Miami - what to do btwn when cruise returns & flight out?

[kiminva12]

Hi everyone!

I have just booked my 2nd cruise - YIPPEE!

Anyway, the first one I took left from Norfolk, VA which is just down the road from my home, so I didn't need to worry about flights.

This cruise is going to be from Miami.

The ship will be returning in the morning and my flight out of MIA is not until 8:30 that evening. What do I do with all of our luggage and ourselves until then? Is there somewhere we can store our bags while we go sight seeing? I don't travel a lot and have no idea what people do in this kind of situation. I really don't want to hang out at the airport all day.

Did I mention, my 3 year old daughter will be with us? :eek:

HELP!

[JoeSmooga]

I wrote this back in April 2006. Same thing applies today...

 

Take a ride on an airboat!

 

If you are feeling really adventurous, rent a car (take a free shuttle from the port to any major car rental agency) and drive to where they do the Carnival sponsored tour. It's out on Hwy 41 (Aligator Alley) just about 15 miles west of Miami itself. I believe the place is called Everglades Safari. You will see all the cruise passengers there with their tour stickers on . We liked this option as it saved us a healthy chunk of change AND we had the ability to go to an early dinner before our flights at the location of our choice... not the standard airport food. Here's the breakdown in costs that we incurred... we have done this tour both thru Carnival and on our own. Reminder... this is the costs for a family of 4...

 

Carnival

$39/pp X 4 = $156

Price includes bus ride to Everglades Safari, admission to the park, and storage of luggage on the bus while you are there, and transportation to the MIA airport.

 

On our own

Free shuttle from the Port of Miami to Alamo/MIA Airport (there are NO rental options available at the port itself). We were at Alamo at 9:30AM, and at Everglades Safari by 10:30.

Car Rental (Chevy TrailBlazer) = $55 after taxes, gassing the car back up before return at the FLL airport, etc. (with the price of gas now, I would expect it to be about the same price taking out the milage travelled to FLL for our flight).

Admission to the park = $20/pp X 2 = $40 (as we had two kids under the age of 3 at the time they were free... they were NOT free via Carnival... we paid $39 for each of them the one time we went thru Carnival for this excursion!)

Lunch/early dinner for four = $20 (Wendy's right on Hwy 41)

Our flight out of FLL was at 7:30PM. If you go thru Carnival, you will be dropped off at MIA around 2PM (FLL transfer is about 2:30PM drop off). Freedom to drive where we wanted and kill time doing other things besides sitting in an airport all afternoon while entertaining your child = PRICELESS

Total cash out of pocket = $120.

 

BTW, don't worry about a 3 year old on the airboats at Everglades Safari... they (and you) will get toilet paper ear plugs to block the noise. Our kids, even at that age, LOVED being there.

 

Joe

[Bequia]

Rent a car, see the town. ;)