FLL to Miami transportation ?? and where to stay FLL or Miami??

[love2cruiseseattle]

In searching for airfare, we have found it to be cheaper to fly into FLL instead of Miami. We currently have the Embassy Suites at the Miami Airport booked with the cruise package ($20 for 2 from hotel to Port of Miami). I have a few questions.

 

1. Should we stay in FLL and catch the cruise transfers to the Pt. of Miami and then back to the FLL airport? If so any suggestions close to the airport that has airport shuttle pick up and drop off?

 

2. Should we stick with the Embassy Suites and catch a FLL airport shuttle to the hotel and then in the AM stick with the cruise package and then buy cruiseline transfers from the Pt. of Miami back to FLL? Our flight out of FLL does not leave until later in the afternoon.

 

3. I also have a coupon to stay at the Fairmont Resort in Aventura, FL, how far is that from the FLL airport and then to the Pt. of Miami in the AM, would this be worth it, reviews on websites for this hotel have not been the best but the price would be free.

 

I really appreciate anyones help.

 

Thank you very much........

[Cruzin Chris]

hello love2cruiseseattle,

 

Well, you have lots of options there. I can at least give you some info on the Fairmont Resort in Aventura. I work across the street from it and they have just completed their room renovations. They are investing over $100 million to the property. I have heard great things about renovations and the location of the hotel is nice if you like to shop (across the street from the huge Aventura Mall with shops, restaurants, and theatres). It is walking distance and would be a good dining option without having to rent a car or catch a cab. The hotel is exactly half way between FLL and Port of Miami (about 30 minutes in either direction). If the room is free and you have time to enjoy the resort, this may be a good option.

 

I would strongly re-think the embassy suites at MIA. It seems a bit out of the way and there really is not much around the hotel (unless you take a cab into Coral Gables). If you like the Embassy Suites, you may want to consider staying at the one by FLL. They have an airport shuttle, there are many restaurants and shops within walking distance, and also only a quick 5 minute cab ride to Las Olas Blvd.

 

Just a few things to think about. It all really depends on how much time you have to spend to enjoy your stay.

 

Good luck and Happy Cruzin!

[love2cruiseseattle]

Hi Cruzin Chris:

 

We just need somewhere to sleep, we do not arrive into FLL until 9pm. We are looking for an inexpensive place to stay, any suggestions?

 

Also, how much would it cost to catch a taxi from FLL to the Fairmont? and then to the Port of Miami the next morning?

 

If the pricing is right, maybe we will do that and then do the cruiseline transfer to get from the Port of Miami back to the FLL airport.

 

Thanks for the help.

[love2cruiseseattle]

Isn't there anyone from the Ft Lauderdale / Miami area that can help me out with my ???'s.

I really would appreciate any answers.

Thanks......

[jcw2462]

I think there are some car rental agencies at FLL that let you return the car at the port in Miami. I am researching that now. We are flying into FLL the day before our cruise leaves from Miami. After adding up estimated cab fares for doing some things in Ft Lauderdale and then getting to the port in Miami, I think it will be more economical to rent a car. Does anyone know which rental companies will let you pick up at FLL and drop off at Miami port, or take you to the port when you drop off in Miami?

[tupper10]

I have tried to research this and Hertz (which is cheaper) and Avis allow you to return a car somewhere in downtown Miami and then have shuttle service to the port. Avis appears to be closer to the port but I have no idea how to get to the drop off points. Dollar will take you from the airport but that is way out of the way. Hertz and Avis are closer to the port and the drop off is not the Miami airport. Hope this helps.:)

[signman]

Isn't there anyone from the Ft Lauderdale / Miami area that can help me out with my ???'s.

I really would appreciate any answers.

Thanks......

 

 

Sorry that you are not getting personalized answers. Bequia who tirelessly posts here hopefully is off cruising. I'm a frequent poster as well, although I do not live in Fort Lauderdale, I have lots of first hand knowledge, most recently from 10 days ago.

 

All of your questions have been asked and asked and asked. There are numerous threads on this board that will provide you with the answers you are looking for. No one can tell you whether it is better for YOU to stay in Miami or at the Fairmont, or whether you should take cabs or rent. No one knows your financial situation or whatever else might impact these decisions.

 

Any of the car rental companies can provide full information if you take the time to go to their websites and try your parameters. You can also call them for accurate information about shuttles, times, etc.

 

Where you stay also depends on what you want to do while in South Florida, again no one can make those decisions but you.

 

Personally I would be renting a car so I would be free to do whatever I wanted, but the cost of overnight parking at my hotel would be considered, and whether I returned to the airport and rode a free shuttle to the pier, or dropped off downtown and paid for my taxi to the pier, would be a choice only I could make for myself knowing what I was willing to do to save or not save a few bucks.

 

As far as getting from the ship in Miam back to FLL, I always schedule a late flight, take the rental car shuttle to the Miami airport and then have a car for the day to go anywhere and do anything I want, returning to FLL in time for my flight. The cost of this for 2 is the same as a cruiseline transfer, only I am out enjoying the sights instead of sitting for hours in the airport waiting for my flight.

[signman]

We just need somewhere to sleep, we do not arrive into FLL until 9pm. We are looking for an inexpensive place to stay, any suggestions?

 

It's low season, use Priceline (http://www.biddingfortravel.com) for South Beach, take the http://www.floridalimo.com shared ride for $18pp, then cab it the next morning. But just in case there is some big event going on which might keep costs high, I'd check in with the various convention bureaus. And I probably wouldn't even think about bidding until August. Just have a back-up in place.

 

Also, how much would it cost to catch a taxi from FLL to the Fairmont? and then to the Port of Miami the next morning?

 

Call the concierge at the hotel, I'm sure they have this information at their fingertips.

[nomarfan5]

I don't have my information with me at the moment but we are flying into FLL the day before our Miami cruise. We found a shared shuttle from FLL to our hotel for $18 pp or a private sedan for approx. $70. Only difference is you would get to your hotel faster with the private sedan. We're staying in Miami the night before at the La Quinta Inn Miami Airport East. I found a lot of good reviews about that particular hotel and they offer a free shuttle to the port. The ship does offer their shuttle to FLL if you have a later flight. We have a very early flight so we had to make other arrangements.

[michigyrl]

I don't have my information with me at the moment but we are flying into FLL the day before our Miami cruise. We found a shared shuttle from FLL to our hotel for $18 pp or a private sedan for approx. $70. Only difference is you would get to your hotel faster with the private sedan. We're staying in Miami the night before at the La Quinta Inn Miami Airport East. I found a lot of good reviews about that particular hotel and they offer a free shuttle to the port. The ship does offer their shuttle to FLL if you have a later flight. We have a very early flight so we had to make other arrangements.

 

Which service are you using? I'm flying into Miami for a FLL cruise. The service I found to take me from Miami to FLL will only allow the sedan option...it would not allow the shared ride?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[nomarfan5]

Sorry for the delay in responding - had to get home to get my paperwork. The shared shuttle is through www.floridalimo.com. We got a quote of $36 for two people which includes gratuity. The only downside to this is it is a shuttle so it will take longer to get you to your hotel. They will give you an estimated time for dropoff and for us, it was almost 2 hours from pickup time. With the sedan it was 40 minutes. The quote for the sedan was $64 including gratuity.

[willysgrandma]

We are flying into FLL and staying in Miami. We booked a car through Enterprise at the airport and are dropping it off at the Hyatt, where we are staying. Enterprise has a rental office on site at the hotel.

[ucalegend]

Anyway going to South Florida can take Tri-Rail. It give transportation to From West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. We took it from West Palm Beach Airport to Miami Airport for $5.50 a person. Very Cheap!!!!

 

I think the web address is www.tri-rail.com. It will also tell you how to transfer if you know where you are going in Miami.

[michigyrl]

Sorry for the delay in responding - had to get home to get my paperwork. The shared shuttle is through www.floridalimo.com. We got a quote of $36 for two people which includes gratuity. The only downside to this is it is a shuttle so it will take longer to get you to your hotel. They will give you an estimated time for dropoff and for us, it was almost 2 hours from pickup time. With the sedan it was 40 minutes. The quote for the sedan was $64 including gratuity.

 

 

Thanks for the info. Floridalime was the company I checked into, and was not given the shared shuttle info. Must be it wasn't available for the dates we are arriving and leaving. But, I did check into renting a car and was amazed at how inexpensive it was, so I decided to go that route.

 

Thanks again!

[ccubedR6]

I am flying into Miami next saturday but staying in Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise that leaves next sunday (18th) I rented a big ole Buick Lucerne for $95 thru Alamo for saturday to sunday.....seemed reasonable to me....The Lucerne is more than I need, but it was only $5 more than a G6....

[signman]

As best I know, shared ride is available at least from 6 am to midnight every day. Tri-County Express is under contract from Broward County to provide this service. http://www.floridalimo.com/Pages/sharedr.html There are no advance reservations necessary. Just walk outside of baggage claim.

[signman]

I am flying into Miami next saturday but staying in Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise that leaves next sunday (18th) I rented a big ole Buick Lucerne for $95 thru Alamo for saturday to sunday.....seemed reasonable to me....The Lucerne is more than I need, but it was only $5 more than a G6....

 

 

First of all, make sure you are renting from the Port of Miami location, not just MIA. Second, try using a Costco discount code ID# 7011865 I've never had to produce any kind of card to get that rate. And yes I'll gladly accept your check for half the savings you'll find.

[ziggydaddy]

ucalegend From what I see in Tri-Rail I can pick up the last train at 9:54pm from ft lauderdale airport to miami airport and its only going to cost me $5.50 per person. Wow! How hard is it to get to the train terminal from the airport?

[ccubedR6]

First of all, make sure you are renting from the Port of Miami location, not just MIA. Second, try using a Costco discount code ID# 7011865 I've never had to produce any kind of card to get that rate. And yes I'll gladly accept your check for half the savings you'll find.

 

I am flying into the Miami International airport which takes me to the Alamo station somewhere?? Maybe it is the Miami port? I dunno...However I will try your code when I get there!! Thanks for the heads up!!

[signman]

If you are renting from Alamo and arriving by cruise ship, then your selected rental location is Port of Miami. If you are flying into MIA, then MIA is your selected location. The taxes are slightly different, but the physical rental facility is the same.

 

You need to cancel your existing rental reservation and rebook using the code. I assume you are doing this online, so you have a printed copy.

[ucalegend]

Yes, $5.50 is cheap transportation from FLL to Miami. Not many cruisers now about it. I happened to travel to FL a lot on business and have friends that live in Miami who told me about it. There should be a shuttle from the Tri-Rail station to the airport. If you check on Tri-Rail it should say the bus numbers (it is a confusing website). Also you can check out the metrorail and the metromover once in Miami. The metromover is free so if you are need to go out for dinner or take in sights around Miami take advantage of that.

 

Here are all the websites you need, also their customer service is very helpful. 305-914-3900 just tell them you want transportation department.

http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/metromover.asp

 

http://www.tri-rail.com/

[Bequia]

Not many cruisers now about it.

 

Not many will recommend it either as it is unreliable, unpredictable and prone to breakdowns and delays. Until the system is overhauled, time tables are adhered to and travelers aren't left stranded on the tracks for hours at a time I wouldn't recommend it. (unless of course you have plenty of time on your hands) :rolleyes: