Fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale

[dmix315]

I am cruising out of Miami, but I have read that it's better to fly into Fort Lauderdale. Any suggestions?

[Keith1010]

It is not necessarily better. Price out flights into both airports and if there is a good savings to fly into Fort Lauderdale then go with that airport.

 

On your return flight do not consider a flight before noon.

 

Keith

[Eng23]

I am cruising out of Miami, but I have read that it's better to fly into Fort Lauderdale. Any suggestions?

It depends on alot of things and which of them is most important to you. Your decision could be based on:

Price

Number of flights from where you live to either MIA or FLL

When you plan on getting there (day of cruise or day before)

Transfer options

Hotel options

 

There are other things to consider besides those few. You need to weigh your options and make your best choice. Good luck.

[Maryandi]

If I was out in California and wanted that I would consider 'better'.

Here is what I would do :

 

*Fly non-stop to the airport in the city of my cruise.

*Fly-in a day ahead of the cruise.

*Stay at a hotel near the pier and amenities nearby -

e.g. - Biscayne Bay Marriott or several others.

*no need to rent cars

*don't worry about 'shuttles' free or otherwise, take a taxi.

* ENJOY the cruise

*plan the return trip after 12 noon or even the next day, if possible

 

If I was taking the ship out of Port Everglades - most everything would be the same (a few exceptions) and the Marriott would be the Renaissance and an Embassy Suite would be nearby, too.

 

Have fun, M.A.

[chipq]

Price the flights from your local airports to MIA and FLA and consider any needed transportation to each one and then compare. Over the past three years I have flown to Fla three times and due to significant price differences I have flown into FLL twice and into TPA once. I fly in the day before the cruise and factor in the cost of taxi/shuttle or rental car and in the past three trips the pricing was much better NOT flying into MIA.

 

I have not sailed from Port Everglades in many years so from FLL to a hotel near POM I use SAS shuttle. From TPA I rent a car for the day and very early the day of the cruise return it to MIA and take a taxi to the pier. The year I flew into Tampa the price was nerly 40% less than MIA.

 

So price everything out including how much time you are willing to spend possibly returning a car rental or flagging a taxi etc. and find which suits you and your budget best. Enjoy your cruise.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[sail7seas]

Depending upon traffic, it takes about 40 minutes from Fort Lauderdale Airport to Miami Airport. I don't know about to the port but I would guess about the same amount of time.

 

Maybe there are better non-stop flights, more convenient times into one city or the other. Depends how tight you want to keep the spending. If you are comfortable paying for a taxi (about $85 one way) and the fare difference is considerably higher than that, it might be worth it for you.

 

In any case, try to fly the day before you cruise especially if you will have to transfer between cities.

[Liz54]

If I was out in California and wanted that I would consider 'better'.

Here is what I would do :

 

*Fly non-stop to the airport in the city of my cruise.

*Fly-in a day ahead of the cruise.

*Stay at a hotel near the pier and amenities nearby -

e.g. - Biscayne Bay Marriott or several others.

*no need to rent cars

*don't worry about 'shuttles' free or otherwise, take a taxi.

* ENJOY the cruise

*plan the return trip after 12 noon or even the next day, if possible

 

If I was taking the ship out of Port Everglades - most everything would be the same (a few exceptions) and the Marriott would be the Renaissance and an Embassy Suite would be nearby, too.

 

Have fun, M.A.

 

Excellent points! Staying an extra night in Florida is much more relaxing than rushing to the airport!

[Keith1010]

I just want to note that this question comes up often on the Florida Departures Board and as I said earlier if the savings are significant then it makes sense to fly to one airport and sail from the other port.

 

Regardless of what you do it is always advisable to arrive at least one day or more before your cruise so that a flight cancellation or a flight delay does not result in you missing the ship.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Definitely fly in a day early no matter which city you decide to fly into.

Check prices before you make your final decision.

Also check prices on the Florida departure section for what it will cost you to go from Ft Lauderdale to Miami and vice versa.

[fleckle]

Which would be "better" would depend upon a combination of factors.

 

The first things to consider are flight schedules and prices.

 

If you can get a

- non-stop flight

- at a convenient time,

- at a good price

from your home airport to either MIA or FLL , that would be the best way to go.

 

If you are flying on points that can only be used on specific airlines, then of course that would be a restricting factor.

 

If you have a favorite airline, or an airline you dislike, those would also be factors to consider.

 

Also consider your backup options, just in case your first choice flight should be canceled or delayed.

 

From the MIA airport, I would take a taxi to the Port of Miami pier.

 

But from the FLL airport, I would only take fixed price transportation to the Port of Miami (shuttle, limo or rental car), not a metered taxi.

[skandls]

I live in SoCal and we usually fly out of LAX as I try really hard to find good rates for nonstops. Use a site on the web that does compares for most of the airlines. Then check the other non-listed airlines. Check the cost for transportation from the airport to your hotel. Yes - flying in from CA it is best to plan for a day before. If time is really an issue book thru the cruise line so if your red eye flight has problems the cruise line will help you out.

 

I like to take a flight that leaves early morning the day before the cruise. I am up way before sunrise - but one night in Miami or Fort Lauderdale I am on east coast time and ready to enjoy my cruise.

[KirkNC]

Unless it is significantly cheaper to fly into FLL I would go to Miami.