One Day Cruise ship stop in Port Everglades - what to do?

[Brissle]

I've been reading posts in the Forum and most people appear to be starting or finishing their cruise in Florida.

We will be on board P&O Oriana, calling in at Port Everglades for a one day visit on Monday 31 January.

There doesn't seem to be much information on here about what to do in the area and we would appreciate some help.

I get the impression that there isn't much except a commercial port where we will dock. Does anyone know whether cruise companies offer a shuttle into Fort Lauderdale? P&O aren't very good at giving out this info in advance because they want passengers to book ship excursions.

 

If we don't choose a ship's excursion, what are our options?

Are there local companies which offer tours? What is recommended?

I understand that there's no point in going on an everglades tour in January because we will not see any wildlife at that time of year.

 

Is it worth going up to Miami?

 

Sorry it's such a long question, but we would appreciate some guidance.

Thanks

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hmm, I didn't know that about the Everglades. We were there in January once, went to one of the interpretive centres with walkways thru the wetlands. Didn't know it was a bad time to see the animals. Can't remember what we saw, but it was still very interesting.

 

So that's what I was going to suggest you do for the day. If you're comfortable driving on the "wrong" side, you could rent a car for the day and set your sights in whatever direction you like. Locals can chime in and make suggestions--what are your interests?

 

Fort Lauderdale itself is kind of a spread-out place. The port's not far away from some of the nice areas, including the beach. There's some nice shopping along Las Olas Blvd, or you could just go for a walk on the beach, or rent bicycles or something.

[royalcruz]

I would take a taxi (about $15) to Las Olas Blvd downtown (Fort Lauderdale) and walk around, go shopping, browse art galleries, and eat lunch. From there you can walk to the art museum or walk along the river front or even take the trolley to the beach and take a taxi back to the ship after exploring that area. If Stranahan House is open you can opt for a tour. If the weather is nice you could take a taxi to the beach (about $10) but it might be quite windy and chilly. Maybe the ship offers an excursion to the everglades or Sawgrass Mills Mall. Miami is about an hour away.

[Brissle]

Thanks for that start - we are not great fans of museums or art galleries, but we do enjoy visiting new places and meeting people. After several Caribbean island visits I reckons we'll be "all beached our" so that isn't a priority.

 

We like walking around places to get a "feel" of what they are like and we always look for lunch in the sort of place where locals go, rather than a tourist restaurant. So maybe we do a trip somewhere first in the morning and then go into Fort Lauderdale for lunch and a visit after.

 

I read (either on here or on tripadvisor.com) that December to March is the hibernation season for wildlife in the everglades, so no point in visiting. However, I (more than my wife) have always been tempted by a trip on one of the airboats (memories of James Bond?) and am wondering whether that is worth doing just for the experience. How far are the everglades from where we dock in Port Everglades? Can anyone recommend a tour company who will collect from the port? Maybe I'm just being selfish and should let my wife go to the shops.......

[bills blasters]

We did the everglades tour and airboat ride last year, the end of January. We saw quite a few alligators and lots of birds and other wildlife. We enjoyed it a lot.

Claudia

[monicajay]

Maybe I'm just being selfish and should let my wife go to the shops.......

 

It would/could be much cheaper to book a shore excursion.:D

 

As the air-boat thing is not available in England or anywhere else on your side of the pond to my knowledge, I think you should go for it even if there is less to see at that time of year.

 

Depending on your port times you might still have a bit of time to wander Los Olas Blvd before grabbing a cab back to your ship.

[royalcruz]

Thanks for that start - we are not great fans of museums or art galleries, but we do enjoy visiting new places and meeting people. After several Caribbean island visits I reckons we'll be "all beached our" so that isn't a priority.

 

We like walking around places to get a "feel" of what they are like and we always look for lunch in the sort of place where locals go, rather than a tourist restaurant. So maybe we do a trip somewhere first in the morning and then go into Fort Lauderdale for lunch and a visit after.

In Fort Lauderdale, the tourists and locals eat at the same places, but if you want to stay away from tourist restaurants avoid the port area and beach areas.

 

I read (either on here or on tripadvisor.com) that December to March is the hibernation season for wildlife in the everglades, so no point in visiting. However, I (more than my wife) have always been tempted by a trip on one of the airboats (memories of James Bond?) and am wondering whether that is worth doing just for the experience. How far are the everglades from where we dock in Port Everglades? Can anyone recommend a tour company who will collect from the port? Maybe I'm just being selfish and should let my wife go to the shops.......

The everglades is about 30 minutes drive from the port, but the tour parks may be further.

[Booked]

On a recent b2b, we enjoyed Port Everglades as a port day, while others disembarked and embarked - and had a great time getting around and seeing the city by water taxi - it was $15 for an all day, hop on and off pass

 

We walked to the port entrance (about 10 minutes our Princess ship was docked) and crossed the road to the Hilton Hotel, went through the loby and out the back to the marina and water taxi stop. While on board, you get a running commentary of all the million dollar homes you drive by, plus other trivia, and can even purchase a soft drink or beer. Do a google search for the web site. It was a great way to get around.

 

That said, we did the everglades air boat tour with our airport drop off, and that was lots of fun, too. Definitely worth doing. But it is a distance from the cruise ship terminal. You'll want a jacket or sweater if it's a cooler day - those boats move!

 

Enjoy!

[Brissle]

Thanks everyone - some great ideas there.

 

In view of what we are reading, maybe we should do the airboat trip, and we would quite like a look around Fort Lauderdale as well.

 

So I've just sent off an email to Alamo (who came up on Google for car rental in Port Everglades) to see if we can get a rental car for the day (well, about 8 hours actually) and drive ourselves out to either Sawgrass Recreation Park or Everglades Holiday Park and do the airboat tour before driving into Fort Lauderdale for lunch and a look around. Car rental at around $35 seems a fair price as compared to taxis etc.

 

The Water Taxi idea sounds great as an alternative - good value and very interesting by the sound of it. But despite my earlier reservations, the airboat may win!

 

We appreciate all the thoughts, advice and ideas.