Picking up family at terminal

[aeegee]

We will be cruising with our children and grandchildren from the Ft. Lauderdale terminal with Celebrity. We'd like to rent a car for the day since our flight leaves in the evening.

 

This is what were looking at, so if someone could tell us if this would work we'd appreciate it -

 

My husband and I would carry our luggage off the ship around 8am or so. Go through customs and then take a cab to the airport to pick up the rental car. The family would leave the ship with their bags about 1/2 hour later and then wait for us in the terminal area to return with the rental car to pick them up. Is this possible?

 

Our main question is, can we get to the terminal and pick them up or are there restrictions on picking up people in a private/rental car. I can't remember seeing people being picked up or dropped off at the terminal. We did see lots of shuttles and cabs. I also know that you have a gate to go through where a security guard looks at your paperwork before even entering the port area.

 

It will be very crowded at the terminal since this is Easter week so I'm not sure how long we would be able to wait at the terminal in the rental car if the family got tied up with the crowds.

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

[capriccio]

We will be cruising with our children and grandchildren from the Ft. Lauderdale terminal with Celebrity. We'd like to rent a car for the day since our flight leaves in the evening.

 

This is what were looking at, so if someone could tell us if this would work we'd appreciate it -

 

My husband and I would carry our luggage off the ship around 8am or so. Go through customs and then take a cab to the airport to pick up the rental car. The family would leave the ship with their bags about 1/2 hour later and then wait for us in the terminal area to return with the rental car to pick them up. Is this possible?

 

Our main question is, can we get to the terminal and pick them up or are there restrictions on picking up people in a private/rental car. I can't remember seeing people being picked up or dropped off at the terminal. We did see lots of shuttles and cabs. I also know that you have a gate to go through where a security guard looks at your paperwork before even entering the port area.

 

It will be very crowded at the terminal since this is Easter week so I'm not sure how long we would be able to wait at the terminal in the rental car if the family got tied up with the crowds.

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

If you post this on the Florida Departures Board (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495) you'll get lots of responses on your plan and recommendations on rental cars, etc. but the short answer is yes, private cars can pick up and drop off at Port Everglades terminals without an issue. If you get back before they have exited, there is a cell phone lot (http://www.porteverglades.net/cruising/arriving-and-departing/):

 

Wait for a call

. People coming to pick up returning cruise guests on weekends may park for free in our cell phone waiting lot at the Port Administration Building, 1850 Eller Drive, just past the security checkpoint at the I-595 entrance to the Port and at the lot north of Cruise Terminal 18. Paid parking is also available in the

Parking Garages

.

[pkay414]

You should have no problem picking up passengers in a rental car -- I'm not even sure there's a way to tell it's a rental car.

 

You might check to see if there's a rental car place near the port, though. I know Enterprise will let you drop off at a different location (there's a fee involved to do that). I know when we cruised out of Richmond, we rented a car at the airport (spent a couple of days in Colonial Williamsburg) and returned the car to the Enterprise location near the cruise terminal. Might save you some time. I guess it would depend on how far the airport is from the cruise terminal.

[aeegee]

Wonderful!!!

 

Thank you both for your responses. I did think maybe it could be set up like an airport, but since we've never done this it's great to know that there is a cell phone lot. Now we just have to wait and see if our timing works out. I think it's going to be a very long wait through customs. Ugh!

 

Thanks again.

[searoses]

So busy you might find car companies using shuttles like the airport...then you could just go as one group and not have to return.....very,very crowded