First Cruise from Miami

[CTCruiser74]

I am in the early planning stages for a cruise on Symphony of the Seas. Have taken five cruises, but none out of Miami. I am excited about cruising out of Miami, but am curious what the best options are for flying in the day before. MIA is much more costly than FLL and am wondering about the most ideal ground transportation options as well as accommodation options.

 

Thank you for any assistance!

 

 

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[Katie0713]

We have sailed out of POM two times in the last two months. It was our first experience with POM also. The first time we stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami. There is a large shopping( outside) touristy area directly across the street. Shops, dining options, some sight seeing tours on a boat options, Hard Rock, Chilis, ect. The Holiday Inn was a very nice Holiday inn and we were very happy with it.

 

The second stay we stayed at the Intercontinentall of Miami It is just down the road from the Holiday Inn we stayed out the prior month. It was SUPER nice and very upscale. It was a short walk to the shopping/dining area.

 

I would stay in either hotel without any hesitations.

We used UBER XL for all transporation need. It was less than 10.00 from hotel to POM.

POM-Miami Airport Uber XL

[Flymia]

How many people and what budget for hotel/transport?

 

The general answer is this:

 

Fly to whichever airport is cheaper. Flying into MIA will save you around $20-$25 in transport cost each way. So if you savings are big just fly into FLL.

 

As for hotel, if you are coming in with time to do things, even just get a dinner out I would say look for a hotel in either Downtown Miami or Brickell area. Hampton Inn Brickell is a very popular mid-tier hotel.

 

Transport to Port Miami from Downtown or Brickell is a very quick and cheap Uber ride.

 

FLL to Miami should also be done via Uber/Lyft.

[CTCruiser74]

How many people and what budget for hotel/transport?

 

The general answer is this:

 

Fly to whichever airport is cheaper. Flying into MIA will save you around $20-$25 in transport cost each way. So if you savings are big just fly into FLL.

 

As for hotel, if you are coming in with time to do things, even just get a dinner out I would say look for a hotel in either Downtown Miami or Brickell area. Hampton Inn Brickell is a very popular mid-tier hotel.

 

Transport to Port Miami from Downtown or Brickell is a very quick and cheap Uber ride.

 

FLL to Miami should also be done via Uber/Lyft.

 

 

 

There are two of us. We typically don’t sweat the hotel prices. We usually stay in Hilton branded properties whenever we travel.

 

 

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[JohninDC]

Fly into FLL if it is cheaper and easier; you can stay near FLL and then shuttle or Uber to POM the morning of your cruise, or head straight to downtown Miami and then Uber/taxi to the port.

 

SAS, QLS, Go Airport and others will shuttle you from FLL to POM or downtown Miami hotels for about $15 per person, or you can use Uber/Lyft for about $35+

 

http://www.sunny.org has lots of FLL area hotel/tourist info. Several Hilton brand properties to choose from in downtown Miami - Hampton Inn Mary Brickell is very popular; there's also a Doubletree very close to the port (some rooms offer a view of POM) and others.

 

Good luck! :D

[Flymia]

There are two of us. We typically don’t sweat the hotel prices. We usually stay in Hilton branded properties whenever we travel.

 

 

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Stay in Downtown Miami or Brickell then. Lots of choices. No reason to stay anywhere else.

[PhoenixCruiser]

We will be staying at Hampton Inn and Suites Brickell for our Symphony cruise. It gets great reviews on here and TripAdvisor.

[Keith1010]

For Hilton Brands in downtown Miami the two I would look at are:

 

Hampton Inn. Great location. Nice hotel. Near Mary Brickell Village and Brickell Centre with lots of restaurants and shopping.

They include a nice breakfast and in the evening a manager's reception.

 

If you want a full service hotel close by is Conrad Hilton.

 

Keith

[sandpiper35]

I am in the early planning stages for a cruise on Symphony of the Seas. Have taken five cruises, but none out of Miami. I am excited about cruising out of Miami, but am curious what the best options are for flying in the day before. MIA is much more costly than FLL and am wondering about the most ideal ground transportation options as well as accommodation options.

 

Thank you for any assistance!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Since only you have all the variables to your travel equation, here are some facts to help you make a decision: Distance and driving time from FLL to Port of Miami: 30 miles 50 minutes. From MIA: 9 miles and 25 minutes.

Ft Lauderdale area feels like the USA, Miami area feels more exotic.

They are both doable, both have pros and cons. It's up to you on which is more comfortable for you.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Cheers.

[BNBR]

Just 2 of you? Definitely fly into Fort Lauderdale and grab an UberX to Miami. The drive is trivial. So as far as where to fly in and get transportation, FLL is a no brainer if it's a much cheaper flight for you.

 

For accommodations, that depends. If you want to "do stuff" - you may prefer to head down to Miami after your flight and stay in Brickell as others have suggested. Maybe even a place on South Beach, AirBnb is a good option to get lower cost accommodations on South Beach. If you really just want to fly in and rest at your hotel, you can easily find an airport hotel in Fort Lauderdale that is more than adequate and then Uber down to Miami in the morning.

[BlueHerons]

Stay in Downtown Miami or Brickell then. Lots of choices. No reason to stay anywhere else.

 

I agree. No reason to fly into Fort Lauderdale if you aren't worried about the savings or if it isn't substantial. For me it would have to be $200 per person because my time isn't worth the hassle to get to downtown Miami from Fort Lauderdale and traffic between the two on I95 is hell.

 

Agree with the Conrad. Love that hotel.