Everglades Tour w/ MIA Airport Transfer

[CGrey93]

For anyone who has done this excursion post-cruise, I have some questions I'm hoping you can help with.

1. 8AM seems really early. I thought 8AM was when they STARTED debarkation. Was there any difficulty getting off the ship and to the excursion on time?

2. Can we put our luggage out the night before as usual, or will we need to take our own luggage off in order to make it to the bus?

3. Did Carnival provide excursion information the day before, as they do for other excursions? If so, were the instructions clear and helpful?

4. Did you have any concerns or problems with leaving your luggage on the bus?

5. When they drop you at MIA, are you able to request a specific entrance? I ask because MIA is huge! I know that we need to be at the South Terminal for our Delta Flight. We'll still have some hiking to do, but it would be nice to at least be at the correct Terminal.

6. The times listed are 8-11:30, but the excursion information says it is for people with flights after 3:30 PM. Our flight isn't until 6PM, so we should be more than fine. Do you recall what time they had you to the airport?

7. Lastly, has anyone done this excursion in the winter? I'm wondering about what to wear. It's Miami, but it's winter, and I know we'll be in the everglades for part of the time. Was it cool? Were there a ton of bugs? Shorts or jeans? Anything else you recommend?

8. Anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

9. Anything we should make sure we do or don't do?

10. Besides the shuttle driver, how many people might we need to tip? (I'd like to have cash ready).

 

Thank you so very much for any help you can provide!

[jsglow]

@CGrey93, as a fellow Sconnie I'll do my best to help you out as best as I can.  BTW, welcome to Cruise Critic.  While I've not done what you are describing, I can at least get the ball rolling as I have taken the Carnival airport bus, just never in Miami.  FYI, you'll probably get this thread moved over to the FLA departures board.  I'd recommend doing some reading there.  Here goes:

 

1) 8a isn't early. Fully 1/3 of the ship will be off by then.  If I'm exaggerating it's only slightly.

2) I'm fairly confident that you won't necessarily have to handle your own luggage but not 100% sure. A quick discussion with the Excursions Desk during the cruise will answer.  I suppose that's true of all your questions truthfully.

3) Can't help.

4) Never a problem that I've heard about.  Your suitcases will remain locked in the underbelly.

5) Can't help but anyone that's done ANY form of Carnival transport to MIA will be able to verify.

6) My guess is that they leave the Everglades at 11:30 and drive one hour back.  No worries.

7) I have been in the Everglades in January.  In FLA they panic when it gets below 70 and turn on the propane heaters! I believe I wore shorts and had a light Packers sweatshirt handy that day. 🟩🟨 Your issue is more about changing once back in MKE! (You know Mitchell Field does a winter coat check, right? Brilliant!) I was actually shocked at how few bugs there were.

8)9) There's alligators.  Don't pet them.

10) Nope.
 

Edited December 18, 2022 by jsglow

[CGrey93]

15 minutes ago, jsglow said:

@CGrey93, as a fellow Sconnie I'll do my best to help you out as best as I can.  BTW, welcome to Cruise Critic.  While I've not done what you are describing, I can at least get the ball rolling as I have taken the Carnival airport bus, just never in Miami.  FYI, you'll probably get this thread moved over to the FLA departures board.  I'd recommend doing some reading there.  Here goes:

 

1) 8a isn't early. Fully 1/3 of the ship will be off by then.  If I'm exaggerating it's only slightly.

2) I'm fairly confident that you won't necessarily have to handle your own luggage but not 100% sure. A quick discussion with the Excursions Desk during the cruise will answer.  I suppose that's true of all your questions truthfully.

3) Can't help.

4) Never a problem that I've heard about.  Your suitcases will remain locked in the underbelly.

5) Can't help but anyone that's done ANY form of Carnival transport to MIA will be able to verify.

6) My guess is that they leave the Everglades at 11:30 and drive one hour back.  No worries.

7) I have been in the Everglades in January.  In FLA they panic when it gets below 70 and turn on the propane heaters! I believe I wore shorts and had a light Packers sweatshirt handy that day. 🟩🟨 Your issue is more about changing once back in MKE! (You know Mitchell Field does a winter coat check, right? Brilliant!) I was actually shocked at how few bugs there were.

8)9) There's alligators.  Don't pet them.

10) Nope.
 

LOL! You crack me up! I'm not afraid to pet alligators, I've raised 8 kids. Thanks for the help :-). We're actually flying into Green Bay, since we live in Kimberly. Driving to Milwaukee when it's 70 and sunny is already more stress than I need. Adding winter weather is too much. It's not the snow and ice I mind, it's the other drivers. I swear, every time it snows around here, I suddenly see a gazillion people who have seasonal amnesia and have completely forgotten that ice is slippery. Or on the other end of the spectrum, people who think one snow flake will cause their vehicles to careen over the side of a cliff if they drive in excess of 5 MPH. 

[NMCruiser55]

We've done this excursion and will be doing it the week before you.🙂
We left our luggage out and did not have any problem.
Unfortunately, I can't remember if there were multiple drop offs at the airport or what time we got there. We had no problems at the airport.
I wore a t-shirt and capris but that was in the fall. 

Hold the baby alligator! I think a donation is requested.
Don't know how helpful this is. I just remember the fun or really annoying parts of travel. 🙃

[CGrey93]

3 hours ago, NMCruiser55 said:

We've done this excursion and will be doing it the week before you.🙂
We left our luggage out and did not have any problem.
Unfortunately, I can't remember if there were multiple drop offs at the airport or what time we got there. We had no problems at the airport.
I wore a t-shirt and capris but that was in the fall. 

Hold the baby alligator! I think a donation is requested.
Don't know how helpful this is. I just remember the fun or really annoying parts of travel. 🙃

Thank you! This was very helpful! If you're not saying, "I remember that excursion! What a nightmare!" then we're all good. I appreciate the feedback. I'm not nervous about it, really. Worst case, they leave without us and we go to the airport on our own, check our luggage, and go do something on our own. I've just never done a post-cruise excursion, so I figured I'd get some info so I don't feel quite so lost.

[Number12]

We've done this excursion a couple times.  Once we were delayed debarking and the bus waited.  It's a fun thing to do instead of sitting around the airport.  The bus did stop at several locations at Fort Lauderdale airport.

[iheartmarshall]

I did this excursion pre-Covid so some things may have changed but here's what I remember from my experience.  I also did the South Beach/MIA dropoff tour this past June and it operated fairly similar as far as debarking/arriving at the airport. 

 

1 & 2. You'll be given your excursion tickets designating a time/place to meet to debark the ship (usually it's the theatre or lounge).  This should be around 7:30am and once cleared, they'll let you off the ship by your excursion group and direct you to which bus is yours.  You will have to take your luggage with you and they'll load it under the bus for the duration of the tour. 

 

3. Yes; you'll receive your tickets in advance that tell you when and where to meet in the morning as well as what to do with your luggage (although you'll keep it with you).  You may get those tickets at the beginning of your cruise with the rest of your excursion tickets (if purchased) or they may arrive in your cabin the day before you leave. 
 

4. No; it's a charter bus and they grouped luggage by airline so it's an easy on/off when they drop you at the appropriate terminal. 
 

5. Yes; they will ask you which airline you're flying out of and will drop as close to that terminal as they can.  I say as close to because there's only certain areas that the buses are allowed so you may be dropped on the ground level but have to go up one for the ticket area.  However, they will drop you at the appropriate airline terminal. 
 

6. On both of our post-MIA airport transfer excursions, we were at the airport by 1:00pm at the latest. 
 

7. I did this one in December and remember wearing leggings, a tank top, and a cardigan.  That was also my travel attire so I wanted to be comfortable but dress in layers in case I got cold on the plane.  I remember it working well for the excursion too. 
 

8. Use the bathroom before you board the bus!  Depending on the bus, you may or may not be allowed to use the restroom.  I remember on our Everglades tour, they would not let us use it and I had to pee SO bad that I was about to burst when we finally got to the tour location.  However on our South Beach one this past June, they were open but it was preferred only for number one or emergencies. 
 

9. Don't stress about arriving to the airport on time or catching your bus.  As long as you follow the excursion instructions they give you, you'll be fine and you'll make it to your terminal in plenty of time.  I'd also take a snack with you since it might be a while before you're able to each lunch. 
 

10. I'd say 2-3.  I recall our driver/tour guide tips being together ($10 - $20) but we also tipped the airboat driver. 

 

[CGrey93]

13 hours ago, iheartmarshall said:

I did this excursion pre-Covid so some things may have changed but here's what I remember from my experience.  I also did the South Beach/MIA dropoff tour this past June and it operated fairly similar as far as debarking/arriving at the airport. 

 

1 & 2. You'll be given your excursion tickets designating a time/place to meet to debark the ship (usually it's the theatre or lounge).  This should be around 7:30am and once cleared, they'll let you off the ship by your excursion group and direct you to which bus is yours.  You will have to take your luggage with you and they'll load it under the bus for the duration of the tour. 

 

3. Yes; you'll receive your tickets in advance that tell you when and where to meet in the morning as well as what to do with your luggage (although you'll keep it with you).  You may get those tickets at the beginning of your cruise with the rest of your excursion tickets (if purchased) or they may arrive in your cabin the day before you leave. 
 

4. No; it's a charter bus and they grouped luggage by airline so it's an easy on/off when they drop you at the appropriate terminal. 
 

5. Yes; they will ask you which airline you're flying out of and will drop as close to that terminal as they can.  I say as close to because there's only certain areas that the buses are allowed so you may be dropped on the ground level but have to go up one for the ticket area.  However, they will drop you at the appropriate airline terminal. 
 

6. On both of our post-MIA airport transfer excursions, we were at the airport by 1:00pm at the latest. 
 

7. I did this one in December and remember wearing leggings, a tank top, and a cardigan.  That was also my travel attire so I wanted to be comfortable but dress in layers in case I got cold on the plane.  I remember it working well for the excursion too. 
 

8. Use the bathroom before you board the bus!  Depending on the bus, you may or may not be allowed to use the restroom.  I remember on our Everglades tour, they would not let us use it and I had to pee SO bad that I was about to burst when we finally got to the tour location.  However on our South Beach one this past June, they were open but it was preferred only for number one or emergencies. 
 

9. Don't stress about arriving to the airport on time or catching your bus.  As long as you follow the excursion instructions they give you, you'll be fine and you'll make it to your terminal in plenty of time.  I'd also take a snack with you since it might be a while before you're able to each lunch. 
 

10. I'd say 2-3.  I recall our driver/tour guide tips being together ($10 - $20) but we also tipped the airboat driver. 

 

Wonderful information! Thank you so much! 

[Ammico]

We just got off Celebration on December 4th and did this excursion. 
 

We received tickets and had to meet in the Limelight lounge around 7:30. We could put our luggage out the night before with luggage tags for group 5 or 6. We had to wait in the lounge till around 8. You receive a colored sticker to wear on your shirt to identify which your you are doing.  When it is your time to debark with the tour group, you line up and slowly make your way off the ship. You get your luggage and go through customs and head outside. There is supposed to be someone outside looking for your stickers and directing you left to the buses. The bus lot is to the left of the terminal. Different tours go to different bus letters. (I think we were M? Or L?). At the bus the ask you which airport you are flying out of (FLL or MIA) so they can group your luggage together. Then they drive you to the Everglades. There is a “tour guide” on the bus giving you information. At the park the tour guides will get the airboat tickets for you. You will do an airboat tour, and then you will watch an alligator demonstration. After that you can wind thru some exhibits and get a picture with a baby alligator. You will probably have a few minutes to shop or buy snacks. Back on the bus, we headed to Fort Lauderdale Airport first. They do drop off at different terminals. After FLL they took us to the Miami Airport. I believe you could tip the airboat driver, the guy who does the gator demonstration, probably the person doing the baby gator pictures, your bus driver and your tour guide.  
 I had a laptop with me so I kept that backpack on the bus and it was fine. A lot of people left things on the bus, the big luggage is underneath the bus. 
We probably didn’t get to the Miami Airport til close to 2pm. 
We wore shorts and t shirts and were comfortable on December 4th. 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

4 hours ago, Ammico said:

We just got off Celebration on December 4th and did this excursion. 
 

We received tickets and had to meet in the Limelight lounge around 7:30. We could put our luggage out the night before with luggage tags for group 5 or 6. We had to wait in the lounge till around 8. You receive a colored sticker to wear on your shirt to identify which your you are doing.  When it is your time to debark with the tour group, you line up and slowly make your way off the ship. You get your luggage and go through customs and head outside. There is supposed to be someone outside looking for your stickers and directing you left to the buses. The bus lot is to the left of the terminal. Different tours go to different bus letters. (I think we were M? Or L?). At the bus the ask you which airport you are flying out of (FLL or MIA) so they can group your luggage together. Then they drive you to the Everglades. There is a “tour guide” on the bus giving you information. At the park the tour guides will get the airboat tickets for you. You will do an airboat tour, and then you will watch an alligator demonstration. After that you can wind thru some exhibits and get a picture with a baby alligator. You will probably have a few minutes to shop or buy snacks. Back on the bus, we headed to Fort Lauderdale Airport first. They do drop off at different terminals. After FLL they took us to the Miami Airport. I believe you could tip the airboat driver, the guy who does the gator demonstration, probably the person doing the baby gator pictures, your bus driver and your tour guide.  
 I had a laptop with me so I kept that backpack on the bus and it was fine. A lot of people left things on the bus, the big luggage is underneath the bus. 
We probably didn’t get to the Miami Airport til close to 2pm. 
We wore shorts and t shirts and were comfortable on December 4th. 

Thanks so much!  We are doing this as well, but to FLL.  

 

A couple of more questions, if you don't mind.   

 

What time did you have to be out of your cabin?

What were the hours for breakfast in the MDR?

[Ammico]

1 hour ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

Thanks so much!  We are doing this as well, but to FLL.  

 

A couple of more questions, if you don't mind.   

 

What time did you have to be out of your cabin?

What were the hours for breakfast in the MDR?

I believe we had to be out of the cabins by 8:30. 
I think breakfast started around 6 to 6:30 depending on the location, possibly earlier. I think we went down to the main dining room around 645 or 7 am. 

[Viajera7]

On 12/21/2022 at 2:43 PM, Ammico said:

I believe we had to be out of the cabins by 8:30. 
I think breakfast started around 6 to 6:30 depending on the location, possibly earlier. I think we went down to the main dining room around 645 or 7 am. 

Do you remember if you had extra time to go to the Visitor’s Center?

[Ammico]

2 hours ago, Viajera7 said:

Do you remember if you had extra time to go to the Visitor’s Center?

By Visitor’s Center, do you mean gift shop/snack bar?  Yes, we had a little bit of time to shop and look around. Maybe 15 to 20 minutes. 

[Viajera7]

9 hours ago, Ammico said:

By Visitor’s Center, do you mean gift shop/snack bar?  Yes, we had a little bit of time to shop and look around. Maybe 15 to 20 minutes. 

Everglades National Park Visitor Center which has a gift shop. I collect National Parks stamps which you get at the visitor center and that’s the reason why I would book this excursion. Otherwise, I would wait for another time and rent a car to go to this park. Thanks for answering.

[Ammico]

15 minutes ago, Viajera7 said:

Everglades National Park Visitor Center which has a gift shop. I collect National Parks stamps which you get at the visitor center and that’s the reason why I would book this excursion. Otherwise, I would wait for another time and rent a car to go to this park. Thanks for answering.

I don’t think that Everglades Holiday Park is in the National Park. It is part of the Everglades, but does not appear to be in the National Park.   My handrawn x is roughly where the tour goes to see alligators and the Everglades. The green at the bottom I believe is the National Park. 

[kona_wahine]

It’s a good ending to a cruise, we enjoyed it. 🐊

[Viajera7]

5 minutes ago, Ammico said:

I don’t think that Everglades Holiday Park is in the National Park. It is part of the Everglades, but does not appear to be in the National Park.   My handrawn x is roughly where the tour goes to see alligators and the Everglades. The green at the bottom I believe is the National Park. 

Thanks for the information. This confirms that I should wait until I can spend more time after a cruise and rent a car to go to the National Park.

[Viajera7]

3 minutes ago, kona_wahine said:

It’s a good ending to a cruise, we enjoyed it. 🐊

Yes. I would have done it after my June cruise but I want to do both. See the Everglades and the National Park.

[indy71]

We did this excursion in the winter and a big storm came in unexpectedly. We got DRENCHED prior to going to the airport. We had used the program that checks your bags all the way to your home airport, so we didn’t have dry clothes with us. (Bad decision for several reasons! - lol!) We used the bathroom hand dryers to try to dry our hair. 🤪 We bought sweatshirts from the gift shop, but they didn’t sell pants. It was a pretty miserable trip home.  We laugh about it now. Just be aware that the weather can change fast.
 

I did this excursion again in the winter (call me crazy) and the weather was great. I wore jeans and a t shirt and carried a jacket just in case. I think I left the jacket on the bus. That’s how I wanted to be dressed for the flight home. It’s a good excursion and a great way to spend a few hours instead of sitting at the airport.