augiesmom Posted August 20, 2015 #1 Share Posted August 20, 2015 After having a wonderful time on the Jewel this summer, My mom and I are looking at a Panama canal cruise next March on the Pearl. trying to figure out which airport we need to fly into, have seen both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb456 Posted August 20, 2015 #2 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) After having a wonderful time on the Jewel this summer, My mom and I are looking at a Panama canal cruise next March on the Pearl. trying to figure out which airport we need to fly into, have seen both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Either one. The airports are 30 miles from one another and both offer shuttles to port of Miami. Edited August 20, 2015 by jb456 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't-use-real-name Posted August 20, 2015 #3 Share Posted August 20, 2015 The NCL PEARL sails out of the Port of Miami on the PC cruises. So thus the airport at Miami is the best choice with the least amount of surprises. Are you arriving the day of the cruise (Not good idea) or a day or two ahead of time ? If arriving a day or two or more what are your plans and now this is where arriving at that other airport comes into play ! At this point either airport works fine - get the best fare you can negotiate and realize that if arriving at Fort Lauderdale you are a bit of distance from the Port of Miami (less than an hour drive). So to get me to ship on time on the day of departure just a little bit of advanced planning is in order. What method of transportation are you planning on using to get from the Lauderdale area to the Port of Miami ? I am sure that there are shuttles and taxis that can take care of your needs - expensive ??? NCL does provide a chartered motor coach from the Miami airport to the ship on the day of sailing for a small fee. You can certainly do better ! You have a ton of time to get your ducks in order for the fun you are about to enjoy. If arriving the day before the cruise and using NCLs bus the hotels in the airport area are generally less expensive than the beach hotels. Have an affinity relationship with a hotel chain - check out the rates ! If staying at a beach property the cab/taxi ride to the port is one method - check if your hotel has a cruise shuttle service ? Come back and post your ideas and plans - there is plenty of help available here at CC ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger001 Posted August 20, 2015 #4 Share Posted August 20, 2015 We use FLL always because SWA goes there and that's who we fly with. Also, it is a smaller and more user friendly airport. We arrive a day early, get a FLL hotel with free airport shuttle, and use SAS shuttle the next morning to take us to the POM. However, I'd probably base which airport on who you fly with and what are the cheapest fares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkincc Posted August 20, 2015 #5 Share Posted August 20, 2015 After having a wonderful time on the Jewel this summer, My mom and I are looking at a Panama canal cruise next March on the Pearl. trying to figure out which airport we need to fly into, have seen both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Go with whichever airport you can get the cheapest fare into. Our airline of choice only flies into Ft Lauderdale and we have done this many times for a Miami cruise. Never used Miami but I was reading here recently that it is much busier and more of a hassle due to the fact that it is an International airport rather than a regional one like FLL. We always fly in the day before and book a shuttle service to our Miami hotel. There are several who offer this for about $15 pp one way. They will also pick up at the pier after the cruise for your return to FLL. A taxi will be much more expensive. There are even some FLL hotels which have cruise packages and you can overnight there and they will shuttle you to Miami day of cruise. NCL does offer a transfer day of cruise, but I do not recommend it. Too expensive and too much waiting around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted August 20, 2015 #6 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) The NCL PEARL sails out of the Port of Miami on the PC cruises.So thus the airport at Miami is the best choice with the least amount of surprises. . . . It's not the "best" choice, it's one of two viable choices, as others have noted. Depending on where the OP is flying from, Miami may not be a very good choice at all. I do agree with the advice to fly in at least the day before. Also, the Florida Departures Board has a ton of info on just these sorts of questions. Edited August 20, 2015 by Turtles06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now