Fort Lauderdale to Orlando (And a few other things)

Hi,

We (Myself and 3 others) are considering Cruising on the Allure, 25th Aug 2013 - 01 Sept 2013 from Ft Lauderdale.

Could someone please advise on what would be the best method to get from Ft Lauderdale to Orlando AFTER the cruise? Bare in mind we are Aussie, and driving would probably be a little daunting (Since you American's insist on driving on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car :)).

I have seen there is an Amtrak Train that leaves Ft Laud at 9:00am, but wondering of that would leave enough time to get off the ship and to the train station (Anyone have any ideas how long it would take in a taxi to get to the train station from the pier, and also what time is the earliest they start to allow passengers off the ship). Is there enough time for this?

Also considered maybe bus or coach, and even flying but doesnt seem like there are many flight options.

On another note, is this hurricane season? If so what's the likelyhood of a hurricaine occurring, and what do the ships do in the event of such happening.

Okay anything else people want to add I would love. Im a first time visitor to Florida and plan on spening a few days in Ft Laud before the cruise.... Any tips, I would LOVE! Thanks

Kelly (p.s Sorry if there is already a thread for this, I did look and couldnt find ;))

Hi,

 

We (Myself and 3 others) are considering Cruising on the Allure, 25th Aug 2013 - 01 Sept 2013 from Ft Lauderdale.

 

Could someone please advise on what would be the best method to get from Ft Lauderdale to Orlando AFTER the cruise? Bare in mind we are Aussie, and driving would probably be a little daunting (Since you American's insist on driving on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car :)). I live in the US and regularly visit the UK and Ireland and driving on the other side of the road is not that big of a challenge; lots of tourist do it every day - I would not refuse a rental car as a good option. The drive from FLL to Orlando takes about 3.5-4 hours and is primarliy on highways an toll roads. :cool:

 

I have seen there is an Amtrak Train that leaves Ft Laud at 9:00am, but wondering of that would leave enough time to get off the ship and to the train station (Anyone have any ideas how long it would take in a taxi to get to the train station from the pier, and also what time is the earliest they start to allow passengers off the ship). Is there enough time for this? You can not count on making a 9:00 AM train - you might, but you might also be sitting in the station for a long time waiting for the next train. :(

 

Also considered maybe bus or coach, and even flying but doesnt seem like there are many flight options. There are some bus and shuttle services running between Miami/FLL and Orlando - here is one: http://www.miamiorlandoshuttle.com/fort-lauderdale-to-orlando-bus.html

 

On another note, is this hurricane season? If so what's the likelyhood of a hurricaine occurring, and what do the ships do in the event of such happening. It is Hurricane season -- your port visit schedule may be impacted; less likely is that your ship would be delayed in returning.

 

Okay anything else people want to add I would love. Im a first time visitor to Florida and plan on spening a few days in Ft Laud before the cruise.... Any tips, I would LOVE! Thanks

 

Kelly (p.s Sorry if there is already a thread for this, I did look and couldnt find ;))

You might think about staying in Fort Lauderdale for one night when your cruise returns and then catching the train/bus to Orlando the next morning.

The MIA (Miami) airport is only a 40 or so minute shuttle/taxi/bus ride away from Port Everglades/FLL -- American has regular flights to Orlando you might check out. QLS or Go Airport Shuttle can get you to MIA, or you can ride the commuter rail system if you've got the time:

- http://www.tri-rail.com/

Good luck! :)

Could someone please advise on what would be the best method to get from Ft Lauderdale to Orlando AFTER the cruise? Bare in mind we are Aussie, and driving would probably be a little daunting (Since you American's insist on driving on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car :)).

The best method, IMO would be a one-way rental car. The driving should be quite easy, because if you take the Turnpike, it is a controlled access highway with no turns required.

However, another option is RedCoach http://www.redcoachusa.com/

the brits drive in florida all the time - if they can manage, certainly an aussie can!!!! ;)

we're also considering the allure - but on the 18th..

we're going to rent in orlando (for the few days we're at WDW) and drive down to fort lauderdale...

then we'll rent again after the cruise in fort lauderdale and drive back up to orlando (for another few days at WDW before flying on our way)...

by the way, when you reserve your car, be sure that the collision damage waiver is included....it must be included for foreign drivers (i'm also one)..

i book our cars via alamo uk - with a discount rate from the brit guide to orlando....much cheaper than reserving via the US alamo site