Cruising out of Miami - Flying into FLL

[lmstic]

We are a party of 8 flying into FLL the day before our cruise out of Miami. I am trying to decide where is the best place to stay - Fort Lauderdale or Miami? Is one city better than the other? I am also wondering about getting all of us:

 

1. from the airport to the hotel

2. The hotel to the port of Miami

3. The port to FLL airport.

 

Four of our guest are college students on a budget! Is there a way to do this and not go crazy and/or cost a fortune? Thanks.

[brianl_s]

I am doing the same. I think hotel location would be personal preference. Things to look for in a hotel would be shuttle service either from the airport or to the cruise terminal the next day, depending on what city you decide to stay in.

 

So from the arport to the hotel: if hotel is in Fort L. then find a hotel that offers free shuttle. If hotel is in miami the shared ride service may be the way to go...runs every 30 minutes from the airport and will be roughly $15-$20 per passenger.

 

To the cruise terminal - again, depends on where you stay. If you are close to the miami terminal most hotels will offer a free shuttle if you are staying there.

 

Cruise terminal to FLL - several options but I have found transportation could get fairly expensive (with tip) using transfer/cab,ect. I actually have reserved a rental car to be picked up at the port of miami and will be just driving it to FLL and dropping it off. Good luck.

[signman]

Shared ride from FLL to Miami is $18 pp. Contact http://www.floridalimo.com or http://www.larryslimo.com for quotes on other options.

 

I would explore renting a car (2) or van. Prices in Florida are cheap, get cheaper as the winter season ends, and there is no drop charge. You definitely have time to do this before the cruise. Drop everyone at the pier, then return the car(s) to MIA and ride the car rental shuttle back to the pier. Just be sure you have all your documents to board the ship with you.

 

To return after the cruise, you can reverse the procedure, buy the ships transfer, or hire a service. Depends on the costs you uncover, and the time you have to get to the airport.

 

As far as where you stay, it would be a matter of personal preference, but generally I would feel better avoiding the possibility of traffic problems day of cruise between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. For a discussion of hotels, you can start here. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=276536