Ft. Lauderdale Rental Cars VS. Cabs/Shuttles

[roe2ship]

We are doing a one night pre-cruise stay and thinking about getting a rental car. So far, Budget seems to be closest to the pier with a free shuttle bus to get you there after the drop off. I would think that the freedom with your own car vs. cabs / shuttles to your hotel / pier back and forth is worth the trouble and probably just a few dollars more with a car. Although, I have realized that some of the hotels charge for parking. I am looking for advice on whoever did it both ways in the past. If rental car, which company? Which did you prefer to be more convenient and why? TIA

[PhillyCruiser]

We have found that renting a car is very economical in South Florida, and is worth it if we have to take more than 2 cab rides. The only time we choose to not rent a car is if we are going to a Fort Lauderdale beachfront hotel (our favorite is Marriott Harbor Beach) that charges for parking, and we only plan to use the pool and the beach right at the hotel, and eat at the hotel. Many times we venture farther than Fort Lauderdale, such as South Beach for dinner and a stroll, or up to Palm Beach to drool at the merchandise in the shop windows. In that case, having a rental car is definitely much, much cheaper. As for which rental company, it depends on the rate more than anything else. We usually end up with Hertz, because of the discounts we get from organizations to which we belong. Hertz is located at the FLL airport, and will shuttle you to and from the pier.

 

Joan

[mcboo]

Roe2ship,

Rent the car if you plan on doing any sightseeing at all. Taxis can be expensive. We usually use Alamo Rent a Car. They have a shuttle from the airport to their location on Federal Hwy. (Just off airport grounds). They also have a shuttle to the pier from their location. They usually have the most economic rates.

Hope this helps.

mcboo

[Nunu]

I agree that a car is the way to go. The only variable to add would be if the hotel charges parking. Our pre-cruise Marriott Marina was $12 per day and post cruise Doubletree Oceanfront was i think $10? We used Alamo for our post cruise because they picked us up at the port and for $27 got a Buick Park Avenue. Pre-cruise we used Priceline and got a premium car for $25 and when I was at the airport for pickup I upgraded to a Cadillac for $9. At those rates I wasn't gonna pass that up. Good Luck.

[CruiseFever]

We are doing a one night pre-cruise stay and thinking about getting a rental car. So far, Budget seems to be closest to the pier with a free shuttle bus to get you there after the drop off. I would think that the freedom with your own car vs. cabs / shuttles to your hotel / pier back and forth is worth the trouble and probably just a few dollars more with a car. Although, I have realized that some of the hotels charge for parking. I am looking for advice on whoever did it both ways in the past. If rental car, which company? Which did you prefer to be more convenient and why? TIA

 

We've done both.

 

Unless we were coming in really late the night before we'd get a rental car and we'd make it Budget. They're the most accomodating of the bunch as far as we could tell and surely the easiest to work with.

 

Typically we'll reserve the car using our Budget Fast Break account, an expedited way of doing it all, the best part of which makes it like checking out of a hotel with express checkout when your're done.

 

There are two Budget locations you'll want to concentrate on, the airport mega-rentalplex where you'll pick your car up and the 17th St office, where you'll drop it off.

 

Upon landing, you'll exit the airline terminal and board a waiting (hopefully) shuttle bus that will take you to your car if you did a Fast Break rental or the rental office if you made a regular reservation. From there you can drive ll around and I'd sure make a point of a cruise down A1A, the main drag Las Olas Blvd, the entertainment/shopping/dining mecca appropriately boasted about by locals and frequent visitors alike

 

On the morning of your cruise you'll drop the car at Budget's 17th St office. a hard to find but worth the hunt place not far from the Publix grocery store or Crown liquor store you might want to include in your pre-cruise itinerary for provisions.

 

They'll take you via 15 passenger van right to the luggage drop off point at the pier.

 

We used to do cabs and if we were not going to go anywhere or do anything that would STILL be the way to go just because everything we need is within a limited geographic area. One factor to consider is the availability of your car when you want it when leaving your hotel and if they charge for parking.

 

The Holiday Inn, for example, has its own private lot that we paid $10 per day to park in that is conveniently located just off the hotels pool area.

 

For more information, here's an excerpt from our Caribbean Princess review in which the thought process for Ground Transportation (GT) options is discussed in detail:

 

"For this, like any cruise vacation, we begin by sketching out what our GT needs are. Not how we'll go about getting there but where we need to go. We start with a story of what is going to happen to us from the time we leave home until the time we return home. See if you can figure out the GT needs for this scenario:

 

We'll fly out of our local airport to Atlanta where we'll connect with a flight that takes us to Fort Lauderdale. As soon as we land we will need to get to the US Coast Guard office where Sydney has a recruitment interview. She's thinking about joining the Coast Guard that could be a really cool move for this college sophomore. She had a great freshman year at The University of Kansas but grew weary of the college scene rather quickly. Should be an interesting meeting.

 

After the Coast Guard meeting we'll head back to the airport area to our pre-cruise hotel, the Wyndham for the night. Depending on time available and how we feel we might go out for dinner or just get something to eat at the hotel. The next morning we're going to want to be at the port rather early, probably around 10AM just because we like going early and being one of the first to board. On the way we'll need to stop by the Publix grocery store on 17th street for some sodas and other provisions not offered on the ship.

 

So to outline our GT needs, they are:

 

· Transfer from home to airport

· Transfer from airport to Coast Guard office

· Transfer from Coast Guard office to hotel

· Transfer from hotel to someplace to eat dinner

· Transfer from dinner place back to hotel

· Transfer to Port, stopping by grocery store for embarkation

 

The popular choices in Fort Lauderdale are

 

· A taxi- that will work for every leg of our GT needs and is convenient. Using Yahoo's map and driving directions feature, a conservative estimate of the cost of GT using a cab would top $100 total

· A limousine service- not really practical at all- a possible good choice if the GT need was to go from the Fort Lauderdale airport to, say, a hotel in Miami AND a high value was placed on making the GT a luxury experience. Often it is thought that because a limousine seats 8 to 10 passengers that it will accommodate them for a transfer on a cruise vacation. Not safely. The storage space is often inadequate for the amount of luggage even 4 passengers might have. I used to recommend this option a lot but finally ran into an honest limo company owner who told me flat out I was wrong and that's why. Still, if a limo is a good application for you I still recommend Limos Of Miami or Absolute Limousine as two reasonably priced and efficient companies serving the area.

· Tri-rail trains- Florida has a great system in place if you want to take the time to figure it out- I don't think most vacationers want to though- I sure don?t. I'm just not a big van of public mass transportation. I think I will take the wrong transfer and wind up in a bad part of town where I will be someone's lunch

· Super Shuttle/ Airport Shuttle- these rates are posted like typical cab rates and might be a good selection for a trip with limited GT transfers going to covered areas

· A rental car- Advantages- a flat rate for the day, most with unlimited mileage. The size vehicle is easily customized to the size of your party. Shuttle service is often offered that is convenient from the airport or to the cruise port. Disadvantage- You have to drive

 

I went with the rental car and reserved a Ford Focus through Budget Car Rental for $23 for the day. It will be plenty big for just the two of our luggage and us and it affords us the flexibility to make our transfers happen on our own schedule for a fixed rate. Upon arrival in Fort Lauderdale, an Budget shuttle will pick us up and take us to the car. When we're ready to go to the port, we'll drop the car at Budget's 17th St office and be shuttled by them to the pier.

 

That takes care of our pre-cruise GT needs. But what about after the cruise?

 

Our ship comes back to Port Everglades on a Saturday. The day before, on Friday, my wife Lisa and other daughter Whitney are flying down to spend a couple days with us, celebrating the Fourth of July on the beach watching fireworks. We did this on New Years Eve after our Holiday cruise on the Carnival Legend (awesome ship) and had so much fun it just seemed like a natural idea and a nice consolation prize for the family members that didn't get to go on this cruise.

 

We'll have them take a cab from our friend Will at Castro's Limousine Service (954-593-9052) who runs a fleet of Ford Excursions ($8 per person) to the Holiday Inn on the beach. We stayed there post-cruise in December so they know the lay of the land and should have a nice part of the day Friday and Saturday on their own before we join them post-cruise Saturday morning.

 

From our two Carnival Legend cruises and one Golden Princess cruise out of Fort Lauderdale I know that there are plenty of cabs available. That would probably be a good choice if all we were doing was going to the hotel, hanging around, then going to the airport when we finally go home.

 

We have bigger plans than that

 

We?ll disembark the Caribbean Princess probably about 9:30 or 10:00 without much problem. From there Budget will pick us up again and take us to their 17th street location to pick up a car, this one a Ford Explorer, to accommodate 4 people. We'll need that because

 

· There?s a chance that Sydney might be taking the test for getting into the Coast Guard,

· We have a total of 5 meals to eat someplace there,

· I bought tickets online through Ticketmaster for the Florida Marlins vs Tampa Bay Devilrays game on Saturday night

· As long as we're in driving mode, I want to drive around and become more familiar with the area, checking out hotels and restaurants recommended by CC members and neighborhoods where we might live some day

 

This one will cost more because it's two days and a larger car but it still is the cost effective way to go as it provides us with unlimited ground transportation at a reasonable cost which we know up front.

 

That's another factor I like about rental cars, pre-reserving limousines or taxi's that you can get rates for in advance; it's easy to budget for them. Regular taxicabs are iffy on being able to pin down the exact cost. When planning I like to get as many good, hard numbers as possible. This goes along with wanting to plan as much as possible right up to and after the cruise because once on board that's where the planning stops. The only plan for on board is for each member of our party to have the fabulous cruise they dream it will be. Getting them there in as painless a manner as possible is my job. Once on board its up to each one of us to make it a great vacation.

 

[mbw1024]

Had not thought of that option at all. I will be at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper for one night PRE in October.

 

Have never been to FLL or Miami. Does anyone think it is worth the sight seeing to head to South Beach for the evening?

[CruiseFever]

Absolutely.

 

We are doing exactly that before our Star Princess cruise in October. In fact, we'll be flying into Orlando, driving to Miami, spending the night then off to the port in the morning for the cruise.

 

To me, South Beach is one of the richest experiences around and not to be missed if you've go the time. I'm not sure when you're getting in town but if its early you could easily drive from either FLL or MIA to South Beach, walk around Ocean Blvd, have dinner and either head back to Fort Lauderdale for your precruise hotel stay. Better yet, stay in downtown Miami and end your day at Bayside Marketplace, a fun shopping/entertainment area within walking distance of many hotels.

 

Here's more on all that

 

http://www.lifeiscruising.com/miami__downtown

http://www.lifeiscruising.com/miami__south_beach

[mbw1024]

Thanks, Chris ...

I checked Budget (and signed up for Fast Break :)

It is actually cheaper to rent at 17th St. but only by a few dollars. Guess it makes no sense to cab to the hotel and then get the car?

 

Of course I want a convertible! But my luggage probably won't fit :)

 

mary beth

[mbw1024]

we fly in to FLL and get there around 11am. So loads of time to do something fun!

 

So Chris, you would spend the day in SB as opposed to FLL if you had to choose?

[Colo Cruiser]

Alamo is very good and close as well. In my opinion South Beach would be better especially if you have a car. :)

[mbw1024]

Is there an Alamo drop off that is not at the Airport? If so can you tell me where?

[CruiseFever]

we fly in to FLL and get there around 11am. So loads of time to do something fun!

 

So Chris, you would spend the day in SB as opposed to FLL if you had to choose?

 

That's a tough call as we've done both.

 

If I had to choose between the two I think I'd pick South Beach if I hadn't been there before. One reason is that you see it on TV all the time and you can then say "I've been there!"....which is also a good reason to go on a Everglades airboat ride...but then again I might be saying that because of the exciting Fall Season Premiere season starting any day now.

 

Another reason is that the drive from FLL airport to South Beach is, to me, interesting and helps give me bearings on where things are in this area that is talked about so much on Cruise Critic. Flying into FLL, in the process of picking up the car, getting out of town, and dropping it off, you'll see a lot of the fun stuff in Fort Lauderdale, including Port Everglades, and a little diversion over to A1A will get you the Fort Lauderdale equivalent of Ocean Blvd in South Beach...both cruise streets rich in local flavor.

[mbw1024]

What is the drive time to Miami?

 

And who can recommend their favorite place for dinner in FLL or Miami. Nothing too fancy, just my boyfriend and I traveling, so looking for a "date" place to start the trip off right :D

[roe2ship]

Thank you all for your advice. Even though we plan to hang out at the hotel pool and beach most of the day, that car would come in handy at night for dinner and getting us to the pier when WE want and are ready.

 

Chris, so where exactly is Budget hiding their office on 17th Street? Are we going to go crazy? Where by the Publix is it?

 

Philly, the Marriott Harbor Beach is the one hotel that I would love to stay but maybe a bit pricey. Can you tell me more about it and did you get it on Priceline?

 

Nunu, would you tell me how the Priceline rental cars work?

 

Thanks again!

[CruiseFever]

Thank you all for your advice. Even though we plan to hang out at the hotel pool and beach most of the day, that car would come in handy at night for dinner and getting us to the pier when WE want and are ready.

 

Chris, so where exactly is Budget hiding their office on 17th Street? Are we going to go crazy? Where by the Publix is it?

 

Philly, the Marriott Harbor Beach is the one hotel that I would love to stay but maybe a bit pricey. Can you tell me more about it and did you get it on Priceline?

 

Nunu, would you tell me how the Priceline rental cars work?

 

Thanks again!

 

There's a little strip mall around Publix. this place faces the bridge (big landmark, can't miss it), is across the street from the Embassy Suites and has a very small sign on it. Best bet? Get verify current phone number of the local office before you leave (954-761-7231) just in case you get lost.

It will be a recording. If you do NOT make any of the suggested selections it will ring in the 17th St office and they can talk you in.....but that probably won't be needed.

 

 

It's one of those places that you will probably find right away now that I've told you whare it is but that you could (like we did) drive around for hours looking for if you didn't know.

[Nunu]

roe2ship, using Priceline for a rental car was painless. You pick a location (FLL airport) and a vehicle size and put in a bid. We scored huge savings versus the web advertised prices on Avis. Try a site like betterbidding.com and they have great tutorials. Just remember once your bid is accepted then your credit card is charged so double check your dates. Good Luck, I think it's a fun process. Scott