Airport: Taxi, Shuttle, Time?

[macdon9876]

I've searched through these forums, and there seems to be two camps regarding how early is too early to fly from FLL after a Miami cruise. Some people say you can make it to the airport by ~9am if you self disembark; others say customs can be slow and a flight in the morning from FLL is crazy talk! [emoji4]

 

We have a decision to make. The cheapest and shortest flight home for us after our July cruise is at 11am from FLL. It is cheaper by more than $500, and it gets us home at 8pm instead of after midnight (we'll have two kids in tow).

 

Is this crazy? If we decide to try it, are there any tips in terms of how to navigate the port, should we catch a cab or book a shuttle (six people), do porters help get you through the customs line faster, etc?

 

There are two ships in Miami that day, and one at Everglades if that matters.

 

Thanks for any comments.

[parallax]

I would not do 9:00 am. That is crazy. My view of the disembarkation process is somewhat distorted because we stayed in the Yacht Club and were one of the first persons off the ship. We had a 11:15 flight out of MIA and were at the airport by 8:30-8;45. 11:00 is probably doable but that assumes Customs is running smoothly. Just make sure that you have transportation will take you directly to the airport. I would avoid a shuttle and take a cab. That is about a 25 mile drive but traffic should be light.

[macdon9876]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Is self disembarkation a popular option? We only cruised once before, on Royal out of Port Everglades. On that one we did NOT self disembark. Our time was at 9:15 but they were running late, and it was a very long line to get off the ship and through customs.

 

Are there a lot of taxis that can accommodate six people?

[Skier52]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Is self disembarkation a popular option? We only cruised once before, on Royal out of Port Everglades. On that one we did NOT self disembark. Our time was at 9:15 but they were running late, and it was a very long line to get off the ship and through customs.

 

Are there a lot of taxis that can accommodate six people?

I doubt it

 

 

With the savings you'll have why not take two cabs .

 

Don't forget it is six people plus luggage

Edited February 21, 2016 by Skier52

[RichNY]

I've searched through these forums, and there seems to be two camps regarding how early is too early to fly from FLL after a Miami cruise. Some people say you can make it to the airport by ~9am if you self disembark; others say customs can be slow and a flight in the morning from FLL is crazy talk! [emoji4]

 

We have a decision to make. The cheapest and shortest flight home for us after our July cruise is at 11am from FLL. It is cheaper by more than $500, and it gets us home at 8pm instead of after midnight (we'll have two kids in tow).

 

Is this crazy? If we decide to try it, are there any tips in terms of how to navigate the port, should we catch a cab or book a shuttle (six people), do porters help get you through the customs line faster, etc?

 

There are two ships in Miami that day, and one at Everglades if that matters.

 

Thanks for any comments.

 

Trying to catch a 11am flight from Fll IMO would be impossible....If you don't want to spend the extra $ on another flight why not spend the night in FLL . I'm pretty sure you an manage this for less than $500.

[iron9er]

I've searched through these forums, and there seems to be two camps regarding how early is too early to fly from FLL after a Miami cruise. Some people say you can make it to the airport by ~9am if you self disembark; others say customs can be slow and a flight in the morning from FLL is crazy talk! [emoji4]

 

We have a decision to make. The cheapest and shortest flight home for us after our July cruise is at 11am from FLL. It is cheaper by more than $500, and it gets us home at 8pm instead of after midnight (we'll have two kids in tow).

 

Is this crazy? If we decide to try it, are there any tips in terms of how to navigate the port, should we catch a cab or book a shuttle (six people), do porters help get you through the customs line faster, etc?

 

There are two ships in Miami that day, and one at Everglades if that matters.

 

Thanks for any comments.

 

To answer your question, my father did self disembark yesterday (he was driving home). He was off the ship at 6:45 AM, meaning he could have easily made a 11am FLL flight. So, it is possible, just have to hope everything goes smoothly and without a hitch like it did on our cruise.

 

If trying this, I don't think you would want to add another stressor such as a shuttle coming on time. I'd go with a cab.

[Shippy]

The distance between Fort Lauderdale & Miami port is to great. If you get stuck in traffic that meter will just keep spinning...AND.....NO....you will not find a cab for 6 people with all the luggage that people bring for a cruise.

We fly out of San Francisco because we can get a straight through flight on either JetBlue or Virgin and even factoring the transportation between the cities, it is cheaper than flying to Miami.

We fly in a day or 2 early and take private transportation to our Miami hotel.

GO Transportation is located in the Fort Lauderdale airport. We took a town car from there last year. I think it was about $85.00 which included tip. There was traffic & it took over an hour but the price was fixed :O) 800-244-8252 I am sure they would have a vehicle large enough for your group but the price would be higher.

Coming back is a bit trickier because unlike a flight where they can monitor when you arrive.....the time the ship arrives & you getting off can be 2 different things.

Last year we did not get off & get past customs until about 8:30am. We were in the Yacht Club so we were first off. Taking your luggage off yourself has become very popular & there will be quite a jam up if you are not in the Yacht Club.

GO Transportation will NOT wait around for you. They suggested we get a service based out of Miami. We used Lux. I think it was around $110.You make your reservation ahead of time & then call them when you are off the ship. It took them about half an hour to get there.

Nice fresh vehicles with plenty of room. Well worth the $$$.

We have a noon flight to return next month. I feel confident we will make it.

[riclop]

11am you will not have a problem if you use self assist.

[kathiean]

I seriously doubt you will make an 11:00 flight. We were Yacht Club on our last cruise and were escorted directly to the front of the line...only to have customs shut down for no apparent reason for ONE HOUR! We did not get off the ship until 9:30. You would never ever make a flight out of FLL if something like that happens. I strongly agree with the previous poster...fly in a day early and fly out a day later. Hotels are much cheaper than $500 plus you eliminate a tremendous amount of stress.

Also...regarding a taxi for 6...unfortunately, that's not going to happen. We are only 3...one is a toddler...and with 3 large and 3 small suitcases, they make us get a van taxi every time.

[sandpiper35]

Funny you should ask. We live in Miami. This past weekend I had to drive on I95 the corridor that connects Miami sea port to FLL, Saturday morning. Well, one bus just happened to get disabled in the most right driving lane. This little incident backed up traffic for a mile. True that the express lanes were not affected, I was just unfortunate that I did not take them, because regular Saturday morning traffic usually zips through at the speed limit. But this little incident backed me up for 30 minutes. just a disabled vehicle. So yes a 11:00am flight is doable, but I would not desire to go through the stress that would cause me. Good luck. Cheers.

[macdon9876]

Thanks for all the replies and tips.

 

The message I'm hearing is that, while it is entirely possible to catch the early flight, it carries some risk and stress. The amount of risk is dependent on whether anything goes wrong somewhere along the chain of events (late docking, customs issues, traffic, security delays), and how much of a delay is created.

 

My TA has suggested (and I read it here somewhere too) that we might book a fully refundable "backup" flight in case we miss this one. Booking this early will save us money should we need to use it. He also said that, generally, even booking a flight the next day would be significantly cheaper than trying to book a same-day flight.

 

My personal preference is actually to book a later flight, ideally one the next day, instead of rushing for this early one. I'm not one to rush out of places, and after our last cruise I felt that it might be nicer to end this next one by walking off later in the morning.

 

We will be in Florida for a few days before departure, so it will be a relaxing start at least!

 

In any event, wish us luck. Happy cruising!

[sandpiper35]

Thanks for all the replies and tips.

 

The message I'm hearing is that, while it is entirely possible to catch the early flight, it carries some risk and stress. The amount of risk is dependent on whether anything goes wrong somewhere along the chain of events (late docking, customs issues, traffic, security delays), and how much of a delay is created.

 

My TA has suggested (and I read it here somewhere too) that we might book a fully refundable "backup" flight in case we miss this one. Booking this early will save us money should we need to use it. He also said that, generally, even booking a flight the next day would be significantly cheaper than trying to book a same-day flight.

 

My personal preference is actually to book a later flight, ideally one the next day, instead of rushing for this early one. I'm not one to rush out of places, and after our last cruise I felt that it might be nicer to end this next one by walking off later in the morning.

 

We will be in Florida for a few days before departure, so it will be a relaxing start at least!

 

In any event, wish us luck. Happy cruising!

 

 

Right decision. After all, why do we cruise? To relax, be a shame to step off a ship all relaxed and have to re-stress all over again. cheers.

[PBC29]

By Taxi heck yes it is possible. We didn't do self debarkation an were still off the ship by 7:55, grabbed luggage an through customs by 8:05. If we hadn't booked a shuttle which was on time for us but had another pickup after us which we waited a good 20min for them even though they said they were at the pickup location. We then had to make a stop to let one of the other passengers off at a nearby hotel in Miami an they were the slowest at goodbyes. Why the entire party had to get out of the van to say goodbye to the one person I didn't get especially when the rest of us were waiting to go not that we were in a rush but come on don't make other people wait.

 

We were at the airport by 9:45 regardless but could see the lines growing due to all the cruise passengers showing up.

 

Make sure your luggage has some visible markers that can be seen from across a room. So many plain black bags that all look the same.