Need help! First time cruising from Miami in Dec any advice?

tinkattu6

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 11, 2010
We are doing a 4 day Merry Christmas cruise and have no clue about Airports, Hotels or ground car service in our around Miami to get us back and forth. Please let us know if you have any tips or experiences??
 
Count me in.... doing out first Miami cruise in January 2018.

One idea is to do a title search for "Miami" threads. Found some ideas that way.
 
Two primary airports people use are Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Miami is more convenient but for many of us the shared van plus flight into Fort Lauderdale is cheaper. We decided to tourist for a couple of days pre-trip and rented a car for a couple of days and got in Fort Lauderdale and then took the shared van from the airport to the port. We visited the national park to see Gators and other wildlife and visited Viscaya and Fairchild Gardens.
 
Uber is SUPER convenient if only 2-3 people and trying to get around Miami Beach. Also used it from FLL to hotel.
Lincoln Rd mall is great place to shop, eat, people watch. Very dog friendly, they're allowed in the stores. Publix and Walgreens aplenty if you've forgotten something or for beer/wine.
 


We loved sailing out of Miami. Soo...we flew in 2 full days early. We arrived on a Wednesday morning (red-eye from West Coast) for a Friday sailing. We stayed at the Homewood Suites Blue Lagoon-Airport. They offered free wifi, parking, weeknight dinners with wine and beer and daily breakfast. At the hotel next door was a Enterprise rental location.

Upon arrival, we met up with my MIL at the airport and then called the hotel for the shuttle which was getting new tires at the moment, so they said to take a cab and they would pick up the check. Well, we were traveling heavy as we were going on the WBPC cruise, so 3 adults, a child and all that luggage needed 2 taxis...and they paid for both of them! Win. We arrived at the hotel a few minutes later and they upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite (vs the 1 bedroom that we booked). Win again. I was impressed that they had a room ready for us at 10am. We put our stuff in the room and I went next door to the Marriott to pick up our rental car. It rained all day, so our plan of going to the Everglades got squashed and we ended up shopping in Miami and going to a long lunch.

The next morning, we got up early and got on the first Airboat Tour (Everglades Safari?) that morning. It was incredible seeing all the alligators. We then went to the actual Everglades National Park and our kiddo earned her junior ranger badge. (Our goal is to visit every US NP before she graduates high school). We grabbed lunch and ate on the road. Our next stop was Biscayne Bay National Park. Not much going on there as they boat concessionaire was having problems and not running at the time. Kiddo still did her junior ranger book and earned another badge. We then continued down to the Keys and had dinner at Sunset in Islamorada and the original Islamorada Fish Company. Oh and we stopped at Homestead race track (because I work for a race team and was able to handle some business there...and write off this portion of the trip :) )

The next morning, we had breakfast, ran to the local super market for wine and Costco for some snacks (DD has food allergies) and then MIL got on the airport shuttle back to the airport and we hopped in an Uber XL (all the luggage) and for about $35 made our way to the port.

**One note, make sure you are set up for the toll roads in your rental car. Holy moly, we are used to tolls, but Miami was FILLED with them. And you had to have a Sunpass. There were not toll booths.
 
We ended up flying into Fort Lauderdale because both the flight and hotel were going to be cheaper than Miami. Your results may vary. We took SAS shuttle and they were very good. Since we had 6 people and paid cash it was $13 per person (this was 2016). We had a hotel the night before the cruise. Next time we will book a hotel the night before and the night after so we can see the area more and so we can take an early morning flight home rested and refreshed.
 
We flew into Miami and spent 3 nights in South Beach at the Surfcomber. Great location and had a great time! We got an uber to the port...very quick and not too expensive either. It was great...except for the pouring rain during embarkation day...all day long! But just as we pulled away after an indoor sail away party...the rain stopped and we saw a rainbow!
 


We flew into Miami and spent 3 nights in South Beach at the Surfcomber. Great location and had a great time! We got an uber to the port...very quick and not too expensive either. It was great...except for the pouring rain during embarkation day...all day long! But just as we pulled away after an indoor sail away party...the rain stopped and we saw a rainbow!

Would this have been Presidents' Week? :)
 
Prior to my Feb cruise on the Magic, I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Faena in Miami Beach and toured about, then my parents joined me the night before the cruise. We took a Lyft to the port (I prefer them over Uber for multiple reasons - even if someone drives for both their attitudes differ based on which company they're picking up for...most of the drivers I've ridden with who work for both and even one my parents know who drives for both say they will pick up a Lyft fare over an Uber any day).

When I cruised on fathom over Spring Break I stayed the night before at the Hampton Inn Blue Lagoon the night before and took their shuttle ($10/person) to the port. Then I went back to Miami Beach and the Hilton Garden Faena for a couple of nights after the cruise.

Definitely check out Wynood Walls - AMAZING!!!
 
As someone who used to live in South Florida, I can attest that it's usually cheaper to fly into Fort Lauderdale. YMMV of course. Be sure to consider how much it will cost to get to the port of Miami though (30-45 minute drive depending on traffic).

On our recent cruise we flew into Miami and took an Uber to our hotel in Miami Beach. I highly recommend checking out some of the boutique hotels in the historic Art Deco portions of South Beach. We absolutely love Hotel Victor which is right on Ocean Drive. Many of these hotels have smaller rooms and may not be suitable for a larger family, however. There's plenty to walk around and see the night before your cruise. Someone else mentioned the Walgreens....we went there and bought a bottle of Veuve Cliquot to take on board! Only in Miami Beach does Walgreens sell Veuve! :laughing: The next morning Uber had us to the port in 15 minutes!
 
Thanks for all your great tips! One more question, we will be flying back home on xmas eve morning, would it be possible to make it back to Fort Lauderdale airport for a domestic 11:30am flight?
 
Thanks for all your great tips! One more question, we will be flying back home on xmas eve morning, would it be possible to make it back to Fort Lauderdale airport for a domestic 11:30am flight?
Possible but I would be nervous personally. If you do it I would do the express walk off.
 
If you're traveling with kids and you arrive early enough to have time to play, we enjoyed the Marriott Stanton in South Beach. Lovely pool, lovely beach, next door to a playground, and they have a terrace with outdoor chess, connect four and ping pong. Our room wasn't ready early, but we killed time with all the outdoor stuff. Plus, the DCL shuttle picks up there and the hostess had door decorations for us, and the porters magically take your luggage from your room to the ship. We had a city view room with a balcony and we could see ships coming in and out. It's a little pricey, but the convenience was worth it. Oh and big pink diner is an easy walk and they have a great breakfast.
 
Below is what Disney Cruise Line has published concerning airline departure times for Miami International airport. You'd probably do well to allow an extra 30-60 minutes to get to FLL in case of traffic. Other factors would be if you're checking luggage or just taking carry-on bags, if you're traveling with small children or anyone with mobility issues, if you will be able to carry all your luggage off the ship by yourselves for "Express Walk-off," and if all these things are worth worrying about on the last day of your cruise. Some things you can't factor in is whether or not the ship will have any delay into port due to things like tides, storms, or propulsion issues (all that have happened to cruisers before). Full disclosure here, we'd go for it, but our kids are grown, we only take carry-ons, we're very experienced travelers, and we have high level frequent flyer levels which allow us some flexibility when travel hiccups occur.

Best of luck with your decision! And, have a fantastic cruise!!! :)

Sailing from Miami to the Bahamas: Earliest departure time from Miami International Airport on Debarkation Day: 12:00 PM

Sailing from Miami to the Caribbean: Earliest departure time from Miami International Airport on Debarkation Day: 12:00 PM

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/air-ground-transportation/
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!







Top