Red-eye gets us into FLL too early (5:30 a.m.) on day of cruise.

[dresehand]

Any ideas on what to do from 5:30 a.m. until the time we can check in on the ship (I think we cannot check in any earlier than 12:30 p.m., correct?) I have a feeling since it's the red-eye flight we wont be getting too much sleep which puts us in Fort Lauderdale early in the a.m. and TIRED..I thought about just getting a hotel so we could sleep and relax a few hours, well 7 hours.. but not sure any nearby hotels let you just check in that early and just for part of the day. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks..

[bills blasters]

Not sure what cruiseline you are going on, but when we have cruised Carnival out of FLL, we have gotten to the pier by 9:30 and got to inside almost right away and sit and wait until we can get on the ship, around 11:30.

We have never had to wait in line, and it has been kind of fun to sit and visit with the other cruisers while we wait.

Maybe stop somewhere and have a nice long breakfast and then head to the port.

[jjb415]

If you decide to get a hotel room, you would be reserving the room for the previous evening and checking out at the usual noon to 1pm time frame. That way, the room will definately be ready for your 5am arrival.

 

I like the above idea of the long breakfast and wait at the pier. You are giving yourself plenty of time, just in case of unexpected delays.

 

Happy sailing !! :)

[megr1125]

If you decide to get a hotel room, you would be reserving the room for the previous evening and checking out at the usual noon to 1pm time frame. That way, the room will definately be ready for your 5am arrival.

 

I like the above idea of the long breakfast and wait at the pier. You are giving yourself plenty of time, just in case of unexpected delays.

 

Happy sailing !! :)

 

just make sure you CALL the hotel direct and tell them you will be arriving very early on the day of checkout. when i worked for a hotel company we had what we called a "red eye" arrival...not sure if this exists anymore and it was rarely used....but that way we knew the person was coming and to NOT use that room if we were overbooked...:eek::D

[BlueHerons]

If you decide to get a hotel room, you would be reserving the room for the previous evening and checking out at the usual noon to 1pm time frame. That way, the room will definately be ready for your 5am arrival.

 

I like the above idea of the long breakfast and wait at the pier. You are giving yourself plenty of time, just in case of unexpected delays.

 

Happy sailing !! :)

 

I highly recommend a hotel room. You'll have to call the hotel directly (make sure they do not transfer you to the #800 call center) and let them know you will not be checking in until the next morning so they don't give away your room.

 

I would call them a couple of times ahead and a couple of times day of arrival to make sure they do not give your room away (hotels overbook).

 

If you book somewhere like the Embassy, you'll have breakfast when you arrive and then you can hang out at the pool, take a long nap, and take a shower before you head to the ship.

 

You'll be refreshed on embarkation instead of jetlagged and exhausted.

[jjb415]

If you book somewhere like the Embassy, you'll have breakfast when you arrive and then you can hang out at the pool, take a long nap, and take a shower before you head to the ship.

 

You'll be refreshed on embarkation instead of jetlagged and exhausted.

 

That is a very smart idea about the Embassy Suites and breakfast !! :)

[Langley Cruisers]

Wow, some people have different ideas about how to spend that time! I suppose if money wasn't an object, we might take a hotel room in that situation, but for me I don't think I would want to spend time getting to a hotel, having to actually unpack and repack some things to shower, try to eat and then sleep, or sleep and then eat, and then make my way over to the pier. I absolutely know this would work for some but knowing my family, we would probably hang at the airport a while, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and take a cab to the pier for around 10 am. This allows for delays as well.

 

As far as we are concerned the first day of a cruise is one you've paid for - you most likely want it to start as soon as possible, and I'm sure others are jealous that you are arriving so early in the day. Think of those who arrive close to sailing time! Drag.

 

OP, have a fun cruise. :)

[rednancy1]

We have arrived 4 hours before we could depart for the ship. So we spent $100 to relax on a plush sofa in the Delta Crown Room. It was worth it. We could sleep, watch TV, drink coffee or soft drinks, use the laptop and nibble munchies. And it was quiet. Very well worth it. :)

[BlueHerons]

We have arrived 4 hours before we could depart for the ship. So we spent $100 to relax on a plush sofa in the Delta Crown Room. It was worth it. We could sleep, watch TV, drink coffee or soft drinks, use the laptop and nibble munchies. And it was quiet. Very well worth it. :)

 

That is an excellent idea. I wonder what time they open? The AA Admiral's Club has several locations in Miami Airport.

 

Think it is $50 per person so if you have more than two people, a hotel on priceline may be a better fit.

[dresehand]

The Delta Crown room is a good possibility and we are also considering taking a shuttle from FLL to the Hard Rock Casino/Hotel, hanging out for a few hours to eat, etc.. and then have the shuttle come back and take us to the port later. I believe the shuttle company will store our luggage so we wont be having to drag it around the Hard Rock until they come back to get us. I hear the Seminole Hard Rock Casino is a huge facility. Anyone been there? Thanks.

[cruiserbryce]

I would find a nice hotel, enjoy a leisurly breakfast and pass the time until the terminal opens.

[monicajay]

If your flight lands at 5h30 AM it would be at least 7 AM before you would get your luggage, get a shuttle or a cab and get to a hotel. Not worth it in my opinion.

 

I think the idea of a day pass at an airline lounge is good or you could go to a beachfront hotel like the Yankee Clipper, pay to store your luggage and pay the $10.00 pp they charge for a beach chair if you are not staying at the hotel. After a nap in a lounge chair and a good breakfast at the hotel take a taxi around noon to your ship.

[ooulio]

You must have been very lucky not waiting out of Ft Lauderdale. A couple of years ago, we waited in line for almost 2 hours. Some kind of mess. This year, last month, we walked right on but we had VIP. Last year we walked right on in Miami but we also had VIP. We have always had waits in Ft Lauderdale. If I had my choice out of the ones we did, I love Miami. Next Year we leave out of Pt Canaveral.

[law638]

Before my last cruise Feb. 2008, we flew down the day before and bff had relatives in hollywood. Well, after checking into hotel, we were taken to the casino. What a great place to pass the evening and having fun. Actually, some of my money is still vacationing there. LOL HAVE FUN

[jjb415]

Unfortunately, airline lounges are located inside the secure area of the airport. If you are traveling with luggage, you would have to leave your luggage unattended in the baggage claim area until you're ready to claim it before leaving for the pier.

[shannonh]

Does anyone know the airport in Miami well enough to be able to recommend a place for breakfast in the terminal? I would rather not eat at McDonalds, but have a leisurely breakfast since we arrive in Miami so early and cannot board the ship at that time. Thanks for any suggestions.

[bills blasters]

Try this link. I hope it works.

http://www.miami-airport.com/html/restaurant_and_shops_maps.html

[Kineticoh20]

We also have a red-eye from Los Angeles. We get into FLL at 6am, our plan is to spend some time in the crown room as we get in for free:cool: not sure about the lugage though, don't want it turning on the rack all by itself for 2 hours.

[shannonh]

Thanks Bills Blaster. I really appreciate the link!

[TrqoisWtrs]

If you decide to get a hotel room, you would be reserving the room for the previous evening and checking out at the usual noon to 1pm time frame.

 

Not necessarily. Some hotels offer a 'day rate'. Usually not offered online, you would need to call the hotel directly. Its usually at a reduced rate than a full night's stay. I've done this numerous times when a flight got in really early and we couldn't check into our condo yet, or switching that around, had to check out, but flight left really late.

[hookedoncruisin']

We are in the same boat (no pun intended) as both dresehand and kineticoh20. We are arriving from Long Beach at 5:30 AM. It would make my DH crazy if we had to sit around the airport all morning so we are thinking about taking one of the everglade tours on an airboat. We just need to make sure we would be at the port on time. I think they will pick us up at the airport and take us to the port but we need to look into it more. Kieticoh20, we did find (thanks to a post here on CC) that there is a service at FLL that will store our bags for us for $6 a bag. Their website is: www.bagagecheckin.com click on Baggage Storage. If anyone has taken the tour I am referring to I would love to hear about it. I found it on Shore Trips, but I know a lot of companies offer it.

[Kineticoh20]

We are in the same boat (no pun intended) as both dresehand and kineticoh20. We are arriving from Long Beach at 5:30 AM. It would make my DH crazy if we had to sit around the airport all morning so we are thinking about taking one of the everglade tours on an airboat. We just need to make sure we would be at the port on time. I think they will pick us up at the airport and take us to the port but we need to look into it more. Kieticoh20' date=' we did find (thanks to a post here on CC) that there is a service at FLL that will store our bags for us for $6 a bag. Their website is: www.bagagecheckin.com click on Baggage Storage. If anyone has taken the tour I am referring to I would love to hear about it. I found it on Shore Trips, but I know a lot of companies offer it.

 

Sounds good but the link doesn't work:(

[Kineticoh20]

http://www.baggagecheckin.com/ :D Only problem is I wouldn't mind spending a couple hours waiting in the Delta room but if you leave the concourse I don't think you can get back in.

[bills blasters]

We did the airboat everglades tour in Jan. We had Quality Limo Service pick us up at our hotel. You can go to their website. I think It was qls.com.

We wanted to be back early, so we had them pick up up at 8:30. They said the tours do not start until 9:00. They had us back to the hotel by 11:30. In your case you could have them pick you up at the airport and drop you off at the cruiseport. Our price was $45 per adult and less for children.

[hookedoncruisin']

Kineticho20, sorry about the spelling error on the website, glad you found it anyway.:o Thanks for the info, Bills Blasters, that's very helpful. The $45 did not include the transportation with the limo service did it? Did you enjoy the airboat ride?