Help with Transportation Question

[Marfa53]

[font=Arial Black]I'm hoping someone out there can help clear up some questions that I have. We will be cruising next January out of Miami on the Imagination. At first we were going to drive down from Michigan, but now have decided to fly instead. It seems we can get cheaper fares into Ft. Lauderdale than Miami, but I am confused as to what we do once we get there. We plan to fly down two days early, and rent a car. If we rent one in Ft. Lauderdale, can we return it in Miami, is there a car rental location at the Port of Miami, will they charge extra for this service, if we return it to Ft. Lauderdale how do we get to the Port of Miami? When we return we will need to get back to Ft. Lauderdale, our flight will not be until after 5 in the evening so I'm not worried about timing, just how to get there. I hope this hasn't been to confusing and that someone can give me some guidelines. Thanks in advance.[/font]
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[smudge's mom]

This is how we handle our rental car. On the evening before embarkation, we stay at a motel near the airport. After we get done having supper and are ready to settle in for the night, DH take me back to the motel room and then returns the car to the airport rental kiosk and takes the free motel shuttle back to our motel. We settle in for the night and take a cab to the port the next morning.

Actually, we do this for most airplane trips. If we are going to fly from a really busy airport, we get a motel room near the airport on the last day of our vacation and after we are all settled in for the night, DH takes the car back to the airport. The next morning, we grab a cab to the airport.

This eliminates the shuffling of luggage from the rental car to the motel shuttle to the room. One less shuffle. This eliminates having to return a car on the morning of the flight or cruise ship embarkation. Besides, no one is hauling luggage off on on the rental car shuttle and only one person is experiencing the rental car return hassle. I really appreciate being uninvolved in the process. This works particularly well if more than two people are involved in the process. Just think - mom stays at the hotel with the kids - works really well.

On the day the cruise leaves, we have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel restaurant or if we are within walking distance of another restaurant, we go there. Then we go back to our room and leisurely get ready for embarcation. Taking a cab is the most "user friendly" way of getting to the ship. We don't mind the expense because it's barely $10 for the convenience factor.

The last time, we rented a car prior to the cruise - spending a few days in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. On the day we disembarked, we took a cab from the port to the airport. The trip between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami is an easy one. Barely a $75/45 minute trip.

As you can see, we opt for convenience over expense. But in reality, the expense is a minimal addition to our vacation cost.

[fodorspeter]

All rental car agencies allow pickup and/or return at Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. An alternative for you on sailing day is to drive the car back to the rental car agency at the Miami airport and they will shuttle you free of charge to the port. I've done the husband takes car back the night before thing and its not always as simple as it should be.

Peter

[oLEEander]

Our last cruise my brother drove the rental to the pier dropped off family and luggage, returned his rental car, and then came back via the rental agency's shuttle. I don't think all of this took more than a 1/2 hour. Having said that I must note this was on the Port Everglades end (Ft. Lauderdale) so the time frame may be slightly longer on the Miami end. All in all this part will probably be the easiest of your land travels.

[smudge's mom]

One of your questions was only touched upon - [color=darkred]picking up the car at one rental place and returning it to another. [/color]

You can pick up a car anywhere - you can return a car anywhere. The only problem you can run into is added fees for doing this. Sometimes the fee is quite substantial. Make sure you ask if there is a "drop off" charge if you return the car to an agency different than the one you pick it up from.

[jla418]

Ask about the drop off fee, but it it very unlikely that there will be one between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Most of the major rental car companies basically allow you to rent at any Florida Airport and drop off at any other Florida Airport with no fee. I have rented in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale and returned to West Palm Beach on numerous occasions with no fee. The only company I have ever heard anyone having a problem with is Payless. They don't seem to like to share their cars between the different cities.

As far as getting from the Ship back to Fort Lauderdale Airport, you may be able to purchase transfers from the cruiseline. You can check with the shore excursion desk and they will let you know if it is possible. If not, renting a car at Miami and returning to Fort Lauderdale would probably be less than a cab! Most of the rental car agencies shuttle to the Port of Miami with no charge. Hope this helps.

[mkluvstravel]

Just got back from a cruise leaving from Miami and this is what we did. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale and I had booked a rental car online (Alamo). Before even leaving my home, I went to Mapquest and used their directions feature to plot out the trip from the off airport location to my hotel, my hotel to the off airport location in Miami, and then the Miami location to the Ft. Lauderdale location. Have I lost you yet? :) I got a great rate with Alamo ($30 including tax), which is way cheaper than any cab would have been from Ft. Lauderdale to our hotel in Miami. BTW, I found a hotel that included free parking (Holiday Inn on Collins in South Beach) -- not a Westin or some 5 star hotel, but with free parking, we were able to roam at will and not pay for parking when we got back. We packed up the car the next day, headed to the Miami return location, and waited outside the car for our receipt. Grabbed our bags and waited in line at the side of the building for the bus that was going to the Miami Port. When we disembarked from the cruise, we crossed the street and waited with others for the Alamo bus to pick us up. Waited about 10 minutes to get a car (busy, busy location) and got on the road back to Ft. Lauderdale.

Granted waiting to pick up the car is not quick, especially if you didn't make your reservation online, which guarantees you an incredible rate. There was no additional fee for dropping off at a different location and we were free to go about as we wanted without having to wait on a shuttle, bus, or cab. I highly recommend doing this and I would never have thought about this if I had not read this web site. Definitely cheaper than a cab or even the shuttle services and driving around these areas was not at all difficult, especially if you are a good driver. I wanted something simple, safe, and affordable and I cannot imagine doing it any different. Good luck!

Marian

[smudge's mom]

[b]Marian[/b] - Sounds like good advice and a workable plan for anyone looking to save money and not concerned with convenience.

However, when we travel - convenience is more important to us than cost. Of course, if we were talking about hundreds of dollars instead of less than $50, we would reconsider. After all, we're not nuts. :D :D

[Marfa53]

Thanks for all the great advice. I like to know all the facts before making a decision, and this board seems to be full of great advice. Any hints on what we should expect to pay for a room in Miami in January?