Eastern Caribbean Cruise Departure Port

[pimentel7]

We live in California and would like to take an Eastern Caribbean cruise in 2019. It appears there are several very nice ships out of Florida (Horizon, Breeze, Magic, etc.) on which to sail, however, they leave from different Florida ports. Is there one particular Florida port cruisers prefer and, if so, what are the reasons why? Is it a big enough factor to dictate which cruise ship? Or do all of the ports have pros and cons? Have read recent posts on the message boards, and the Breeze seems to be a favorite, followed closely by the Horizon.

Thanks for any help and/or comments.

[Essiesmom]

I would decide based on itinerary, and then on port. I assume you are including Port Canaveral in the departure ports? I would put that one on the bottom of the list due to the distance to Orlando and the airport. Consider air fare to each port. Although many do fly into FLL and sail from MIA, or the reverse, it is easier to sail from the same port as your airport. EM

[LuckyStar]

We left out of Miami awhile back but I don't remember it being particularly a stand out experience. But I do remember that we flew into Ft. Lauderdale and had no problem with arranging transportation since we did not rent a car. We flew in Sat for a Sun departure.

[bury me at sea]

I know nothing about the various ports in Florida. I do know, and love the Breeze.

 

She is a beautiful ship, easy to navigate, has lots of public areas, an incredible spa with an elevator to a large Serenity Deck, an amazing atrium, and an incredible staff.

 

I am still unhappy with Carnival for taking her away from Galveston!

[winddawn]

Have you done any research yet to narrow your Florida departure options? Consider the following factors based on research using your specific preferences such as departure airport preference, availability and cost of direct flights (which reduces vacation hassle factor), how you like to spend your time pre and post cruise, distance from arrival airport to the port, and which ports of call you'd prefer to visit. For example, FLL and MIA are pretty close to the cruise ports while MCO can be nearly an hour to the port based on traffic. Thus, airport transfers for MCO are more expensive and time consuming. JAX is very customer friendly but cruise ship/itinerary options from there are limited. Personally I don't care for TPA airport because I don't think its very passenger friendly.

 

You might want to visit the Florida departures board here on CC for specific suggestions and information. There's a ton of information available there that could help you focus to make your decision.

[girlsbgoing]

The only reason I would factor in a port is in regards to the cost of the flight(s), otherwise focus on itinerary and the ship.

 

 

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[Ashland]

We're also from the west coast and love our eastern caribbean cruise's out of Fort Lauderdale.

[nhraformula00]

Ft Lauderdale is the closest airport to port, (10 min ) and a nice area. Miami airport to port is about (20 min ) and some fly into Lauderdale and cruise from Miami about 45 min ride. Miami is also nice area downtown and around the port.

[Gin505]

TPA is considered one of the best in the nation

[nealstuber]

If you are looking for EZ, it does not get any better than FLL-PE. It is the only port I would consider flying in day of, but not from the West Coast.

 

If you are flying in day or night before and want to make the most of that time there may be better options (not that there’s any shame in sitting at the hotel pool adjusting to the time change)

 

 

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[Robpuffdaddy]

I live in the Tampa Bay area and it is really easy for me personally to leave from Tampa on a cruise, But and for me this is a big But. We have one of the most beautiful water ways in the world (in my opinion) and have one of the most beautiful bridges in the world with the Sunshine Skyway. But the problem with this being the only way to get out to the open Gulf, Tampa is limited with the size ships that can go under the bridge. So all the large ships can not fit under the bridge. We are limited to the Fantasy class ships and the Spirit class ships. So if you like the older or the smaller ship then Tampa is a great port to leave from. There is a lot of things to do in the area close to the port if you want to arrive a day or 2 before the cruise.

 

Now that I am done selling my home town, let me tell my really honest opinion on how I determine where we leave from. It depends first on the destination. Do you want to do Southern, Eastern, or Western Caribbean? Then, when you decide where you want to go there are several ships that go to each one, you then need to decide which ship you want to go on. As you know there are several different class ships that have different amenities on it. I like trying different ships to get a different experience each time. So it's really up to you on what your priorities are.

 

Like I said I like Tampa because I can just drive 15 minutes to the port or Uber. But my second choice would be to leave from Ft. Lauderdale. I have driven down there and stayed near the port the night before. Lot of great hotels and restaurants near the port. My next cruise is out of FLL in June 2019. We are thinking of grabbing a cheap flight on Southwest the night before and staying right near the port. I have also gone out on a cruise from Miami. We drove down on that one too, but I have heard it is easier to still fly into FLL instead of Miami airport. Cape Canaveral would be my least favorite if you were to fly into. Not to close to the airport in Orlando, Not much to do around the port compared to the other ports. Of course Orlando is near the port, but not that close and convenient in my opinion. But like I said it's really up to you on what your priorities are so take the info as you want.

[Ashland]

If you are looking for EZ, it does not get any better than FLL-PE. It is the only port I would consider flying in day of, but not from the West Coast.

 

If you are flying in day or night before and want to make the most of that time there may be better options (not that there’s any shame in sitting at the hotel pool adjusting to the time change)

 

 

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Flying in day of from the west coast is possible...we've had to do it a few times...always have done a red eye arriving into FLL on very early am arrival flight. Agree it's better to arrive at least a day before but sometimes it's not an option.

[nealstuber]

Flying in day of from the west coast is possible...we've had to do it a few times...always have done a red eye arriving into FLL on very early am arrival flight. Agree it's better to arrive at least a day before but sometimes it's not an option.

 

 

 

Different strokes for different folks. Red eye cruising would not be an option for us - even though I sleep VERY well on planes.

 

With so many great options coming back to the west coast, don’t see how this will make sense for many moving forward.

 

 

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[Ashland]

Different strokes for different folks. Red eye cruising would not be an option for us - even though I sleep VERY well on planes.

 

With so many great options coming back to the west coast, don’t see how this will make sense for many moving forward.

 

 

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"Great options coming back to the west coast" :confused::confused:

 

I thought the subject matter here was cruising to the Eastern Caribbean...Not something you can do easily from the west coast. ;)

[Pyrate13]

We've sailed from of four of the five FL ports. For an eastern itinerary Port Canaveral is our favorite, but any of them are just fine. The cruise itself is more important to us rather than the home port.

[JohninDC]

Pick the cruise you want based upon ports, schedule, price, etc. Flights come next and you have lots of options - we've flow into MCO (Orlando) for a cruise from Miami (an easy 4 hour drive). Lots of cruisers leaving from POM choose to fly into FLL to save $$ -- Uber and Lyft or shared shuttles are easy ways to get between FLL area and Miami.

 

Good luck with your planning. :D

[johnbob7]

I would add, if you are coming from west coast, going to San Juan to embark isn’t much further and offers even better eastern/southern itineraries.

 

BobJ

 

 

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[BNBR]

As other said, it makes no difference which port you go out of. They are all more than adequate. Find the cruise you want to do and make sure the price works for you, including flights. It may be easier to fly in to a certain airport, which would possibly dictate the port more for you. Especially if you don't want layovers. Miami and Fort Lauderdale are interchangeable, both the cruise port and airports. Meaning you can fly in to Miami and cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, for example. The airports and cruise ports are 30+ minutes apart.

[bouhunter]

I would add, if you are coming from west coast, going to San Juan to embark isn’t much further and offers even better eastern/southern itineraries.

 

BobJ

 

 

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Good point.

[Ashland]

I would add, if you are coming from west coast, going to San Juan to embark isn’t much further and offers even better eastern/southern itineraries.

 

BobJ

 

 

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Very true for us...however the flights to SJU tend to be more than to FLL from LAX. With DL to SJU we connect thru DFW and with AA we connect thru MIA.