Getaway/Miami Disembarkation

[lx200gps]

Hi All...

 

Newby NCLers here, just confirmed our trip on the Getaway out of Miami on 26 March. Trouble is, our flights, on FF points, were long booked and are out of Fort Lauderdale (only trip I could get; getting frequent flyer awards is getting tougher all the time ;o(. Our itinerary says the Getaway docks at 8AM, and we've done the MIA to FLL taxi before, so I know the trip could take about an hour on a Sunday.

 

For those who have been on the Getaway recently into MIA, how has the disembarkation gone, when did the first pax leave the ship, and do we have any chance of making an 11:10 flight out of Fort Lauderdale?

 

Thanks in advance.

[www3traveler]

If you do the "Easy Walk Off" program ( meaning being able to take all of your luggage with you). probably.

 

On the 5th of February, "Easy Walk Off" began about 7:45 A.M. We were docked by 6:15 A.M. There are lots and lots of cabs in front of the terminal waiting.

[Manbo]

We did easy walk off in January. We got in line at 7:30, which was 30 minutes earlier than they scheduled. we didn't get off the ship until 9. Friends made the mistake of taking the elevator from the tenth floor and couldn't get out. So they were stuck in the elevator for quite a while and didn't get off the ship until after 10.

 

SO get in line very, very early!

 

And, I would Uber instead of taxi.

[tartan cruiser]

Same experience on Getaway (1/22/2017) as the previous poster. We were suppose to be the first group after easy walk-off and didn't get off the ship until 9:30 am another 30 minutes for customs. NCL kept calling groups even tho no one was moving. Worst debark ever. No officers around either to monitor the process. Cruise director was all smiles thanking everyone for cruising NCL. Passengers not so many smiles. I'm sure a few missed their flights. Priority status didn't help one bit on this one.

[Spring578]

We disembarked from the Getaway on 2/5 and did the Easy Walkoff.

 

Because of what I'd read on these boards, and because we had an 11:20 flight out of FLL, we decided to get in line early, at 6:30. We're normally early risers and decided it was worth it to be close to the start of the line.

 

We ended up being about the 6th group in line. Disembarkation actually started at 7:30, we walked right up to Customs agent, then went right across the street to get into a waiting taxi. The trip to the airport took about 35 minutes. We did not have any luggage to check and got into a very short security line. We were at our gate by 8:35.

 

I think getting in line early was the key here. The line seemed to grow exponentially after 7:00. Additionally, we were ahead of the crowds at Customs, at the taxi stand, and at airport security.

 

We flew Southwest and the seating at airport is very limited, especially with all of the cruise crowd. By getting to the gate early, we were able to get settled in before a lot of people showed up.

 

All in all, it went a lot smoother than I could have hoped.

 

 

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[Jason82]

 

And, I would Uber instead of taxi.

 

+1 to Uber. We got one in under 5 minutes once we cleared customs.

[lx200gps]

Thanks for the help everyone. Looks like it will be tight, but if there are no tragedies and the ship docks on time, we should make it up to FLL in time. The big worry seems to be the actual arrival time of the ship and exactly when the passengers can start to disembark, I guess we'll have to get in line early and take our chances.

 

It appears that the cruise port in Miami does not have a Nexus/Global Entry line like at the port in Fort Lauderdale? That would have helped us as well. At least our Trusted Traveller status will help at the airport.

[ClevelandCruisin]

Was on the getaway last year. We were scheduled to leave maybe around 9 or so.

 

Waited in a line that took maybe 10 minutes to get off the ship.

 

NCL booked the flights so weren't in a big hurry to get off for the noon flight.

 

If you tell them your flight time, they may be able to get you off sooner.

[claven]

Why Uber and not taxi, we'll need two vehicles (7 passengers, bags).... just curious

 

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[Manbo]

Why Uber and not taxi, we'll need two vehicles (7 passengers, bags).... just curious

 

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Uber is at least $10 to$15 cheaper. When we got off the Getaway in January, my Uber driver picked us up within 2 minutes! Nice, clean car.

There were 4 of us and bags, we got an Uber XL. If you get one XL and one regular, you will save a lot more!

[bltrn]

For 9 people, an Uber X (holds up to 4) and Uber XL (holds up to 6) will cost between $90 and $115 according to their fare estimator. We have never had to wait long for them. (Average 8 minutes). They are all over the place when the ships come in.

[zqvol]

Uber is at least $10 to$15 cheaper. When we got off the Getaway in January, my Uber driver picked us up within 2 minutes! Nice, clean car.

There were 4 of us and bags, we got an Uber XL. If you get one XL and one regular, you will save a lot more!

 

Two Ubers are not less than a single 7 passenger taxi, adn there are usually plenty of those available.

[margie1221]

Wish we could do Uber - I understand they don't provide car seats???

[cruise crazed]

I just got off the Escape on Saturday and was at the Miami airport at the gate by 820AM for a 930Am flight. There were plenty of cabs available. I do not think you will have a problem getting to Fort Lauderdale for and 11AM flight.

We did do the easy walk off.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[lx200gps]

I just got off the Escape on Saturday and was at the Miami airport at the gate by 820AM for a 930Am flight. There were plenty of cabs available. I do not think you will have a problem getting to Fort Lauderdale for and 11AM flight.

We did do the easy walk off.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Excellent, thanks. If everything goes "normally" and there are no weather or Customs delays, we should be fine. We have a limo picking us up so I'll ask him to push it a bit to get us to FLL ASAP ;o)

 

On a related note, since you just went through the POM disembarking off the Escape, did you happen to notice whether the lines for Global Entry/Nexus/Trusted Travellers were open yet? I understand that the signs are up but as of a few weeks ago, nobody seemed to know whether the lines were open.

 

Thanks again...