Departure day in Fort Lauderdale

[jnf]

We disembark in Fort Lauderdale and don't fly out until 4 pm. Any ideas what to do? And what to do with our luggage? Family of four with adult children.

[Keith1010]

One option would be to rent a car.

 

You could drive to a shopping mall and have lunch out or just take a scenic drive.

 

Keith

[Ashland]

Another option for your consideration would be to do an everglades airboat (my adult kids loved this)...you could do this using your rental (as suggested above) or book it with your cruiseline as a post cruise excursion...they would then take you to the airport....not usually a fan of cruise booked excursions but sometimes they can work out great.

[burm]

Another option for your consideration would be to do an everglades airboat (my adult kids loved this)...you could do this using your rental (as suggested above) or book it with your cruiseline as a post cruise excursion...they would then take you to the airport....not usually a fan of cruise booked excursions but sometimes they can work out great.

 

 

I agree, this is one time that it is convenient to take a ship excursion. You would be last off the ship with a late flight. Those final hours waiting in the lounge for your turn to disembark are never fun.

 

A few years ago, we also took the Everglades airboat tour and had a great time. We had to be out of our cabin by 8:00 AM. We left the cabin at exactly 8 and were quickly whisked off the ship onto the waiting excursion bus. Disembarkation was never so fast and easy! The bus then dropped us and our luggage off at the airport at the perfect time.

[mikesteg]

Another vote for the airboats: https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/ft-lauderdale-pt-evrglds/everglades-experience-w-fll-airport-transfer-119006

 

We did this a few years back. We were booked on Splendor a few weeks after her engine room fire, so wound up rebooking on Miracle. We couldn't get decent flights last-minute, so we also had to fill the time and this worked out great.

 

That said, it would be $200 for 4 adults so a rental car would be much cheaper and allow you to have lunch wherever desired, maybe see a local attraction if there is something that interests you. Heck, you might even rent a car and do the airboat w/o the joys of running on Carnival Time with 80 of your fellow cruisers. ;)

[eandj]

The problem with the ship excursion is that you will be picked up early at the ship and dropped off at the airport by 1. Leaving you hours to sit anyways.

 

I'd rent a car and if you don't want to drive over to Everglades, maybe head to Hollywood Beach for lunch and a bike ride/walk along the beach. Then head to the airport.

Edited November 8, 2016 by eandj

[Grant2000]

Given that you are four people with luggage, I would rent a car and visit local attractions that interested in. Downtown Fort Lauderdale is very nice, as is Fort Lauderdale Beach:

 

http://Fort-Lauderdale.ca

 

Several of the car rental agencies offer free shuttle service between FLL airport and the cruise port so you can pick-up a rental car right at the airport.