sailing out of miami but want to fly to fortlauderdale

our cruise next year is out of miami....unfortunately...

we love fort lauderdale...

so the plan is to fly to fort laud, where we will rent a car for a day or two....

has anyone else stayed in ft laud but sailed out of miami....

what is the easiest/cheapest way to do that?

We're flying into FLL next week for a cruise out of Miami. We're renting a car from sixt ($33 a day) and staying in a Days Inn. It doesn't get much cheaper than that.

We are flying into and out of FLL and cruising out of Miami. There are shuttle services between Fort Lauderdale and Port of Miami. They seem to pick up and deliver at FLL airport or airport hotels. Seems to cost about $15 per person each way. Just google it.

we will have a car in fll....would it not be easier to drive to miami and return the car there? has anyone done that?

It's certainly easy to drive to Miami. You just need to see if there is a higher charge for dropping off there and if the car agency will shuttle you to the pier.

It is an easy drive to Miami. We returned a car there, and there was a shuttle to the pier. The line was very long, so we took a cab for $20. Last year we splurged and our group of 6 reserved a limo. It wasn't much more than getting a shuttle from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami.

We flew into Fort Lauderdale and sailed out of Miami for our cruise on the Reflection last November and used MJS Transportation. They picked us up at Fort Lauderdale airport and brought us to the Intercontinental Miami. When we returned to the Port of Miami, we called them and they picked us up and brought us to the Fort Lauderdale airport. The cost was $13.00/person/one-way. They were wonderful…prompt and courteous!! You can contact them via their website http://gomjstrans.com/MJS_Trans/Home.html

We always fly into FLL. There are plenty of flights for us, the airport is very easy to maneuver except when it get jammed with multiple ships in port, and it is about 45 to 60 minutes instead of 20. Flights are often much less for us. Never rented a car but there are plenty of shuttles. We reserved a private car. MIA can be a real pain.

we did the same...recommend the Intercontintal in Miami .....we flew intoFll picked up by Quality Limo to hotel ....cruise and return....great service and good price

http://www.qualitylimoservice.com/default.aspx?pageid=1

we will have a car in fll....would it not be easier to drive to miami and return the car there? has anyone done that?

We did exactly that two years ago. Flew into FLL, rented a car there from Hertz (because it was the only company we could find with a drop off near the Miami cruise port), spent a couple of days in FLL, drove to Miami the morning of the cruise, returned the car to the downtown Hertz location that is very near the Port of Miami; Hertz had a free shuttle to the port.

The only problem was that this Hertz location was THE worst car rental location I've ever come across, anywhere. We had to drive the car up to the fourth or fifth level of a garage, where the Hertz people taking the cars DID NOT have technology that allowed them to check the cars back in. (Seriously, those hand held remotes have been around for a zillion years, but this location had NONE.) So we had to take all our luggage and squeeze into a teeny elevator down to the ground floor Hertz office, where there was ONE line for people renting cars (a time-consuming transaction) and returning cars (a quick transaction). We had to wait on line about 40 minutes behind all the renters in order to "return" the car.

I have no idea whether that Hertz location is still so technologically-challenged, but yes, one ought to be able to rent a car in FLL and drive it to the Port of Miami without a big hassle. May I suggest you also pose your question on the Florida Departures board, where there are plenty of Floridians and other cruisers with up to date and helpful Florida info.

Have a great trip!

our cruise next year is out of miami....unfortunately...

 

we love fort lauderdale...

 

so the plan is to fly to fort laud, where we will rent a car for a day or two....

 

has anyone else stayed in ft laud but sailed out of miami....

 

what is the easiest/cheapest way to do that?

We've used SAS Transportation. $15.00 P/P each way. Excellent service.

Another recommendation for SAS. Using them again when we land in Ft. Lauderdale and sail out of Miami.

Used the same FTL Hertz location at Christmas time. Worst facility and rental experience I've ever had with Hertz, and I've been either 5-Star or above for the last twelve years. Simply awful and I told them so - eh, no reaction.

MARK

Most car rental companies do not have an added drop off fee for Miami and/or Ft. Lauderdale, Car rentals in south Florida are usually very economical too.

But if you are staying in FLL I'd also recommend one of the shuttle services. The car rental facility at FLL is not great but MIA is worse. And, you might as well head to the POA instead of heading down I 95 and getting into the mess of MIA car rental return and then finding a cab or shuttle to the POA. A shuttle would definitely be a much more pleasant experience.

We used SAS a few years ago as well - picked us up at a FLL beach hotel to Port of Miami - $15 each - great experience!

Currently, we can't fly direct into Fort Lauderdale (but that will change this summer), so we have flown into MIA and even MCO to cruise out of Lauderdale. MIA and FLL are less than 30 miles apart, 40 minutes on a good day. Its basically one big conurbation, so I find the question slightly puzzling! Its generally an easy drive, although when we did it in December the rain was torrential, we slowed down to 15 mph on the Freeway, and could barely see.

I do agree though that Lauderdale is a nicer place to stay than Miami (although on our last visit we stayed in Key West which we loved!!)

The first time I flew to MIA to cruise out of Lauderdale, I had planned to take a taxi. It was cheaper to rent a car for a day.

Currently, we can't fly direct into Fort Lauderdale (but that will change this summer)-----

Nick C

Which operator is flying from which UK airport, into FLL this summer?

You should look at the "Florida Departures" thread here on CC. (it's on Main forum page...under "North American Homeports").

There are many threads similar to your inquiry...and a lot of basic helpful hints about the area and getting around between the two ports.

Nick C

Which operator is flying from which UK airport, into FLL this summer?

Norwegian start flying from Gatwick to FLL on 4 July. Twice weekly flights, westbound on Fridays and Mondays. They will be flying the 787 Dreamliner, with the same seating config in economy as BA.

They sell reasonably priced one way fares, which is good for anyone planning a transatlantic cruise.

They are also starting services to JFK and LAX.

Norwegian start flying from Gatwick to FLL on 4 July. Twice weekly flights, westbound on Fridays and Mondays. They will be flying the 787 Dreamliner, with the same seating config in economy as BA.

 

They sell reasonably priced one way fares, which is good for anyone planning a transatlantic cruise.

 

They are also starting services to JFK and LAX.

Thanks Nick.

Not necessarily the cheapest, but the easiest for us was to rent a car at FLL and return it to FLL. The Car Rental Center is attached to Terminal 1 at FLL. We walked into the arrival area at Terminal 1, found the Celebrity rep and bought a transfer to the ship at the port in Miami. The cost of the transfer was charged to our onboard account.

We always fly into FLL. There are plenty of flights for us, the airport is very easy to maneuver except when it get jammed with multiple ships in port, and it is about 45 to 60 minutes instead of 20. Flights are often much less for us. Never rented a car but there are plenty of shuttles. We reserved a private car. MIA can be a real pain.

I would go with this idea...that highway is not all that safe to the port from FLL...they have a name for it...and it's not a good name. Best to let someone familiar with the drive do the driving. I also agree...Miami airport is a nightmare!!! Our last fight to MIA was gawd awful!!! Never again!!!!!!!!

We've used SAS Transportation. $15.00 P/P each way. Excellent service.

SAS was great for us both ways. On-time, inexpensive, decent vans, lots of experience.

We rented a car from Avis at Ft Lauderdale drove to Disney and dropped the car off in Miami downtown. They had a shuttle to cruise port but picked up a cab since it was quicker. The cab was like $20.00. I would say if it wasn't for my GPS I probably wouldnt have found the rental office. The directions we got when we picked up the car weren't all that great. But everything worked out just fine.

Supposing you have a little time, the train from FLL to MIA works great--cheap, reliable, room for baggage, free shuttle to/from airports at both ends.:)