Cruising from Miami?

[meryll83]

Contemplating a Royal Caribbean cruise from Miami that takes in Key West...

We don't really want to drive, so what recommendations would you give us for getting from WDW to Miami and back?
Or would you fly into Orlando for WDW, do the cruise last and fly out of Miami? We'd still need some sort of transport one way in this case though...

And any recommendations for where to stay if we went a night or two earlier?

Thanks in advance!

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Contemplating a Royal Caribbean cruise from Miami that takes in Key West...

We don't really want to drive, so what recommendations would you give us for getting from WDW to Miami and back?
Or would you fly into Orlando for WDW, do the cruise last and fly out of Miami? We'd still need some sort of transport one way in this case though...

And any recommendations for where to stay if we went a night or two earlier?

Thanks in advance!

If you google Orlando to Miami shuttle, there are several options available. I'd probably fly into Miami and do the cruise first, then do the shuttle up to WDW. The cruise won't wait for you if the shuttle is late, but WDW isn't going anywhere If you are doing RCL out of Miami, avoid Empress at all costs. Enchantment is good, and depending on when you are travelling, RCL is doing some 3-4 night KW cruises on Serenade and Navigator (both good ships).

 

[meryll83]

What's bad about the Empress?

Looks like Enchantment would be the one sailing around the time we're thinking, but I noticed it's an old ship...

 

[eskimoinparadise]

What's bad about the Empress?

Looks like Enchantment would be the one sailing around the time we're thinking, but I noticed it's an old ship...

Empress is the oldest ship in the fleet, and RCL just re-acquired it from their Pulmantur subsidiary (which had pretty much run it into the scrap heap). They've been trying to refurbish the ship for months, and they started sailing last week with major issues still needing to be fixed (toilets, AC, food service, etc.). The ship only has one pool, and it's about the size of a postage stamp, and to top it all off, they cram 1,800 pax into a ship that was originally built to carry 1,200. The only reason that this ship is in the fleet at all is because RCL wants to have a ship available if Cuba opens up for more ships.

We cruised on Enchantment twice a year when it was in Port Canaveral, and were really disappointed when they moved it to Miami. It's a good choice for a short cruise, and has one of the largest pool decks in the fleet.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

We just returned from this very voyage.

We sailed Enchantment from Miami, on to Nassau, CoCo Cay and Key West.

Be fore warned, even if your in port times say 10am til 6pm, this most likely will be more like 11:30-12 til 5:30. Because some sails choose to do customs and immigration in Key West and the process takes hours.

About transportation, we took the Train home ! We took a taxi from the port to Amtrak, it departs on 11:50, so we had plenty of time to disembark and get there. There were quiet a few family's in Disney shirts at the Orlando station getting on to New York. Easy Peasy stress free !

 

[meryll83]

We just returned from this very voyage.

We sailed Enchantment from Miami, on to Nassau, CoCo Cay and Key West.

Be fore warned, even if your in port times say 10am til 6pm, this most likely will be more like 11:30-12 til 5:30. Because some sails choose to do customs and immigration in Key West and the process takes hours.

About transportation, we took the Train home ! We took a taxi from the port to Amtrak, it departs on 11:50, so we had plenty of time to disembark and get there. There were quiet a few family's in Disney shirts at the Orlando station getting on to New York. Easy Peasy stress free !

How much is a train from Miami to Orlando?

 

[bigtony777]

It depends on the number in your party. If you have a family of 5, then renting a car will most likely be the cheapest and best option. If it is only 2 of you, then some of the shuttle services may be cheaper. I prefer to rent a car and be on my own time.