Parking at Fort Lauderdale

We are leaving out of Fort Lauderdale in Dec on the Freedom of the Seas and looking at parking offsite but I have found two lots but they require you to leave your keys (we don't want to do that) is there anywhere else that is safe and secure to park besides the port where we get to keep our keys with us. We are driving down from Texas

Thank you

Have you considered getting in the evening before and using a stay/park/cruise deal? We do that whenever possible.

Charlie

We are leaving out of Fort Lauderdale in Dec on the Freedom of the Seas and looking at parking offsite but I have found two lots but they require you to leave your keys (we don't want to do that) is there anywhere else that is safe and secure to park besides the port where we get to keep our keys with us. We are driving down from Texas

 

Thank you

We used Park & Go which is right at the gate to the terminal. Yes....we did leave our keys, but we had excellent service both going and returning and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. They come highly recommended on these boards.

However I have also read there is a Park & Fly very near the port where you do keep your keys. You might also check into that...

I hope you have a great cruise!!

We are leaving out of Fort Lauderdale in Dec on the Freedom of the Seas and looking at parking offsite but I have found two lots but they require you to leave your keys (we don't want to do that) is there anywhere else that is safe and secure to park besides the port where we get to keep our keys with us. We are driving down from Texas

 

Thank you

We drive in from Alabama and we've found it more convenient to park at the port. You can save, maybe, five bucks a night if you park elsewhere. We have a very long drive back. Not as long as yours but still fourteen hours. We want to get an early start. We self-debark as early as we can. On our last Oasis cruise, we were off the ship by 0630. We walked about 100 yards to our car and we were on the road by 0645.

You may have a significant wait if you use an offsite lot while waiting for a shuttle. You may have to travel to other stops to pick up other passengers. While it sounds great that the offsite lots will deliver you to your car, that isn't so great if you spend a lot of time waiting while other passengers are dropped at their cars. Some have also reported waiting while the lot moves cars out of the way so they can access their cars.

The shuttles from the stay and park motels can be even worse as they may be servicing passengers going to the airport as well as the cruise port. The stay/park places often do not offer "free" parking. They have one rate to spend the night and another rate if you're leaving your car.

On our next cruise, we are stopping near Orlando and spending the night prior to the cruise. We will be on the road by 0630 and should be at the port by 1030. The savings from staying outside of Fort Lauderdale will more than pay for the difference between port parking and the offsite lots. You may not wish to drive that far on the day of your cruise but there are many, many hotels an hour or so outside of FLL.

Thank you

For us we will be parking at the port

We drive in from Alabama and we've found it more convenient to park at the port. You can save, maybe, five bucks a night if you park elsewhere. We have a very long drive back. Not as long as yours but still fourteen hours. We want to get an early start. We self-debark as early as we can. On our last Oasis cruise, we were off the ship by 0630. We walked about 100 yards to our car and we were on the road by 0645.

 

You may have a significant wait if you use an offsite lot while waiting for a shuttle. You may have to travel to other stops to pick up other passengers. While it sounds great that the offsite lots will deliver you to your car, that isn't so great if you spend a lot of time waiting while other passengers are dropped at their cars. Some have also reported waiting while the lot moves cars out of the way so they can access their cars.

 

The shuttles from the stay and park motels can be even worse as they may be servicing passengers going to the airport as well as the cruise port. The stay/park places often do not offer "free" parking. They have one rate to spend the night and another rate if you're leaving your car.

 

On our next cruise, we are stopping near Orlando and spending the night prior to the cruise. We will be on the road by 0630 and should be at the port by 1030. The savings from staying outside of Fort Lauderdale will more than pay for the difference between port parking and the offsite lots. You may not wish to drive that far on the day of your cruise but there are many, many hotels an hour or so outside of FLL.

I completely understand your concerns and that you are willing to pay for the convenience. There have been times that I have simply paid to be close and easy. That said, Park 'n' Go shuttles have always come within 5 minutes of our clearance of customs. They go straight to their facility and straight back, even helping with the luggage. At most, it has taken an extra 10 minutes. I highly recommend them for people who do not mind leaving their keys.

I completely understand your concerns and that you are willing to pay for the convenience. There have been times that I have simply paid to be close and easy. That said, Park 'n' Go shuttles have always come within 5 minutes of our clearance of customs. They go straight to their facility and straight back, even helping with the luggage. At most, it has taken an extra 10 minutes. I highly recommend them for people who do not mind leaving their keys.

They are a fine company and they work very well. We seriously considered using them on this trip. We've also used the parking service at the Embassy Suites and that went well too.

Still, IIRC, I have read some reports of much longer delays. Multiple stops at different terminals. Having to wait while they moved cars to get to their car. Also read of instances of the shuttle stopping multiple times to unload passengers (helping with the luggage) before other passengers were able to offload.

We probably wouldn't have encountered any major delays but just didn't consider the savings to be worth the risks.