Connection to Amtrak in FLL?

[rover16]

We're on the Zaandam arriving to FLL on the 10th of Oct. We want to take Amtrak to Charleston, SC, but the train leaves at 8:50 a.m. If we carry our bags off the ship and leave ASAP do we have a reasonable change of making the connection?

[CruiserBruce]

Its a 15 minute drive, not counting in port traffic. If you carry off your bags...which should allow you off the ship before 8am, and grab a cab, you should make it pretty comfortably.

[wandrr]

2 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Its a 15 minute drive, not counting in port traffic. If you carry off your bags...which should allow you off the ship before 8am, and grab a cab, you should make it pretty comfortably.

Assuming traffic is favourable, and you do get off right quick, and the train is not early (LOL!). I think it will be tight, but you might be willing to take the risk.

[FlaMariner]

We did just that last October w/no problem. 

 

We did early dis-embark (took our luggage) and we were at Amtrak Fort Lauderdale with plenty of time to catch the 8:50am northbound train. 

 

(We did hop in a waiting cab instead of waiting for Uber.  As usual with cabs in Broward County, the taxi driver missed the Amtrak exit off 95 and took the scenic route.  If we had to do it all over again, I wish we would have taken Uber.)

 

[Happily@Sea]

15 minutes ago, rover16 said:

We're on the Zaandam arriving to FLL on the 10th of Oct. We want to take Amtrak to Charleston, SC, but the train leaves at 8:50 a.m. If we carry our bags off the ship and leave ASAP do we have a reasonable change of making the connection?

 

Is #98 running in October? It has been suspended since April or May. 

 

Otherwise, it will be the Silver Star #92 - due in FLL at 12:18 pm and your connection in Savannah to the Palmetto #90 will be in the middle of the night for #92 [01:30] to #90 at 07:45 am to Charleston. This is just a warning. Only #91 [So] and 92 [No] have been running for the last few months - and they go the inland route to Columbia SC. 

 

I would recheck with Amtrak to see if Silver Meteor #98 [your early morning departure 08:50-ish] is confirmed as restarting operations yet.

 

This is just a heads-up. 

[FlaMariner]

Both the Silver Meteor and Silver Star are running.....on 10/10....

 

8:50am and 12:18pm departures heading northbound. 

 

(And the 8:50am Silver Meteor is the one that stops in Charleston and hugs the coast)

Edited August 26, 2022 by FlaMariner

[CruiserBruce]

20 minutes ago, wandrr said:

Assuming traffic is favourable, and you do get off right quick, and the train is not early (LOL!). I think it will be tight, but you might be willing to take the risk.

Amtrak doesn't leave a station early.

[Happily@Sea]

1 minute ago, FlaMariner said:

Both the Silver Meteor and Silver Star are running.....on 10/10....

 

8:50am and 12:18pm departures heading northbound. 

 

Thank you. They have been delaying the restart for several months. 

 

Maybe they were waiting for snowbird season to restart the Silver Meteor. 

[Happily@Sea]

I always used the train/bus connection to get to FLL and back from my area. Silver Star is the one that works for me in NC Fla, unless I want to drive back and forth from JAX.

[FlaMariner]

2 minutes ago, Happily@Sea said:

I always used the train/bus connection to get to FLL and back from my area. Silver Star is the one that works for me in NC Fla, unless I want to drive back and forth from JAX.

 

I'm pumped about Brightline to Orlando.  We will be able to avoid South Florida hotels ($$$) and just jump on the Brightline train on embarkation day.  

 

 

[rover16]

Thanks for the input, DW has mobility issues so a fast exit might not be possible. May just spend the night in FLL for the train the next day.

[sterling2]

5 minutes ago, rover16 said:

Thanks for the input, DW has mobility issues so a fast exit might not be possible. May just spend the night in FLL for the train the next day.

We’ve taken this train several times. We always stay the night - not worth the stress of hoping to make the train.