Pre-register or "go be free"

[nascarfans_wny]

Quick question -- any ideas on cost for transportaton from FLL to South Beach and from South Beach to the RCCL cruise terminal ??? (Taxis or limos or whatever).

 

We still have a choice of staying at the AAA-reserved hotel in Miami for Saturday night with day-before "Pre-Check-In" and direct baggage handling from that hotel through to our cabin on the ship, but I'm balking at the probable $200+ cost of the room. Theoretically that means that we pretty much just walk onto our ship on Sunday with no major hassles.

 

A "www.hotels.com" check tonight showed a $103/night room for that night in the Art Deco section of South Beach (could be kinda cool), so why shouldn't we just do that and taxi over to the port early on Sunday morning -- we'll probably be on the ship before our fru-fru "pre-registered" companions, huh ?

[nascarfans_wny]

Anyone had any negatives from travelling into FLL instead of MIA? I'm not expecting a rush of complaints -- just curious

[TrentS]

Many people fly into FLL because of the large number of discount carriers, the fares are in many cases less than flying into MIA, in some cases a lot less.

 

The biggest negative would be the cost of transportation from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. The cheapest way is generally to just rent a car, or use a shared van service. We usually use Tri-County Transportation, you can get a quote online without entering any personal info... http://www.floridalimo.com/

 

A taxi would be far more expensive.

 

If you want to go with a limo we've also used Larry's Limo... http://www.larryslimo.com/

 

If you don't rent a car, then just a taxi from South Beach or downtown Miami to the Port of Miami wouldn't cost too much and would be the most convenient.

 

Another possible negative with FLL depending on what time of year you travel is that it's an absolute zoo on winter weekends (MIA is too, but it's a little better equipped to handle it). In winter there can be 10-15 ships at Port Everglades on a typical Saturday or Sunday, and when you add in the normal tourists, plus those coming off of cruises at the Port of Miami who use FLL, it overwhelms the airport and the lines can be very long for both check-in and security.

 

Personally I am a big fan of NOT using cruise line transportation. I don't like being herded onto busses, waiting for them to fill, etc... We generally get to the port between 11:30am-noon and under normal circumstances are checked in and onboard in 15-30 minutes.

 

One caveat about South Beach art deco hotels. They're all quite old, but some have been gutted, totally rebuilt, and are quite nice (and in many cases, quite expensive). Others are a bit funky to say the least. There ARE exceptions, but do read some reviews on Tripadvisor.com or elsewhere to get some idea of what you're getting yourself into.

[jacqi]

We also arrived in Ft Lauderdale and were sailing from Miami. We used a limo service (I believe it was Rose limo) and paid $100.00 to get us to the Miami port. We are a family of 5. Limo service was much easier and cheaper than a taxi or even renting a van as we had so much luggage. Hope this helps. Also on our very first cruise we used the cruise line transfers but have since then (when cruising) done our own transportation as it is much easier, less congested, cheaper and much more flexible. Good Luck!!!

[jacqi]

Yes, I agree with Trent. Ft Lauderdale can be an absolute zoo. Miami runs a lot smoother as it seems to be less congested. I would really decide based on the cost to fly in being a lot cheaper to put up with the chaos in Ft Lauderdale............

[papadave]

When we were in FLL it was pretty easy to get around with a rental car and the prices were very reasonable PROVIDED that the reservation was made in advance. You can make your reservation directly with the rental companies on line (my recommendation) or you can take a shot with something like priceline which may be cheaper, but you could get hit with a high charge for dropping off at a different location.

[TrentS]

I don't know if it's different if you reserve a car through Priceline, but if you go through one of the major rental car companies there are no drop fees in FL if you return to a different location.