Advice please

Hi,

My husband, myself and our three sons (17, 14, 5) will be sailing on the Breeze over Christmas. We will fly into Ft. Lauderdale the night before and I couldn't pass up the great fares on SW which included direct flights from Raleigh and two free bags each). But we will fly into Ft. Lauderdale and the Breeze sails from Miami. Our flight doesn't get arrive until 4:00 pm and it will be winter so it will get dark soon after. It is probably best to over overnight in FLL and then arrange transportation to the port Saturday morning. I have spent the morning looking at hotels and transportation companies and don't feel any better about a decision. I thought we could stay at the Embassey Suites for the night since it provides ample space for a family of 5 but last Spring it was chaotic outside of the hotel with people waiting for a shuttle to the FLL port. And SAS doesn't pick up at the ES until noon which is too late for me. My requirements are not crazy. A clean and nice hotel preferably a suite style but we can also get two rooms. Located near a store to purchase water and snacks. And a restaurant for dinner that night. I also need recommendations for a transportation company and if anyone has rented a car seat/high back booster your thoughts too. Though I may travel with the booster to use on the flights though I worry about stowing it for an 8 night cruise. We have 2 connecting balcony cabins but the Breeze cabins are not huge.....we will use the area under the bed for the suricases. Any ideas where to stow the booster during the cruise : ()

Thank you!

T

Southwest has a great on time record.

And 4:00 PM is still relatively early.

I would arrange for a private vehicle to take you over to Miami.

Consider the Hampton Inn downtown Miami which also includes a nice breakfast.

On embarkation day you could either take one taxi van or worst case two taxis and the fare should be around $12.00 per taxi before tip.

Keith

Thanks Keith. How much is a taxi for 5 people plus all of our suitcases? It looks as if there isn't a flat fee. We are willing to pay a bit more to avoid waiting and waiting.

I have looked into private transportation but it seems the companies use a central reservation system. Are there any companies you recommend? It doesn't have to be fancy just safe, clean and on time.

Thanks.

If you could get everyone into a taxi van at Fort Lauderdale Airport (depends how much luggage) then the fare to get everyone to say the Hampton Inn would be somewhere between $75.00 to $85.00 before tip.

Here are a couple of companies that have been mentioned.

Larrys Limo is mentioned often.

http://www.larryslimo.com

http://www.southfloridatransportation.com

Keith

We too got a great deal from Indy to FLL on SW. We also had a later arriving flight and decided to stay in FLL -vs- Miami. We cruised near Easter so hotel rates were sky-high hence our decision to stay in FLL.

We ended up getting a great AAA rate at the Sleep Inn & Suites FLL. We booked 2 rooms for our family but they did have suites that had 2 queen beds and a wall with a living area that had a pull-out sofa bed. In addition, all of the rooms offered a mini-fridge, microwave and coffee maker. The rooms were spotless and the hotel was nice with a hot breakfast offered. They had a complimentary airport shuttle which showed up promptly after calling. We had a good experience here and I would book here again if in the area.

***** There is a 24 hr Walgreens adjacent to the hotel and a shopping center with a few restaurants across the street.

https://www.choicehotels.com/florida/dania/sleep-inn-hotels/fl664

For our port transportation, we used QLS Shuttle Service. They were AWESOME and I would use them again in a heartbeat. They offered to us a 9am pick-up time, which was nice since we wanted to get to the port early. I believe they offer 10am, 11. noon and 1pm also. They arrived on time and kept in contact via cell phone to let us know that they were 5 min away..... we used them for our return trip from the port back to FLL airport and again they were on time and gave us a courtesy call a few minutes prior to our scheduled pick-up time. They were wonderful to work with and offered the bus-style shuttles that gave each passenger their own individual seat -vs- the bench seating that some companies try to squeeze you into.

http://www.qualitylimoservice.com/miami-transportation

Good luck to you and have a great cruise.

.

Thanks Keith. How much is a taxi for 5 people plus all of our suitcases? It looks as if there isn't a flat fee. We are willing to pay a bit more to avoid waiting and waiting.

 

I have looked into private transportation but it seems the companies use a central reservation system. Are there any companies you recommend? It doesn't have to be fancy just safe, clean and on time.

 

Thanks.

Hey! I'm a Gamecock in Fort Lauderdale and there are quite a few of us!!

Anyway, I'd have Larry's Limo pick you up at the FLL airport and take you to Miami.

I like the Hampton Inn and the location.

There is a Publix as well as a bunch of good restaurants at Mary Brickell Village and it is really lovely to sit outside and eat at any one of them. There are also a bunch of other restaurants downtown.

It's pretty cool to be in such an urban, downtown atmosphere but next to the expansive views of Key Biscayne.

Have fun!

Thank you for all of your replies. After discussing it with my husband we like the idea of private transportation or a taxi. If we go to Miami the evening we arrive the Hampton Inn sounds great. We are a family of 5 and when my husband and I cruise alone we stay at one of the Marriotts, JW or JW Marquis.

Last Fall we stayed at the JW Marriot and did head to the Publix for water and snacks and then dinner in the Bricknell Village. Loved the area.

But the mother in me is stressing if we grab a taxi to Miami how much are we looking at for 5 and will they be able to fit our luggage (probably 6 suitcases since I have to take some Christmas gifts for our little guy). The same question applies if we stay in the FLL airport area? Plus how hard would it be to get a taxi on a Saturday morning?

Last year I took our eldest two sons on the RCI Oasis and we stayed at the Embassey Suites on 17th Street. I didn't even want to bother with the shuttle but getting a taxi was a nightmare. I even had several men from a northern state I won't name steal our taxis.

I would like to land in FLL and travel straight down to Miami and spend the night and grab a taxi the next morning but dont like my husbands idea of taking two taxis. But I know my husband and he doesn't do well with waiting for a van to fill up and being crammed in a shuttle with others. And we will need return transportation to the FLL airport.

I will try the companies below and please keep the advice comming! And if you are able to answer the above questions about the taxi rates from FLL to Miami and back from the Miami port to the FLL airport.

Thank you again!!!

Thank you for all of your replies. After discussing it with my husband we like the idea of private transportation or a taxi. If we go to Miami the evening we arrive the Hampton Inn sounds great. We are a family of 5 and when my husband and I cruise alone we stay at one of the Marriotts, JW or JW Marquis.

Last Fall we stayed at the JW Marriot and did head to the Publix for water and snacks and then dinner in the Bricknell Village. Loved the area.

 

But the mother in me is stressing if we grab a taxi to Miami how much are we looking at for 5 and will they be able to fit our luggage (probably 6 suitcases since I have to take some Christmas gifts for our little guy). Van and SUV cabs are the same fare - a van cab might fit all of you plus bags, but I suspect you will wind up in two cabs; the metered fare from FLL to downtown Miami will be about $75-80+tip for each cab :eek:The same question applies if we stay in the FLL airport area? Plus how hard would it be to get a taxi on a Saturday morning? From FLL to your hotel, unless you hotel offers a shuttle, you will still be in two cabs. Fare per cab to downtown/17th street hotels will be about $15-20+tip each.

 

Last year I took our eldest two sons on the RCI Oasis and we stayed at the Embassey Suites on 17th Street. I didn't even want to bother with the shuttle but getting a taxi was a nightmare. I even had several men from a northern state I won't name steal our taxis.

 

I would like to land in FLL and travel straight down to Miami and spend the night and grab a taxi the next morning but dont like my husbands idea of taking two taxis. I would book private transport to Miami with Larry's limos or FLL based Go Airport - unless you insist on the stretch Hummer it should be cheaper than two cabsBut I know my husband and he doesn't do well with waiting for a van to fill up and being crammed in a shuttle with others. You will need two cabs to get 5+bags from your hotel to POM - the fare per cab should be about $12-15+tipAnd we will need return transportation to the FLL airport.I would book private transport to get the 5 of you plus bags back to FLL; you can check with SAS, QLS, MJS and others often suggested on this board; the fare should be about $15 per person but it sounds like your husband would prefer to spend $$ for private transport.

 

I will try the companies below and please keep the advice comming! And if you are able to answer the above questions about the taxi rates from FLL to Miami and back from the Miami port to the FLL airport.

 

Thank you again!!!

Your other option is to stay near FLL and get a one-way car rental to Miami - National, Alamo & Thrifty offer free shuttles from their MIA airport location to POM. Good luck! :)

http://www.LarrysLimo.com

We use them for fun nights out.

Just to give you another option, we used John's car service last spring to go from FLL to the Hampton at Brickell Village. It was $80 for two of us, but I don't think the cost goes up as long as everyone will fit. We were picked up in a full sized SUV, so 5 people plus luggage shouldn't be a problem.

http://www.johnscarservice.com

The Hampton is nice and as mentioned, there are a lot of options for food nearby. We didn't shop, so I can't comment on that.

We took a taxi to the POM the next morning. I asked the valet to call one for us and the taxi was there in under 5 minutes. I don't remember the cost, but it was pretty cheap.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have to be honest the car companies I have contacted haven't made me feel very confident.

Still trying to decide if we should spend the night in FLL or Miami. In FLL to factor the cost it needs to be cost effective if the FLL hotel doesn't have a shuttle then there is taxi fare to the hotel.

But if we go straight to Miami and stay in the port area two taxis to the port won't be expensive because it so close.

I also think we should head straight to Miami and spend the night.

Now I'm wishing I didn't book SW and we were flying right into Miami.

Last summer we flew into FLL and sailed out of Miami. We uses SAS Transport to pick us up from the airport and bring us to the hotel. (there was 8 of us - we all fit in one van). Then the next morning we took 2 taxi's to the POM - we stayed in Intercontinental and the POM was so close. Like a $10 taxi ride.

We then had it set up for SAS to get us after the cruise and bring us back to FLL. Worked out great. They had my cell # and knew when our flight landed and called to meet us. I would use them again.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have to be honest the car companies I have contacted haven't made me feel very confident.

Still trying to decide if we should spend the night in FLL or Miami. In FLL to factor the cost it needs to be cost effective if the FLL hotel doesn't have a shuttle then there is taxi fare to the hotel.

But if we go straight to Miami and stay in the port area two taxis to the port won't be expensive because it so close.

I also think we should head straight to Miami and spend the night.

Now I'm wishing I didn't book SW and we were flying right into Miami.

SW has free cancellation don't they.....at least this is what I have heard. Anyway I also have used John's Car Service and was pleased with the service. Another idea if you do want a cab is to get a van taxi that will hold all of you and your luggage. It doesn't cost any more than a regular taxi. No need to get 2 taxis.

We will also be flying on sw to fll and staying in south beach. Will the shuttles drop passengers at any hotel or do they only go to certain ones? I'm trying to avoid using a taxi if possible.

Sometimes its too easy to way over think the logistics of things, and then complicate it even more by worrying about saving a few dollars.

If it was me I'd find a nice acceptable hotel near FLL with some dining in walking distance. Then hire some decent transportation to the port next day at the time you want. Why not just take a quick trip to an FLL hotel and relax when you arrive? Quick, easy, convenient. Doesn't that matter more than spending an extra 40-50 bucks on taxi's, if you even would.

BTW I share your husbands aversion to crowded shuttle's. :D Especially when hauling a lot of luggage to somewhere special like a cruiseport. Much more pleasant to have your own hired car/limo or taxi.

FYI we used Larrys Limo last March - perfect service in every way.