Fort Lauderdale timing to airport

[Pettifogger]

If our ship is scheduled to return to Ft. Lauderdale at 7:00 am on a Saturday, how early a plane leaving FLL dare we schedule?

[petrakae]

Disembarkation is usually finished by 10am. We never schedule a flight until after midday or later. There could be traffic jams to airport or any unforseen holdup. We have never experienced any delays, but prefer to be safe than sorry. Have a great cruise.

[sapper1]

I would not schedule anything before noon at the earliest. If a lot of ships are in port the lineups at the check-in counter can be horrendous. Sometimes the ship is late arriving. Sometimes immigration can slow things down.

 

On our last few cruises we have started checking into a hotel when we disembark and flying home the next morning when there is no pressure to get off the ship in time for a flight. We will be doing that later this month in Fort Lauderdale as there will be many ships in port and it will be the American Thanksgiving weekend. The airport on Sunday just doesn't bear thinking about.

[hal lover]

We've always been lucky with an 11:55 am flight home. We take the HA transfer bus to the airport. I think it's about $17.00pp.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Never book a flight before Noon -- you never know what can delay your getting off the ship.

A couple of times we did arrive back into the port but we were not cleared by the local authorities right away.

Take a cab -- it is cheaper and the airport isn't that far away. If you use HAL's transfers, you have to wait until the bus is filled.

[Randyk47]

No earlier than noon is our typical booking target. Funny thing is that the only flight we've ever missed was a 1:30 PM flight. Just about everything that could go wrong with our arrival and disembarkation went wrong. :eek:

[kyriecat]

Definitely not before noon, especially on a Saturday. I don't know what date you are sailing, but Saturday and Sunday are the most popular departure days for Fort Lauderdale. Sometimes there are 6 ships docking, which creates long check-in and security lines at the airport.

 

If you have time, spend a day or two post-cruise in Fort Lauderdale (plenty of things to do!) or take a ship tour / rent a car and spend the morning sightseeing. The airport is usually much calmer by late afternoon.

[tangerinebunny]

The safest option is noon or later. But there are many factors to consider.

 

First is whether or not you can reschedule if you do miss your flight. How many flights are you offered? Can you self disembark? or use Luggage Direct?

 

We always go out at 11:30 because our only other flight is late in the afternoon. We use Luggage Direct and self disembark and usually arrive at the airport by cab by 8:30.

 

And we're willing to accept the consequences if the ship is delayed.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We have taken 10:30 and 11:00AM flights out of FLL but do early walk off with our luggage and take a taxi to the airport. We have been lucky and never had a delay disembarking. Like tangerine bunny we are willing to accept the consequences if all things don't go according to schedule.

 

Having said that, in December we have booked a 12:30 flight due to the holidays and a large number of ships in board on that particular day.

[djg541]

We landed in FLL only once on a saturday. Never again! The lines at the airport were horrendous. To check in.. 1 hr...clear security close to 1 1/2 hrs...lines beyond belief.

We disembarked at 8:30 am and literally walked onto our flight that was minutes away from an 11:45 am departure.

Check to see how many ships are scheduled to disembark on that saturday and plan accordingly. Its usually a VERY busy day.

[Linda&Vern]

Our only cruise out of FLL was in Nov 2010. The ship developed a mechanical problem the evening before the cruise ended. We arrived late into port - maybe 8:00am or so. Around 9:00am it was announced "self disembark guests could leave." Then it was announced there would be a delay in any further disembarkation. We never found out why. We were in a Deluxe Suite (1st group off) and didn't start to leave the ship until close to 11:30am. We made our way to the crowded gangway, found our luggage, and jumped into a taxi. I remember it was 12:15pm when we arrived at the Embassy Suites.

[Keith1010]

Around 11:30 AM or after is fine.

 

Keith

[Boytjie]

On our last few cruises we have started checking into a hotel when we disembark and flying home the next morning when there is no pressure to get off the ship in time for a flight. We will be doing that later this month in Fort Lauderdale as there will be many ships in port and it will be the American Thanksgiving weekend. The airport on Sunday just doesn't bear thinking about.

 

The Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend can still be hectic for air travel.

[sapper1]

The Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend can still be hectic for air travel.

 

We have booked a mid afternoon flight so we can arrive at the airport early without a frantic rush in the morning. At least on a Monday we won't have all those departing ship passengers to worry about. The down side is getting in here on them midnight flight. They literally lock the airport doors behind you as you step outside with your luggage.

[Himself]

I would be with the near noon crowd at best. If she docks at 7:00 disembarkation will not start until around 8:15AM if all is cleared. The last should be off by 9:45 and you should be out of the termial by 10:00 the latest. It is a ten or 15 minute ride to the airport. The problem comes is if the ship is delayed getting in or the disembarkation is delayed.

[BSinPNS]

One concern expressed at FLL for afternoon flights is that most airlines won't accept your baggage more than three hours before flight time. Apparently their hold rooms are small also.

[Pettifogger]

Thank you all. I was being about an hour too optimistic before I read your replies. Unfortunately, that sometimes means waiting until evening for an out going flight.

[aliaschief]

Here is another potential problem with the Fort Lauderdale airport. Arrive too early and they may not allow you to check in and check your bags. The only reason we got checked in was because of our Diamond Frequent Flyer status. Others were being told they could not check in until two hours prior to boarding.

 

Not sure what the policy is this year but it happened on two different occasions last year.

 

One other note of warning. There can be places in that airport that can be as cold as a meat locker. Keep a sweater, jacket or sweatshirt handy.

[geoherb]

One thing you should check is the cruise schedule for Port Everglades to see how many other ships are there the same day you're disembarking. The biggest delay we had was Dec. 21, 2003, when the port set a record for the number of ships. It was hard to get a cab that day. Fortunately, we stayed overnight in Fort Lauderdale and did not have to fight the airport crowds that day. (One reason being that it was cheaper to fly back the next day, including the cost of our hotel, meals and cab fares.)

 

The other time we had a long delay was due to slowness by Customs. We made it off the ship around 10:30. We had a mid-afternoon flight and were not in a hurry.

[agtsw]

We've been sailing out of FLL for years. We've recently been booking flights at around 10:00, first by necessity because of the schedules, than by choice because of how well it works for us. Princess and HAL are usually in early and have self walkoffs around 7:00. The best part of walking off is there isn't much of a line for taxis, and we're always at the airport before 8:00. At that time that aren't long lines for check-in or for security either. We're at the gate usually by 8:30. Like I said, it works for us. But as others have mentioned, to walk off you have to be able (and willing) to handle all your luggage, and you have to be willing to accept the consequences of missing your flight if the ship is late.

[Barrheadlass]

We missed a 1030 flight earlier this year due to engine trouble on the ship. Will never again book a flight before noon. Those 7 hours we spent in the airport waiting for a flight were endless!

[travelerone]

We've been sailing out of FLL for years. We've recently been booking flights at around 10:00, first by necessity because of the schedules, than by choice because of how well it works for us. Princess and HAL are usually in early and have self walkoffs around 7:00. The best part of walking off is there isn't much of a line for taxis, and we're always at the airport before 8:00. At that time that aren't long lines for check-in or for security either. We're at the gate usually by 8:30. Like I said, it works for us. But as others have mentioned, to walk off you have to be able (and willing) to handle all your luggage, and you have to be willing to accept the consequences of missing your flight if the ship is late.

What do you mean by a self walk off and the alternative? Doesn't HAL have you put your bags in the hall the night before and you collect them before customs? We have never sailed out of FLL. Our one cruise was a cruise /tour of Alaska and HAL handled everything.

[Sopwith]

You have the option of an expedited disembarkation. You can go in the first group as soon as the ship is cleared, but you must hump your own bags. This has the advantage that you can get to the airport before the big crowds descend on the heavy turnaround days, usually on the weekends.

 

However, stuff can happen, and it doesn't help that FLL is easily the most poorly managed airport I have ever experienced - and I have travelled to many, many airports all over the world. The incompetence here is inexcusable.

 

We have made an 11:00 flight with time to spare, but it's a bit risky.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I always recommend flight arrive before Noon and Depart after Noon but I will also state this past March when we sailed on the Westerdam we had a 10:50am flight, Tom refused to do self disembark so we did regular disembark with our bags, not in suite for that cruise but were at FLL Terminal one by 8:30 checked in and waiting at the gate by 8:45 :D More than planty of time to spare. We were home by 3:00pm Pacific time instead of 10 at night.

[Typhoon1]

Noon is the best target.

 

Earlier flights are doable, but that is also very risky.