Late Arrival into FLL - Sleep in Airport?!?

[c85f9]

Hiya!

So here's my situtaion...any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!

We are due to arrive in FLL around 1130pm on a Saturday, and are sailing out of Miami on Sunday afternoon. We have the option of taking the Carnival shuttle from the Ft Lauderdale airport to the port of Miami, but that would mean finding a way back to the airport at some point on Sunday, which would most likely cancel out any monies we might be saving by taking the transfers...(I can't for the life of me find a hotel with a free shuttle in my price range...more on that later!) We are in a similar situation on the way home, with an early 6am flight out of FLL the morning after disembarkation...So, my travelling companions are suggesting (i hope they're kidding) that we just sleep in the airport when we arrive, and also on the way home.

My questions i guess are: Can anybody recommend a cheap hotel (really, it would just be a place to rest our heads for the night) that would be an *cough* economical cab fare back to the airport to catch our shuttle? Or would you say just to find alternate transportation from the hotel to the port of Miami...in which case...who? and how much are we talking?? (there are three of us)...I hope this isn't too confusing...if anyone needs clarifying, pleas ask..

Thanks so much!!

Cheers!

[TrentS]

Well you can't sleep IN the airport, the police will throw you out... But what are the dates, and what kind of price did you have in mind? AND BE REALISTIC! From your countdown clock it looks like you're looking for something during Spring Break, the absolute most expensive time of year here, with the hotels at their highest occupancy.

 

If you're looking at all the normally recommended hotels and still finding them too expensive, you're scaring me... I don't know what your standards are but the really "cheap" places down here take being dumps to an entirely new level! I'm talking mold, bugs, robberies, crack ho's, drug dealers, etc... I know you won't be in the room that much, but if you go TOO cheap you're putting your life and health in jeopardy. I'd cut back on something else if you need to, but NOT the hotel.

 

And forget the "free" hotel shuttles, in most cases those are far more trouble than they're worth and people end up taking cabs anyway.

 

Your best bet for "cheap" though is Priceline, or Hotwire, but with those I never advise going with anything less than 4-stars as some of their 3-stars in South Florida are quite nasty, and in not so nice neighborhoods. If you don't hit on something right away though you're going to want to book a backup hotel, as it could be a bit difficult during Spring Break (but not impossible, it takes patience and some luck).

 

The least expensive way to get between FLL and Miami is usually to just rent a car - you can rent a small car for $20something for up to 24 hours. Tri-County/Airport Express' van service is $18 per person... http://www.floridalimo.com/

[lfy]

Priceline is your best bet for a hotel. You can sleep at the airport, police will not throw you out. Though you are not arriving that late and I don't know why you would want to sleep at the airport, can get kind of grungy.

[mcboo]

You most definately will be thrown out of the airport for trying to sleep there unless there is a major storm that is forcing people to sleep in the airport due to a lack of accommodations. Fort Lauderdale is not an airport that has flights arriving and departing all night long. If you decide to try it and the police officers throw you out don't argue with them or you will find a very secure place to spend the night. It's called the Broward County Jail.

 

You should try TrentS suggestion of priceline or hotwire.

 

However I can't help but wonder if you can't afford 1 night pre and 1 night post hotel accommodations how are you going to afford the expenses you will incur while on your cruise.

 

Good luck with your hotel search.

mcboo

[TrentS]

Priceline is your best bet for a hotel. You can sleep at the airport, police will not throw you out. Though you are not arriving that late and I don't know why you would want to sleep at the airport, can get kind of grungy.

Oh yes they WILL throw you out... Perhaps you can in NY, but you most certainly can NOT at FLL - It's not a homeless shelter!

[c85f9]

Thanks for your replies...I will be travelling at the end of April, which i know is peak travelling time through Florida...I am simply trying to explore all options available and get people's opinions who have done this before...I have never stayed in FLL before, only Miami, so I am not familiar with any of the hotels in the area. I was NOT considering sleeping in the airport!! My friends have suggested it, but it is not an option in my book! =o) Please keep in mind that we are Canadians, so the US exchange rate (though not that bad right now) has to be taken into consideration...I personally don't think TrentS suggestions are outlandish...especially when splitting things three ways, but we are trying to keep overall costs down for this trip...Without putting our lives in danger, of course! Anyway...please keep the suggestions coming...One final question: Would it be an option to take a taxi/car service to Miami when we arrive at 1130, or would people not recommend that?? Just thought it might be easier to get accomodations in Miami that night...Thanks again!

[TrentS]

There's no problem with taking a car service into Miami that late, but you do NOT want to take a taxi. A taxi will cost as much or usually MORE than a TownCar from a limo company and is not a pleasant way to go. Renting a small car for the day or the Tri-County shuttle is much cheaper.

 

The downtown Miami/Port of Miami hotels will be on the more expensive side then, unless you get lucky with Priceline/Hotwire. The cheapest way to go is really to rent a small car and stay somewhere in between.