Flying into FLL, cruise leaves POM; hotel, travel recommendations, & tips please!

Hi! We are going on our first cruise in late fall 2016 for our 10 yr anniversary. We are flying into FLL Friday afternoon, the day before we embark from the Port of Miami. Could use some recommendations for travel and where to stay for 1 night. (right now we are considering just renting a car from FLL and dropping off at MIA Saturday morning)

Questions I have;

1. Where to stay that's decent/safe but also fairly cheap?

2. Should we rent a car? Do they offer free shuttle service from the rental place near MIA to POM?

3. Should we stay near FLL for the night or travel down to MIA area to be closer?

4. Cost of shuttles from FLL to a hotel near POM or MIA?

5. How crazy is the traffic in that area on a Friday evening and Saturday morning? Should we avoid certain highways if we rent a car?

6. What time should we aim to be at the cruise port? We embark at 7pm.

THANKS IN ADVANCED! :)

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Best place to check is the Florida Departures forum:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

Hi! We are going on our first cruise in late fall 2016 for our 10 yr anniversary. We are flying into FLL Friday afternoon, the day before we embark from the Port of Miami. Could use some recommendations for travel and where to stay for 1 night. (right now we are considering just renting a car from FLL and dropping off at MIA Saturday morning)

Questions I have;

1. Where to stay that's decent/safe but also fairly cheap?

2. Should we rent a car? Do they offer free shuttle service from the rental place near MIA to POM?

3. Should we stay near FLL for the night or travel down to MIA area to be closer?

4. Cost of shuttles from FLL to a hotel near POM or MIA?

5. How crazy is the traffic in that area on a Friday evening and Saturday morning? Should we avoid certain highways if we rent a car?

6. What time should we aim to be at the cruise port? We embark at 7pm.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCED! :)

Congratulations!

You've asked a lot of questions :)

My preference would be to stay closer to the airport if arriving in the evening. Make the longer part of the drive in daylight so you can enjoy our beautiful city!

The 'fairly cheap' part is relative, and you might be shocked at hotel rates in the area. Look in the area south of FLL: Dania, Hollywood, Hallandale, Aventura. These are low-crime and not the highest rent, and not far from FLL so you don't risk getting lost in a strange neighborhood in the dark. You might find a hotel in this area that offers shuttle service from FLL.

Check with your cruise line for shuttle service to the Port. I am not aware of any public transportation that goes to the cruise port.

Be aware -- Miami International Airport is not near the port! The port is adjacent to downtown Miami. Downtown Miami hotels are pricey, but if you get a great deal, it would be very convenient to the port.

As far as renting a car, if you are uncomfortable driving in a city, you might be better off using taxis. The traffic won't be bad while you're here, but it seems like every road is under construction. And you'd still have to get from wherever you return your car to the port.

On the other hand, you might like having a car to do a bit of sight-seeing or last-minute shopping and to have a place to keep your luggage until that 7 p.m. embarkation. If you do rent a car, please stow your belongings in the trunk (out of sight) and be careful of where you park. Unfortunately, criminals watch for tourists and break into cars to steal luggage. They particularly target restaurants near the airports.

Hope you'll enjoy your visit to our city and have a great cruise!

First of all, in response to your lodging and transport question, there is a whole board here devoted to that, called the Florida Departures board, located under North American Homeports. Second, since you say you are 'embarking' at 7pm...Do you mean you plan to get on the ship then? Or is that when the ship is sailing? Only ship I know of that sails from POM that late is MSC Divina, and you would have to be on board, all checked in two hours before that. EM

We were faced with the exact same issue for an upcoming cruise....except that we are very familiar with the region (having lived near Ft Lauderdale) and the cruise ports. We decided to stay in Ft Lauderdale at the 17th Street area (home to the popular Embassy Suites and several other decent hotels...because we really like that area and one of their restaurants (Kelly's Landing). Once we made that decision then it was simply a matter of deciding how to get from Lauderdale to the Port of Miami (about a 40-45 min ride) the following morning. There are several transfer services (both private and shared) that can be booked online. And one could always take a taxi. But for us, the obvious solution is to simply use Uber (or Lyft) since they are less expensive than taxis and we have had great experiences using Uber.

Hank

Embassy Suites FLL and SAS Shuttle is what we do.

Second, since you say you are 'embarking' at 7pm...Do you mean you plan to get on the ship then? Or is that when the ship is sailing? Only ship I know of that sails from POM that late is MSC Divina, and you would have to be on board, all checked in two hours before that. EM

NCL's Escape is or will be leaving at 7pm. But yes, you do have to be on board 2 hours before embarkation time. And if you're getting the drink package, might as well go ahead and board to take advantage of that.

IMO, you should stay in Miami to avoid dealing with traffic on the way to the port. Hampton Inn and Suites Brickell (Breakfast included) or Aloft Brickell are fairly inexpensive for Miami. The other really popular inexpensive hotel is the Holiday Inn Port of Miami.

You can take the Super Shuttle from FLL to your hotel and then have them pick you up at the pier and take you back to FLL at the end of your cruise. You could have Super Shuttle take you from your hotel to the port or you could grab a taxi.

Embassy Suites FLL and SAS Shuttle is what we do.

SAS is a good shuttle service. But for a couple it costs $30 plus tips. Uber costs about the same for Uber X. For us, it comes down to sharing a van with a bunch of others, perhaps having to make the rounds of several hotels before we get going, etc. With Uber, we just do a few clicks on our phone, a car (for just DW and moi) shows up, and we are on our way with no delays. Tough call.

Hank

I too would post this on the Florida Departure board where this item comes up almost daily.

Keith

Thank you all so much for your advice. I'll check there too.

Yes, the ship is the NCL Escape and it says 7:00 pm is when it leaves port.

Hi! We are going on our first cruise in late fall 2016 for our 10 yr anniversary. We are flying into FLL Friday afternoon, the day before we embark from the Port of Miami. Could use some recommendations for travel and where to stay for 1 night. (right now we are considering just renting a car from FLL and dropping off at MIA Saturday morning)

Questions I have;

1. Where to stay that's decent/safe but also fairly cheap? Your cheap may be my extravagant - budget?

2. Should we rent a car? Do they offer free shuttle service from the rental place near MIA to POM? You could rent a car. National, Alamo & Thrifty offer free shuttles from the MIA airport to POM. Avis and others in downtown Miami are just a $12 cab ride from the port

3. Should we stay near FLL for the night or travel down to MIA area to be closer? I would choose to stay in the FLL area -- comparable hotels are usually cheaper there, and the area is nicer IMHO

4. Cost of shuttles from FLL to a hotel near POM or MIA? About $15 per person - check with SAS, QLS, MJS, Go Airport and others.

5. How crazy is the traffic in that area on a Friday evening and Saturday morning? Should we avoid certain highways if we rent a car?

6. What time should we aim to be at the cruise port? We embark at 7pm. We prefer to arrive at POM about 11-11:30 and enjoy lunch and a DOD on the ship.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCED! :)

http://www.sunny.org has lots of FLL area tourist and hotel info. Congrats on your anniversary! :)

FLL is much cheaper and nicer than most Miami areas....call Jiffy Jeff Transportation and they can tell you the best hotels in the area and arrange for all your transfers...most transfers are $15pp like most shuttles...but Jeff is great and gives great customer service and is very reliable. Nice Mercedes vans and great drivers. http://www.gojiffyjeff.com 305-588-6143

www.sunny.org has lots of FLL area tourist and hotel info. Congrats on your anniversary! :)

Thank you! I think my hubby would like to stay under $150/night.

Thank you! I think my hubby would like to stay under $150/night.

Did I miss when? Timing makes a big difference in the fall.

October is the begining of our peak season.

The FLL Int'l Boat Show is November 3-7 and will sell out FLL hotels.

Art Basel is Dec 1-4 and will sell out Miami and Miami Beach hotels.

September is our dead season.

A hotel that is $100 in September will be $400 over boat show.

Did I miss when? Timing makes a big difference in the fall.

 

October is the begining of our peak season.

 

The FLL Int'l Boat Show is November 3-7 and will sell out FLL hotels.

 

Art Basel is Dec 1-4 and will sell out Miami and Miami Beach hotels.

 

September is our dead season.

 

A hotel that is $100 in September will be $400 over boat show.

We arrive in FLL on 10/28 late afternoon, embark out of POM on 10/29 at 7pm. I think we decided we will probably rent a car for the night and then take a shuttle after the cruise back to FLL when we return back to port.

We arrive in FLL on 10/28 late afternoon, embark out of POM on 10/29 at 7pm. I think we decided we will probably rent a car for the night and then take a shuttle after the cruise back to FLL when we return back to port.

It will be close enough to boat show that FLL hotel prices will be high.

I'd check the Hampton Inn Brickell/Downtown Miami.

If you stay in Fort Lauderdale not all shuttles service all hotels. So before you book, look at that. Otherwise you'd need to cab back to the airport or a nearby hotel to be picked up.

I checked on valuetrips.com and the Hyatt Place in Ft. L is available for $149. That includes shuttle from airport and breakfast. Not sure if shuttles to POM stop there.

Looking downtown Miami, Hampton Inn in Brickell (downtown) $174. But the Hampton Inn in Coconut Grove/Coral Gables is $132. These both are using the Honors rate which you can join when you book. Both hotels popular.

Since we have been in Fort L many times, we always prefer to head straight to the Miami area upon arrival if sailing from there.

If you stay in Fort Lauderdale not all shuttles service all hotels. So before you book, look at that. Otherwise you'd need to cab back to the airport or a nearby hotel to be picked up.

 

 

 

I checked on valuetrips.com and the Hyatt Place in Ft. L is available for $149. That includes shuttle from airport and breakfast. Not sure if shuttles to POM stop there.

 

 

 

Looking downtown Miami, Hampton Inn in Brickell (downtown) $174. But the Hampton Inn in Coconut Grove/Coral Gables is $132. These both are using the Honors rate which you can join when you book. Both hotels popular.

 

 

 

Since we have been in Fort L many times, we always prefer to head straight to the Miami area upon arrival if sailing from there.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

How are the transport rates from FLL to Miami? Debating wether to stay in FLL or Miami for the night before our cruise in March...

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Your question is discussed on this board every day - try the search function.

Lots of shared shuttles competing for your business in the morning going from FLL to POM - most list the FLL area hotels they will pick up at on their web sites. Fares start at about $15 per person each way. The later in the day you arrive, the fewer shuttles available to take you to downtown Miami hotels (closest to POM) and the higher the fares will go.

Taxi from the FLL area to POM will run about $75-80+tip Uber will make the same trip for between $40-50 unless surge pricing is in effect.

We prefer to stay in the FLL area and head to POM the morning of the cruise - others insist on staying in Miami and using a taxi to get from their downtown hotel to POM. If you want to stay in South Beach a taxi, Uber or rental car are your best bets -- not many shuttles taking folks there.

Your question is discussed on this board every day - try the search function.

 

 

 

Lots of shared shuttles competing for your business in the morning going from FLL to POM - most list the FLL area hotels they will pick up at on their web sites. Fares start at about $15 per person each way. The later in the day you arrive, the fewer shuttles available to take you to downtown Miami hotels (closest to POM) and the higher the fares will go.

 

 

 

Taxi from the FLL area to POM will run about $75-80+tip Uber will make the same trip for between $40-50 unless surge pricing is in effect.

 

 

 

We prefer to stay in the FLL area and head to POM the morning of the cruise - others insist on staying in Miami and using a taxi to get from their downtown hotel to POM. If you want to stay in South Beach a taxi, Uber or rental car are your best bets -- not many shuttles taking folks there.

Thank you for the information! I'm new to CC...didn't know I could search it. Thank you

Sent from my iPad using Forums