Amtrak Tampa to Miami for cruise out of Miami

[htkodiak]

We have purchased tickets on Amtrak for our Sunrise cruise out of Miami.We live in the Tampa area and were wondering if anyone has take this trip on Amtrak.The ticket price was about the same as cost of gas but without the hassle of driving.Thanks for any comments.

[Cienfuegos]

The Silver Star  train from Tampa to Miami originates in New York City the prior day. 

 

The juckins.net website for Amtrak status shows train 91 is about 6 minutes late, on average, with a maximum delay of 5 hours and 42 minutes during the past six weeks.

 

Amtrak status on time archive for train 91 was my search

[rkacruiser]

Even as an Amtrak fan, this is a curious decision to make to get from Tampa to Miami in my opinion.  

[htkodiak]

35 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Even as an Amtrak fan, this is a curious decision to make to get from Tampa to Miami in my opinion.  

The fares were comparable to what we would spend on fuel/tolls/food stops/ and having to drive that distance.We have done the drive many times for cruises out of Miami , so we just wanted to try something different.Flying on Silver Airways was also an option but my wife is not a fan of the smaller planes,price wise it was very close.

[LadyShiva]

25 minutes ago, htkodiak said:

The fares were comparable to what we would spend on fuel/tolls/food stops/ and having to drive that distance.We have done the drive many times for cruises out of Miami , so we just wanted to try something different.Flying on Silver Airways was also an option but my wife is not a fan of the smaller planes,price wise it was very close.

May I ask what the taxi cost is from the train station to the Port is estimated to be?  And then how much waiting between getting off the ship to the train leaving?  Thanks in advance!

[JohninDC]

10 hours ago, LadyShiva said:

May I ask what the taxi cost is from the train station to the Port is estimated to be?  And then how much waiting between getting off the ship to the train leaving?  Thanks in advance!

The Amtrak station in Miami is located north of the MIA airport, so a taxi to POM or downtown hotels will run about $35-40+ on the meter.

[janpa70]

We are cruising in October and doing the same thing. We have driven this before and it's a long drive. We are excited to actually see some sites and avoiding the traffic.

 

[htkodiak]

19 hours ago, LadyShiva said:

May I ask what the taxi cost is from the train station to the Port is estimated to be?  And then how much waiting between getting off the ship to the train leaving?  Thanks in advance!

I priced it out with an Uber at between 32 $ and 45 $ depending on car size.We are going to the Holiday Inn at the port the night before.

[htkodiak]

37 minutes ago, janpa70 said:

We are cruising in October and doing the same thing. We have driven this before and it's a long drive. We are excited to actually see some sites and avoiding the traffic.

 

We are on the Sunrise sailing Oct 14 and Oct 18 for a B2B.

[skrufy]

On 8/30/2021 at 11:43 AM, htkodiak said:

We have purchased tickets on Amtrak for our Sunrise cruise out of Miami.We live in the Tampa area and were wondering if anyone has take this trip on Amtrak.The ticket price was about the same as cost of gas but without the hassle of driving.Thanks for any comments.

What time does your train depart and arrive in Miami

?

[EatonDoolittle]

I think this sounds like a nice option. Perhaps someone will report back.

 

I am on the east coast of FL, and anxiously waiting for the Virgin / Sun Rail, or whatever the current name of the costal high speed rail system is,  to get further north than West Palm Beach.  It is supposed to eventually go from Orlando AP to the coast, then on to Miami. Track work is well underway in my area. 

 

Now I make the 2.5 hour drive to Port Everglades, but won't drive to Port Miami. Leaving the car home, sightseeing, and letting someone else drive sounds like a relaxing way to start a cruise.  

 

[rkacruiser]

21 minutes ago, EatonDoolittle said:

Now I make the 2.5 hour drive to Port Everglades, but won't drive to Port Miami. Leaving the car home, sightseeing, and letting someone else drive sounds like a relaxing way to start a cruise.  

 

I have driven to Port Everglades from Fort Pierce several times and that is a "piece of cake".  Getting to Miami, getting off I-95 and using US 1 was the way to go for me.  But, once in the Port of Miami itself and navigating the chaos and poor signage that exists!!   😠    No way to begin a cruise!  Did it once.  Won't do it again! 

I wish I had a viable Amtrak option from my area of the country to get to a cruise from Florida.  Maybe in a few years?  There's hope with the recently Senate based Infrastructure Bill.  

[htkodiak]

3 hours ago, skrufy said:

What time does your train depart and arrive in Miami

?

We have a scheduled 1230 pm departure from Tampa and arrival 557 pm Miami.

[kenb]

19 hours ago, htkodiak said:

I priced it out with an Uber at between 32 $ and 45 $ depending on car size.We are going to the Holiday Inn at the port the night before.

If you booked the Holiday Inn Downtown across from Bayside market you may want to think about changing. I had them booked for 3/22 because I have Priority points. It was pointed out on this board to check out what is happening at that Holiday Inn. They have filed for bankrupcy and are trying to sell the property for redevelopement. Reviews show the property is going down fast. I ended up booking the Hampton with points since the Intercontinental was booked.

Just a heads up.

[htkodiak]

58 minutes ago, kenb said:

If you booked the Holiday Inn Downtown across from Bayside market you may want to think about changing. I had them booked for 3/22 because I have Priority points. It was pointed out on this board to check out what is happening at that Holiday Inn. They have filed for bankrupcy and are trying to sell the property for redevelopement. Reviews show the property is going down fast. I ended up booking the Hampton with points since the Intercontinental was booked.

Just a heads up.

I'm always looking for a better deal , thanks for the info.

[kenb]

5 hours ago, htkodiak said:

I'm always looking for a better deal , thanks for the info.

No prblem.

 

[Cienfuegos]

For what it's worth, Florida has extended its I-95 express toll  lanes northward into Palm Beach County. These lanes allow a segregated, two lane travel corridor all the way into Miami. For a few bucks, the variable toll route takes you all the way to the airport or the port exits.

 

many of the really crazy drivers prefer to remain in the outer roadways, which are still free. That's not to say people don't drive 100 mph, but they usually don't do it on the shoulders. Motorcyclists will carve out their own lanes, but usually on the outer roadways.