Port of Miami

[1interpreter]

We are cruising on FOS on 5-22 and this will be our first time going out of the port of Miami. I'm just curious how this port is? We went out of Port Canaveral on IOS in November and that was complete chaos. I just kind of want to know what we are going to be dealing with.  Also aprox. how far is it from the airport? We have transfers as well so curious to know how long we will be on the bus. We are so excited and ready to go!

 

[NoShoes2]

11 minutes ago, 1interpreter said:

We are cruising on FOS on 5-22 and this will be our first time going out of the port of Miami. I'm just curious how this port is? We went out of Port Canaveral on IOS in November and that was complete chaos. I just kind of want to know what we are going to be dealing with.  Also aprox. how far is it from the airport? We have transfers as well so curious to know how long we will be on the bus. We are so excited and ready to go!

 

 

We used the shuttle for our first cruise years ago. If I remember correctly is was about an hour. 

Miami has improved over the years. It was very hectic for our first cruise! The last time we cruised from there (about 12 years ago) it was better. I'm sure it's even better now. Our next cruise this March is out of Miami. It's my favorite port to cruise from. The view of the Miami skyline from sea is awesome. 

[cruisegirl1976]

We sailed on the symphony last year from Miami, and it was very organized, not chaos at all.

[livingonthebeach]

55 minutes ago, 1interpreter said:

We are cruising on FOS on 5-22 and this will be our first time going out of the port of Miami. I'm just curious how this port is? We went out of Port Canaveral on IOS in November and that was complete chaos. I just kind of want to know what we are going to be dealing with.  Also aprox. how far is it from the airport? We have transfers as well so curious to know how long we will be on the bus. We are so excited and ready to go!

 

 

The average travel time from MIA to PortMiami is around 25 minutes. (8 miles)  It can take less or longer depending on time of day and traffic, accidents, etc. My last cruises out of Miami have been very orderly and organized. Happy cruising!

[Mum2Mercury]

1 hour ago, 1interpreter said:

We are cruising on FOS on 5-22 and this will be our first time going out of the port of Miami. I'm just curious how this port is? We went out of Port Canaveral on IOS in November and that was complete chaos. I just kind of want to know what we are going to be dealing with.  Also aprox. how far is it from the airport? We have transfers as well so curious to know how long we will be on the bus. We are so excited and ready to go!

We sailed out of both Miami and Port Canaveral last year, and Miami is 10xs more chaotic than Port Canaveral.  Specifics: 

 

- Getting to the Miami port is easy; that is, the signage is good and you can drive right in ... but once you go through the tunnel, the road sizes decrease and the traffic is absolutely insane /taxis are incredibly aggressive.  

- Note that Royal uses two different terminals in Miami.  Be sure you know which one is for you.  

- I would consider taking an Uber instead of Royal's transfer ... the airport is only about 10 miles /15 minutes from the port, but if you're forced to wait for everyone /their luggage to fill the bus, you'll wait a long time.

[renza]

I live about an hour north of Miami. It is so easy now. You can just get an Uber from airport to port. It’s only 15-20 min. No reason to take a shuttle and wait on people. We park our car out by airport and Uber in many times. So so easy and cheap. 

[RedIguana]

3 minutes ago, renza said:

I live about an hour north of Miami. It is so easy now. You can just get an Uber from airport to port. It’s only 15-20 min. No reason to take a shuttle and wait on people. We park our car out by airport and Uber in many times. So so easy and cheap. 

Last August at PoM it took 30 minutes just to get from terminal A to terminal G. My Co-worker who just got back from PoM last Saturday ran into the same issue departing, where the shuttles were running an hour late due to traffic, especially the short trip from A to G.  Both of these were Saturday departures and Sunday arrivals from Terminal G. 

If you are departing from terminal A, probably not many issues. Departing Terminal G can be a headache if the port is busy. FoS most likely uses terminal G, unless there is no Oasis class at A. 

[Ret MP]

I haven't experienced the negative experiences that have been reported concerning the Port of Miami.  I don't like Miami, the city, so if I was going to fly in, I'd go to FLL a day early, get a hotel room in Dania Beach, which is actually what city FLL is partially in.  Then drive or Uber to the Port of Miami.  I have never cruised out of the Port of Miami in other than the newest RCCL terminal and a couple times from the/a Rustbucket Cruise Line Terminal.  

 

I've found that the new RCCL terminal is completely organized, clean, and inviting.  If you drive in and park at the new terminal, you drive to the up ramp in the parking garage and the porters are there to take your luggage, so easy peasy.  If you are Star Class, the purple banner is right out in front of the entrance to the terminal, drop off you luggage curbside with party member, park and it's an easy walk, after parking, to get back to the terminal, it's all connected and all protected from the elements.  

 

Traffic issues in a port can be so subject to so many conditions.  It's unfair to judge a port because of ongoing construction, accidents, weather, people not knowing what they are doing and so on.  

 

Don't get me wrong, I like the new terminal(s) at the Port of Canaveral, too, it's one of my favorites.  But, I think Miami's is sooooo much better.  

 

This is my opinion and experience(s).  YMMV!

[teddybear231]

3 hours ago, 1interpreter said:

We are cruising on FOS on 5-22 and this will be our first time going out of the port of Miami. I'm just curious how this port is? We went out of Port Canaveral on IOS in November and that was complete chaos. I just kind of want to know what we are going to be dealing with.  Also aprox. how far is it from the airport? We have transfers as well so curious to know how long we will be on the bus. We are so excited and ready to go!

 

 

Just sailed out of Miami in November and it was smotth sailing (no pun intended 😉). It was about a 30 minute Uber ride from the airport, and cost about $27. There wasn't any traffic at the pier (like Cape Liberty), and we were able to walk right on.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

4 hours ago, 1interpreter said:

We are cruising on FOS on 5-22 and this will be our first time going out of the port of Miami. I'm just curious how this port is? We went out of Port Canaveral on IOS in November and that was complete chaos. I just kind of want to know what we are going to be dealing with.  Also aprox. how far is it from the airport? We have transfers as well so curious to know how long we will be on the bus. We are so excited and ready to go!

 

Just off Explorer in MIA last week.  We were at terminal G which was the last stop on the bus ride to port (transfer through the Hampton Inn Brickell hotel)  so it took longer than an uber going directly to our terminal.  Our bus departed Hampton Inn around 10:30 and it was about 11:05 by time we got off at the last stop.

 

Traffic was crazy but it always is.  It was about as organized as it gets but I would describe every port as chaotic - that’s just what it is with  that many people coming on and off multiple ships at the same time.

[Flymia]

I agree, if you can don't do the bus transfer, that is a big waste of time. Just grab an Uber it is a 20-30 min ride. Inside the port there can be traffic, but on a Saturday/Sunday going from MIA to the Port Entrance is easy. 8-miles. 

 

Of course I suggest you fly in the day before, and enjoy Miami. Stay in a hotel near the port Downtown Miami/Brickell, and it is even easier. I never take the risk of flying in day of. 

 

 

[wolft927]

Port of Miami Traffic all depends when you are leaving and how many ships are in. We were on the Symphony of the seas in October and traffic was hectic but nothing crazy, believe there were 5 ships in. Now we are leaving on the Norwegian Joy in April and we will have 8 ships in that morning so will be a bit more hectic. Lots of road construction going towards NCL's and RCCL's terminals. Normally I am one to be first to the Pier in the morning, but with that many ships disembarking I may arrive a little later. We are sailign in the Haven so dont have to worry to much about time spent in the terminal 

[2flacruisers]

We were planning to stay in Ft. Lauderdale and take a shuttle down to Port of Miami, but have decided  to drive and park at the port, we are just on the other side of the State.  We took a look at the port on Google Earth.  The drive around the port looked like it was pretty straight forward, until you get to the RCCL terminal...how confusing is it to make sure you are on the right driveway into the parking garage?