How is it best to get from Ft. Lauderdale airport to the Port of Miami?

June 16, 2006 1:17 PM

Floridafilter: How is it best to get from the Port of Miami to the Ft. Lauderdale airport?

I am planning a summer vacation where I will be flying in and out of Ft. Lauderdale. I will be flying in, renting a car and drving to Orlando for a few days. I will then be driving back to return the car and then leaving on a cruise from the Port of Miami.

My questions for those of you familiar with Florida are:

1. Should I plan on taking the tollway from Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando and back? I'm willing to pay to avoid traffic, but from what I read it is about $20 each way. Is it worth this? (If it makes a difference, I will be driving to Orlando on a Friday afternoon and returning on Monday morning.)

2. What is the best (easiest, cheapest, fastest) way to get from the Ft. Lauderdale airport to the Port of Miami and back? I have googled and looked at the various shuttle companies, but am hoping for some advice from personal knowledge.

Any other tips you can give me for this trip will be greatly appreciated.

posted by Sheppagus to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

2. If your primary concern is convenience and ease of use, rather than cheapest - call your cruise company and arrange transfers through them. It won't be the cheapest, but it will get you exactly where you need to go, when you need to go there.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:23 PM on June 16, 2006

Take the tollway. Spend the money. It's a huge time savings...

Take the tollway.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 1:56 PM on June 16, 2006

It is only about $20 roundtrip between Ft. Lauderdale & Orlando on the Florida Turnpike.

Shuttle is probably your best bet unless you are traveling with a couple other people to split a cab with.
posted by gatorae at 8:41 PM on June 16, 2006

1.) Absolutely take the turnpike to Orlando. It is not$20. (According to this it is at most $15 for a two axle vehicle.) If you don't take the turnpike you will either have to take the hyper-congested I-95 north then the Beeline (I-4?) east; or you will end up taking forever on an old highway like 441. The turnpike really is worth the extra money.

2.) I would go with the cruise line's recommendation. Failing that I would find out if the rental agency will let you return the car at the Port of Miami (or in downtown Miami, from where you could easily take a cab). I would also ask if the rental agency could provide a shuttle themselves. They might have drop-off services for their customers at reduced rates.
posted by oddman at 12:30 AM on June 17, 2006