What time should I book my flight home?

[Marylandcruiser89]

I'm not familiar with the port in Miami and the distance to the airport.  Can you give me an idea what time we will be able to get off and how far away is the Miami airport?  Thank you.

[cantgetin]

The issue is that anything can happen that can prevent a ship from getting to port on time.  We've done over 40 cruises and had "incidents" at least 4 times that I remember.  The most likely are weather, medical situations, or rendering aid to small boats in the ocean.  

If on time, you will be able to disembark beginning about 7:30; the airport is less than 30 minutes away.  Customs clearance early in the morning is quick.  Now, how long before your flight should you be at the airport?  They say 2 hours, but in reality 1 is usually enough.

Now let's turn it around...is it worth the stress of having an early flight?  Would you rather have breakfast on the ship and a more relaxed morning?  What if the ship is late getting into port and you are standing in line at 10 am to get off?  Does your airline charge a huge change fee?  Are you on SW with 4 later flights you can switch to?  What are your options  IF.  

 

THe cruise line recommends not scheduling a flight before noon.

 

[raphael360]

Depends on what day you're disembarking  (weekday or weekend) and how many cruise ships are arriving.

 

I lived in north Miami and worked near the airport for 5 or so years. With that said,  MIA is 8.3 miles from Terminal V, and on a Sunday that would be 15-20 minutes.  But it is Miami and it would be much much longer on a weekday.

 

Try using google maps or Apple maps and plug in "Terminal V to MIA" on a day similar to the day you're arriving (say Tuesday). Plug in "9:30 am" which is a reasonable time to be off the ship and standing in the taxi line.  Either google or apple maps will give you a sense of how long it's taking on that day. I always booked 1 pm or later flights but almost missed a 5 PM flight out of Ft. Lauderdale once.

 

I recommend grabbing brunch at the Wake before you head for the airport too.

 

Good luck

[Marylandcruiser89]

Thank you for all of the comments.  After looking at the flights, we have more options and better prices out of Fort Lauderdale.  It sounds like you can stay on the ship for a while that morning as well if they are serving brunch.  Usually you are encouraged to exit.  We are leaving the ship on a Saturday and there are many flights in FL to choose from.  I'm now thinking a mid afternoon flight would be our best option.  I just need to find our transportation options.  

[cantgetin]

1 hour ago, Marylandcruiser89 said:

Thank you for all of the comments.  After looking at the flights, we have more options and better prices out of Fort Lauderdale.  It sounds like you can stay on the ship for a while that morning as well if they are serving brunch.  Usually you are encouraged to exit.  We are leaving the ship on a Saturday and there are many flights in FL to choose from.  I'm now thinking a mid afternoon flight would be our best option.  I just need to find our transportation options.  

You must be off the ship by 10:45.  THey started the "get out of here" announcements about 10:30.

 

Transportation options--Uber or Lyft from the area outside the cruise terminal.  Brightside train but the station is just outside the port area, which means you either need to be able bodied and can handle your luggage for the walk or grab a ride to the station.  Brightside has a deal where if you get first class tickets, they will pick you up and take you to the station, but I'm not sure if Terminal V is a legit pick up spot.   There used to be a public bus from outside the terminal to the various airports, but I'm very out of date on that.  The hours on weekends used to be not very good!

[raphael360]

10 hours ago, cantgetin said:

You must be off the ship by 10:45.  THey started the "get out of here" announcements about 10:30.

 

Brightside train but the station is just outside the port area, which means you either need to be able bodied and can handle your luggage for the walk or grab a ride to the station.  

cantgetin may be onto something suggesting Brightline as an option.  Recenlty I researched Brightline as a way a avoid the dreaded drive in and out of Miami experience and it didn't work out for me but, as a one way Port of Miami to FLL, it may be a good option to consider.  The Miami Brightline station is very close to the Port of Miami and also close to FLL.  Here is a link to see sample schedules and prices.  Do the first class option!  I'm not recommending Brightline as I've never used it but it could be in your range of options.  One way private shuttle is about $100.

 

https://www.gobrightline.com/booking?&routes[0][from]=EKW&routes[0][to]=FBT&routes[0][date]=2023-02-19&passengers[0][code]=ADT&passengers[0][count]=1&passengers[1][code]=CHD&passengers[1][count]=0&passengers[2][code]=INF&passengers[2][count]=0&lowestFare=false&promoCode=&currency=USD&isMultiCity=false