NCL Free Airfare Flight Doesn’t Leave FLL until 9 PM what to do all day waiting to go home?

[dgladis210]

This was the first we used the NCL Free Airfare and our return trip to Philadelphia doesn’t leave Florida airport until  after 9 PM. Any suggestions as to what to do for a whole day with all our luggage?? I tried to have the flights changed but no luck   

[AACJ]

9 hours ago, dgladis210 said:

This was the first we used the NCL Free Airfare and our return trip to Philadelphia doesn’t leave Florida airport until  after 9 PM. Any suggestions as to what to do for a whole day with all our luggage?? I tried to have the flights changed but no luck   

We're in the same boat as you (sic).

 

Did you get the $50.00 excursion credit per port as part of the promotion?  If you did, look at the NCL excursions in Fort Lauderdale and see if any interest you.  You can apply that credit towards your debarkation port as well (read the fine print).  So if you feel like doing an air boat tour of the Everglades, it might make up a good portion of the day and be $50.00 cheaper than what NCL shows on the site.  They'll also take you to the airport too. 

 

Why not also try going to a few regional restaurants, like some great Cuban restaurants or visit Ybor City.  If you aren't all beached out, check out some of the great beaches there too.  Miami and Fort Lauderdale are not short on fun and delicious things to do!  

[dgladis210]

28 minutes ago, AACJ said:

We're in the same boat as you (sic).

 

Did you get the $50.00 excursion credit per port as part of the promotion?  If you did, look at the NCL excursions in Fort Lauderdale and see if any interest you.  You can apply that credit towards your debarkation port as well (read the fine print).  So if you feel like doing an air boat tour of the Everglades, it might make up a good portion of the day and be $50.00 cheaper than what NCL shows on the site.  They'll also take you to the airport too. 

 

Why not also try going to a few regional restaurants, like some great Cuban restaurants or visit Ybor City.  If you aren't all beached out, check out some of the great beaches there too.  Miami and Fort Lauderdale are not short on fun and delicious things to do!  

Thank you for the great tips. What do I do with my luggage though if I just want to do a beach day?  I know I can’t check it in at the airport that early. 

[BNBR]

37 minutes ago, AACJ said:

We're in the same boat as you (sic).

 

Did you get the $50.00 excursion credit per port as part of the promotion?  If you did, look at the NCL excursions in Fort Lauderdale and see if any interest you.  You can apply that credit towards your debarkation port as well (read the fine print).  So if you feel like doing an air boat tour of the Everglades, it might make up a good portion of the day and be $50.00 cheaper than what NCL shows on the site.  They'll also take you to the airport too. 

 

Why not also try going to a few regional restaurants, like some great Cuban restaurants or visit Ybor City.  If you aren't all beached out, check out some of the great beaches there too.  Miami and Fort Lauderdale are not short on fun and delicious things to do!  

 

If you try and visit Ybor City from Miami, that'll certainly eat up the whole day....

[All-ready2cruise]

Ybor City, Tampa is a real treat. Where is it located near Miami, just curious?

[All-ready2cruise]

What about hotels by the day near the airport?  That would give you a place for your luggage and the freedom to site see in Miami.  I've used this site to find inexpensive hotels: dayuse.com

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by All-ready2cruise

[sverigecruiser]

11 hours ago, dgladis210 said:

This was the first we used the NCL Free Airfare and our return trip to Philadelphia doesn’t leave Florida airport until  after 9 PM. Any suggestions as to what to do for a whole day with all our luggage?? I tried to have the flights changed but no luck   

 

I have not used it myself and I'm not sure if it still exists but I have read somewhere that Bayside Market has some kind of luggage storage. 

[ColeThornton]

27 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Ybor City, Tampa is a real treat. Where is it located near Miami, just curious?

 

It's not even close.  About a 3.5 hour drive at least.

[Sauer-kraut]

Rent a car for the day.  Even if you did an after cruise excursion you'll still be waiting a long time at the airport, they are designed for people with 2 pm flights.

Edited December 8, 2019 by Sauer-kraut

[AACJ]

4 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

It's not even close.  About a 3.5 hour drive at least.

Yup, I was thinking Ybor City but clearly meant the Little Havana area...  But it would still be a great way to kill some time....lolz

 

About luggage, you CAN actually check your luggage in at the airport directly after coming off the ship, even if your flight is at 9pm much later that day.  If you book an excursion with NCL as I suggested, they would hold onto your luggage until they drop you off at the airport.

[Joanne G.]

13 minutes ago, AACJ said:

. . . . About luggage, you CAN actually check your luggage in at the airport directly after coming off the ship, even if your flight is at 9pm much later that day.  .  .  . 

 

My experience a couple years ago was different, when I had a late afternoon return flight on United out of FLL.  I was not able to check it until about 3 hours before the flight.    Maybe different airlines have different policies, or maybe if you have high status with your airline you get special service, but I had to either sit with my big bag or pay to store it at a luggage storage room at the airport.  

 

That luggage storage facility at FLL may be an option for the OP.  But then of course other transportation would be needed for whatever he or she decided to do for the rest of the day.   A cab to and from a beach should be easy to arrange.  

 

[All-ready2cruise]

11 minutes ago, Joanne G. said:

 

My experience a couple years ago was different, when I had a late afternoon return flight on United out of FLL.  I was not able to check it until about 3 hours before the flight.    Maybe different airlines have different policies, or maybe if you have high status with your airline you get special service, but I had to either sit with my big bag or pay to store it at a luggage storage room at the airport.  

 

That luggage storage facility at FLL may be an option for the OP.  But then of course other transportation would be needed for whatever he or she decided to do for the rest of the day.   A cab to and from a beach should be easy to arrange.  

 

My experience also; I've found the 3 hour rule in quite a few airports. 

[Sweetnspicy]

I would also rent a car for the day. You have such a long day ahead of you and it would be much easier to have all your stuff close by and you can do whatever you want at your pace. 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, Joanne G. said:

My experience a couple years ago was different, when I had a late afternoon return flight on United out of FLL.  I was not able to check it until about 3 hours before the flight

Different airport but when I disembarked in LA last month and went directly to the airport the agent at the counter, after telling me I couldn't get an earlier flight, offered to check my bag for my 11 PM flight, at 10 AM.  This was American.  I fully expected to have to bring my bag to the car rental agency with me, which also resulted in me not having a few things I planned on bringing with me for sightseeing.

[DZcreature]

I would also suggest renting a car. It will give you more freedom to explore different places. Of course there is a lot to do in Miami, but if you want to get out of the city for a little while, you could check out Lauderdale by the Sea. It is a cute beach town with a few shops and restaurants. We killed some time there post cruise last year. I had wanted to check out Fort Lauderdale beach, but the area was having a big Yacht and boating show that day. It was crazy busy that day with jacked up prices for parking. We kept driving and came across Lauderdale by the Sea. Paid a reasonable price to park, went to the beach, shopped, and ate lunch all within walking distance of where we parked. We felt like our luggage was safe in the trunk of the car.

[cementhands]

14 hours ago, dgladis210 said:

This was the first we used the NCL Free Airfare and our return trip to Philadelphia doesn’t leave Florida airport until  after 9 PM. Any suggestions as to what to do for a whole day with all our luggage?? I tried to have the flights changed but no luck   

Definitely hop on hop off bus. We’ve enjoyed it several times. They keep your luggage in separate truck for you. You enjoy 2 different tours of south beach or little Havana. Including transfer to fll or Miami airport.
We’ve used it because we fly southwest flights out of fll with 2 free bags.

Yelp and TripAdvisor for information.

News cafe in south beach is excellent for people watching and Clevelander hotel for drinks.

Walking around is great.  For us it’s a bonus day of vacation and quite relaxing. Tour guides on bus are great and knowledgeable.. enjoy....

 

 

Ybor City is in Tampa if you’re flying out of fll you can forget about it.

Edited December 8, 2019 by cementhands

[debenson0723]

If you stay in Miami for the day:  https://bagbnb.com/luggage-storage/miami

[aceparty]

15 hours ago, dgladis210 said:

This was the first we used the NCL Free Airfare and our return trip to Philadelphia doesn’t leave Florida airport until  after 9 PM. Any suggestions as to what to do for a whole day with all our luggage?? I tried to have the flights changed but no luck   

We had the same issue flying back to Philadelphia using NCL's FREE air. We did the Hop on Hop off bus. They store your luggage until they take you to the airport. The only problem was you had to time it so you was back at their location at one of their times to take you to the airport. There was 3 times you could choose from, I think it was 11:30- 1:30- 3:30 if you was flying out of Miami. For us it worked because we used our $100 credit we had.

NCL could of put us on a earlier flight but I think they chose the later so you will book a excursion and spend more money.

[PTC DAWG]

5 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

If you try and visit Ybor City from Miami, that'll certainly eat up the whole day....

LOL

[snorklinbarb]

If I may ask, how is your flight down?

 

I'm amazed here when people flying & sailing the same day are surprised - and complain- when they are assigned an early morning flight like 7:00 am.  How else can NCL assure you get there, meet up with their rep & bus (they allow for guests who have booked transfers) and still get to port the required 2 hours before sailing?

 

We have one day deviation into MIA and I bet we still get put on a dawn flight as that's probably what NCL has for inventory.  We're in no rush to get from NYC to MIA early but are prepared for it anyway.

 

So did you request MIA and you got 9 pm out of FLL?  Maybe try calling again?  Different rep, different answer?

[kimandtim]

We rented a car and drove down to Key Largo and had a nice lunch and looked around and made it back in plenty of time for our flight.  We have been lots of places in Florida and were kinda beached out so this was a way to go somewhere new.  Lots of places to explore by car and it was relatively inexpensive to reserve one.

[fshagan]

National car rental has a free shuttle to MIA for people with car rental reservations. We often reserve a car from National at MIA and return it to FLL - there's no extra charge to do that. You just have to reserve the car beforehand and have a copy of the reservation on your phone (or a hard copy) to get on the shuttle.

 

We've taken a trip down the Florida Keys, done an airboat everglades tour, and that sort of thing. The car holds your luggage, and you control the time you go back to the airport. Cost is less than $60 or so.

[dgladis210]

5 hours ago, snorklinbarb said:

If I may ask, how is your flight down?

 

I'm amazed here when people flying & sailing the same day are surprised - and complain- when they are assigned an early morning flight like 7:00 am.  How else can NCL assure you get there, meet up with their rep & bus (they allow for guests who have booked transfers) and still get to port the required 2 hours before sailing?

 

We have one day deviation into MIA and I bet we still get put on a dawn flight as that's probably what NCL has for inventory.  We're in no rush to get from NYC to MIA early but are prepared for it anyway.

 

So did you request MIA and you got 9 pm out of FLL?  Maybe try calling again?  Different rep, different answer?

My flight down to FLL leaves Philadelphia at 6 AM and arrives about 9 AM.  A direct flight.  Perfect for me. I much rather be there as early as possible. It’s going to be January so weather can always be an issue.   I didn’t request either airport. I assumed I was going to Miami but you know what happens when you assume lol.  I called twice and no budging. Actually I have had problems with other things as well. I called 4 ( no exaggerating) to get my edocs and every single time I got a different answer.  Last time I called they decided it was a technical issue and to call technical support BUT they are no longer working on the weekends so call number five is coming up 

[sanger727]

On 12/8/2019 at 8:34 AM, AACJ said:

 

 

About luggage, you CAN actually check your luggage in at the airport directly after coming off the ship, even if your flight is at 9pm much later that day.  If you book an excursion with NCL as I suggested, they would hold onto your luggage until they drop you off at the airport.

 

That has not been my experience. Can think of at least 2 times where we arrived at the airport more than 3 hours early and we were refused to check our luggage in. I've never had an airline willing to check out luggage in that early.

Not saying that it's never happened to anyone, but I would certainly not go to the airport thinking that they will let you check it that early. 

 

I would rent a car. Gives you complete freedom to go wherever you like and can store your luggage in the trunk.

[Greek Boss]

Generally the earliest you can arrive and check your luggage is 4 hours prior to departure. We also did NCL Air for a cruise out of Miami last month with flights out of FLL (Miami Airport is horrendous) and our return was at 9:45 pm to Baltimore. We took an Uber up to Sunny Isles Beach (in between Miami and Fort Lauderdale) and asked one of the hotels if they could hold onto our luggage for a few hours. They only charged us $2 per bag and we left it there in a locked room and spent the majority of the day at the beach, then went for dinner and got our luggage and went to the airport.