Florida airports

[claudia814]

Flying in from California, would you suggest Miami or Fort Lauderdale airport prior to cruise? Any recommendations on area hotels with shuttle to pier? Thanks very much for your input. 

[Ashland]

2 hours ago, claudia814 said:

Flying in from California, would you suggest Miami or Fort Lauderdale airport prior to cruise? Any recommendations on area hotels with shuttle to pier? Thanks very much for your input. 

We fly in often from Calif. (LAX) and usually go with FLL and stay pre-cruise in Fort Lauderdale. The 17th Street area is popular and Hyatt Place is a favorite but several hotels are available in that area...just depends on what you're looking for. Transportation depends on which port you're sailing from but usually Uber/Lyft are a good option. Best of luck.

[caribill]

Miami hotels will not have a shuttle to the Fort Lauderdale port.

[BoozinCroozin]

Either airport is fine. Really it comes down to flight cost. If you figure about a $50 difference in price for hotel-to-port into the airfare price, that can make the difference. My go to is which ever flight is non-stop as well. . 

[JohninDC]

Cruising from Miami or Port Everglades?

 

If POM then MIA is easiest, but 1000's of cruisers used to make the trip from FLL to POM every week to save $$ on fares.  The trip from FLL to POM takes about 35-45+ minutes and shared shuttles used to start at about $15 per person each way - or use UberX or Lyft for about $35+

 

If PE the FLL is easy, but MIA is not hard - fewer transport options, but UberX or Lyft for about $35+ will get you to the PE port area hotels.

 

Pick the best/cheapest flight and the rest of the trip is easy enough to sort out.

[d9704011]

16 minutes ago, JohninDC said:

Cruising from Miami or Port Everglades?

 

If POM then MIA is easiest, but 1000's of cruisers used to make the trip from FLL to POM every week to save $$ on fares.  The trip from FLL to POM takes about 35-45+ minutes and shared shuttles used to start at about $15 per person each way - or use UberX or Lyft for about $35+

 

If PE the FLL is easy, but MIA is not hard - fewer transport options, but UberX or Lyft for about $35+ will get you to the PE port area hotels.

 

Pick the best/cheapest flight and the rest of the trip is easy enough to sort out.

Getting from airports to hotels (or even the cruise ports) is relatively straight-forward and predictable.

 

What are your thoughts on end-of-cruise day?  Getting from PE to MIA and POM to FLL for, let’s say, a scheduled 1200 flight.

[CruiserBruce]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

Miami hotels will not have a shuttle to the Fort Lauderdale port.

And Ft Lauderdale hotels will not have free shuttles to Miami.

 

@claudia814, this is about as general a question as you could ask.  if you told us info like where you are flying from, and where you are cruising out of, that would be very helpful in allowing us to define things for you. It may be easier to fly to one airport or another depending on where you are flying from. Most cruise lies sail from only one of those ports. Yes, it can be pretty easy flying to one airport, and sailing out of the other port...the options for that are discussed here frequently, although at a low ebb right  now because nobody is sailing.

 

There are dozens of threads here about hotels near each port, and their amenities and services.

[Croooser]

4 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Getting from airports to hotels (or even the cruise ports) is relatively straight-forward and predictable.

 

What are your thoughts on end-of-cruise day?  Getting from PE to MIA and POM to FLL for, let’s say, a scheduled 1200 flight.

The wild card is how the post covid disembarking process might change. It is possible/likely that the crowded mad rush to disembark will not be permitted. At this point no one knows what to expect.

 

Also, the traffic on I-95 between FLL and Miami is usually heavy and can not always be predictable. Early AM is typically large city rush hour congestion. The Turnpike is not necessarily better. 

 

 

 

 

[caribill]

4 hours ago, d9704011 said:

 

 

What are your thoughts on end-of-cruise day?  Getting from PE to MIA and POM to FLL for, let’s say, a scheduled 1200 flight.

 

PE to MIA -- For one or two people, the cruise line xfer is usually reasonably priced. An uber/lyft might be less expensive.

PE to FLL - cab

POM to FLL - uber/lyft might be best. I do not know cost of cruise line xfers

 

[JohninDC]

Pre-Virus a noon flight would have been reasonable, but as mentioned above we do not yet know how the post cruise screening will work which could lead to some delays.

[Cienfuegos]

I suspect airline schedules may adjust once the ship exiting protocols are  clarified. The sheer volume of multiple dozen buses disgorging passengers and bags is impressive. All in a two or three hour window.

 

if off loading passengers becomes a three hour prcess, the airlines will adjust.

[Treasure Hunter]

If you are cruising out of Port Everglades ( Fort Lauderdale) it is much less stressful to fly in and out of the much smaller closer FLL airport only 10 minute taxi ride to the pier. Most airport or close to the pier hotels have a shuttle for $15 per per person to the pier . Maybe free from the airport to the hotel. Once you have two or more people traveling together we find it’s faster and more comfortable to just take a taxi . This way we leave when we want and go directly to where we want to go. Miami airport is enormously crowded and very far ( over an hour)  in heavy traffic from Port Everglades. You are on a relaxing vacation , not a nail biting stressful journey.