Ft Lauderdale Gettiing to the Airport

[pete_coach]

We, unfortunately, have only one flight out of Ft Lauderdale per day o get home after the cruise. The fight is 11:30 AM.  If we miss it, we have to wait till the next day and get a hotel etc.

Is this do-able?

[rucrazy]

10 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

Is this do-able?

99.7% YES! While on board make sure you alert the front desk that you need to be in the first group to disembark after self disembarkation, That should mean you should be able to collect your luggage and pass thru customs by 8:30 am or so,  and in plenty of time for a ten minute ride to the airport

Edited August 25, 2019 by rucrazy

[Daisyloo]

Yes, totally do-able.  Like previous poster has said, be in an early disembarkation group.  There will be a taxi line outside the terminal.  Grab a taxi and be at the airport in 10 minutes.  

[CruiserBruce]

Totally doable. Discussed daily on the Florida Departures board.

[Paulinda]

Most likely you will make it if the ship docks on time and no delays.  Ask for early disembarking time and take an Uber.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Are you able to carry ALL your luggage off the ship yourself?  If so, you can be in the first group to leave the ship -- called self disembarkation.  You can not ask anyone for help to get off the ship.

 

Within a couple of days of getting on the ship, you will be given a form to complete to indicate your plans for getting off the ship.

 

Once off the ship and through immigration and customs, go directly outside and get a taxi to the ship.  Short ride.  

 

Your biggest problem will be the security lines inside the airport.  They can be long.

[richwmn]

48 minutes ago, Paulinda said:

Most likely you will make it if the ship docks on time and no delays.  Ask for early disembarking time and take an Uber.

taxi would be better than Uber or Lyft. The taxis are there waiting but Uber or Lyft would have to be summoned. Just be careful of the route and meter reading

[Paulinda]

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

taxi would be better than Uber or Lyft. The taxis are there waiting but Uber or Lyft would have to be summoned. Just be careful of the route and meter reading

Last cruise we 'ordered' our uber ride as we were walking out the terminal door.  By the time we were at the pickup island the car was there.  Cheaper, cleaner car and friendlier driver in our experiences.  (And you know the cost of your ride before you even get into the car.)  

[DaveOKC]

We are generally in the first group after the self-disembarkers and have gotten to the airport by 8 AM at the earliest and 9:30 AM latest.  I book a 11:30 AM or flight mostly and always had plenty of time to spare.

 

The trick is to get to the airport before the cruise ship buses do.  Once they arrive, it can become a bit of a madhouse!  If you are arriving on a weekend (Sat or Sun) the crowds are much worse, since thats then the cruise ships mostly arrive/depart (especially the 6000 passenger ones).

 

 

[sevenseasnomad]

Agree that you should try to haul your luggage off the ship yourself, as this would mean you could perhaps be off the ship at 7:30.  We've been off the ship as early as 7:15 once.  Just depends on how long it takes for officials to clear the ship for disembarkation to begin.  

 

Another perk of self-embarkation is that we tend to pack less which means less to repack and no danger of being overweight on checked luggage.

 

If you can't carry everything yourself, you may experience a little delay in searching for your luggage in the terminal unless you've marked your bags with bright tape or ribbon, something to make it stand out from the hundreds of other pieces sitting there.  This can save you a lot of headaches as the minutes tick by while you search for your suitcase.  Once, my friend who cruises with me, couldn't locate her luggage.  Thankfully, we both had late flights, but it took us 45 minutes to find her suitcases, which had been placed in the wrong place, among a different color-code than the one she had.  Now she has day-glow pink/green ribbon bows tied to her luggage handles.  She can spot those bags from 100 yards!

 

Plot the route to the airport on google maps.  If the taxi driver tries to take you a different route, object.  Some take a round-about way that adds to the fare.  With Uber you could avoid this; however, make certain you've ordered the Uber prior to the cruise and reconfirm that morning before getting off the ship.

 

Hope all goes well.  I'm sure it will.  Have a lovely, stress-free cruise.

[richwmn]

55 minutes ago, Paulinda said:

Last cruise we 'ordered' our uber ride as we were walking out the terminal door.  By the time we were at the pickup island the car was there.  Cheaper, cleaner car and friendlier driver in our experiences.  (And you know the cost of your ride before you even get into the car.)  

That would mean that an Uber driver was sitting in the Cell Phone lot waiting (hoping) for a fare and was able to get past port security. It could be that Uber / Lyft drivers do congregate there during heavy cruise passenger times just like the cab drivers. It took longer than that for a friend of mine to get from the cell phone lot to the pickup island, and he knew when I picked up my luggage and picks up his friends at Port Everglades often.

As far as 'cleaner', all the cabs I have used in PE / FLL were clean, driver friendliness or not can happen everywhere. Due to posts on this board, the cab fare is pretty well known in advance.

 

[Crew News]

The island across from the terminal entrance has two lines.  Make sure you ask which line is the one for taxis. The nearest line is for private pickups and is quite long.  The taxi line is behind this line and is usually quite short if you are in the first group off of the ship.    Having Global Entry saved me lots of time getting through Customs and TSA PreChek got me in a shorter Security line at the airport.

[deliver42]

Taxi is your best bet, and definitely doable.

[Sue from Canada]

11 hours ago, richwmn said:

taxi would be better than Uber or Lyft. The taxis are there waiting but Uber or Lyft would have to be summoned. Just be careful of the route and meter reading

Is it a fixed rate to the airport?  If not, how much should the ride cost?  (I'll be taking a taxi in November).

 

Thanks

[Crew News]

2 minutes ago, Sue from Canada said:

Is it a fixed rate to the airport?  If not, how much should the ride cost?  (I'll be taking a taxi in November).

 

Thanks

 

I paid $12 last year for a trip to the airport.

[Copper10-8]

11:30 is definitely doable in a taxi and no need to schlep your luggage off yourself! Just ask to be placed in the first group after the expedited folks leave with their own luggage. We departed through FLL in March and the airport security lines were moving along just fine; enjoy that cruise! 

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Sue from Canada said:

Is it a fixed rate to the airport?  If not, how much should the ride cost?  (I'll be taking a taxi in November).

 

Thanks

 

There are no flat rate fares from FLL! Make sure the meter is running and don't let the, mostly Haitian, cabbies attempt to take advantage of you as Mr. bottom dweller tried to do to us in March (meter turned away/downward and trying to charge $10 more than what his meter indicated!) They don't have the best rep down there

[DaveOKC]

Taxi is very quick and should cost abput $12-15.  Plus tip.

[bEwAbG]

In general, I wouldn't be in a hurry to get to the airport because FLL is notorious for not allowing people to check bags if they arrive 4 or more hours before the flight.  This wouldn't affect the OP's flight but for those who have flights after 1 or 2, it can be an issue.   Sometimes they will allow you to do curbside check-in a little earlier, but it depends on how busy they are. 

 

Latest FLL taxi ride: we asked the driver if his credit card machine was working and he said "of course!" but when we got to the airport, he said "on days when it's busy, we don't take credit cards."  I paid him in cash (exact change-no tip) but took a photo of his hack license and cab number with the flash on so it was obvious what I was doing.  He started stammering about equipment, and I said "I have what I need, thank you" as he was fumbling around with the luggage.  I'll do Uber or Lyft from there from now on.  Cab drivers like him are the ones who are killing their own industry.

Edited August 26, 2019 by bEwAbG

[Daisyloo]

I echo what above posters have said.   There are some unscrupulous cabbies out there.  Make sure the meter is on.  Don't let them scam you with talk of a flat rate.