Renting a car at FLL and cruising out of Miami

Considering renting a car when we land in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday and taking it to our hotel in Miami and then cruising Friday morning. What rental places will allow us pick up in FLL and drop off in Miami and give us a ride to the port free of charge?? Is it an easy drive From FLL to Miami??

Also, is it worth paying $11 for the plate pass to cover tolls?? We'll be going from FLL airport to our hotel near Miami airport

When reserving online, in order to get the shuttle to the ship, use the following location for your drop off point based on what car company you plan to use.

 

Alamo / National / Enterprise / Thrifty / Dollar - use the Miami airport location

Hertz - use the 229 Southeast 2nd Street location

Budget - use the 89 SE 2nd St location

Avis - use the 99 SE 2nd St location

Also, is it worth paying $11 for the plate pass to cover tolls?? We'll be going from FLL airport to our hotel near Miami airport

It depends on what company you are renting from, and how long you are keeping the vehicle. Alamo / National / Enterprise use toll by plate that is $3.95 per day + the cost of your tolls. Dollar and Thrifty are notoriously high if you generate an unpaid toll. Not sure about Hertz and Avis. Also, if you are using the expressway to the Miami airport, there are toll gantries that you pass under on the Dolphin and Airport Expressways that do not give you the option to pay cash. They automatically read your license plate or the transponder in the vehicle. If you are staying at a Miami airport area hotel, you will more than likely end up on one of these 2 roads. Edited February 23, 2017 by loanshark

I think I'll ask to add the 11 dollar plate pass from Dollar

Are you planning on driving around Miami for the day or just using the car to get to the hotel?

 

If just to get to the hotel unless you are a large group just use an Uber.

 

 

If driving around Miami, you won't see many tolls if any other than the drive to the airport which you could avoid tolls. $11.00 a day is a rip off. You won't have that high of tolls, unless you want to use the express lanes during heavy use times.

From Fort Lauderdale to Miami it's just two of us. From our hotel to the cruise there's 6 of us with quite a few bags and the shuttle is 12 bucks a person. So I figured an uber for us two with 4 bags from FLL to our hotel is going to be roughly 50 and the shuttle the next morning would be about 60. The suv is 65 total. Is the whole returning the car and getting to the port via shuttle fairly easy? Would this be the route you guys choose??

From Fort Lauderdale to Miami it's just two of us. From our hotel to the cruise there's 6 of us with quite a few bags and the shuttle is 12 bucks a person. So I figured an uber for us two with 4 bags from FLL to our hotel is going to be roughly 50 and the shuttle the next morning would be about 60. The suv is 65 total. Is the whole returning the car and getting to the port via shuttle fairly easy? Would this be the route you guys choose??

It depends where your hotel is. What hotel you staying at?

Downtown hotels will charge you $25-30+/day for parking! :loudcry:

 

You can drop your crew and bags at the port and then return the car -- to a downtown location with a cab/shuttle return figure about 1/2 hour. If returning to the MIA airport with the traffic, and a cab/shuttle return trip figure closer to an hour.

 

I would look at UberX from FLL to your Miami hotel and then either the hotel shuttle or a couple of Ubers to get everyone to POM and forget the rental. Your call. ;)

It depends where your hotel is. What hotel you staying at?

 

We're staying at the Springhill Suites Blue Lagoon which sounds like they have free parking

Downtown hotels will charge you $25-30+/day for parking! :loudcry:You can drop your crew and bags at the port and then return the car -- to a downtown location with a cab/shuttle return figure about 1/2 hour. If returning to the MIA airport with the traffic, and a cab/shuttle return trip figure closer to an hour.

 

I would look at UberX from FLL to your Miami hotel and then either the hotel shuttle or a couple of Ubers to get everyone to POM and forget the rental. Your call. ;)

 

 

If I'm figuring everything correctly.. Fll to our hotel will be roughly $35-40 in an uberx assuming two people and four bags fit. The followingmorning , there is 6 of us and I would say 10 bags; the hotel shuttle is 12 bucks a person so 60, or two ubers for roughly 60 total. Or the car rental being 65 total and big enough for all 6 of us the next day to drop it off at the airport drop off and then the free shuttle to the port.

 

I think.. Atleast .. Lol

We are wanting to rent a car after we are done cruising and spending the day at Hollywood Beach then we fly out of FLL so will be taking the rental there to drop off. Not sure which car company to reserve with? We want one that provides a shuttle from the port and one that doesn't charge a lot. Suggestions? I see a lot of comments about tolls will we have a toll going from HBeach to FLL airport?

 

 

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National, Alamo, thrifty and Enterprise offer free shuttles between POM and their MIA airport location. Some downtown offices (Hertz, etc.) may also offer free shuttles from POM but are often overwhelmed by cruisers -- I would choose the airport rental location. If you get a good deal from someone who does not shuttle to MIA, a taxi is $27+tip and Uber will be under $20

Dollar also offers the shuttle. When we drop it off at the airport, where would we go to catch the shuttle to the port?

If I'm figuring everything correctly.. Fll to our hotel will be roughly $35-40 in an uberx assuming two people and four bags fit. The followingmorning , there is 6 of us and I would say 10 bags; the hotel shuttle is 12 bucks a person so 60, or two ubers for roughly 60 total. Or the car rental being 65 total and big enough for all 6 of us the next day to drop it off at the airport drop off and then the free shuttle to the port.

 

I think.. Atleast .. Lol

 

 

Where is your hotel? If its close to the port you could just do 3 ubers for a pretty low cost. I just don't see where renting a car for just the drive from FLL to Miami hotel makes sense.

Where is your hotel? If its close to the port you could just do 3 ubers for a pretty low cost. I just don't see where renting a car for just the drive from FLL to Miami hotel makes sense.

 

 

Our hotel is near the Miami airport

Our hotel is near the Miami airport

 

 

And the cost difference really is non existent

Are you planning on driving around Miami for the day or just using the car to get to the hotel?

 

If just to get to the hotel unless you are a large group just use an Uber.

 

 

If driving around Miami, you won't see many tolls if any other than the drive to the airport which you could avoid tolls. $11.00 a day is a rip off. You won't have that high of tolls, unless you want to use the express lanes during heavy use times.

 

Have you read one of Dollar's or Thrifty's car rental agreements / contracts? If the original poster has plans to use either the Airport Expressway or the Dolphin Expressway, they would be better off opting in to either the use of the transponder or toll by plate (whichever one Dollar offers) as opposed to opting out. These two expressways have toll gantries above the road so that you CANNOT USE CASH.

 

 

From where their hotel location is (Springhill Suites Blue Lagoon), they will more than likely be using one or both of these roads during their trip, as the hotel lies just next to the Dolphin Expressway.

Most of the cabs and Ubers around POM and FLL are Toyota Prius or Chevy Volt sized vehicles. We found two large suitcases to be the limit of what they could carry plus three passengers.

These guys http://qualitylimoservice.com/ have big shuttle vans and charge $15 p/p between POM and FLL or reverse trip.

In January, we flew into West Palm, rented a car from Thrifty... stayed in Miami 2 nights, dropped off car at MIA Saturday am.. used their free shuttle to POM. On return had reservation again with Thrifty.. used free shuttle from POM to MIA to pick up car with drop off in Fll later in the day for flight home. Worked out great and gave us the convenience of having a car... We've done this several times and has always worked out well... Less expensive then using a shuttle service or Uber..

Decided to rent a convertible. It's about half the price of uber and we can then drive along the ocean and check out south beach Saturday night. The idea of taking a convertible in the Florida sun when we haven't hit 50 degrees in 4 months sounds wonderful

Are there any must see areas of Miami we should check out?

Also is 95 going to be the best route? Hotel is right near the Miami airport

Anyone??

Budget have a downtown location in Miami that offers a free shuttle to the port, we have used it the other way around ( arrive in port and take free shuttle to the car hire)

 

Hire car in Fort lauderdale use the included transponder, shuttle your friends to the port next day drop off bags, then return the car to the downtown location and use thier free shuttle.

 

We will do this for our cruise out of Miami next December. although we will stay over night on the out skirts to get free parking at the hotel.

for us we will get the cheapest car hire for one day as there are only two of us