flying into FLL, cruising out Miami questions

[familytravelx5]

Hello,
I need some help since we booked a last minute cruise going out of Miami November 17. We are a family of 5 (me,dh,19,16,12). We will arrive two days before the cruise at FLL (11:30pm Thursday) and need a place to stay. Usually we use Priceline but I'd have to get two rooms. That is still an option but still don't know what area I should focus on. We will have a rental car. I've looked at Homewood Suites, Fairfield Inns, Springhill for the extra room but just don't know if FLL or MIA is better. We've never been to FLL/MIA and want to check things out all day Friday. Would it be better to be in FLL or MIA area? I don't want to have to pay for parking at the hotel since we will already be biting the bullet and paying $20/day for port parking. I'm open to any suggestions on areas to stay or things to do on Friday.

Thank you very much!

[royalcruz]

Miami has a few more attractions. Fort Lauderdale tends to be less expensive. The hotels you are looking at don't have parking fees in Fort Lauderdale. The FLL airport area is good because it is right off I95 and easy to go places from there.

[JohninDC]

Stay in the FLL area and explore with your rental car -- usually cheaper and much more attractive than the area around the MIA airport. Good luck!

[mrsjetpup]

We are also a family of five flying into FLL and cruising out of Miami. It's me, my husband, our 28 yo daughter and 19 yo twins son and daughter. After a lot of research, I made the decision for us to stay at Springhill Suites, we can all stay in one room there and they have the buffet breakfast.

I got a really good deal through Last Minute Travel. If you call them, they will give you a better rate than on the website or they also have promo codes on Retail Me Not.

Good luck with your planning!

[miamiyogi]

I think Miami has a little more to offer than FLL, but as mentioned the nice places to stay will charge you to park, also accommodations in Miami tend to be a bit more than FLL.

FLL is about a 30-40 minute drive to Miami (outside of rush hour). So its completely feasible to explore with a car. Avoid the interstate Southbound in the morning and northbound in the afternoon.

If you decide to come to Miami, go to South Beach. Park at the garage on 7th Street & Collins Ave. Take a swim in the Ocean, walk on Ocean Drive, take a walking tour of the Art Deco Buildings. Explore Lincoln Road Mall. Have lunch at Monty's, you can have drinks while the kids play in the pool.

http://www.mdpl.org/tours/guided-walking-tours/
http://www.lincolnroad.org/

[ToddWelch]

Why are you paying for port fees....is this to park the car? If so...why don't you just return it before getting on the ship and then get another one when you get back...there are no drop fees in Florida (or at least most don't)

[shixie]

Originally Posted by ToddWelch

Why are you paying for port fees....is this to park the car? If so...why don't you just return it before getting on the ship and then get another one when you get back...there are no drop fees in Florida (or at least most don't)

This is what we tried to do when we booked our rental car, but it was way too expensive. We are driving from IL to Miami though. It was actually cheaper for us to keep the same car and pay for parking.

[girlscruise2011]

Originally Posted by familytravelx5

Hello,
I need some help since we booked a last minute cruise going out of Miami November 17. We are a family of 5 (me,dh,19,16,12). We will arrive two days before the cruise at FLL (11:30pm Thursday) and need a place to stay. Usually we use Priceline but I'd have to get two rooms. That is still an option but still don't know what area I should focus on. We will have a rental car. I've looked at Homewood Suites, Fairfield Inns, Springhill for the extra room but just don't know if FLL or MIA is better. We've never been to FLL/MIA and want to check things out all day Friday. Would it be better to be in FLL or MIA area? I don't want to have to pay for parking at the hotel since we will already be biting the bullet and paying $20/day for port parking. I'm open to any suggestions on areas to stay or things to do on Friday.

Thank you very much!

I am in the same boat to say . I am a family of 5, sailing out of Miami on the Liberty on November 17th too. Like you I need 2 rooms and Miami is just too expensive. I've decided to stay at the LaQuinta, Hollywood, FL. It gets good reviews, comes with breakfast, is across from a Plaza with lots of shopping & restaurants. I got a great rate for a government employee.

Where you have a car, I would stay where its cheap and you can always drive to the sites you want on Friday. Actually Hollywood beach has a nice boardwalk to spend the day too. I love Miami precruise but I'm actually looking forward to staying somewhere different this time.

What ship you sailing on? If its the Liberty, come join the rollcall.

[familytravelx5]

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies!! I need to spend today looking at all the options. I'm even looking at using some United FF miles I forgot about for a room(s). If we were flying in and out of MIA I might consider returning the car but I don't think it will be worth the $$ and hassle of returning the car and getting a ride from POM back to FLL the same day. I got what I think is a really good car rental rate (a premium car was less than smaller cars when I booked). My total for 6 1/2 days is $203 all inclusive.

Cruisegirl we are cruising on the Destiny.

Thanks again everyone

[royalcruz]

Since you are driving down, you might also consider Boca Raton. It is a beautiful town where everything looks clean and pretty and there are lots of hotels including Springhill, Fairfield, Embassy, TownePlace. Some nice things there are: public beach, Boomers, Palace Cinema, hundreds of restaurants, Town Center Mall, downtown Delray closeby.

[miamiyogi]

Originally Posted by royalcruz

Since you are driving down, you might also consider Boca Raton. It is a beautiful town where everything looks clean and pretty and there are lots of hotels including Springhill, Fairfield, Embassy, TownePlace. Some nice things there are: public beach, Boomers, Palace Cinema, hundreds of restaurants, Town Center Mall, downtown Delray closeby.

Thats a good thought too, I like Boca.

[girlscruise2011]

Originally Posted by familytravelx5

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies!! I need to spend today looking at all the options. I'm even looking at using some United FF miles I forgot about for a room(s). If we were flying in and out of MIA I might consider returning the car but I don't think it will be worth the $$ and hassle of returning the car and getting a ride from POM back to FLL the same day. I got what I think is a really good car rental rate (a premium car was less than smaller cars when I booked). My total for 6 1/2 days is $203 all inclusive.

Cruisegirl we are cruising on the Destiny.

Thanks again everyone

I sailed on the Destiny in May. Did Grand Turks, HMC and Nassau. Loved her. She's a good ship. Enjoy!

[familytravelx5]

Originally Posted by girlscruise2011

I sailed on the Destiny in May. Did Grand Turks, HMC and Nassau. Loved her. She's a good ship. Enjoy!

Sorry, girlscruise2011, I messed up your name on my previous post . I was in a hurried state... I feel like I'm traveling with my head cut off! I have 3 pleasure trips planned for the next 30 days and I'm a lot excited and little crazy!

Thanks for the positive comments about the Destiny. I have read some negative reviews and was a little nervous but it fit our schedule and we are going to two places the rest of the family haven't been (Jamaica & Grand Caymen). I look forward to this trip!!

[familytravelx5]

Originally Posted by royalcruz

Since you are driving down, you might also consider Boca Raton. It is a beautiful town where everything looks clean and pretty and there are lots of hotels including Springhill, Fairfield, Embassy, TownePlace. Some nice things there are: public beach, Boomers, Palace Cinema, hundreds of restaurants, Town Center Mall, downtown Delray closeby.

How much drive time would you estimate staying in Boca Raton would add to the Saturday morning drive to the Miami port?

[JohninDC]

Originally Posted by familytravelx5

How much drive time would you estimate staying in Boca Raton would add to the Saturday morning drive to the Miami port?

It's about 50 miles; depending upon traffic I would plan on 1-1.5 hours. Good luck!

[Eeyoregon]

Originally Posted by shixie

This is what we tried to do when we booked our rental car, but it was way too expensive. We are driving from IL to Miami though. It was actually cheaper for us to keep the same car and pay for parking.

Look into Budget. Pick up at FLL airport and drop off at downtown Miami office @ 89 SE 2nd St which is 1.7 miles from port of Miami.

Use BCD code 937800 (open to anyone) or if you are Costco members use W852802. Free upgrade coupon code (open to anyone) is UUWZ027.

We have a 24 hr mini van rental for $66.00 TOTAL including all fees/taxes. We will return the van to downtown office and take a cab the 1.7 miles to port. We are doing the same after the cruise and it's only $54.00 for 24hr rental.