by 8:20 (our flight was at 10:35).

 

In most cases, the delays at disembarkation are to wait for luggage to be off-loaded and sorted.  Those that carry off their own luggage are the first to disembark and this is the way to go for those concerned about early flights.  Of course you do need to have the physical ability to move your own luggage off the ship, through the corridors, and either down the escalator or elevator (which involves a few minutes extra wait).

 

Hank

[FlaMariner]

our experience 11/10 getting off the NS......

 

Early disembarkation began at 7:15 (15 minutes ahead of schedule).

Got a Uber and was at FLL airport at 8am.

 

 

[tk2fast]

Awesome, appreciate all the replies.

Edited November 21, 2019 by tk2fast