FOPMan

Ly comments above reflect Fort Lauderdale activities. They've been almost exactly the same for at least 7 years, on multiple ships including Nieuw Statendam (two different years), Konigsdam, and Zandam. It is is ICE (Immigration's) policy. It seems pointless to march people all the way to the ground level when they could jdo the same thing in the corridor just off the ship. I get that they want people on US soil, in case of an issue, avoiding any discussion of authority regarding on-ship activities. Experiences in other locations or other times may differ. The OP was interested specifically about Fort Lauderdale.

You will likely be required to get off the ship, if only for a few minutes, to clear customs and immigration. All in-transit passengers will be told to gather together (probably in the theater) at something like 9:00 or 9:30. Bring your passport/identification and key card, at a minimum. And don't be late. Ship's staff will escort you off the dhip and into the terminal. ICE staff will scan yoiur identification and validate you are you. You will then have a choice to be escorted back aboard or remain ashore and reboard at your leisure (but not usually for a couple of hours minimum, eg no reboards until 11 (or whatever time is given). You can then enjoy the relatively empty ship for a big or go into Fort Lauderdale. They will not begin the process until all in-transit passengers get to the meeting place. We've waited 45 minutes previously due to other passengers ignoring the instructions. Very aggravating.

My 80+ year old mother took it from Pompano Beach/Boca Raton to MCO yesterday and is returning to SoFlo over the weekend. Se reported the train is comfortable and efficient. Staff was very helpful.

Pasteurized milk cheeses should nog be a problem yo bring into the US. Raw molk cheese, however, is another matter. When we were last in Aruba (or Curacao) in 2022, tjere did not seem to be much cheese readily available.

It is a 3.5 to 4.5 hour trip from MCO to/from Miami Beach, and you need to give yourself time for unexpected delays on return if you don't have capacity to change your flight at the last minute. The Brightline train is efficient, clean, and comfortable. My 80+ year old mother rode it this morning from South Florida to Orlando and will head home to South Florida tomorrow or Sunday. There is no Brightline station at Cape Canaveral (yet). You could pick up a car rental at Cape Canaveral. That would save you an hour and 15 minutes or so (It is a bit of a tossup ad to whether Florida's Turnpike or 95 will be faster for you- timing is everything!)

The Disney Wonder is doing something similar in May- San Juan, St. Thomas, Bahamas, Private Island,, Fort Lauderdale.

Rollators are almost always stored in cargo. There is no need to put it in a bag. You will need to get a gate tag on it. Expect it to take 10-15 minutes at the destination airport for the rollator to reappear.

That may be because the correct address is 99 Southeast 2nd Street, Miami, FL. Safe travels!

Cruzan makes a guava-flavored rum that is available in the US. If yiu moxed it with a vanilla rum, you might get close.

I believe Sint Maarten Guavaberry has been working to bring product to the US and that it may be available in some states in the Northeast US.

Well, you can park under the bridge @ 17th Street or the garage next to the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale and ride the Water Taxi. I'm basically a local for Lauderdale. We've parked under the 17th Street bridge for 45 years, long before the Water Taxi existed.

Rentals through SpecialNeedsAtSea or Scootaround) lay be available, however they may not be inexpensive If you rent in the US, your equipment will fly for free, however you will need to address your ground transportation needs (eg, getting from the airport to the ship and from the ship back to whatever airport you are flying back from. London's black taxis can accommodate most scooters. You should also consider whether you can climb the stairs on motorcoaches. That may inform how you select excursions. Unless specified, I would not (unfortunately) expect the bus to have a lift.

The tunnel was closed last week for repair. It created a bunch of issues for locals as traffic was redirected to 3rd Avenue.The tunnel closing is a very unusual circumstance, but they've been doing quite a bit of work on it over the last little bit. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/miami/news/federal-highway-at-kinney-tunnel-closed-for-next-four-days/

Maybe you were there when the tunnel was closed to vehicle traffic.

I grew up in Fort Lauderdale and was on Federal at Broward at least 4 days a week, and twice on Sundays (the intersection was on our way to church) ;). My mother still lives in the area. I am pretty familiar with every crack in the sidewalks in that area. We regularly bought bagels from a bakery near CVS.

Assuming you mean Port Everglades, depending on what terminal your ship is docked at, the ride can be as short as 8 minutes or as much as 30 minutes) if you are stopped by both a train and are delayed at security). Usually, the ride is 13 minutes or so, and less than 5 miles.

Federal Highway and Broward is one of the busiest intersections in Fort Lauderdale. I would be extremely careful on the west side of Federal between Broward and the tunnel. Crossing Federal at Broward isn't exactly a fun experience, either. Once you reach the tunnel coming back from CVS, you can relax quite a bit. CVS sells a limited selection of wines. You can always order delivery (or curbside pickup) from Total Beverage @ 17th Street or Walgreens. The Publix south of the river is just that- south of the river. You would need to cross a bridge to get to it. The bridge at Andrews Avenue is probably the most pedestrian-friendly. My father's business predated the Publix in the same location., so I'm pretty familiar with the georgraphy.

I would expect the airport dropofff to be about 3:00-3:30 to align with recommendations that passengers arrive 2 hours before flight time. There is a chance it may be earlier, if accounting for international flights. It shouldn't be after 3:30-3:40 in most circumstances.

Generally, the ship's tenders (lifeboats) are. not especially wheels-friendly. Some port-based tenders MAY be wheels-friendly. In some cases, these may be operated by the cruise line (the tenders at Half Moon Cay in The Bahamas, for example, are run by Holland America Line). Even if the tender is accessible, the weather and waves may influence the captain's decision regarding permitting wheels to go ashore.

"walking distance" is relative.. There is a CVS several blocks away ( Northwest corner of Broward Boulevard and Federal Highway).. The shortest path there is along a very busy street.

At FLL, the central rental car facility is in the main parking garage, connected to passenger terminals. You would most likely need to cross back into the passenger terminal and go to baggage claim or the designated rideshare pickup area to get a ride. If your car rental agency uses an off-airport (but still coded as FLL) location, you should be able to get a pickup from that location. Several agencies maintain locations that are focused primarily on serving the port/non-airport customers. Many of these will have shuttles to/from the cruise ships. There are no shuttles between the airport central facility ant the port.

I miss the days when I'd check in for my flight in a small airport and , in addition fo handing the agent my ticket, giving them my car keys. I knew all the agents for all the airlines at the airport- my girlfriend's roommate was one of the15 people. I'd leave my car next to the door and the agent would then take it after my flight left. They'd usually put it back when I was due to return. Steve

It depends on the tenders being used and the sea/weather conditions. If the ship is using its lifeboats as tenders, they are not generally wheels friendly. Some of the larger port-based tenders are. Waves and weather also make a difference. Transferring in rough conditions can be tough and the crew and captain do not particularly want to put passengers or staff in harm's way. And they do consider the weather not only when going ashore but what a return may look like.

The absolute last you can check bags is 45 minutes before a flight in many airports, and that does not guarantee you will actually make it through security and onto the plane. You often need to present yourself at the gate at least 20 minutes before the scheduled flight time. If you back that to an hour, that's 9am. 10 minutes to check in car and get into the terminal. That's 8:50. 5 minutes to refuel the car. That's 8:45. The drive is at least 1 hour 7 minutes. That's 7:38. 8 minutes from the immigration/customs to the car and get loaded. 7:31. Ate you feeling lucky? If everything worked perfectly. you could make it. If anything bumped at all, chances plummet.

Cruise ship elevators can often be quite crowded, and people are not expecting there to be a dog on the 'vattor. Is Chief small or large If he has been tiding on ylur scooter, I am guessing he is leas than 20 pounds (small). I'd be temptted to pit a LED collar on him to help him stand out while aboard ship.