Port Everglades early arrival

[STMED]

Arriving at FLL at 6am to get on the Harmony on Dec 09. Does anyone know how early does the waiting area open up at the cruise port? We have two kids with us so we are not sure if we should head straight to the port or get a hotel room from the night before.

[iahawkfan21]

Are you asking about changing flights in order to come in the night before instead of embarkation day? If so, that's always my recommendation. Otherwise, if you arrive day of at 6am you can probably arrive and be let in around 10am or a little after although there will be waiting time before you can board. For those few hours in between I would collect your bags and find a place to relax at the airport for a bit and get a bite to eat as there's really not much else you can realistically do with luggage for that short of a time.

[Clarea]

Arriving at FLL at 6am to get on the Harmony on Dec 09. Does anyone know how early does the waiting area open up at the cruise port? We have two kids with us so we are not sure if we should head straight to the port or get a hotel room from the night before.

I probably would not want to get to the terminal before 9am or so. Even at 9am, you will have 2 hours to sit and wait before boarding begins.

[yuvraj]

We stayed overnight and got to the terminal at around 10:30. Outside of terminal was still crowded with people getting off the ship. There were no queues at check-in and we were able to get check-in completed at this time. Also not much of a line at security but we had to wait in a seating area until they were ready to board. They usually start boarding at around 11:00 am but on this occasion boarding didn't start until around 11:30.

 

Hopefully this provides you with the information you need to make judgements on the best time for you to arrive at the terminal.

[FionaMG]

Arriving at FLL at 6am to get on the Harmony on Dec 09. Does anyone know how early does the waiting area open up at the cruise port? We have two kids with us so we are not sure if we should head straight to the port or get a hotel room from the night before.

 

 

I actually think that if you can't change your flight and fly in the day before then getting a hotel room from the night before might not be such a bad idea, for various reasons.

 

Assuming you're going to be flying in overnight from LA, it's unlikely that any of you will get much sleep. Result, you're all going to be pretty tired and neither the airport nor the cruise port will offer you much in the way of rest opportunities. Even if you get on the ship early, you can't access your cabins till 1pm. By that time you're going to be exhausted and grumpy, and all you will want to do is sleep. Not the best way to start off your cruise and the chances are that your first day will be ruined.

 

If you can find a reasonably-priced hotel near the airport and cruise port, and especially one that offers an included breakfast, you would have somewhere to get fueled up and rest in comfort for a few hours before heading to port. You will find lots of suggestions for hotels on the Florida board. I personally could suggest Springhill Suites in Dania Beach but you would need to check their availability/prices for the night in question. Just make sure that if you do book a hotel, they know and understand that you will not be arriving until the morning otherwise they might give away your room thinking you are a no-show.

[Desert Cruizers]

I recommend getting a hotel for the night before. This way all of you can relax, get a meal. As I live also on the West coast, I would never fly to FL the day of my cruise, you could have flight delays.

[GSOTall1]

Add another point to hotel night before. The port doesn't open to embarkation early since they need the resources for the last cruise that is disembarking. There is nothing interesting within walking distance of FLL airport and once you're at your port, there's no leaving (need your ID documents to get into the shipyard).

 

If you get a hotel, there are no worries about travel delays, you get breakfast included at most hotels, many offer free shuttle service instead of paying for a cab/uber/lyft, and you can experience Ft. Lauderdale a little bit if you decide to arrive earlier on the day before. Added bonus if you drive, many hotels will allow you to park on their property free of charge (other than the room) so you may actually save money by staying at a hotel instead of paying for parking at the port.

[Tommy3putts]

Are you asking about changing flights in order to come in the night before instead of embarkation day? If so, that's always my recommendation. Otherwise, if you arrive day of at 6am you can probably arrive and be let in around 10am or a little after although there will be waiting time before you can board. For those few hours in between I would collect your bags and find a place to relax at the airport for a bit and get a bite to eat as there's really not much else you can realistically do with luggage for that short of a time.

 

 

 

Sage advice to arrive the day before, especially in the late fall/early winter time of year. Not sure of your flight schedule but I would not be risking my cruise with a connecting flight in an northern tier city.

 

If you arrive at the cruise terminal anytime before 1000 you will get swallowed up in the passengers disembarking. It will be a nightmare for you. Great advice from previous posters. My .02

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Cheers

Tom

[Bluepilot]

Agreed with getting there the day before....past few cruises out of port Everglades I've showed at the terminal about 930a and you usually wait a bit. I stop for coffee before I get there and im good for the sit.

 

We are 3hrs from port Everglades and what I usually do is rent a car one way there and one way back. For just my wife and I all we need is a Corolla or an Elantra. With the minimal fuel those cars eat, It comes out the same amount to do that for us as it costs to park a week at the port and our cars are safe and out of the weather in our garage at home. I like to do that so when I get there the day before, I have the rental car to go wherever. (...which is usually Sawgrass Mills outlet mall if my wage has anything to say about it). We check in to the hotel then bring the car back to the airport that night and take the hotel shuttle from the airport. Then get a lyft/Uber to the port in the AM. Just an idea..