Cruising from Miami for the first time....need help!!

[Kim&Chris]

I booked the 5/9/18 Magic 4-nighter from the Port of Miami. I've never cruised from anywhere but Port Canaveral, and I'm feeling overwhelmed by the unknown. Can you give me your thoughts/opinions on my plans?

I'd like to start the trip with a few nights at Vero Beach. One thought is to rent a car from Orlando Int'l airport, drive to Vero for a few days. Then, on the morning of the cruise, drop the car off at Miami Int'l Airport & take a shuttle to the Magic. After the cruise, take the shuttle back to the Miami airport.

Another thought is to keep the rental car the entire time, and just park it at the port. After the trip, drive to the Miami Airport (or Fort Lauderdale.....we haven't decided which airport to use yet).

Looking for thoughts, opinions, suggestions. THANK YOU!

 

[hanscarlet]

The port was very close to downtown Miami and if I recall it was about a 25-30 min cab ride away from the airport. My preference is to avoid urban places that I am unfamiliar with when it comes to driving on my own so I would opt to drive to MIA (not MCO) and take a cab to the port. It would save you money on the port parking too. Parking seemed really expensive where we were staying in Miami so I would expect parking might be costly at their port.

 

[Dug720]

The port was very close to downtown Miami and if I recall it was about a 25-30 min cab ride away from the airport. My preference is to avoid urban places that I am unfamiliar with when it comes to driving on my own so I would opt to drive to MCO and take a cab to the port. It would save you money on the port parking too. Parking seemed really expensive where we were staying in Miami so I would expect parking might be costly at their port.

Did you mean drive to MIA? I cannot imagine the cab fare from MCO to Port of Miami!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Did you mean drive to MIA? I cannot imagine the cab fare from MCO to Port of Miami!

And cab fare from MCO to Port Canaveral ain't cheaper, either. Runs at least $125 (no tips).

 

[Barbydoll8]

From what I understand, the drive from either airport is not terribly long. I would uber not cab just from a $ perspective. Parking at the port is the only safe option in Miami. I parked at the port after reading over and over again how horrific it is off site to park. Handicap parking was free a few years ago and it also was actually cheaper to park in Miami than my cruise last year out of PC. Maybe that's changed. It was very easy to get from the parking lot to the terminal however.
I am a convenience person and it was worth having the car for me when I got off the ship rather than waiting on a shuttle. It's just a personal preference thing.
I have heard the traffic at Ft. Lauderdale is actually worse than in Miami. I live near Tampa and I didn't think the traffic was too horrible in Miami but that's just me.

 

[Weedy]

Fyi: it's a bit of a drive between Vero and Miami.

 

[Kim&Chris]

Fyi: it's a bit of a drive between Vero and Miami.
View attachment 258360

My husband loves to drive, so he's actually looking forward to it LOL!

 

[hanscarlet]

Oh my, sorry I meant MIA, I'll change it, sorry about that

 

[Capt_BJ]

One thought is to rent a car from Orlando Int'l airport, drive to Vero for a few days. Then, on the morning of the cruise, drop the car off at Miami Int'l Airport & take a shuttle to the Magic. After the cruise, take the shuttle back to the Miami airport.

Another thought is to keep the rental car the entire time, and just park it at the port. After the trip, drive to the Miami Airport (or Fort Lauderdale.....we haven't decided which airport to use yet).

your question is 100% on point ... but there is no simple answer .... you have to crunch numbers ... and since rental car rates change every 5 minutes (just like airline rates) the situation is dynamic

if you were expecting me to crunch the numbers for you .... sooooorrrrryyyyyyyy .

 

[Disneymum86]

We are thinking of doing the same. We have our first Disney cruise booked for next May going from Miami. We have booked flights into Orlando as that was the cheapest option flying from the UK. Then we plan on heading to Vero beach and using our DVC as we haven't tried Vero yet. We will hire a car at Orlando and drive it to Vero, then drive to Miami where we will drop the rental car off. We are doing the transatlantic so no need to have a car after the cruise.

Think you just need to look into the cost of parking at Miami for the duration of the cruise vs paying for a shuttle once you get to Miami to and from the cruise and work out what's cheapest. If there's not much in it I would keep the car for convenience