Fort lauderdale airport to royal caribbean cruise port

An upcoming cruise vacation may have you thinking about the perfect swimsuit and what excursions you want to take. Before you start dreaming of lounging on the sun deck, don't forget crucial details, such as how you are going to get from the airport to your cruise ship. If you are arriving in Fort Lauderdale for a cruise out of Port Everglades, this should be fairly easy, as the port about 10 minutes from the airport.

Step 1

Take the cruise line's transportation service. Most cruise lines offer their own shuttles to pick up their passengers at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport (broward.org/airport), as part of the cruise package. Depending on the cruise line and type of package you booked, you may have to book and pay for the shuttle as a separate, additional cost. You must book this ground transportation well in advance of your cruise, but it varies based on the cruise line. Royal Caribbean (royalcaribbean.com), for example, recommends booking it two weeks in advance, while Carnival Cruise (carnival.com) recommends five days.

Step 2

Take an airport shuttle. Several transportation companies offer shared ride shuttle vans from the airport to Port Everglades. This includes the airport's recommended company, Go Airport Shuttle (go-airportshuttle.com), which costs $11 per person to take travelers to the cruise port, as of publication. Other services available include Eagle Shuttle Service (eagleshuttleservice.com) and Florida Sunshine Shuttle (floridasunshineshuttle.com). Both charge a flat rate based on the number of people traveling in your party.

Step 3

Take a taxi. Since Port Everglades is so close to the airport, a taxi is an affordable option. Several taxi services are authorized to pick up passengers at the airport, but there is no set flat rate to the cruise port. According to Fort Lauderdale Airport, it costs on average $12 to take up to five people in a taxi to Port Everglades.

Tip

• If your cruise is leaving out of the Port of Miami, roughly 30 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, a shared van ride will cost about $21 and a taxi about $67, as of publication.

References

• Royal Caribbean: Transfers
• Carnival Cruises: Carnival Transfers
• Go Airport Shuttle: Fort Lauderdale Airport Shuttle Service

About the Author

Based in Los Angeles, Zora Hughes has been writing travel, parenting, cooking and relationship articles since 2010. Her work includes writing city profiles for Groupon. She also writes screenplays and won the S. Randolph Playwriting Award in 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in television writing/producing and a Master of Arts Management in entertainment media management, both from Columbia College.

Photo Credits

• Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

Flying into the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport and not sure how to get the Port of Miami? We recommend taking Uber or Lyft, as its the best combination of cost and convenience. That said, you do have multiple options.

It’s good news for cruise passengers that the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area has multiple airports that you can use. That gives you the ability to shop flights to different airports, often finding a route that gives you a cheaper price or better schedule.

That said, there’s no question that flying into Miami International Airport is the most convenient option if you are sailing from the Port of Miami. The airport is just about 10 miles away. There are a number of ways to get from Miami International (MIA) to the cruise port.

But if you can find a cheaper deal flying into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) — or if they have better flight times for you — then you can still make it to the port easily. We have all of your options laid out below.

• Transportation From the Fort Lauderdale Airport and the Port of Miami
• Uber/Lyft (Recommended)
• Taxis
• Shared Shuttle
• Cruise Line Transfers
• Public Transportation
• Hotels With Shuttles

Transportation From the Fort Lauderdale Airport and the Port of Miami

The Fort Lauderdale airport is about 25 miles north of the Port of Miami. No matter what mode of transportation you take, expect the ride to take at least 45 minutes — sometimes much longer given South Florida’s notorious traffic.

The good news is that many cruises depart on the weekend when traffic should be lighter. That means traffic is normally not too bad for many cruise passengers. If you are flying in the day of your cruise, we’d suggest a flight that arrives at least two hours before your embarkation time to give you plenty of leeway to make it to the port on time.

With cruising and tourism being such big business in the region, there are plenty of options to get you from the Fort Lauderdale airport to the Miami cruise terminal. We detail each below, but this should give you an idea of their estimated prices:

Uber/Lyft (Recommended)

If you are traveling with two or more people, then using a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft is usually your best option on getting from the Fort Lauderdale airport to Miami. These services offer pickup at the airport in designated pickup areas located between terminals and provide service directly to the Port of Miami (or anywhere else in the area you want to go, such as hotels).

If you’ve never used a rideshare service, they are simple. You download Uber or Lyft to your smartphone. Once downloaded, you can set up your account in the app. Your account is tied to a credit card, so no money changes hands — it’s all taken care of through the app. When you arrive in Fort Lauderdale, simply pull up Uber or Lyft and request a ride. It normally takes less than 5 minutes for your car to arrive.

The cost of an Uber or Lyft is estimated at $35-45 each way, for up to four people (pricing is based per car, not per person). Larger vehicles are also available for a higher price.

We’ve personally used this method to get back and forth between the airport and cruise port. It was convenient, quick, and relatively inexpensive given the distance.

Taxis

Taxis are another option from the Fort Lauderdale airport to the Miami cruise port, however, they are more expensive than using a rideshare like Uber and Lyft. The estimated cost is about $75 each way. That’s about $30-40 more each way than a rideshare.

While taxi cabs are a more expensive way to the port, if you aren’t comfortable using Uber/Lyft, then cabs are a widely-available option. Once at the airport, simply follow the ground transportation signs to be directed to the area where taxis will be waiting.

The good thing about cabs is that you don’t have to wait on a ride. Simply arrive at the airport, grab a cab, and be on your way.

Shared Shuttle

If there are lots of people headed from the airport to the cruise port, it makes sense that they can share a shuttle. There are a number of services in the area that provide rides between the airport and cruise ports.

For instance, the GO Airport Shuttle, provides a ride (ranging from smaller car all the way to a shuttle van) back and forth from the cruise port. These ways to the port are often economical if traveling with a larger group. 

Other Shared Shuttles
Of course with some many people flying in to head to cruises, there is an industry that revolves around providing a shuttle back and forth. In addition to the GO Airport Shuttle, there are lots of shuttle companies in South Florida. In general, expect to pay between $20-40 per person, each way.

Note that we don’t recommend or suggest against any particular company as we haven’t used them. All of the following, however, can give you a good start for your search.

Shuttle Companies: Quick Shuttle, Florida Shuttle Transportation, Express Shuttle Miami, South Florida Shuttles

Cruise Line Transfers

The cruise lines offer service between the Fort Lauderdale airport and the Port of Miami. The bad news is that they can be pricey and not very flexible (you’re on their schedule, not vice versa). As well, cruise line transfers are offered only on the day of the cruise and can’t make any stops on your way to the port like a taxi or Uber/Lyft may be able to do.

But the good news is that your transportation is taken care of by the cruise line so there isn’t a danger of missing the ship if your transfer arrives late.

For pricing, you’ll want to check your specific cruise line. However, expect it to be more expensive than most other options. For instance, Carnival provides transfers from the Fort Lauderdale to Miami for around $35 per person, each way. Expect other lines to be in that same ballpark.

Public Transportation

Want to get to Port of Miami from Fort Lauderdale as cheaply as possible? While it’s not the most convenient route to the port, there is public transportation that will take you from the airport to the cruise port.

All told, expect the trip to take between an hour and a hour-and-a-half, depending on how long you have to wait on transfers. The good news? It will only cost you between $6-7 each way.

We have full step-by-step details of the route you’ll take here. As a summary, here is the route you will take:

1. FLA-1 Commuter Connector at airport –> Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Station at Dania Beach for Tri-Rail (Free)
2. Tri-Rail –> Metrorail Transfer Station ($3.75/$5.00)
3. Metrorail Green Line –> Brickell Station ($2.25)
4. Miami Trolley (Coral Way Route) –> Port of Miami (Free)

While this is an affordable way to get to the ship, we think it might be a bit overwhelming for out-of-towners. For that reason we suggest other modes of transportation.

Hotels With Shuttles

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to Fort Lauderdale hotels offering cruise shuttles. The good news is that there are a number of hotels near the airport and cruise port with shuttles. The bad news is that none of the Fort Lauderdale hotels with shuttle we know of offer rides to the Miami cruise port.

In other words, if you are sailing from Fort Lauderdale then you have a lot of options of hotels with shuttles. But if you are flying into Fort Lauderdale to sail from Miami, then you’ll want to look for a Miami hotel with a shuttle to the cruise port.

In that case, it’s a better idea to commute into Miami and then stay at a Miami hotel with a cruise port shuttle. 

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