Transportation to and From MIA Rental Car Center to Port

Since I'm totally unfamiliar with Miami I am having a little trouble figuring out the best way to get back and forth between the Rental Car Center and the Port. The best rental rate I can find is from Budget at the airport but they don't offer a shuttle from the airport, only from their downtown office to the port. So how do I get from the Rental Car Center to the port?

Taxi or Uber/Lyft.

Or consider switching your rental to a company that has a shuttle. Many do.

Budget has given me the best rate by far. They have a downtown location that offers a shuttle but I have seen several comments on the forum about what a zoo the downtown locations of the rental companies that have them can be. If I can hear from some people telling me that the downtown offices aren't really that bad I will gladly change to there

I do not know if the downtown locations are always crazy busy, but Budget seems to be the "busiest" of the three every time I drive by!

It depends, I'd say on number of ships, etc.

You can see photos of the Budget downtown rental car office and adjacent parking area here: PortMiami Car Rental Information

Budget has given me the best rate by far. They have a downtown location that offers a shuttle but I have seen several comments on the forum about what a zoo the downtown locations of the rental companies that have them can be. If I can hear from some people telling me that the downtown offices aren't really that bad I will gladly change to there

So the rate is cheaper, but you have the added cost of the transport to the port. Where is the tipping point?

As to "craziness" of the downtown office, that is unpredictable, but the cruise tourist trade in Florida is huge. Whats to say the airport location isn't going to be crazy as well?

Might be overthinking this a little...

So the rate is cheaper, but you have the added cost of the transport to the port. Where is the tipping point?

 

As to "craziness" of the downtown office, that is unpredictable, but the cruise tourist trade in Florida is huge. Whats to say the airport location isn't going to be crazy as well?

 

Might be overthinking this a little...

Of course I'm overthinking it. It gives me something to do on a weekend after the grass is cut and the house is cleaned 😂 but I do appreciate your Insight

I do not know if the downtown locations are always crazy busy, but Budget seems to be the "busiest" of the three every time I drive by!

 

It depends, I'd say on number of ships, etc.

 

You can see photos of the Budget downtown rental car office and adjacent parking area here: PortMiami Car Rental Information

That is a great link. Gives me a much better feeling of what the conditions are Thank you very much:cool::cool:😎

Uber from MIA to the port should be about $20 or you can grab a taxi for about $27+tip. Besides the potential issues with the downtown office, dropping the car at MIA lets you avoid the "excitement" of driving in downtown Miami traffic. ;)

I have personally cruised from Miami and Fort Lauderdale numerous times since I got hooked way back in 1983. I remember back in the 80’s and 90’s before the Miami Rental Car Center was built at the conclusion of your cruise you would wait for the shuttle to arrive. The shuttle would take you to their separate facility near Miami International Airport. Every major car rental company had the same procedure. The facilities were small and you would be lucky if three or four customer service representatives were working at the same time. The wait for a rental vehicle took hours. Since the Miami International Airport Rental Car Center was built it only takes minutes to complete the paperwork and get behind the wheel of your rental vehicle. Alamo, National, Enterprise,Dollar, and Thifty provide free shuttle service in both directions from the Port Of Miami and the Miami Rental Car Center.

Weekends at the downtown Miami rental locations are especially busy. If you are cruising during weekdays the crowds at the facilities are usually manageable. If your saving a lot of money and can handle the crowds rent from Budget, Avis, or Hertz which all have downtown Miami locations close to the Port Of Miami.

If you go on a heavy port day it will be crazy from the airport or from downtown. Having lived in Miami for many years, I am personally picking Budget downtown. If the shuttle looks like it will be a hassle, there are hundreds of Uber's in the area and you are 5 minutes from the port. To reliably get a cab or Uber from the airport, you really need to take the people mover back to the airport from the car rental center, and then it is a long walk to the curbside pick up areas. I personally would not trust a lot of Uber drivers in Miami to know how to get to the car rental center or where to pick you up.

I think the Budget location looks crazy because it is such a small office compared to the Avis and Hertz - so everyone is outside.