Disney World to Port of Miami Questions

[bizer]

We are going to Disney World in January for a few days and plan on adding a cruise to the end of our trip. The options are 3 nights on the Dream or 4 nights on the Wonder. I am leaning towards the Wonder since we have never been on it and it has an extra day. My concern is getting to the port of Miami.

 

We plan to have a rental while at Disney so we would drive to Miami and fly home from FLL, PBI or back to MCO depending on prices. Here are some questions I have:

 

- Would leaving Orlando at 6:00am give us time to get to the Port of Miami by noon? This would be on a Wednesday. Looks like it is 3.5 to 4 hours with no traffic.

- Which route do you recommend? How is Miami traffic? We are used to Minneapolis traffic for big city driving.

- Is it best to park at the port? Not concerned about trying to save a few bucks on parking.

- Which airport is easier to get to from the Port of Miami, navigate and less chaotic, FLL or PBI? We will fly Southwest or Delta.

- Is the Wonder worth the extra driving?

[JohninDC]

We are going to Disney World in January for a few days and plan on adding a cruise to the end of our trip. The options are 3 nights on the Dream or 4 nights on the Wonder. I am leaning towards the Wonder since we have never been on it and it has an extra day. My concern is getting to the port of Miami.

 

We plan to have a rental while at Disney so we would drive to Miami and fly home from FLL, PBI or back to MCO depending on prices. Here are some questions I have:

 

- Would leaving Orlando at 6:00am give us time to get to the Port of Miami by noon? This would be on a Wednesday. Looks like it is 3.5 to 4 hours with no traffic. You should be there wll before noon.

- Which route do you recommend? How is Miami traffic? We are used to Minneapolis traffic for big city driving. Toll road - ask your rental company about toll passes.

- Is it best to park at the port? Not concerned about trying to save a few bucks on parking. Why pay for parking and the rental while you are on cruise? :confused: National, Alamo & Thrifty offer free shuttles to/from POM from their MIA airport location. A cab from downtown Miami rental agencies to POM will cost about $12+tip

- Which airport is easier to get to from the Port of Miami, navigate and less chaotic, FLL or PBI? We will fly Southwest or Delta.

- Is the Wonder worth the extra driving?

MIA is chaotic, but only a 15 minute cab ride from POM ($24+tip flat rate! :cool:)

SW flies from FLL. You can shuttle from POM to FLL for about $15 per person (check with SAS, QLS, GO Airport and others often suggested here). The ride from POM to FLL takes about 45 minutes - any flight leaving at noon or later should be fine.

PBI is about a 90+ minute drive from POM -- factor in time to pick up a rental, drive, gas & return and the savings will need to be huge to justify the trip.

[Host CJSKIDS]

We are going to Disney World in January for a few days and plan on adding a cruise to the end of our trip. The options are 3 nights on the Dream or 4 nights on the Wonder. I am leaning towards the Wonder since we have never been on it and it has an extra day. My concern is getting to the port of Miami.

 

We plan to have a rental while at Disney so we would drive to Miami and fly home from FLL, PBI or back to MCO depending on prices. Here are some questions I have:

 

- Would leaving Orlando at 6:00am give us time to get to the Port of Miami by noon? This would be on a Wednesday. Looks like it is 3.5 to 4 hours with no traffic.

- Which route do you recommend? How is Miami traffic? We are used to Minneapolis traffic for big city driving.

- Is it best to park at the port? Not concerned about trying to save a few bucks on parking.

- Which airport is easier to get to from the Port of Miami, navigate and less chaotic, FLL or PBI? We will fly Southwest or Delta.

- Is the Wonder worth the extra driving?

 

The Wonder is one of their older ships and it's smaller. It does not have the bells and whistle that the Dream has. But if you like the 4 days then go for it. I haven't been on the Wonder in a few years but really did love the ship.

 

I can see the cruise ships and the port from one of my balconies so I'm close to the port. It takes me about 3 1/2 hours give or take 15 minutes to get from my place to Disney World. I personally can't stand I-95 so take the turnpike. That's without any traffic at all. You should have no issues getting to the port by noon if you leave that early.

 

As I said, I don't like I-95 so I take Florida's turnpike down.

I get myself onto Osceola parkway and take that right to the turnpike. It's turned out to be the fastest way. Google directions is a great place to get the directions down as it will offer this.

 

I would suggest parking at the port if you can. Some of the parking near the port is really sketchy and if you don't mind the price, the port is very secure and easy. But that's only if you don't want to turn your car in ahead of time.

 

If you fly Delta, why not just fly home from MIA? If you fly Southwest, then FLL is a much easier and shorter drive than PBI. It's about 1/2 hour drive from the port to FLL and you can either take I-95 or the turnpike. I've gone both ways to the airport and personally prefer going a few miles out of my way and paying tolls to take the turnpike but most people don't.

Edited July 22, 2014 by cjskids

[kdawg954]

We are going to Disney World in January for a few days and plan on adding a cruise to the end of our trip. The options are 3 nights on the Dream or 4 nights on the Wonder. I am leaning towards the Wonder since we have never been on it and it has an extra day. My concern is getting to the port of Miami.

 

We plan to have a rental while at Disney so we would drive to Miami and fly home from FLL, PBI or back to MCO depending on prices. Here are some questions I have:

 

- Would leaving Orlando at 6:00am give us time to get to the Port of Miami by noon? This would be on a Wednesday. Looks like it is 3.5 to 4 hours with no traffic.

- Which route do you recommend? How is Miami traffic? We are used to Minneapolis traffic for big city driving.

- Is it best to park at the port? Not concerned about trying to save a few bucks on parking.

- Which airport is easier to get to from the Port of Miami, navigate and less chaotic, FLL or PBI? We will fly Southwest or Delta.

- Is the Wonder worth the extra driving?

 

Hey, I'll try and help with some of the questions:

 

- Yea 6 a.m. will give you plenty of breathing room for a noon arrival. I'd say it's a 3.5 hour drive for the average driver (70 mph). People with heavier feet (80 mph or more) can do the trip in under 3 hours. By having such a cushion, you will be able to rival any traffic issues that come up.

 

- The easiest way is to take the Turnpike from Orlando all the way to the Golden Glades Interchange in Miami, which will then allow access to the I-95 Express Lane. Once the Express Lane ends, the following exits include the Port of Miami.

 

- The important things to remember about rush hour traffic in Orlando and Miami are avoiding I-4 and I-95, respectively, whenever you can. Taking the Turnpike aids greatly here. Sure accidents can happen anywhere and slow things down but there are far less delays on the Turnpike than on I-95. If it was me, I'd be on the Turnpike at 7:30 a.m. That way I would be away from any Orlando traffic near the tourist areas and I'd arrive in the traffic heavy areas of South Florida after morning rush hour.

 

- Yes it is always best to park at the port . . . but especially in Miami where reliability of offsite parking places is not the best. Plus it's only a 4 night cruise . . . you won't be saving that much by parking offsite anyways. Being in a rental are you sure you want to go this route? Might be cheaper to drop off and get another rental the morning of disembarkation and not pay for parking at all. Something you may want to rethink.

 

- FLL is easier because it is only 35 minutes away. PBI is about 70 minutes away (traffic depending for both). PBI is less chaotic for sure.

 

- Never did either of these cruise ships so I really can't help you there. I've heard that Disney ships in general are pretty similar in what they offer, of course the Dream is a much bigger / newer ship but that doesn't mean it's a better ship than the Wonder. I'd probably make the trip for the Wonder if the financials aren't a big deal. Makes the trip more exciting and a extra night on a ship.

Edited July 22, 2014 by kdawg954

[bizer]

Thanks for the responses. Does the turnpike take cash or would I need a Sun pass?

 

If you fly Delta, why not just fly home from MIA? If you fly Southwest, then FLL is a much easier and shorter drive than PBI. It's about 1/2 hour drive from the port to FLL and you can either take I-95 or the turnpike. I've gone both ways to the airport and personally prefer going a few miles out of my way and paying tolls to take the turnpike but most people don't.

 

At this time Delta is around $400 for a nonstop one way ticket from Miami to Minneapolis. More then I want to spend at this time.

 

- Yes it is always best to park at the port . . . but especially in Miami where reliability of offsite parking places is not the best. Plus it's only a 4 night cruise . . . you won't be saving that much by parking offsite anyways. Being in a rental are you sure you want to go this route? Might be cheaper to drop off and get another rental the morning of disembarkation and not pay for parking at all. Something you may want to rethink.

 

Are there rental agencies right there at the port? I'll look into this option. We will have two young kids with us so I am trying to keep everything as simple as possible.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Thanks for the responses. Does the turnpike take cash or would I need a Sun pass?

 

 

 

At this time Delta is around $400 for a nonstop one way ticket from Miami to Minneapolis. More then I want to spend at this time.

 

 

 

Are there rental agencies right there at the port? I'll look into this option. We will have two young kids with us so I am trying to keep everything as simple as possible.

 

The turnpike will do toll-by-plate and depending on who you rent with, you can opt in for this program. They will charge an extra fee for doing it this way, a few dollars per day up to a certain point. It doesn't matter if you only go through the tolls on only one day, the surcharge is for each rental day regardless. That and the tolls will go onto your credit card.

 

You could take a taxi to either Avis or Budget at the downtown office or Alamo at the Intercontinental which is right next to Bayside Park.

[JohninDC]

Are there rental agencies right there at the port? I'll look into this option. We will have two young kids with us so I am trying to keep everything as simple as possible.

 

There are no rental agencies at POM - but there are several in nearby downtown Miami -- some offer a free shuttle (Hertz), most do not; as mentioned above, a taxi from downtown to POM will run about $12 -- hubby could drop you and the kids off, return the car and then cab shuttle to POM.

 

The other (easier IMHO) option is to avoid driving in downtown Miami, drop the car off at the MIA airport and -- if you rent from National Alamo or Thrifty --all of you ride the free shuttle to POM.

[trixiegal]

I used to live in Orlando and drive to Miami at least once a month. I would take the turnpike, as others have mentioned. I rented a car after disembarking the Wonder last December and last month after leaving the Breeze. We always fly RT from FLL because it's cheaper on SWA and not hard to get to and from POM from there.

 

My advice as a parent that travels with two kids is to leave DIsney area around 7 am, take the nice ride down to POM and make a brief stop for bathroom or drive-thru breakfast. You'll get down to Miami around 10:30-11 am, then drop off your family at the port with luggage and turn in your car rental at nearest agency. Then take a shuttle back to the port to check in. Your family must all be together at check-in because they check your ID and take photo for your pass card.

 

When you return after disembarking, you can go by yourself to get a car by shuttle and leave your family to relax with luggage while you handle the rental and come back and get them. Then you have a rental to get to FLL for an afternoon or later flight. Should be less than $45/day which means you come out ahead of a $15 pp shuttle to FLL. Much, much cheaper than leaving a rental parked for a few days while being charged to park!

 

Car rental prices vary greatly from day to day, but I've used Kayak to find decent pricing from Dollar. Keep in mind that many people use these agencies for one-way rentals and it may not be a speedy process on pick-up. Drop-off should be easy, breezy. I also used SIXT in downtown Miami, which was easy to get to from POM by cab but I didn't appreciate their bait and switch tactics for the rental.

 

 

 

 

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[bizer]

After some preliminary looking at airline tickets and car rental prices we may be best off driving back to MCO after the Wonder cruise. It's a lot of extra driving but the plane tickets are cheaper (and nonstop) and the car rental is cheaper. They (we use Alamo) charge a premium to drop off at MIA/FLL.

[CruisingTeacher19]

A few suggestions. We are actually doing Disney for 4 days in January followed by a cruise on the oasis out of fll. We are from Chicago. Wait till sw opens flights, most companies will lower rates to compete. We are using Alamo car care on Disney. They will pick us up to get our car the night before we need to drive to fll. We plan to leave around 730 to get to the port. Miami isn't much farther.

 

 

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