Regent Moving to Port of Miami

[Responder]

It appears that Regent is moving from Ft. Lauderdale to the Port of Miami.

 

See article in today's Miami Herald....

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/01/2386039/regent-to-move-from-fort-lauderdale.html

[smilingcruiser]

What a drag for those of us that live in Broward County. Miami is the pitts!.

:(

[OrpingtonT]

When this was mooted previously I believe the general view as far as US citizens was concerned was that it would not be welcomed. However, we in Europe, fly into Miami International and as such should be more convenient.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It's slightly worse for us. Now wintering in Florida, but Miami is a (slightly) longer drive. If we fly from Tampa, more expensive cab rides, especially if we stay overnight in South Beach, a place we like. Lots of flights from Toronto, but still a big ugly airport and expensive cabs. Moot since Regent is pricing itself out of our range.

[RachelG]

Would much rather fly in to Ft Lauderdale than Miami. Port is only a couple of minutes away, smaller airport which is easy to get into and out of. Even though there is a direct flight from TUL to MIA, Ft. Lauderdale was better for us.

[Threechicks]

Is the move to Miami the big announcement we have been waiting for?

[Responder]

Is the move to Miami the big announcement we have been waiting for?

 

Who knows?

 

In any event, the move is currently scheduled to take place in the fall of 2013. That may also change..

[Hambagahle]

this is WONDERFUL news. Miami is so much easier for us than getting to FLL. We have to fly into MIA (no flights from Europe to FLL) and then take cars, taxis or limos. And Miami has So much to offer in terms of things to see and to do, not to mention the most wonderful restaurants in the USA. A really terrific move on Regent's part and I am only sorry that it is in the autumn of 2012 (I suppose?) and not before 18th March when we sail for Barcelona.

 

Miami is an international city. Ft Lauderdale is not. I am so delighted!!

[purpleally]

Ft Lauderdale is my fav Florida city so I am disappointed but Seabourn is still in FLL

[blue whale]

We hope that the change does not happen until fall of 2013. That means we will still be sailing out of Lauderdale in 2012.

 

Dorothy

[Bfson]

I'm disappointed in the change for two reasons:

 

It costs more to fly from most U S cities to Miami than to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

I find the Miami airport a mess, badly signed, with insufficient support facilities ( rest rooms, shops etc)

[Hambagahle]

We have been holidaying in Miami for many years now. OK, we have an advantage in that we have a dear friend who used to be a restaurant critic there and she tells us where to eat. We drive everywhere, only taking taxis from the airport on arrival from Switzerland. I really cannot say I have seen any evidence of any crime at all. And last January we spent two weeks in a rented flat in South Beach and walked everywhere, including at night for dinner.

 

It is a vibrant, multicultural city. With lovely galleries and museums. Who coud not want to spend time in Miami??

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Okay, I've thought about this now, and read everybody's perspectives.

 

And I've changed my mind. I think it doesn't make any difference to me. We like South Beach quite a lot, and yes, the port is fairly close. So I think I'd rather spend a night there than in Fort Lauderdale, which is, let's face it, kind of boring.

 

As for MIA, I can cope with the airport. After all, I'm betting that the MIA departure lounges have *lots* more going for them than FLL, where the departure lounge is very small without many food options.

 

Yes, cabs might cost a little more, no big deal. And from Toronto, it makes no difference, flight-availability-wise.

[rallydave]

This board is amazing at times. True, many of us try to change Regent policies with comments here but, those policies are changeable. This change to the Port of Miami is for sure cast in stone as Regent would not have announced the change without having contracts signed. Sure this also turns off newbies to Regent which is the exact opposite of the purpose of this board.

 

Some people who haven't been to the Miami area in many years complain about the change even though locals post positive comments about the area and then one former resident makes a post and suddenly everything is OK.

 

Glad the powers that be have now approved Regent moving to the Port of Miami so now we can go back to our originally scheduled squabbling

[Travelcat2]

If you name any major city, there is will vast differences in the way residents/visitors feel about them. I'm sure there are Miami residents that aren't too pleased to have more cruise ships departing from their port. Europeans are happy about the change -- those from some U.S. cities have difficulty getting to Miami.

 

Why would people new to Regent be turned off by any of these comments? Almost all cruise ships leave the U.S. from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. The discussion on this thread seems open and honest and that's a good thing.

[count florida]

We've mostly driven to Port Everglades, and to Miami for that matter. Unless you are coming from the Miami/Dade area itself, or from the Florida Keys, Port Everglades is easier to get to, and less costly. The entrance to Port E. is right off I95, right next to the FLL airport. Coming over from the Florida Gulf (west) coast as we do. I595 is a straight shot into Port E, with all major car rental companies and loads of discount parking lots available (all or almost all with FREE shuttles to the Port!) Not that big a deal, but definitely further and a bit more difficult for most cruisers.

 

Not so in Miami; the airport there is further away, access is usually by surface street rather than Interstate, and I've yet to find a car rental co. with a free Port shuttle - you have to catch a cab for about $15-20 bucks. We've only used the Port of Miami a couple of times, most recently this past March, but we've flown from MIA several times. FLL is easier to get to, but lacks the international flights MIA has. Since our local airport (SRQ) isn't one the cruise lines offer, we rent a car and drive to (and/or from) a convenient airport where we can minimize plane changes en route.

 

The homeport change won't affect us until after 2013 if our current plans hold. We disembark at Port E at the end of October from the Navigator, having cruised from Montreal, then in 2012 were cruising from Athens to Istanbul in July and Monte Carlo to Buenos Aires in November, both on the Mariner, so the only effect will be where we fly from/to, and we'll gladly drive to MIA or MCO to avoid a second plane change, for example flying to Athens or Nice, or back from Istanbul. We rent a car for a day to get to the airport or back home anyway, so Tampa, Ft. Myers, MIA, FLL, MCO (Orlando), it really doesn't matter all that much to us. MIA is the hardest to get to of those, and clearly the least user friendly, but it does have by far the most direct international flights! Lufthansa even flies the big new Airbus 380 there to/from Frankfort!

[TheSeaAroundUs]

Also there are many more non-stops to MIA, at least from some US cities. Sometimes visiting family in FLL I fly into MIA, take a 5-minute free shuttle to the tri-rail, and in about 30 minutes more (for less than $10) I'm in Fort Lauderdale, where I am *much* easier to retrieve than if I were to need picking up at the airport!

[hondorner]

<snip>... and I've yet to find a car rental co. with a free Port shuttle - you have to catch a cab for about $15-20 bucks...

Hertz definitely has a shuttle from their nearby location on 1st street -- I've used it, both coming and going. Surprisingly, they also had the best deal the last time we used it (February of this year).

 

Regent will be using the same terminal as Oceania, which is on the south side of the port peninsula, away from the mass market lines and very convenient.

[Responder]

Latest from today's Sun-Sentinel...Ft. Lauderdale's newspaper....

 

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2011/09/02/port-everglades-to-lose-regent-seven-seas-cruises-in-fall-2012/

[AWED23]

Easy answer. We fly out of Vancouver -- much closer for us than Seattle.

:confused: But why do you feel the need to include the entire Pacific Northwest ???...A little accuracy would be appreciated. Portland is in the Northwest as well as many more cities....Just because You live close to the border does not mean that is difficult for people living in the Pacific Northwest to fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach for that matter...

[Keith1010]

I wanted to mention that I used to have concerns about Miami and most of those concerns dated back from the 1970's and 1980's.

 

In 2007 we stayed in Miami before a cruise, was back there again in 2010 and again earlier this year and will be there again end of this year. Before we arrived in 2007 we were concerned and disappointed that our cruise would leave out of Miami rather than Fort Lauderdale.

 

Well I am happy to say that Miami has changed considerably. Like just about any city around the world you need to know your surroundings and certainly there are the areas to avoid. With that said there are many fine areas to stay for a pre or post cruise, with many nice hotels to choose from and many places not too far from the Port of Miami. There are places to visit and many nice restaurants. Many places are not too far from each others.

 

We find this city to be very cosmopolitan and we have met many friendly people who work and live there.

 

If you haven't been to Miami in many years, you will see a big difference and if you have never been there keep an open mind because I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

For those of you who drive there, the port also has plenty of parking and the parking is quite safe.

 

One of the main cruise passenger cruise ship terminal has been redone and looks quite nice.

 

The key is to do your research as you would do in most places you visit. And, again, keep an open mind because if you do you will likely be very pleasantly surprised as we were just a few years ago.

 

Keith

[ededmd]

AWED23: Is there a full moon or something? I mentioned that it was difficult for us to get flights to FLL and MIA. I did not (and would never) speak for the entire Pacific Northwest.

If there is a full moon, hope it passes quickly . . . . it seems to be affecting people's ability to read:-)

 

In terms of Regent sailing out of Florida, it is still a difficult area to get to from the Pacific Northwest.

 

Perhaps you did not mean to speak on behalf of the Pacific Northwest but to my (quite able) reading, you seemingly did.

[Travelcat2]

Perhaps you did not mean to speak on behalf of the Pacific Northwest but to my (quite able) reading, you seemingly did.

 

When I am wrong, I admit it and, in this case, I used the term "Pacific Northwest". Wonder what I was thinking as I don't even know what the Pacific Northwest encompasses. No excuses -- I blew it!

 

In terms of flying out of Seattle (we did several times to FLL), Regent used to pay for the hotel as it was not possible to get from the west coast to the east coast in time to embark on the ship. When we leave from Seattle it creates an extra stop (and a difficult one). Flying into Seattle and then on to FLL (usually via Houston) makes for a long day. Last time we flew into Miami -- a red-eye flight (only non-stop at the time. . . . . last year) and took a shuttle. Don't remember much about the airport -- took a taxi to FLL and only remember the traffic. Flying back to Bellingham through Seattle generally means a 4 hour layover as they do not have many flights.

 

Since I mis-spoke to the other poster, I took the time to look up flights from Portland to MIA (random date in January). No non-stops. Here is the link http://kayak.yapta.com/r/AJ2UqXs

 

Then I looked up flights from SEA to MIA. Still only the overnight flight that gets you to MIA quite early in the morning (not sure what you are suppose to do at that time in the morning). http://kayak.yapta.com/r/AKb8Pn7

 

Again, apologize for using the term "Pacific Northwest" and then forgetting that I used it. Now, having done my research I can state that it is difficult to get to Miami and/or FLL from Bellingham, Seattle and Portland (unless you don't mind connections or the direct flight that get you in to MIA at 7:00 a.m.)

[dorie10295]

Keith, Thanks for the kind words about our beautiful city. I'm so glad that you have enjoyed your stays here, and I look forward to reading your WC blog.

 

Doris

[rallydave]

It is ironic that, according to yapta.com, it is difficult to get to Miami or Fort Lauderdale from the major airports in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Difficult is a very subjective term. While it is difficult to get a non-stop, it is relatively simple to get a direct or connecting flight for these routes. Most flights to Europe also require connections so don't understand why the same type of travel is more difficult to FLL or MIA than to Europe??

 

Also, many many people live in cities that don't have non-stop flights to MIA and FLL. More than likely, more people live without non-stops than live with non-stops to MIA and FLL and they have to stop and/or change planes and don't hear them complaining. You live in the NW corner of the US in a small town. Would expect most people in the corner of the country and in a small town have the same "difficulty" as you do and we don't hear them complaining!!

 

By the way, for the record, a direct flight and a non-stop flight are two distinctly different types of flights. Direct flights have at least one stop without a change in flight numbers or planes, Non-stops are just that, non-stop to the final destination. Some of the non-stops from the Pacific NW may in fact be direct without getting off the plane so not much more difficult at all than a non-stop other than the extra time to stop.

 

Just remember, what is difficult for one person is considered easy for another person. To each his or her own.