Best way to get from DW to Port of Miami - 8 people

[argon5000]

Hi all, we are a group of 8 (4 adults and 4 kids) staying at AKL in December.
What would be the best way to get from DW to Port of Miami?

We check out of AKL and have a cruise booked for check-in latest 2pm the same day at Port of Miami. (Hindsight should have booked for Port Canaveral )
At this point hiring 2 cars seems cheapest, but not necessarily the fastest.

Anyone have any alternative options?

 

[SteveMouse]

Car rental is the most efficient. It's about a 4 hour drive.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Best is relative to how much time and/or money you want to spend:

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Walt-Disney-World/Port-of-Miami-Cruise-Terminal
You can also price out how much a van/limo would charge.

 

[JimMIA]

Car rental is the most efficient. It's about a 4 hour drive.

Agree rental car or rental of a 12-passenger van would be the best.

It might be a little more than 4 hours to the Port. PortMiami is absolutely downtown. That's the bad news. The good news is it's expressway all the way through the tunnel and into the port itself.

Use Google Maps -- transitioning from I-95 to I-395 to the Port Tunnel is tricky and lane positioning is everything.

Also be aware that you might not be able to return the car AT the port. You might have to drop it off either at the airport or downtown and ride their shuttle to the port...more time.

 

[JimMIA]

Best is relative to how much time and/or money you want to spend:

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Walt-Disney-World/Port-of-Miami-Cruise-Terminal
You can also price out how much a van/limo would charge.

Bus and drive are actually the only two realistic options on that webpage. I also don't see any indication of how current that info is.

There are not currently any trains that actually go to the port itself. Virgin Trains is adding the port at the end of its line, but not even started construction yet.

You could take Amtrak and then Brightline (Virgin Trains) to downtown and then Uber 2-3 miles to the port, but that would be a LOT of hassle.

 

[JimMIA]

Hi all, we are a group of 8 (4 adults and 4 kids) staying at AKL in December.
What would be the best way to get from DW to Port of Miami?

We check out of AKL and have a cruise booked for check-in latest 2pm the same day at Port of Miami. (Hindsight should have booked for Port Canaveral )
At this point hiring 2 cars seems cheapest, but not necessarily the fastest.

Anyone have any alternative options?

What is the date of your departure?

 

[Capt_BJ]

http://www.floridashuttletransportation.com/
Orlando to Miami bus shuttle deal $20
facebook: Orlando Miami shuttle bus service

 

[argon5000]

What is the date of your departure?

12 December... sounds like a rental is best option. Just concerned with timing of the 4 hour drive. Will have to leave reasonably early considering drop-off of car etc

 

[SteveMouse]

Agree rental car or rental of a 12-passenger van would be the best.

It might be a little more than 4 hours to the Port. PortMiami is absolutely downtown. That's the bad news. The good news is it's expressway all the way through the tunnel and into the port itself.

Use Google Maps -- transitioning from I-95 to I-395 to the Port Tunnel is tricky and lane positioning is everything.

Also be aware that you might not be able to return the car AT the port. You might have to drop it off either at the airport or downtown and ride their shuttle to the port...more time.

A 12 person van is not exactly the easiest thing to drive, and may very well be more expensive than 2 cars.

The four hour estimate assumes leaving from Disney Springs, moderate traffic, and a very short stop at a service plaza. Time could, of course, vary on traffic on the day in question, driving speed, and how long one spends on any stop. It doesn’t include time to either pick up or drop off cars.

The drive is perfectly doable. We regularly drive between Port Everglades and Disney. (Family lives around the corner from Port Everglades.) Our typical time without stops is 3 hours, 10 minutes.

 

[SteveMouse]

12 December... sounds like a rental is best option. Just concerned with timing of the 4 hour drive. Will have to leave reasonably early considering drop-off of car etc

You could pick up your cars the night before (I would). Note you you’ll have to pay any applicable parking fee, which varies depending on your hotel.

there are lots of places to pick up a car near Disney- the Car Care Center, the Dolphin, and several other hotels, depending on your company of choice.

 

[argon5000]

You could pick up your cars the night before (I would). Note you you’ll have to pay any applicable parking fee, which varies depending on your hotel.

there are lots of places to pick up a car near Disney- the Car Care Center, the Dolphin, and several other hotels, depending on your company of choice.

The plan was to do pickup first thing in the morning 7am at the Care Care Center then swing past and pick up the rest of the family. But I think that may be a bit of a press. Now leaning towards picking up afternoon before, loading up car and going straight after breakfast around 7am. Just don't want to lose part of the day in the park to sort out rentals... but it may be prudent.

Alamo have a drop off near the port, so that will be the goal to get there around lunch with a short shuttle to the port.

 

[JimMIA]

12 December... sounds like a rental is best option. Just concerned with timing of the 4 hour drive. Will have to leave reasonably early considering drop-off of car etc

Dec 12 is great. The previous weekend is the one I was worried about (Art Basel) because you would have hit a big traffic jam downtown, right by the port.

Alamo's car return is right in the middle of downtown. Probably just a 15 minute shuttle ride to the Port.

The drive from Orlando is very easy, and on Saturday morning there won't be much traffic until you get to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

[SteveMouse]

Only the drivers need to go pick up the car. If you pre-register and pre-pay it will go a little faster.
Remember, if you are staying on-site you will not pay for parking at a theme park (but you will at your hotel).

You can save a little time if you pre-pay for the tank of gas. You shouldn't use the full tank on your drive.

You might also choose to use the rental cars' toll transponder, although for your route there should be a cash alternative (bring change, especially for use until you get to the turnpike).

The service plazas on the Florida Turnpike each have food service, restrooms, and gas. Entrances to the plazas are on the left. They're desigbed

 

[kaytieeldr]

12 December... sounds like a rental is best option. Just concerned with timing of the 4 hour drive. Will have to leave reasonably early considering drop-off of car etc

Have you considered dropping a night from your Disney stay and driving to (and staying around) Miami the night before?

 

[gatour]

One thing you might want to have handy, is a phone number for the cruise line. While they have cut off times for checking in and boarding, on a cruise board I regularly visit, people have called and have been successfully boarding after the cut-off time. While they won't hold the ship past departure they bend for late boardings if they are informed of you being late

I am guessing the ship is departing at 4pm based on a 2pm cut off time. It used to be 1 hour before departure, but I am guessing they are trying to speed up the procrastinators.

 

[JimMIA]

You might also choose to use the rental cars' toll transponder, although for your route there should be a cash alternative (bring change, especially for use until you get to the turnpike).

This is correct if you take the most direct route -- Florida Turnpike to I-95 -- and that would be the best unless there was some MAJOR traffic drama in the Ft. Lauderdale-Miami area.

Personally, I would buy a SunPass sticker transponder for $5 at any Publix market, put $20 on the account, and set the expiration of the account for the time you will be turning in the car. Not counting local tolls in the Orlando area, the Turnpike estimated toll is about $20 without SunPass, $15 with SunPass, so the SunPass would pay for itself. That would eliminate stops at toll booths, eliminate fees from the rental car company, and make life much simpler.

http://floridasturnpike.com/TollCalc/

 

[SteveMouse]

This is correct if you take the most direct route -- Florida Turnpike to I-95 -- and that would be the best unless there was some MAJOR traffic drama in the Ft. Lauderdale-Miami area.

Personally, I would buy a SunPass sticker transponder for $5 at any Publix market, put $20 on the account, and set the expiration of the account for the time you will be turning in the car. Not counting local tolls in the Orlando area, the Turnpike estimated toll is about $20 without SunPass, $15 with SunPass, so the SunPass would pay for itself. That would eliminate stops at toll booths, eliminate fees from the rental car company, and make life much simpler.

http://floridasturnpike.com/TollCalc/

But visiting Publix is another stop, and may be a bit out of the way. Although it might be worth if if the doughnuts are fresh!

 

[JimMIA]

But visiting Publix is another stop, and may be a bit out of the way. Although it might be worth if if the doughnuts are fresh!

True, that would be a stop -- but it would be a stop for only the driver to make after picking up the car. There are Publix markets all over the place, so they're never more than a few minutes away. If the driver didn't get donuts, all they would have to do is go to the customer service desk at the front of the store to buy the SunPass.

If they get donuts, they will have several choices:

• Krispy Kreme glazed, my personal choice
• Numerous choices of Publix bakery donuts. This might be the choice if the driver was only going to get a couple for themselves!

Also, it's important to remember that there is no such thing as a bad donut!