Flights: Departures out of Fort Lauderdale

[Bishopcfd]

Greetings,

 

We have a cruise planned in April out of Port Everglades on the Crown Princess. I have a couple of questions as to what time we should book our return flight.

 

1). How long of a ride is it to the airport from the port?

 

2). If taking a taxi:

A). Can one be hailed pretty quick?

B). If the answer is no, how much time should we give ourselves?

 

3). If there is not an issues upon docking at the port (i.e. customs):

A). What time can we disembark?

B). What should be the earliest flight departure we should book

assuming that we should be at the airport 1 1/2 to 2 hours

prior to our flight? If it makes a difference, we are either flying

JetBlue or Southwest (depends on fares)

 

Thanks

[Vanilla]

May 2008 cruise. We had an 11 10am flight on Delta. Made it to the airport in plenty of time... even had time to buy a coffee. Taxi ride to the airport took about 15 minutes and plenty of taxi's waiting at the cruise port... they are in plain view.

[blindrid]

it's a piece of cake. On our last cruise, we were off by 9:00. Walked to cab area, jumped in cab and took about 10-15 minutes to get to the airport. They're real close.

 

I think you'd be safe for around 11:00 - 12:00. If you couldn't make it, it would be a customs or ship issue, not the trip to the airport.

[Toto2Kansas]

We have booked return flights out of FLL as early as 10:30 in the past (although that sometimes can cut it very close, too close for my comfort). We normally try for anything after 11:00 AM. We make sure we have the first or second group off the ship. Taxis are lined up and ready to take you to the airport. There is usually a line, so it all depends on how many are in that line how quickly you can grab one.

 

What we normally do is get a porter to take our luggage through the terminal, they have their own 'fast' lane out and it takes less time. They will take your bags directly to the taxi stand and we often tip the guy in the taxi line, especially if we are in a hurry, which brings the taxi very quickly.

 

If you can get to the airports ASAP, the check in lines are not quite as long as if you arrive later on in the morning.

[Colo Cruiser]

I would say around 11 am or later. :)

[cherylandtk]

I would also say to check how many ships will be in the port that day--and if it is more than normal, to plan for extra time over what is being suggested above. If your April cruise coincides with busy Spring Break weeks (Easter is April 12) you could find both the airport and port area very busy. Every year at Spring Break there are posts about how awfully busy the port and airport is and how long it takes to find a taxi.

[g35]

Last year, we had a 10:55am flight. We did self-disembark and had pre-arranged shuttle waiting for us. We were at the airport, checked in and having coffee by 9:00am.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[BillyBoat]

How do you prearrange for a shuttle from Port Everglades to FLL ?

Thanks in advance,

Billy

[Pam in CA]

Folks, the OP is flying in April, one of the busiest times of the year in FLL, regardless of how many cruise ships are in port. This is spring break for many schools and colleges, and they all flock to FLL making the airport very, very busy. Even if you've had absolutely no problem getting a 10AM flight in October, March or May, April is a completely different story. It's a madhouse. Knowing how busy FLL can be, there's no way I'd book a flight earlier than 11AM in April and preferably a little later.

[Colo Cruiser]

How do you prearrange for a shuttle from Port Everglades to FLL ?

Thanks in advance,

Billy

 

 

Don't waste time/money on a shuttle, the airport is 2 miles away just get a cab ($15) there are plenty when you get off. :)

[Shoalwater]

Greetings,

 

We have a cruise planned in April out of Port Everglades on the Crown Princess. I have a couple of questions as to what time we should book our return flight.

 

1). How long of a ride is it to the airport from the port?

 

FLL is only about 10 min away in no traffic.

 

2). If taking a taxi:

A). Can one be hailed pretty quick?

 

When we disembarked around 0845 one December there were mega number of other cruise ships in port doing the same, and mega number of new PAX trying to enter port to embark. Can you say total blockage. The first wave of taxis got out okay, but were tied up in a massive jam trying to return for new pick-ups. We could not have made an 1100 hrs plane that day.

B). If the answer is no, how much time should we give ourselves?

 

Given our experience above, and the possibility of a ship getting in a bit late, we take the pressure off and will take a 1500-1700 hrs flight out of FLL. Why cap off a trip with the anxiety of missing your flight. We stay on the ship till they throw us off, usually around 1100 hrs (the last time they used an effective ploy of closing the bars).

 

3). If there is not an issues upon docking at the port (i.e. customs):

A). What time can we disembark?

B). What should be the earliest flight departure we should book

assuming that we should be at the airport 1 1/2 to 2 hours

prior to our flight? If it makes a difference, we are either flying

JetBlue or Southwest (depends on fares)

 

 

Thanks

 

See answers embedded in quote

[Lynda90]

I have a Nov. flight on SW at 11 AM. I am "living on a prayer" that I will have enough time. My other choice was to wait until the next day as SW's latest flight to PDX is 11 AM.

[Toto2Kansas]

See answers embedded in quote

 

I am afraid you will not be allowed to stay onboard until 11:00 AM as you did on the cruise described in your answers. Normally, the ships are now totally cleared by 9:30 to give them time to have everything ready for the new passengers boarding.

Disembarkation now is much different and goes so smoothly, they can clear the ships with minimal effort. New disembarkation process that has been implemented throughout the fleet for the last year or more.

[Toto2Kansas]

I have a Nov. flight on SW at 11 AM. I am "living on a prayer" that I will have enough time. My other choice was to wait until the next day as SW's latest flight to PDX is 11 AM.

Lynda, Personally, that has worked out well for us with an 11:00 flight out of FLL. Just make sure you are in that first group off the ship, grab a porter to get you through the customs line and tip the guy at the taxi stand and tell him you are in a big hurry. No worrys.

[g35]

How do you prearrange for a shuttle from Port Everglades to FLL ?

Thanks in advance,

Billy

 

We stayed at the Amerisuites (which I believe is now Hyatt place)pre-cruise and took advantage of their free shuttle to the port. The shuttle driver asked if anyone on the shuttle wanted a pre-arranged pick up upon return, so we made the arrangements through him. All we provided was our names, ship, and arrival date

 

If I recall the company's name was Rose transportation and they charged us $7pp. They were there waiting for us when we got off the ship. Given that you never know if there are going to be enough cabs paying $10-$13 extra (there were 4 of us) for assurance that you will have a ride to the airport is worth it to me.

 

If you are staying in a FLL hotel pre-cruise, ask the hotel if they can assist with the arrangements. Sorry I can't be of further assistance!

[teripp]

I agree. An 11 am or later flight will be perfect. And heed the warnings regarding Spring Break. This airport turn into a mad house with the college kids and families. I had a 1pm flight out of Ft Lauderdale in April and was sitting in the airport for hours!!! Lucky that there are nice sitting areas and shops to look at and restaurants all with in easy access before going thru security to go to the gate.

[ggprincess2004]

Two additional thoughts on navigating Port Everglades and FLL:

Make sure you get a taxi, not a shared ride van or you could be stuck waiting for over 20 minutes while the van driver tries to fill the vehicle.

 

At FLL, they will call for people stuck in the baggage check line as flight times get closer to make sure your luggage is checked. That can be a help in a mob scene, and they will also sometimes do that in the security line......

 

We have always had plenty of time to get from the pier to the gate at the airport and get some bottled water, more reading material and a snack. (Hey, we are coming off a cruise ship with food available 24-7 - snacking becomes a habit.:p )

[NeurosurgeryNP]

FYI - as another poster said - take a TAXI and NOT a SHARED RIDE/VAN or SHUTTLE service - Taxi about $12 plus tip for as many people and luggage you can fit in the taxi. Shared ride service - $9 PER PERSON. And, you have to wait until the van fills up before you leave.

 

As for the flight, when we went on our cruise in January, we had a 12 noon flight. We were worried. We called Princess and asked their recommendation on flight time when arriving back in FLL. THey told us that any flight after 10:30 was all right. When we got our disembarkation info in our room, it said that if you had a flight before a certain time, to come change your luggage disembarkation tags at the purser's desk. We got a new tag for a 8:15 disembarkation time. We arrived at the dining room specified at 8:05, sat for about 5 minutes and were quickly escorted off of the ship. Had a taxi, checked in at the airport and at the gate by 8:45. Sat at the gate for 2 1/2 hours.

[Hlitner]

There is a nasty reality on cruise disembarkation in FTL or anywhere else in the USA. You are at the mercy of the ICE folks, which sometimes is not a good thing. Its hard to understand why they seem to pick on cruise ships, when folks can just walk across the border in some places, but I guess it keeps the agents happy. Most of the time we have been on cruises, the ships are cleared by 8:30 or so. But, twice we have disembarked in Florida (once in Miami and once in FTL) where the ICE folks held the ships for hours (once on Princess and another on RCI). Why? In both cases, the annouced reason was they could not find a crew member. On one of those cruises they would not clear the ship until just after 9:30, which left hundreds missing their flights (a real zoo at the airport). On that day, the airlines seemed to have a good attitude and everyone we talked with at the airport where able to get later flights with the airlines waiving their extra charges. But these days, one can only imagine what the airlines would do to help? It would probably be something like, "or course we can reschedule you, but it will cost $200 per person extra plus you have to sit in the cargo hold."

 

Hank

[Lynda90]

Lynda, Personally, that has worked out well for us with an 11:00 flight out of FLL. Just make sure you are in that first group off the ship, grab a porter to get you through the customs line and tip the guy at the taxi stand and tell him you are in a big hurry. No worrys.

Thanks, Toto. I definitely will take your advise.