Port to airport fort lauderdale

[murmar]

What isthe earliest flight i should book. We are not big on sitting around the airport. Southwest air has a 1:50pm flight it also has a 11:00am flight do you think we could catch the 11:am iam not familar with fll thanks in advance

[judynorth]

What isthe earliest flight i should book. We are not big on sitting around the airport. Southwest air has a 1:50pm flight it also has a 11:00am flight do you think we could catch the 11:am iam not familar with fll thanks in advance

 

We have booked an 11am flight and have been assured that we can make it to the airport quite easily. It is very close to the port - less than 10 minutes by taxi. (Keep in mind that I am taking the word of my TA and people here on CC. :))

[cruiserbryce]

I wouldnt book anything before 11am...but if you dont doddle around the ship in the am you should be able to make a flight at 11am without a problem

[Jamiebearr]

I went out of FLL in November and I would take the 11 if I were you. My flight did not leave until 1240, and it was hard to stay in the airport so long. Just do the walk off first thing in the morning and you'll get there with plenty of time:)

[Colo Cruiser]

No problem with an 11 am flight unless the ship has a big delay in getting to the port or disembarking passengers. :)

[missmlt]

We carried our own luggage off the ship and thus were the first group (or the first couple of groups) off of the boat. we walked right to customs and had to wait maybe a minute to get through and then walked out of the terminal to the cab stand. We were in a taxi within 3 minutes and at the airport less than 10 minutes later. I think we were at the airport before 8am. We had a 3:50 flight on southwest and it was awful to have to wait that long.

I'd take the 11:00 provided I was carrying my own bags off the ship. You shouldn't have a problem unless there are big issues with disembarkation.

[Griller]

There is a free bus from the port to the airport - and viceversa- intended for car rental customers - but anyone may use it.

 

Frequent and quick.

 

Look for the big bus with an LED display on the back with the names of car rental companies flashing up.

[kywildcatfanone]

As others have said, an 11am flight should be easy, assuming the ship gets into port at 7am as advertised, and there are no major customs problems.

 

Mike

[sing2sas]

We had a 10:50 AM flight last March and made it through the airport and were in the (short) security line before 8:30 AM. You can make an 11:00 flight with no problem.

 

Question about the rental car bus: Where does it let you off at the airport? We will be returning from a cruise in March and would like to catch a shuttle to our hotel from the airport.

[jean s]

We always book the 11AM flight and have always made it with plenty of time to spare.

[Kirsten T]

It really depends on how many other ships are in port. We've arived with only a couple of ships in, and have been at FLL by 9AM. And then there was the year there were 10 ships in, including Explorer of the Seas, Caribbean Princess and a couple other megas... Coral docked at a terminal I never knew existed, and clearly the taxi and shuttle drivers didn't know it existed, either. We arrived at FLL at 12:15 that year for a 12:45 flight, totally stressed out. So before you decide, go to the web site that tells you what other ships will be joining you that day - I can't remember it and I'm not on my own computer, but it gets mentioned on the boards all the time. Somebody will know it.

Cheers,

Kirsten

PS

If you can do the Express self-departure, where you shlep your own bags off the ship, you have a much better chance of a quick exit. Worked like a charm for us last year.

[rcacace]

There is a free bus from the port to the airport - and viceversa- intended for car rental customers - but anyone may use it.

 

Frequent and quick.

 

Look for the big bus with an LED display on the back with the names of car rental companies flashing up.

 

That's what we did in Miami a while back & had to change to another shuttle to get to the terminal. Worked great.

[judynorth]

Here is the link to the schedule:

http://www.broward.org/port/pdfs/cruiseguide/pecruiseguide09_calendar.pdf

[reggielew]

Hi!

 

We have taken an 11:00 flight several times and have never had a problem. Since we don't want to carry off our own luggage, we get luggage tags from the purser that puts us into the first organized group to leave the ship. The best advice I can give you is to GET A PORTER in the terminal. He will quickly help you get your bags, get you through customs, and more important, take you to a cab immediately (no cab line). He is well worth the tip you give him! Of course, there could always be unforseen circumstances that could cause the ship to be late and the disembarkation to be delayed, but we have always been at the airport well before 9:00.

 

Reggie

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I went out of FLL in November and I would take the 11 if I were you. My flight did not leave until 1240, and it was hard to stay in the airport so long. Just do the walk off first thing in the morning and you'll get there with plenty of time:)

 

We did the same - we walked off and were at the airport in 10 minutes, too early to check in for our 11.45am flight.

[Plant]

There is a free bus from the port to the airport - and viceversa- intended for car rental customers - but anyone may use it.

 

Frequent and quick.

 

Look for the big bus with an LED display on the back with the names of car rental companies flashing up.

 

That's what we did in Miami a while back & had to change to another shuttle to get to the terminal. Worked great.

 

Maybe I'm "old-fashioned" or "out-of-the-loop", but this sounds like stealing services to me :(. If the shuttle is intended for customers of the car rental business, why would you use it unless you're renting a car from them?

 

I know that if I was using the car rental services and had to wait to get to their office because other people (who weren't renting cars) were using their bus I'd be PO'd :eek:!

[Griller]

Maybe I'm "old-fashioned" or "out-of-the-loop", but this sounds like stealing services to me :(. If the shuttle is intended for customers of the car rental business, why would you use it unless you're renting a car from them?

 

I know that if I was using the car rental services and had to wait to get to their office because other people (who weren't renting cars) were using their bus I'd be PO'd :eek:!

 

Can't say I have ever seen the bus full, and nowhere do they say it is limited to car renters.

 

In fact we always rent a car at FLL, its the best way we can get home, and can't say we have ever had to wait because of others using the bus service.

 

On the other hand maybe you could not accuse me of theft without knowing the full circumstances? I don't take kindly to it.

 

You might also like to look up Luke 6:42

[Colo Cruiser]

Question about the rental car bus: Where does it let you off at the airport? We will be returning from a cruise in March and would like to catch a shuttle to our hotel from the airport.

 

There is a brand new rental building by walkway across from the airport terminals. ;)

[Stevesan]

Hi!

 

We have taken an 11:00 flight several times and have never had a problem. Since we don't want to carry off our own luggage, we get luggage tags from the purser that puts us into the first organized group to leave the ship. The best advice I can give you is to GET A PORTER in the terminal. He will quickly help you get your bags, get you through customs, and more important, take you to a cab immediately (no cab line). He is well worth the tip you give him! Of course, there could always be unforseen circumstances that could cause the ship to be late and the disembarkation to be delayed, but we have always been at the airport well before 9:00.

 

Reggie

 

I second the motion.

Excellent advise & well worth the tip. The cab rank can get very long.

 

Question: It's been awhile, but in my previous visits customs preceded the baggage area. Has that changed?

[reggielew]

Hi!

 

On our past several cruises from Ft. Lauderdale, our passports were checked before we got our baggage. Once the porter had our baggage on the cart, he handed the official our custom form, and we all walked out of the terminal.

 

Reggie