West Palm Beach to Miami Port

[travelinteach]

How much of a pain would it be to fly into West Palm Beach for a cruise out of Miami??  Airfare is much cheaper.

[skrufy]

Take the Brightline from PBI directly  to the Miami Station. The station is a couple of miles by cab from PBI by cab. Then Uber/cab to POM a 10 minute drive. The train takes a little more than an hour to reach Miami.  You can find the train schedule and promo codes on line. 

[BNBR]

Are you flying in the day before or day of?  Tri Rail is cheap and useful to get you to Miami.  That's basically what it's for.  Is it a pain? Not really. Just takes a little extra time than flying in to Miami obviously.  

 

I have family in Palm Beach and they have no problem taking the Tri rail down. Brightline is possibly a better option if sailing the same day of arrival.  As it's station is closer to the port. 

 

Train schedules are available on their sites. Just figure out which ones makes more sense for you.

Edited September 9, 2019 by BNBR

[Flymia]

Flying in the same day of arrival would be a big NO for me. Both trains are not extremely reliable and any delay in your flight, even just an hour could mean missing your cruise. 

 

Flying in the day before. No problem. You can easily take the Trirail or even better though a bit more money Brightline down to Miami. Trirail takes you to the airport, where you would need to take a uber/hotel shuttle/metrorail to your hotel. 

 

Brightline takes you right into downtown (very close to the port) where you could take an Uber or even metromover to your hotel in the area. 

[SteerageJoe]

It depends! You have to consider your arrival time, the number of people in your party, your budget, the amount of luggage you are carrying, your mobility (walking and getting on/off trains and buses and vehicles), and so on.

 

Then there is the heavy traffic between West Palm Beach and the Fort Lauderdale / Miami areas. It is not uncommon to get stuck in long traffic delays on the highways (I-95, Florida's Turnpike and even Rte 1) .

 

Giving the uncertainty of the traffic situation, I generally recommend to avoid road transfers (rental car, rideshare, taxi, shuttles) and to book a train ticket on either Tri-Rail or Brightline.

 

Nevertheless, here are your options:

• Rental Car - I've seen rates as low as $55 one-way in a mid-size car to Miami Downtown (free shuttle to Port)
• Rideshare - Estimate about $80 for UberX (1 - 4 passengers with few bags). Pickup on the Arrivals level.
• Taxi - Don't . It is too far.
• Shuttles - Shared shuttles to PortMiami are not readily available. Private transport will cost upwards of $180 per one-way trip (up to 4 passengers).
• Rail - Tri-Rail or Brightline to Miami (no service to PortMiami). Tri-Rail has a free shuttle from PBI to the station. Fare is $6.90 plus cost of one transfer ($16). 2 hours. Brightline will cost $15 - $35 depending on options plus cost of two transfers ($13 + $16). Once you arrive in Miami you can play with cheaper options but those add travel time. 1h15m

[BNBR]

There is generally not a traffic issue between Palm Beach and Miami outside of specific rush hour times, and even then, it's quite manageable and dependent on direction of travel. I wouldn't hesitate to take a road transfer for that reason alone. 

 

Train would be much cheaper but adds considerable time.  What is $50 worth to you? UberX is a decent option if you can fit. 

Edited September 9, 2019 by BNBR

[tmoe]

The Brightline website has a cruise port package from both West Palm Beach and Ft Lauderdale to and from Miami.  The package includes a Lyft ride to and from the port from the train station in Miami. I called their customer service number and a very nice young lady explained that you request your Lyft as usual and they give you a code to pay for the ride.  It is such a good deal.  We are very excited to use it for our December 1st cruise since we will be in WBP for our niece's wedding before our cruise.

[BlueHerons]

By far Brightline/Virgin over Tri Rail.  You have to change trains with Tri Rail to the Metro and the station is sketch as hell.  Also a zillion stops on Tri Rail.  One stop with Brightline in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Do not fly in the same day and attempt this.

[Corby114]

Rent a vehicle from Palm Beach International Airport for the minimum twenty four hour time period. If your doing the right thing and coming in a day early either keep the rental overnight and drop it off in the morning at the Miami International Airport Rental Car Center which is located directly across from Miami International Airport or return the vehicle on the morning of your departure at the same location. If you rent from either Alamo, National, Enterprise, Dollar, or Thifty they provide free shuttle service from the Rental Car Center to the Port Of Miami. If you rent from Hertz, Avis, or Budget they have downtown Miami locations that are relatively close to the Port Of Miami. When you return from your cruise you can do the same scenario by renting a vehicle in Miami and returning it to the Palm Beach International Airport location. Personally I have done this numerous time and if it does sound confusing it actually isn’t.

[BNBR]

1 hour ago, Corby114 said:

Rent a vehicle from Palm Beach International Airport for the minimum twenty four hour time period. If your doing the right thing and coming in a day early either keep the rental overnight and drop it off in the morning at the Miami International Airport Rental Car Center which is located directly across from Miami International Airport or return the vehicle on the morning of your departure at the same location. If you rent from either Alamo, National, Enterprise, Dollar, or Thifty they provide free shuttle service from the Rental Car Center to the Port Of Miami. If you rent from Hertz, Avis, or Budget they have downtown Miami locations that are relatively close to the Port Of Miami. When you return from your cruise you can do the same scenario by renting a vehicle in Miami and returning it to the Palm Beach International Airport location. Personally I have done this numerous time and if it does sound confusing it actually isn’t.

 

Sounds like quite a bit of a hassle and time suck compared to Uber. 

[Corby114]

For some reason a lot of people are apprehensive about using Uber or Lyft. Once you get used to the procedures it’s really not that hard to understand. I have personally used it a few times and never had a problem.

[BNBR]

2 hours ago, Corby114 said:

For some reason a lot of people are apprehensive about using Uber or Lyft. Once you get used to the procedures it’s really not that hard to understand. I have personally used it a few times and never had a problem.

 

It's easier than renting a car! You are right, though, some people just aren't comfortable with new stuff.