Cruising from Miami in September--First Timer with Questions

[hazeleyes46]

We have never cruised out of Miami and I am trying to get info on the best places to stay and how to get around.

We would be flying in on a Friday for a Saturday cruise.

Would it be cheaper to fly in FLL?

Would it be cheaper to stay in FLL?

How do you go about getting transportation for all things (from airport to hotel and/or FLL to Miami and back)?

 

Hotel or Airbnb? Which is better?

 

Sorry but just clueless (and old lol) as we usually drive into port or have taken RCCL transportation.

[RocCruisers]

For one night in Miami, look for hotels near Bayside, Downtown or Brickell neighborhoods. Airport and  Doral areas are a little cheaper, but offer no ambiance.  Airbnb is great for multiple days and or large groups. 

Any savings and time flying or staying in FLL, might be lost in transportation costs.  Uber, taxis are easy to get.  There are even some of these hotels that have airport pickup.  

[Clarasgrandma]

It depends on where you are flying from. Many people will say FLL is cheaper but for us, that has not been the case. If you are just flying in the night before your cruise, I would suggest a hotel by the MIami airport. Most will have free shuttle service from the airport to the hotel, and most will offer a cheap shuttle from hotel to the cruise port. Do some research to see which hotels have restaurants within walking distance. Several of them do. We usually take an Uber from the cruise port back to the airport for out return flight.

 

If you fly into and/or stay in Fort Lauderdale, there is a tri-rail train that goes from that airport to Miami airport for just a few bucks per person, or you can Uber.

[Lois R]

Hi, you need to check the flights from wherever you live to both airports and see what comes up cheaper. Depending on how much difference in $ would be your call.  There are companies you can use for transport if you decide to stay in Ft. Lauderdale (to get you to the Port of Miami).  If you scroll down this forum, you can find lots of information.

 

As for AIR B&B vs a hotel? I have never stayed at an AIR B&B so cannot give you any answers on that one.......lots of hotels in both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.......again, take some time and look at threads on this forum.

[hazeleyes46]

thank you everyone!!!

[cruise_co]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:30 AM, hazeleyes46 said:

We have never cruised out of Miami and I am trying to get info on the best places to stay and how to get around.

We would be flying in on a Friday for a Saturday cruise.

Would it be cheaper to fly in FLL?

Would it be cheaper to stay in FLL?

How do you go about getting transportation for all things (from airport to hotel and/or FLL to Miami and back)?

 

Hotel or Airbnb? Which is better?

 

Sorry but just clueless (and old lol) as we usually drive into port or have taken RCCL transportation.

We are flying into FLL the day before the cruise.  We are spending some time in Orlando before, so not worried about flight delays as we can always grab a rental car, which I have reserved just in case.)

 

We have SAS transportation picking us up from FLL and taking us to our hotel although we may still cancel and just do Uber/Lyft.

 

I have reservations at both the Intercontinental and the Hilton downtown, just haven't decided which one yet.

 

My kids got married in Miami in 2019 and the bride's parents and we rented several Airbnb's in Brickell and they were all great. One condo and 2 houses, well worth the money for housing the wedding party and guests. But for the 3 of us, we are just doing a hotel and lyfting to the port.

Edited December 23, 2022 by cruise_co

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

We're flying into FLL the day before our cruise. We're 5 people, and it was a lot cheaper for us than flying into Miami ($100 pp each way I think it was, so we're talking about $1000 total).

 

We're staying at Hyatt Place Dania beach.  Free shuttle from FLL, restaurants for dinner and shopping for wine both within walking distance.

 

Taking a shuttle from the hotel to the port in the morning.  Some reviews of companies can be found here, also other travel sites with reviews as well.

 

Our flight leaves the afternoon of arrival back to Miami. We're taking the cruise transportation to FLL which includes the Everglades tour, as we have a 6 pm departure.

Edited December 25, 2022 by PrincessArlena'sDad

[Keith1010]

My recommendation is try to fly to Miami since your cruise starts there.

 

There is no best hotel because best is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

There are several hotels in the downtown area on or near Brickell and I would check them out.  There are lots of restaurants nearby and stores if you need any last minute items.

 

Keith

[hazeleyes46]

thank you!!!