Shuttle vs. Taxi

[zurmoly]

On our disbark day (a Saturday) there will be 5 other ships in port. We have always taken a taxi to the airport but the recent thread about geting a taxi bothers me. Our flight is at 11:30. How soon do the princess transfers leave for the airport? Or should we just plan on a taxi? ( Maybe DH should walk out tot the road and grab one? )Thanks ahead.

[mii]

Personally I would try to get a taxi. If you get a transfer sometimes they wait until they load up the bus and that could take some time. We have had no problem getting a taxi. We have a porter with the luggage and he always gets a taxi for us. Good luck.

 

Marilyn

[bjboothman]

Are we talking about Fort Lauderdale? We were there on the 23rd of Dec and had no problems at all getting a taxi (tons of them) but it took forever to find all our luggage, some of which had been placed in the wrong colored pile. I almost wish we had toted it off the ship ourselves rather than giving it to the stewards. I'd never had that problem before, though. We were taking a taxi back to a hotel to pick up a car, not flying, so the time didn't matter, but I might have been sweating if I'd had to find the luggage quickly.

 

And the crowds and fighting over the luggage? No kidding- two elderly men with canes actually got into a shoving match which nearly escalated into a fistfight.

[zurmoly]

Yes FLL but we dress up our luggage so much, we can't miss it! lol

[catdancers]

We just got off the Coral on 12/28 in FLL. The port was a zoo and the taxi line was huge. We were glad we didn't have an early flight!

[Toto2Kansas]

If you try to be in one of the first groups off the ship, have a porter take your bags out to the curb for you (therefore getting through immigration much faster as they have their own line to leave the building and you follow right behind them). There shouldn't be a problem at all. Take the taxi, much much faster.

[zurmoly]

Thanks!

[springtxbill]

The porters will always get you thru customs quickly and will get you to the head of the taxi line.

[msiowa]

The porters will always get you thru customs quickly and will get you to the head of the taxi line.

 

I disagree. This past Sunday I got off the Caribbean Princess, had a porter, got through immigration quickly (as did everyone else) and then got out to the curb where my porter dumped me, pointed to a huge taxi line across the street, and said I needed to get on that line. It was chaotic. (See the thread from yesterday titled "Warning")

 

I understand this may have been an unusual situation (there was something like 11 ships in port) but nevertheless it happens and people need to be prepared.

 

Happy sailing.

Joanie

[carol allen]

i agree - use a porter and he will get you a cab very quickly.

 

cab is less expensive and you don't have to wait on the bus until all the people are on and luggage loaded.

 

we were at the airport by 9:00AM for an 11:20AM flight

 

carol

[zurmoly]

I will tell my porter grab us a cab and this 10 is yours!

[carol allen]

$10 sound like a lot - but of course it depends on how many bags you have.

 

carol

[zurmoly]

It is but it is all about HIM GETTING us the taxi!

[Tandy22]

We use a porter. Hubby holds tip in hand and says we need a taxi. Always works.

On our last 2 cruises our luggage was misplacd in FL port. We have silver strimmers with large frog luggage tags but it was left so far from correct color it still took some time to find.

If you tell them at the pursers office that you have an early flight and request to be in one of the 1st groups off the ship and show them your airline tickets they will usually comply.

Have a great cruise.

Susan

[zurmoly]

Thanks!

[Eric and Sandy]

What about in Papeete, does anyone no if the porter can get you thru any quicker there. Seems like not much goes very fast there, especially leaving, any suggestions?

[HELENROSE]

Just watch out, some porters are in such a hurry to get you out they take the wrong luggage. On our last trip my DH was looking for ours when I saw it on a porters cart. Two more seconds, and it would have been past the customs and who knows when we would have seen it again. Make sure the luggage on his cart is yours and only yours. The porters are in a hurry to get back in to help the next passenger with their luggage.

[Crazsea]

Zurmoly, sounds as though you will get early disembarkation from the ship which is good. I'm not sure which ship you are cruising, but if it's the Caribbean Princess you better show that $10. LOL It will be a good investment for peace of mind! I just hope it works because I too have read the stories about how some are successful in getting the porter to get them a cab and I have read others that say the Porter drops you at the curb.

 

It was a zoo after the 12/04/2004 cruise. There were not too many ships in port that morning (5). I watched them all come in. Princess has very little organization for this particular ships disembarking passengers in my opinion. Several people almost came to blows!

 

Now, don't get me wrong, because I loved the cruise. I also always stay a day later so I was not in a rush. I have booked the Caribbean Princess for two more cruises this year so I am especially interested to hear if the 10 spot works in addition to the normal gratuity for the number of bags you have. I am not rich, not at all, but I know that the next time I cruise on the Caribbean Princess and disembark I will have at least a 10 spot plus an appropriate tip per suitcase for the porter that will get me in a cab with my two suitcases. It was that bad!:eek:

 

I hope you have great luck in getting wisked off without any problems!