Embarking in Miami- Seeking Advice

[Nubs70]

I am considering a DCL cruise out of Miami.

Could anyone share advice on:
Where to fly in
Transport to port
Night before lodging
General thoughts

Thanks

 

[rob0519]

Last April, we flew into Fort Lauderdale because it was considerably cheaper than Miami. We rented a car and drove to Miami. We stayed at a Comfort Inn and Suites near the airport. It's a nice motel in an ok area. I returned the car to the Miami airport and took a cab back to the motel. The motel has a free shuttle to the port in the morning. All in all for us it worked out ok. I need to find a better and easier way to get from Fort Lauderdale before our next cruise on NCL in October. I really don't want that extra step of dropping off the car.

There are a lot of lodging options and I'm sure others here will have an opinion.

 

[RoadTrip]

We will be taking a Disney Cruise out of Miami this fall. We will be driving to Florida, spending two nights at Disney's Vero Beach Resort and then driving to Miami the day the cruise departs. Will we be able to park right at the terminal DCL uses? Will we need parking reservations in advance? Thanks for any information you can provide.

 

[Poster2]

A few years ago we flew into Ft. Lauderdale the night before the cruise, stayed in an Holiday Inn Express near the airport. The next day we took a stretch limo from the hotel to the cruise port. The limo then picked us up after the cruise and took us back to Ft. Lauderdale. Since we are a family of 5, the $125 each way for the limo was cheaper than a shuttle bus from the airport, plus way more comfortable and fun. I'm sure if you are a group of 4 or less you could just do a regular limo and save some more.

 

[Jaly05]

Depends on where you're coming from. Much of the time ft lauderdale is cheaper but sometimes you can get more direct flights into Miami. Miami is bigger and can be super confusing. I've lived in south fla nearly all my life and I get turned around in that airport. Ft lauderdale is smaller and easier to navigate but probably is 30 miles (all highway) whereas Mia is only about 10 miles from the cruise port. The hotels near bayside are great just stick to the hotels nearest the intercontinental or American Airlines arena. There are some fantastic restaurants within walking distance from there too. A few blocks west you may end up in an area you're not so comfortable in. There's a holiday inn, a Hilton and the intercontinental. Not sure if they have shuttles to the port but it's all really close. I would price the difference between flying into both airports and then price the difference between the cost of getting to the port from fll and Mia. It may end up being close enough that it's worth flying into Miami just to not have the hassle of driving 30 miles on i95 which can be an adventure all on its own if you're not used to it.

There is parking at the port and there are shuttles to take you from the garage. It's like $20 per day but there may be cruise parking cheaper than that elsewhere.

 

[Nubs70]

Looking at the 4 day in mid Feb. Looks like I can get Delta to MCO for $92pp and back home on Southwest for $118pp. Drive to MIA, drop rental off, shuttle to Comfort Suites. Shuttle to port. Cruise. Shuttle to MIA, rent car. Drive to Orlando. Spend 1 day at KSC and DTD. Fly home.

Sounds like a good way to beat February in Michigan.