Budget Car Rental - Port Everglades cruise port

[MonikaJ42]

We are arriving 3 days before our cruise and are thinking of renting a car from the Fort Lauderdale airport and returning to the Budget location at the cruise port on the day of our cruise so we are not paying for parking etc.  There is a shuttle provided to the port.  Anyone know how often it runs?

 

Can anyone provide some feedback/advice of their experience with Budget? 

 

Thank you in advance and happy cruising!

[tml1230]

we use it 3-4 times a year from the west coast of Florida ....picking up the rental  in sarasota and a quick  3 hour drive  to the port with a bathroom break since we are old!...

it is the perfect solution for us. The shuttle runs continuously  and we have never waited more than 10 minutes for the VERY short ( 7-10 minutes) to the port. You will be very happy with the option.

we do try to avoid the peak (10 to11 AM ) hours as it may take a little longer.....I highly recommend it! 

[tml1230]

I did forget to mention ....and not for nuthin. but.....

 

the budget rental  staff at the airport itself leaves a lot to be desired!   our last 3 rentals there ...returning  AFTER  a cruise to our home on the Florida west coast from FLL ....have been absurdly frustrating...we could not use the cruise port office due to our early disembarkation and cruise port office was closed.

I compare those experiences at FLL airport to my most recent colonostopy.

 

[suzyed]

33 minutes ago, tml1230 said:

I did forget to mention ....and not for nuthin. but.....

 

the budget rental  staff at the airport itself leaves a lot to be desired!   our last 3 rentals there ...returning  AFTER  a cruise to our home on the Florida west coast from FLL ....have been absurdly frustrating...we could not use the cruise port office due to our early disembarkation and cruise port office was closed.

I compare those experiences at FLL airport to my most recent colonostopy.

 

I guess I didn't know or forgot that there is a Budget at the port.  When we sail out of FLL for a TA we usually rent a car to drive down to port from St. Augustine, drop it off at the airport and take the shuttle.  It will be easier to drop at the port IF we rent from Budget next time when we're sailing on the Sun.  Thanks for the info.

[Thrak]

39 minutes ago, tml1230 said:

I compare those experiences at FLL airport to my most recent colonostopy.

 

 

Sad. Very sad. Reminds me of arranging for a car for Hawaii for us and our son who is permantly in a wheelchair. We booked it months in advance to be sure we would have a car that would work for him. I took the shuttle from the port and, when I got there, I found an angry mob of people who had pre-arranged for cars only to find that there were none available. The staff had blithely rented them to other people who had arrived by plane that morning. It took almost 3 hours to get another car.

 

I was hoping to hear better news about FLL. We have a few cruises booked next year and one of them ends at that port. We would like to maybe rent a car for a few days and pick up another couple of National Parks that we haven't been to. (My wife collects US National Parks and there are a couple in that area we haven't visited yet.) Perhaps Budget might not be the best choice... 🤔

[cjpj]

1 hour ago, MonikaJ42 said:

We are arriving 3 days before our cruise and are thinking of renting a car from the Fort Lauderdale airport and returning to the Budget location at the cruise port on the day of our cruise so we are not paying for parking etc.  There is a shuttle provided to the port.  Anyone know how often it runs?

 

Can anyone provide some feedback/advice of their experience with Budget? 

 

Thank you in advance and happy cruising!

In your case I would consider just ubering it. I find it rarely beificial to rent a car these days unless you are traveling some distance and/or making a number of trips.

[RSF Cruiser]

I’ve had terrible luck with Budget at several different airports, so I will not rent from them again. I consistently have great service from Enterprise, my go to car rental company now. 

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, cjpj said:

In your case I would consider just ubering it. I find it rarely beneficial to rent a car these days unless you are traveling some distance and/or making a number of trips.

They want to be able to drive around - not just go from airport to port.  I suppose you may realize this and thinking perhaps they are not really going anywhere much outside the hotel.  My presumption is with three days planned, they have plans.

[dog]

We do this all the time.  Have had issues with Enterprise but not Budget. We pick up at airport and return by port with Budget. Shuttle runs frequently.

[sprite]

The shuttle was the only positive part of the rental experience with Budget.

 

We rented from FLL on a Friday, the day before our cruise.

 

Our flight landed at around 12:30p and it took over two hours for us to get on the road with the rental.  The line at Budget was ridiculous.  It was like they had to re-invent the whole rental process every time a person went up to the counter.  It took so long.

 

But - the line for their "club" or whatever they have was short to non-existent. So I would suggest signing up and make your reservation through their loyalty program.  Several people in our gen-pop line tried signing up while they're in line but found out (some the hard way) that you had to have the reservation through it from the start.

 

I also found, after returning from the cruise, that they charged us ~$20 additional for a fuel charge.  We filled the tank minutes before we returned it so I sent a message to their customer service asking for a refund and it was done within a day.

[dog]

30 minutes ago, sprite said:

The shuttle was the only positive part of the rental experience with Budget.

 

We rented from FLL on a Friday, the day before our cruise.

 

Our flight landed at around 12:30p and it took over two hours for us to get on the road with the rental.  The line at Budget was ridiculous.  It was like they had to re-invent the whole rental process every time a person went up to the counter.  It took so long.

 

But - the line for their "club" or whatever they have was short to non-existent. So I would suggest signing up and make your reservation through their loyalty program.  Several people in our gen-pop line tried signing up while they're in line but found out (some the hard way) that you had to have the reservation through it from the start.

 

I also found, after returning from the cruise, that they charged us ~$20 additional for a fuel charge.  We filled the tank minutes before we returned it so I sent a message to their customer service asking for a refund and it was done within a day.

What address was your return location?

[cjpj]

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

They want to be able to drive around - not just go from airport to port.  I suppose you may realize this and thinking perhaps they are not really going anywhere much outside the hotel.  My presumption is with three days planned, they have plans.

I did realized that. Unless they are going some distance in those 3 days, Uber is usually costs less (rental fees, gas, parking, etc.) and is more convenient. But it all depends on their itinerary. 

[sprite]

40 minutes ago, dog said:

What address was your return location?

2520 Miami Rd, Fort Lauderdale

 

We returned the car, got in the shuttle and were on our way within in minutes along with two other parties on the same cruise.  I was a little concerned we'd have to wait for the shuttle when we pulled up because there about 20 people milling around the office but we got right on the shuttle.  I don't know what those other people were waiting for, maybe ubers or something. 

[MonikaJ42]

Thank you to everyone who left a comment/advice, very much appreciated!

As we are arriving 3 days earlier, we are planning to do some exploring.  It will be my moms first time in the Miami area so trying to find some cool places to visit when we are there.  Any suggestions?  I think we are going to sign up for the Budget FastTrack membership so that will hopefully speed up the pick up process at the airport.  

 

Getting very excited.  We are close to under 50 days to go!

 

[VibeGuy]

I’ve rented from the shared Avis/Budget location near the pier several times and been happy. Full disclosure, I have mid-tier elite status with Avis so everything is usually waiting for me.  
 

The one point I would mention is that the best way to return the car on cruise say is to deposit bags and everybody but the driver at the pier, then return the car and just the driver takes the shuttle back.  The shuttle space is limited and there’s not much room for baggage.  

[Ashland]

8 hours ago, sprite said:

2520 Miami Rd, Fort Lauderdale

 

We returned the car, got in the shuttle and were on our way within in minutes along with two other parties on the same cruise.  I was a little concerned we'd have to wait for the shuttle when we pulled up because there about 20 people milling around the office but we got right on the shuttle.  I don't know what those other people were waiting for, maybe ubers or something. 

We've used this Avis/Budget location a few times recently and had good experiences.

We rent through Costco for some great pricing.

[Brighton Line]

I see the question asked above but did not see the address. Is this the address for Budget Cruise Port and not the FLL Airport?

 

Ft Lauderdale Cruiseport Shttl,EV3

2520 Miami Rd,

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 US

(1) 954-761-7231

Sun 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM; Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Sat 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Brighton Line said:

I see the question asked above but did not see the address. Is this the address for Budget Cruise Port and not the FLL Airport?

 

Ft Lauderdale Cruiseport Shttl,EV3

2520 Miami Rd,

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 US

(1) 954-761-7231

Sun 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM; Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Sat 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The address above is indeed Budget/Avis/Payless off site rental location just outside the Port Everglades gate. This is not the FLL rental location address for these companies. They are inside the FLL terminal.

 

[Littlebeachlover]

There will be 6 adults traveling in my party.... Charlotte to Fort Lauderdale.  We are researching if renting a 12 passenger van will be more economical than taking 2-3 vehicles from home.  Pickup in Charlotte drop-off at Fort Lauderdale cruise port then repeat on the return trip....it will save on gas and parking for 2 weeks.  My questions are at drop-off will the shuttle be able to accommodate 6 people with luggage going to the port?  How difficult on disembarking day will it be to get 6 people on the shuttle at the cruise port to go pickup the van to return home?       

[Ashland]

36 minutes ago, Littlebeachlover said:

There will be 6 adults traveling in my party.... Charlotte to Fort Lauderdale.  We are researching if renting a 12 passenger van will be more economical than taking 2-3 vehicles from home.  Pickup in Charlotte drop-off at Fort Lauderdale cruise port then repeat on the return trip....it will save on gas and parking for 2 weeks.  My questions are at drop-off will the shuttle be able to accommodate 6 people with luggage going to the port?  How difficult on disembarking day will it be to get 6 people on the shuttle at the cruise port to go pickup the van to return home?       

The shuttle vans that we've used have been able to accommodate the six of us and our luggage. We self disembark so we're some of the first there and able to get the first shuttle.

[VibeGuy]

11 hours ago, Littlebeachlover said:

There will be 6 adults traveling in my party.... Charlotte to Fort Lauderdale.  We are researching if renting a 12 passenger van will be more economical than taking 2-3 vehicles from home.  Pickup in Charlotte drop-off at Fort Lauderdale cruise port then repeat on the return trip....it will save on gas and parking for 2 weeks.  My questions are at drop-off will the shuttle be able to accommodate 6 people with luggage going to the port?  How difficult on disembarking day will it be to get 6 people on the shuttle at the cruise port to go pickup the van to return home?       

As I mentioned above, it’s way easier and more convenient to drop everyone and their luggage at the pier and just have one driver return the vehicle and shuttle back, and vice versa.  You only have to deal with the luggage once. 

[Littlebeachlover]

On 9/3/2024 at 5:37 PM, Ashland said:

The shuttle vans that we've used have been able to accommodate the six of us and our luggage. We self disembark so we're some of the first there and able to get the first shuttle.

Thank you!

[Littlebeachlover]

On 9/4/2024 at 4:01 AM, VibeGuy said:

As I mentioned above, it’s way easier and more convenient to drop everyone and their luggage at the pier and just have one driver return the vehicle and shuttle back, and vice versa.  You only have to deal with the luggage once. 

Thank you!

[dog]

On 9/3/2024 at 5:37 PM, Ashland said:

The shuttle vans that we've used have been able to accommodate the six of us and our luggage. We self disembark so we're some of the first there and able to get the first shuttle.

Where is the van when you disembark to go pick up the car? Do you need to call them to pick you up?