Which port is cheapest for northerners? Ft.Lauderdale/Miami, Port Canaveral or Tampa?

My wife and I took our two youngest boys on a cruise in 2015. We want to take our oldest son and his wife on one in 2018 (possibly coordinating with other family). We live in Michigan and I want to book RCCL if at all possible. My wife and I will be paying for the cruise, flights, etc. for 4, so savings on one multiply to savings on 4.

My cost concerns are:

1. Getting the cheapest flight cost to FL.

2. Booking ideally from Port Canaveral first, Tampa second and FT Lauderdale/Miami third (family in FL don't want to drive to FT L/Miami)

3. Most likely booking for a cruise leaving March 3/4 of 2018.

Any wisdom would be appreciated.

There is no one universal answer. You have to do the research. Fares vary by time of the year, airline, cruise line and port. So, no one is going to be able to flat out say it is always cheapest to fly to XXX and sail on YYY.

March is peak tourist season, so that will drive up prices. You can see what prices are for this coming March, but at this late date, they are probably climbing due to demand.

This is for 2018, btw.

This is for 2018, btw.

I was suggesting doing some research on March 2017 prices and fares to help you work towards what might be the cheaper solution for March 2018. A test run...

Hum, that's a hard one to answer. If you are flying in the day of the cruise I'd go with Fort Lauderdale as the airport is only 10 minutes and a $10-$15 cab away from Port Everglades. Pt Canaveral is a GOOD hour away from MCO airport and has much more expensive transfers.'

Tampa is also an easy port, however cruises out of Tampa are generally limited to just western Caribbean and the cruise lines don't usually put their newest/nicest ships out of there.

If you are flying in the night before since you will be coming from the snowy north, you will have to stay overnight, in which case a night in Orlando might be fun, with a drive to the port the next day. Or some folks drive straight out to the Cocoa Beach area and spend the night there.

Personally I have found it cheaper to fly into fort Lauderdale from ny... not sure where you'd be flying from but last April it was cheaper to fly there and get a rental to Miami.

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Just booked a $69 flight from JFK to FLL. One of my bucket list items is a super bowl cruise on the open sea. We are doing a short 3day out of Mia. Jet Blue has some good dea, I don't know how far in advance you can book though.

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There is no one universal answer. You have to do the research. Fares vary by time of the year, airline, cruise line and port. So, no one is going to be able to flat out say it is always cheapest to fly to XXX and sail on YYY.

 

March is peak tourist season, so that will drive up prices. You can see what prices are for this coming March, but at this late date, they are probably climbing due to demand.

I agree. Unless you are top-tier with any airline you really have to work the process. I try and book as soon as possible and just be glad I have my flight, seat and time locked in. We like Jet Blue to Tampa, will use them in April for Orlando and shuttle to Port Canaveral.

We purchased the "more room" seats and if you book enough in advance we always get seats up front. You also get to board early and get off first.

Miami terminal is tough as it gets so crowded with international travelers. Ft. Lauderdale is really a good distance from Miami and traffic between the two is very, very heavy. If your cruise is from either city, go to the closets one to avoid traffic delays.

We have cruised out of Miami twice and currently planning our first cruise out of port canaveral . I feel it is cheaper out of Miami because although the cruise may be a tad cheaper, you will end up paying much more for shuttle services back n forth to airport. Btw hotels book up fast in port canaveral if you need one, I would book asap!

We have cruised out of Miami twice and currently planning our first cruise out of port canaveral . I feel it is cheaper out of Miami because although the cruise may be a tad cheaper, you will end up paying much more for shuttle services back n forth to airport. Btw hotels book up fast in port canaveral if you need one, I would book asap!

Good points! I booked Marriott in MCO and tomorrow I will book shuttle van to/from MCO

Prices are so fluid...just keep checking! I'd much rather spend a few extra $$ and fly into the port town I'm sailing from...saves on shuttle/taxi costs!...and the hassle that goes with it!

I booked my shuttle to CoCo beach from MCO.

Contrans has good reviews on CC so I called them today. They do not go to the Marriot Residence Inn in CoCo beach but recommended CoCo Beach Shuttle. I booked that for my DW and I $58 not including tip.

I bookec Contrans from the ship when we get back and leav ~9 am with plenty if time fir our ~1 pm flight from MCO to home. $40 not including tip for the both if us.

Prices are so fluid...just keep checking! I'd much rather spend a few extra $$ and fly into the port town I'm sailing from...saves on shuttle/taxi costs!...and the hassle that goes with it!

I agree. We land the day before sailing and stay at a Marriott brand very near the port. Taxi from hotel is only 8 minutes to RCL port for sail away day. I would be afraid to try to fly in the day of depature. I have a flexible airline ticket so if there are any issues at MCO or NY airports, no charges to rebook to another flight. Plenty of hotels in MCO area so if we had to bunk for extra days to get back home, that should not be an issue. The main issue I want to avoid is missing getting on the ship at the beginning of this or any cruise!

We opted for a hotel near Mco also. We will take the free hotel shuttle back to airport to catch the carnival shuttle to the port for ease of mind. The boat won't leave without us if we are booked through carnival. We are going to use Cortrans on the return trip too. I have done a lot of research and felt this would work best for us. Many of the hotels near the port in our price range Do not offer two full/queen beds...