Fly to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami?

[CaptainChoppers]

This will be our first cruise with NCL where we will not be leaving out of New York. We're booked on the NCL Pearl out of Miami leaving on 11/30. We decided to make our own air arrangement and would like to know if it is easier to fly into Ft. Lauderdale or directly to to Miami. We have heard that it may be better to fly into Ft. Lauderdale airport because it is much less congested during the daytime hours. Also, does anyone know how long it will take to drive from Ft. Lauderdale airport vs. Miami Airport?

Thanks:)

[shoreguy]

This will be our first cruise with NCL where we will not be leaving out of New York. We're booked on the NCL Pearl out of Miami leaving on 11/30. We decided to make our own air arrangement and would like to know if it is easier to fly into Ft. Lauderdale or directly to to Miami. We have heard that it may be better to fly into Ft. Lauderdale airport because it is much less congested during the daytime hours. Also, does anyone know how long it will take to drive from Ft. Lauderdale airport vs. Miami Airport?

Thanks:)

 

My advice is the opposite unless you save a lot of $ flying into FLL. FLL is a zoo when the ships come in. It costs 3 times as much for transfers and takes 3 times as long to get to the pier. Far easier to fly into MIA but not normally cheaper.

[Host Kewlguy]

We actually get cheaper rates flying directly into Miami verses Fort Lauderdale. We always book the earliest flight possible out of Newark which is usually around 6:00 am on American Airlines. Last time we booked a flight to Miami we paid $79.00 per person including tax. How can you beat that?

[pajammies]

Will you be going the day before? (shoreguy does that make a difference? because we haven't seem to have had crazy busy experiences at FLL) We always go with what is cheaper and that does seem to be FLL (we are from WI, don't know if that would make a difference $$ wise) We rent a car usually $40 or so drop it off at MIA and the shuttle takes you to the pier for free. Don't know exactly how long from FLL to MIA but I believe it was about 30min.

[Host Kewlguy]

Will you be going the day before? (shoreguy does that make a difference? because we haven't seem to have had crazy busy experiences at FLL) We always go with what is cheaper and that does seem to be FLL (we are from WI, don't know if that would make a difference $$ wise) We rent a car usually $40 or so drop it off at MIA and the shuttle takes you to the pier for free. Don't know exactly how long from FLL to MIA but I believe it was about 30min.

 

Closer to 45 minutes depending on traffic.

[FLAlaska]

Transit time to the Port of Miami from FLL can vary greatly depending on time and day.Its a pretty straight shot and easy drive down I-95, but if you get it during rush hour, its can be much longer than the usual 30-40 minutes.

 

As for cheaper rates, well that depends. From places like the NE , it can be a toss up. What FLL has that MIA does not, is the lower fare air carriers like SW, Frontier, AirTran (and sometimes cheaper) Jet Blue.

 

Being from the area, I still prefer FLL. Yes, it can get crazy during Cruiseship times, but its a simpler, easier and yes, less congested airport. MIA can be a madhouse. People may disagree with me, but I always avoid MIA as much as I can, the traffic in the area is awful and its much bigger.

[bandit0000]

This will be our first cruise with NCL where we will not be leaving out of New York. We're booked on the NCL Pearl out of Miami leaving on 11/30. We decided to make our own air arrangement and would like to know if it is easier to fly into Ft. Lauderdale or directly to to Miami. We have heard that it may be better to fly into Ft. Lauderdale airport because it is much less congested during the daytime hours. Also, does anyone know how long it will take to drive from Ft. Lauderdale airport vs. Miami Airport?

Thanks:)

 

 

Hi,

Sorry, I do not know the answers to your questions, but please come & join our roll call for this cruise on the link below.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=461788

Regards,

Lisa:)

[cliffd64]

I've done both, but have never had a problem with either airport. Basically the best price prevails. I've even gone into West Palm (when visiting relatives) to get to Miami.

 

Being from the NE, and coming usually in winter months when there is a chance of a storm, we usually plan to fly a day or so ahead of sail date so that we have a buffer in case of bad weather, so we usually don't have the "cruiseship delays" at any of the airports.

 

Super shuttle runs from both FLL and MIA areas, and are not that different in price. If you come in a day early, they can pick you up at your hotel and take you right to the pier.

[CRUZIN TOM]

Get the shuttle offered by NCL. I know they raised the price from last Feb by $5.00 to I think $20.00 per person. We flew into Miami and too the shuttle to the pier and the flew out of FLL On the return trip. Total cost for 2 round trip was $70.00. No hastles of finding your transportation, Normally NCL will meet you when you arrive at the airport.:)

[shoreguy]

Get the shuttle offered by NCL. I know they raised the price from last Feb by $5.00 to I think $20.00 per person. We flew into Miami and too the shuttle to the pier and the flew out of FLL On the return trip. Total cost for 2 round trip was $70.00. No hastles of finding your transportation, Normally NCL will meet you when you arrive at the airport.:)

 

I would consider the NCL transfers for FLL - for 2 people it is cost effective

 

MIA - Flat cab fare of $24 - no waiting for the bus to full up.

[cinnam0n]

We used Tri-County Airport Express from FLL. We saved a lot of money flying into Ft. Lauderdale, and since there were 5 of us + luggage we couldn't fit into a regular taxi. It costs $18/pp each way for a shared ride. You can book everything ahead of time (http://www.floridalimo.com) and they are located right outside the baggage claim at the airport. They got us into a van right away and for us, was the best option. No waiting for other people and arriving the same time as a big crowd like if you used the cruiseline shuttle.

[snorklinbarb]

cinnamOn,

I used them from FLL to the pier for a shared ride ($18pp) but they said they do not do pier pickup back to the airport.

 

So I simply purchased NCL's transfer $20pp which sure beat the $82 taxi I had previously paid back to FLL.

 

Next time I'm actually flying into MIA and out of FLL and plan to purchase the transfers back to FLL again. There was no waiting around on the bus - as soon as one filled they left and there were 2 choices of departure times to suit airline schedules.

 

I've never purchased NCL transfers from the airport to the ship, however. Too many stories of people waiting around for quite awhile waiting for others to gather. Would prefer getting to the pier early and know that I'll be on for nice sitdown lunch in the DR.:D

[cinnam0n]

Thanks for that info! I didn't know about the trip back from the ship, because we stayed an extra day and rented a car after the cruise. (and that, I might add, was a nightmare)

[danfiveoh]

Just FYI, and I may have spoken with a rep that didn't have correct info, but yesterday I called NCL and asked about transfers from FFL to MIA for a cruise on the Pearl and was told it is $35 per person each way. I thought that sounded like a lot more than I had paid a few years back with NCL, so I said, you mean it is $70 per person for a R/T, and he said yes.

[kaykels]

We are renting a car and driving down from Orlando. If I drop off the car at the Miami airport, is there a free shuttle from the car rental place ????

[Bequia]

We are renting a car and driving down from Orlando. If I drop off the car at the Miami airport, is there a free shuttle from the car rental place ????

 

Depends who you rent from. Alamo and Thrifty offer a shuttle to the pier.