Post-Cruise Part-Day in FLL Area

We return to Ft. Lauderdale on the morning of Saturday, July 28, 2018. Our flight out isn't until 7pm out of FLL. We have the idea to rent a car for the day and go to the Everglades, at least to visit the National Park Visitor Center, but I am very confused as to the best way to rent a car. Any ideas?

You can go to an online broker that has the whole list of rental car agencies, to choose your best price, then go right to the agencies website to check there. However, just be aware that some of the agencies have off airport rentals as well. All or most offer shuttles from the cruise port to the rental agency. Just for example....we always rented from Alamo, took the shuttle from the cruise port to the airport, got the car and on our way....now the shuttle only takes you to the off airport site, which is closer to the port, but may have different prices.

Step 1 - Know where the rental agencies are - some are near the Port with free shuttles to meet you at the terminal, some are near the Port but do not offer shuttles, others are further away including the rental center at the airport but do not offer shuttles to the cruise terminals

You can go here for a list: http://cruiseporteverglades.us/port-everglades-car-rental/

Step 2. Research pricing using your favorite online site - Hotwire, kayak, Expedia, Costco, Priceline, Cheaptickets, etc. - to see if it is cheaper to do a rental from the port area (using a free shuttle) then drop at the airport (pay a small one-way dropoff fee), or take Uber, etc from the port to the airport and rent/return there (no one-way dropoff fee).

BTW - Using the "map" feature of booking sites like Kayak is great for this kind of research because you can compare the rates shown on the map from various locations at once!

Step 3 - It is impossible to say here which will work out cheaper because it depends on your date of travel, vehicle size, who you book with, costs of your Uber, taxi, etc.

My guess is Thrifty or Alamo for lowest costs but let us know who you found!

Thank you so much for this link! That is exactly the info I am looking for! I will try to remember to post back on what we decide.

Try Thrifty/Dollar or Budget...both have a free comp shuttle to their close by location to Port Everglades. Not sure you would have a Costco membership but if you do we've gotten our best rates booking with them.

Don't forget if you sign up for the companies perks, you can also get a discount, or the entertainment books or aarp. Just google coupons or discounts for the company you are interested in

I love the Everglades - we take all of our high season (winter) visitors there but you really don't want to go in late July. The weather is hot, humid, frequently rainy (usually not all day) and the mosquitoes will eat you alive. Additionally, since it is the wet season the wildlife is spread out over wider areas. During the dry season they congregate at watering holes so they are much easier to observe.

For other places to visit check out www.sunny.org.

I love the Everglades - we take all of our high season (winter) visitors there but you really don't want to go in late July. The weather is hot, humid, frequently rainy (usually not all day) and the mosquitoes will eat you alive. Additionally, since it is the wet season the wildlife is spread out over wider areas. During the dry season they congregate at watering holes so they are much easier to observe.

 

For other places to visit check out www.sunny.org.

We are planning on doing an everglades tour Sept 22nd. I emailed the company to find out information.. He says he has an 8am because we don't want to be out there past 10 am. I am a total mosquito magnet and I don't want to look like I have any kind of pox's going home. Do I have to be concerned.

We are planning on doing an everglades tour Sept 22nd. I emailed the company to find out information.. He says he has an 8am because we don't want to be out there past 10 am. I am a total mosquito magnet and I don't want to look like I have any kind of pox's going home. Do I have to be concerned.

The description of the wet season on the Everglades National Park website (https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/wetseason.htm) is not an exaggeration!

Hi everyone, a short report-back. If there is any interest, I can post a more detailed review with pictures. Let me know. We booked directly with Alamo, got the shuttle at the cruise port, and then dropped it at FLL that evening. We indeed spent the day in Everglades National Park and we loved it. In fact, the Everglades was my absolute favorite spot on our entire two week trip, beating out 3 other National Parks! It was well worth getting the car for the day and well worth going to the park. Thanks everyone for the help & tips.

Where did you, specifically, go to Everglades National Park? Shark Valley?

Hi everyone, a short report-back. If there is any interest, I can post a more detailed review with pictures. Let me know. We booked directly with Alamo, got the shuttle at the cruise port, and then dropped it at FLL that evening. We indeed spent the day in Everglades National Park and we loved it. In fact, the Everglades was my absolute favorite spot on our entire two week trip, beating out 3 other National Parks! It was well worth getting the car for the day and well worth going to the park. Thanks everyone for the help & tips.

Thank you for your report! We are thinking of renting a car from Alamo, too. Do you need to call them to schedule a shuttle pick up at the cruise port? Or they just run on schedule?

Where did you, specifically, go to Everglades National Park? Shark Valley?

We entered from Homestead and went from the main entrance there/Coe visitor center to Flamingo, stopping at almost all of the short walks in between. We missed one during a thunderstorm and didn't think we had enough time on the way back out.

Thank you for your report! We are thinking of renting a car from Alamo, too. Do you need to call them to schedule a shuttle pick up at the cruise port? Or they just run on schedule?

An Alamo shuttle arrived while we were fiddling with our phones trying to call. You just have to make sure you book with the non-airport location.