Train from Miami Airport to Ft Lauderdale

[Lotus Girl]

We are staying 1 night at a Miami Airport hotel (due to late flight arrival time) and then 1 night in Ft Lauderdale before boarding Navigator of the Seas in March.

 

Has anyone got any experience in getting the train from the nearest stop to the airport to Ft Lauderdale and then getting to their hotel?

 

We are staying at the Sofitel at the airport and then at the Alhambra in Ft Lauderdale if anyone can offer some assistance that would be great.

 

Karen

[JohninDC]

It's called Tri-Rail and here's a link: http://www.tri-rail.com/

 

From your hotel you would need to shuttle back to MIA and then catch another shuttle to the train station. At the other end of your journey you'd need to shuttle to FLL and then catch a shuttle or taxi to your hotel. Good thing you have all day! :o

 

You might save a few $$, but I'd skip the hassel and just rent a car. Good luck! :)

[crewsweeper]

I'm not sure you can get there by train alone. The Alhambria is on the coast, the TriRail runs along I-95. There is a stop at the FLL Airport/Dania Beach and another Ft Lauderdale stop up on SW 21st Terrace, which is a bit north. My suggestion is to get off at the FLL international airport and take a taxi to the hotel.

 

I think the TriRail fare is only $5 per person, assuming you can get a shuttle from your Miami hotel if needed. 20-25 minute ride. Taxi from FLL to Alhambria Hotel might run around $20-$30. Figure $10-$15 from hotel to cruise terminal.

[Lotus Girl]

Many thanks for the quick replies. I think that is that idea duly filed in the bin :) I didn't realise that it would be as much of a hassle as this so will just get a taxi from the hotel.

 

As always, your assistance is much appreciated.

 

Karen

[JohninDC]

Many thanks for the quick replies. I think that is that idea duly filed in the bin :) I didn't realise that it would be as much of a hassle as this so will just get a taxi from the hotel.

 

As always, your assistance is much appreciated.

 

Karen

 

It is a 40+ minute ride -- a taxi from your Miami hotel to your Fort Lauderdale hotel will cost $85-100+ :eek:

 

A one way car rental (MIA to FLL) is your cheapest option, but you will need to deal with driving on the "wrong side of the road." :o Larry's Limos has been suggested often for Miami service - usually cheaper than a cab and a much nicer ride. Good luck! :)

[Mary Ellen1]

Is Tri-Rail a reasonable option to get from Port Everglades, post-cruise, to MIA/Miami airport? We have a 2pm flight to catch, and can't figure out from the website if the train stations are close/far from the pier, and how close they get you to the airport. Anyone have info?

 

thanks!

[BlueHerons]

Is Tri-Rail a reasonable option to get from Port Everglades, post-cruise, to MIA/Miami airport? We have a 2pm flight to catch, and can't figure out from the website if the train stations are close/far from the pier, and how close they get you to the airport. Anyone have info?

 

thanks!

 

I'm not sure you'll have the time because it will involve, in addition to the trirail, a cab and two shuttles. At best it will take you about two hours and you must check in at the airport sixty minutes before your flight.

[JohninDC]

Is Tri-Rail a reasonable option to get from Port Everglades, post-cruise, to MIA/Miami airport? We have a 2pm flight to catch, and can't figure out from the website if the train stations are close/far from the pier, and how close they get you to the airport. Anyone have info?

 

thanks!

 

A one way car rental or a shared shuttle are likely your best options to get from PE to MIA; I suspect even the ship's transfer bus would be better (although more expensive) than messing around with TriRail. Good luck! :)

[trvlqueen]

If you have the time, a sense of adventure, and don't mind a little longer travel time, you can do a combo of train and bus. Just go to google.com/transit and you can put in the address of the hotel and see if it works. If not, super shuttle is a great option, too. If you rent a car, you may end up paying a parking charge, have to deal with the hassle of returning it the next day (although returning at FLL is easy) and then pay for a cab from FLL to the port on top of the rental and parking fees - the shuttle might be the same cost by the time you're said and done.

 

We did the train/public transportation from FLL to the Intercontinental Bayside in February - it did take awhile longer, but was really relaxing, kind of fun, and we arrived early anyway, so couldn't have checked into the hotel right away anyhow - so while we killed some time we saved about $50 to spend on the ship. Worked out fine for us. :)

[Mary Ellen1]

I'm not sure you'll have the time because it will involve, in addition to the trirail, a cab and two shuttles. At best it will take you about two hours and you must check in at the airport sixty minutes before your flight.

 

That's what I was trying to figure out... Sounds like a lot of hassle...

 

A one way car rental or a shared shuttle are likely your best options to get from PE to MIA; I suspect even the ship's transfer bus would be better (although more expensive) than messing around with TriRail. Good luck! :)

 

For some reason, one-way rental cars on our post-cruise day are pricing out at close to $100. :eek: That's for approx. 4 hours, one-way from the Port Everglades to MIA... For our pre-cruise needs, I've got a rental car reservation for around $30. So, rental car is my first choice, but I'm re-thinking it at these prices... :(

 

If you have the time, a sense of adventure, and don't mind a little longer travel time, you can do a combo of train and bus. Just go to google.com/transit and you can put in the address of the hotel and see if it works. If not, super shuttle is a great option, too. If you rent a car, you may end up paying a parking charge, have to deal with the hassle of returning it the next day (although returning at FLL is easy) and then pay for a cab from FLL to the port on top of the rental and parking fees - the shuttle might be the same cost by the time you're said and done.

 

We did the train/public transportation from FLL to the Intercontinental Bayside in February - it did take awhile longer, but was really relaxing, kind of fun, and we arrived early anyway, so couldn't have checked into the hotel right away anyhow - so while we killed some time we saved about $50 to spend on the ship. Worked out fine for us. :)

 

Thanks for the suggestions... We definitely have the requisite sense of adventure (we're cruisers, after all! ;)), and have a reasonable amount of time with a 2pm flight. We aren't staying overnight anywhere -- just going from the ship straight to the airport -- so we won't need to worry about parking or anything...

 

I've looked at a few shuttle options and they all seem to price out around $90-ish for two people, so maybe I'll go with the rental car idea since it's nearly the same price and will give us more flexibility...

 

Thanks for the info! :)