Rent a Car or Cab it?

[melindda]

We are a group of 5 that will be on the Caribbean Princess 12/26/04 (there are about 20 more in our group that we will meet up with on board) and are arriving in Ft. Lauderdale on 12/24 at around noon. We will be staying at the Renaissance in Ft. Lauderdale for two nights.

Here is my question, I know we will need to take two cabs from the airport to the hotel, unless we are able to get a van, and then the same senario when we go from the hotel to the port on Sunday morning for the cruise. Will we be better off renting a car (SUV) at the airport and then on the morning of the cruise have one of us drop the others at the port, return the car back to the airport and take a taxi back to the port? What is the best way to do this, I would rather pay more not to be hassled running around but then I wonder will we need a car to get around when we are staying at the Renaissance or can we walk to a restaurant or two and then if we decide to do something special during the day just take a cab?

I know this must sound confusing but I am sure that other people have had this same situation and I am just trying to figure out the least complicated way to do this.

Thanks for any help.

[dosi]

We were just in Fort Lauderdale for 3 nights and stayed at the Renaissance. We did not rent a car. The water taxi stops about 3 blocks from the hotel. The water taxi can take you to Las Olas or the beach area. An all day pass on the the water taxi is only $5 per person. It is the best deal.

You can either take a cab from the Ren to the port or take the shuttle that the Ren offers. I believe the shuttle is $4 OR $5 per person. We opted for a cab because we were only 3 people and it worked out cheaper but for 5 people it sounds like the shuttle is the way to go!! Have a great time. The hotel is wonderful.

Oh I just realized you will be there over Christmas. The water taxi website is [url]www.watertaxi.com/ftlaud[/url]. You may want to email them to see if they are running over Christmas or not.

[spongerob]

I enjoy having a car in most places I visit, but find that it is entirely unnecessary in Ft. Lauderdale. The Renaissance is close to a large shopping center, several restaurants, and the Marriott Marina water taxi stop. We were able to get on the water taxi, visit several sites, shop, and eat prior to a cruise without any difficulty. I think you'll find it more convenient and far less expensive to use alternate transportation.

With such a large group, you would do well to book your transfers to the port in shifts. You can reserve the shuttle at the front desk. The van shuttle is a 9-passenger van if I remember correctly, and no doubt there will be other guests also wanting to use the service. The concierge might also be able to line up separate transportation for you.

[cynbar]

We have always rented a car in Ft Lauderdale. Although I agree that it's not really necessary, we like the flexibility it gives us to explore, try different restaurants, stop for a few incidentals, etc. The cost is a little more than 2 cab rides, but not a lot (we avoid the free shuttles from the hotels because they are generally crowded, and the cab ride is only about $10.00 to the port -- well worth it to get our vacation off on the right foot.) We have always rented from Hertz, which has a free shuttle from there to the ship. Sometimes the Hertz employees have given us a ride over right in our rental car (we tip them for this), and I'll bet they'd be willing to do this if you asked--- especially with so many of you. You could also drop off everyone, and then the trip back for you on the shuttle would be easy. Whatever you decide, have a great trip.