Florida Ports?

[C cruise]

I have always embarked on Port Canaveral but now have a chance to use either the port at Tampa or Ft Lauderdale - never saw either. Does anyone know which is easier to get in and out of? If you have been on both, which would you want to go back to?

[FlGoodShips]

NCL does not sail from Fort Lauderdale.

Tampa...yes

Miami...yes

Port Canaveral...yes

[C cruise]

oh... thanks for pointing that out ...I would delete the question if I knew how...

[laudergayle]

Don’t worry about posting your question.  Lots of NCL posters cruise other lines…they may know about recent Ft Lauderdale experience.

 

the Florida Departure forum is probably a better place to ask your question and learn more.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/386-florida-departures/

 

 

[FLcruisergrl]

Tampa was a cluster when we embarked there. Love Port Canaveral.

[Homosassa]

We have cruised from Tampa many times over the years on various cruise lines (NCL, HAL, RCCL, Celebrity, MSC).

 

We have never had any problems with embarkation or debarkation. It is a very compact cruise port area with near by on site parking.

[Cruise Gopher]

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) is super easy to get in and out of. It’s a massive port with very good roadways. Also super close to FLL airport. 

[Sea saw 56]

We have cruised from Miami, Port Canaveral, and Tampa.  The least favorite was Port Canaveral…our favorite was Tampa.

[Pitzel]

We ran into issues in Tampa. The cruise before ours was delayed returning because of fog in the bay prevented the ship from returning to port. That meant that boarding was delayed by several hours. Unfortunately, the port terminal building has a set capacity and without the ability to board passengers, it filled up quickly and EVERYONE else arriving after that point had to wait outside in the sun for several hours and couldn't even check in until boarding started and the terminal building had enough capacity for new people to come inside. It was a MESS!

We have sailed out of all 4 of the major Florida ports (Port Canaveral, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa) and Tampa is our least favorite of the 4. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale have the advantage of being closer to their respective airports than Port Canaveral is to Orlando, which means that catching a return flight before noon is possible. The pull for one over the other is largely based on cruiseline. 

[luv2kroooz]

Tampa is a breeze with close proximity to the airport and decent facilities at the port.

[sanger727]

We like to use Ft Lauderdale or Miami. The two cities are about 30 minutes apart; so you can fly into either airport and cruise out of either cruise port. 

[Two Wheels Only]

11 hours ago, Pitzel said:

We have sailed out of all 4 of the major Florida ports (Port Canaveral, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa)...

 

People forget poor old Jacksonville....😔

[shof515]

16 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

People forget poor old Jacksonville....😔

its not forgotten, the bigger problem is that Norwegian does not sail out of that port. that is a carnival port and it always a very old carnival ship built in the 1990s 

[Two Wheels Only]

53 minutes ago, shof515 said:

...always a very old carnival ship built in the 1990s 

 

"...very old Carnival ship..." is a bit redundant. 😅

[Laszlo]

Love Tampa. We always stay at Tampa Marriot Waterfront. You can walk from the hotel to the cruise terminal

[rbxlady]

14 hours ago, Pitzel said:

We ran into issues in Tampa. The cruise before ours was delayed returning because of fog in the bay prevented the ship from returning to port. That meant that boarding was delayed by several hours. Unfortunately, the port terminal building has a set capacity and without the ability to board passengers, it filled up quickly and EVERYONE else arriving after that point had to wait outside in the sun for several hours and couldn't even check in until boarding started and the terminal building had enough capacity for new people to come inside. It was a MESS!

We have sailed out of all 4 of the major Florida ports (Port Canaveral, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa) and Tampa is our least favorite of the 4. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale have the advantage of being closer to their respective airports than Port Canaveral is to Orlando, which means that catching a return flight before noon is possible. The pull for one over the other is largely based on cruiseline. 

 

My brother was on an NCL ship when this happened, and they got an extra day+ on the ship. It messed up people's return trips, and I felt really awful for the people whose cruise got cut short by a day. I didn't even consider what a mess the port terminal must've been.

[KKB]

I have not sailed out of Tampa.

 

FLL is the easiest by FAR--airport/port/hotels all within 10 min of each other typically. Few traffic issues.

 

Port Canaveral is fine but since the airport is an hour away it is a pain.

I found getting reliable shuttles challenging when I flew in the day before--the ones with good reviews only shuttle in the morning. I was able to get a good one to pick my up at my Orlando hotel on embarkation day.

 

MIA--holy cow, road infrastructure is not sufficient for the current level of port traffic. 

Your time from hotel to port could be 20 min....or 45 min. I've experienced both.

Luckily I realized this on the way. Had I not known & ordered a Lyft when I disembarked, I probably would have missed my flight. 

My tip is to grab a cab at the port for disembarkation, especially if you have a morning flight.