Disembarking Ft Lauderdale and flying ex Miami- is there time?

[Scrapchick]

We're on the Equinox on late March and are sailing from Ft Lauderdale but flying in/out of Miami.

 

Will we make an 11AM flight from Miami airport? We were planning on renting a car and dropping it off at Miami airport, but I'm wondering if we have enough time to do that.

 

Any advice on getting off the ship and making that flight?

[MI-DI]

I would not try that !!!!

[tompeter]

The only way you might have a SLIGHT chance of making that would be if you were FIRST off the ship and hopped in a taxi straight to MIA.

 

With renting a car, NO WAY.

[Scrapchick]

Okay, but why???? Do you have reasons for saying so? Please explain!

[Andy]

We're on the Equinox on late March and are sailing from Ft Lauderdale but flying in/out of Miami.

 

Will we make an 11AM flight from Miami airport? We were planning on renting a car and dropping it off at Miami airport, but I'm wondering if we have enough time to do that.

 

Any advice on getting off the ship and making that flight?

 

Hi Scrapchick !

 

I wouldnt take the chance, especially as you have about at least a 45 minute ride to Miami. Try for something after 1 pm. Enjoy your Cruise !

[Scrapchick]

It's that long to the airport???

 

Thanks for the advice... Back to the drawing board...

[bqkali]

You will get a lot of replies that it's risky. I am a bit of a daredevil, so I will tell you it can be done but that you are doing it at your own risk :p

 

We disembarked in Fort Lauderdale last Saturday using self-disembarkation (carried our own bags: one small rolling suitcase each so we can move quickly). Disembarkation began at 7:15, we were off the ship at 7:25, through customs by 7:30, at the car rental by 7:50, and had keys in hand at exactly 8:06. Plan on 45 minutes to the Miami airport. You would need to factor in another 30-45 minutes to turn in the car and get to the actual airport. That would get you at the airport by 9:30, giving you only a little time to spare before your flight since you need to be at the airport by 10am at the very latest.

 

This is assuming you can move quickly with your luggage and EVERYTHING goes PERFECTLYand you don't hit delays with customs, car rentals, traffic, airport security, etc.

 

You could shave some time off by having prearranged transportation instead of wasting your time at car rentals. Try SAS transportation who is highly recommended on these boards.

http://www.ridesas.com/

Theoretically, a private transfer could get you to the Miami airport as early as 8:15 -- which has a lot more time to spare for any delays you encounter. Having 1 hour 45 minutes of wiggle room would be enough for me, but not for most people...

 

If you don't like to chance it, look for a later flight or one that leaves from Fort Lauderdale.

[DRWhit]

I am doing it the opposite way. Sailing into Miami for disembarkation, and heading up to the Fort Lauderdale airport for an 11:30 am flight. I think I can make it. :eek:

[Gonzo70]

Keep in mind there have been multiple threads of late where customs has been slow in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale in clearing the ship for debarkation. Just because a ship is scheduled to arrive at 7:00am does not mean that soon after 7:00am you can get off the ship. Occasionally ships arrives late and somewhat often customs takes a while to clear the ship for debarkation. There are also lots of people who want to be "first off" so it is not like you will have a clear path off the ship with nobody else hindering you. Yes, such early flights can be made, but they leave only a tiny amount of wiggle room for delays and there are so many different things that can go wrong that would cause a delay long enough to miss your flight.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is even if you have travel insurance you might not be covered for missing such an early flight as travel insurance generally requires a certain number of hours of delay before they pay out. Additionally, if you miss the flight airlines no longer automatically allow you to go standby on a later flight, but are sometimes requiring that you purchase new tickets. To me, the risk/reward ration of booking an early flight is not worth it, but others feel comfortable going for it.

[kitty9]

On my cruise last November, US Immigration was especially slow and we didn't start leaving the ship until after 9am. If even ONE thing goes wrong, no way you'll make an early flight out of FLL.

[Lsimon]

Pretty good pro and cons above.

 

I guess the questions are:

 

Do you feel lucky?

 

If you miss the flight how big a hassle will it be for you to switch?

 

Is all that worth the stress on the last day of the cruise or would you rather take your time, have a nice breakfast in the dining room, say goodbye to your cruise friends, have a relaxed time traveling to the airport with plenty of time to make your late flight?

 

Also, if you are just going straight to the airport then why bother with the car? Sometimes it has taken upwards of 20 to 30 minutes for the rental car shuttle to arrive only to find there are more people waiting for it then there's room on the shuttle; then time to stand in line at the rental car counter. Why not just arrainge a limo or take a taxi if the timing can't be changed?

[DRWhit]

Why not just arrainge a limo or take a taxi if the timing can't be changed?

That's what I'm thinking... take a taxi and hope to get off the ship early. I think we have a good shot.