Transfers from the ship in Fort Lauderdale

[deneen716]

Has anyone purchased transfers from the ship to the airport in Fort Lauderdale? Does X offer a checked baggage program with the airlines?

[Lsimon]

I wouldn't bother pre-purchasing transfers.

 

The airport is very close, only a couple miles and the cab fare is not expensive. I'd guess around $15. Usually if you need help with your bags you can get a porter to take your bags directly to a cab and load them in for you.

 

Sometimes they offer a program where you can have your luggage sent to the airport. Usual procedure is you get your boarding passes on the ship. In the morning you have to be off by a certain time. You claim your luggage in the terminal then go through customs and check it at a counter after customs. Cost if they offer it, and if you qualify (there are limitations) is $20/pp. In Ft. Lauderdale it is so easy and quick that one has to weight the cost unless you're flight is late in the day. Although I will say the Ft. Lauderdale airport is extremely busy with cruisers on weekend mornings. In the prime winter season it isn't unusual for 15,000 or more cruisers to be disembarking on a Saturday or Sunday morning and the check in lines and security lines can be long.

[deneen716]

Thanks, since we will be traveling at Christmas we would want to do the airport check in while on the ship.:)

[dkjretired]

Most experienced cruisers going out of FLL do not bother with transfers. The airport is only a few minutes away as Larry said. Taxis are plentiful and you go when you want. You may sit on a bus until it is filled before you leave the terminal...

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

I agree with the others. Take a taxi. The airport is practically across the street from the cruise port. Once on the ship you can watch planes take off and land.

[Lsimon]

Thanks, since we will be traveling at Christmas we would want to do the airport check in while on the ship.:)

 

If you are traveling over Christmas holiday period I might want to change my advice, especially if you are returning on a weekend.

 

Our only Holiday cruise was a New Year's even cruise disembarking on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2004. I know that was a long time ago and things might have changed, but: In Ft. Luaderdale there were more ships and passengers debarking that day than usual. The cab lines were a complete zoo and it could be that some cab drivers took time off for the weekend or they were just overwhelmed with the demand or both. The cab line was very unorganized due to the number of people and of course this brought out the worse in some of the selfish passengers which made matters much worse. After about an hour we thought we'd never get a cab and we needed 2 for our party of 7. My son ended up going out into the incoming traffic lane and hiring a private van driver who was heading into the terminal to drop off embarking passengers. The rest of the story isn't relevant but I'll give it anyways. When we got to the airport we found our flights delayed about 5 hours due to snowstorms in the north. American Airlines wouldn't let us check our luggage as they would only accept it 2 hours ahead of time at FLL as they didn't have room to store it. So we sat on our luggage for hours. The flight was delayed again and again and we got home (Chicago area) around 3AM in time for a couple hours sleep before going to work Monday morning.

 

Based on all that I'd consider taking the cruise line transfer, especially if your disembarkation is on a weekend day in the holiday period. It might be hectic and messy but might be better than the cab line if conditions are similar. I'd also recommend taking the luggage valet (check in at port terminal) for $20/pp even if you're heading straight to the airport to avoid some of the lines there.

 

Again, this is all based on my bad experience from a holiday cruise 7 years ago and things might have improved since then, but maybe not. Personally I'd consider it "just in case" and I haven't bought cruise line transfers in 10 years. We've never had such problems on any other Ft. Lauderdale departure before or since but all the others have been in March.

[julia]

Taxis are usually plentiful, but...... just to add to the above post, things COULD be even more crazy than Larry described now that Oasis and Allure are in port. We'll be doing the "FLL disembark dance" on December 3rd and I'm already dreading it. :(

[Lsimon]

Taxis are usually plentiful, but...... just to add to the above post, things COULD be even more crazy than Larry described now that Oasis and Allure are in port. We'll be doing the "FLL disembark dance" on December 3rd and I'm already dreading it. :(

 

I will say that we when we disembarked the Connie last March it was a very busy day with the Oasis and several other ships in port. The total number of people probably rivaled what we experienced that Holiday period we talked about above. The taxi line was short and not an issue at all although the lines at the airport were pretty long. The whole situation last march was nothing like the mayhem during that holiday period several years ago. Clearly they've adjusted their capacity with the larger ships like the Oasis but I'd still be worried that a Holiday peak could be problematic.

 

There are some websites, maybe even a Port Everglades website, that will tell you what ships will be in port on a given day. That can give you an idea of the number of passengers that will be at port and you can compare it to other dates (but do so only for days in the prime season). Of course on December 3 I'd expect that the load would not be above normal and that the ship's would be sailing less than full as opposed to the holiday period when they not only sail with all cabins occupied but also have a lot of families with 3 or 4 in a cabin at a time period when some of the cab drivers might be taking time off.

[julia]

Larry:

 

Yes.. I have checked the port schedule for Dec 3rd and there are SIX ships in port, with a projected pax load of 18,814. While it's not a holiday sailing, it will still be a very busy day in FLL! (It's kinda like all that relaxation you've accumulated on your cruise just evaporates.... :eek:)

[eandj]

Larry:

 

Yes.. I have checked the port schedule for Dec 3rd and there are SIX ships in port, with a projected pax load of 18,814. While it's not a holiday sailing, it will still be a very busy day in FLL! (It's kinda like all that relaxation you've accumulated on your cruise just evaporates.... :eek:)

 

6 ships are not unusual for FT. Actually the first week in Dec doesn't draw like Jan -March. The ships won't be at capacity. Thus the low costs for the first two weeks in Dec. Now the weekend of the 23rd and 30th....RUN!!!!!!

 

For the OP. Stick with a cab. No matter time of year. Much more efficient than loading and unloading bags and passengers in the big bus. The airport will be a zoo the way it is. I'd avoid arriving in a large group.

[Lsimon]

Larry:

 

Yes.. I have checked the port schedule for Dec 3rd and there are SIX ships in port, with a projected pax load of 18,814. While it's not a holiday sailing, it will still be a very busy day in FLL! (It's kinda like all that relaxation you've accumulated on your cruise just evaporates.... :eek:)

 

We had about 16,000 (based on double occupancy published capacity) when we disembarked last March and it was spring break time so the port, and ships, were pretty busy. In early December I would not expect the ships to be full and I would expect very few school age children would be sailing so very few cabins over more than 2 people per cabin, where as in March there will be lots and at holiday time some ships are likely to be sailing at the maximum allowable number of people which is some undisclosed number that is well above the published capacity. The published capacity presumes 2 per cabin but the unpublished maximum capacity is based on studies of the maximum number of peope the ship can service and take care of safely.

 

I think Fort Lauderdale airport will be busy on Dec 3 and lines may or may not be long at prime cruise time (9 to 10AM check in) but it won't be nearly as crazy as during the Holidays and spring break times.