DCL Transport from FLL to Port Everglades

[PrincessSarah314]

Hi! I booked a last minute trip sailing the Dream this Thursday and added the DCL transfers from the airport to get an earlier PAT. We are arriving in FLL the night before our cruise and will be taking the airport shuttle back to FLL Thursday morning to catch the bus. I have 3 questions: what time, should we arrive back to FLL, what time does the 1st DCL bus leave FLL and finally where exactly inside the airport is the DCL bus? I have read various times and locations online and just wanted to confirm what the most current info is. We are so excited to go on this last minute trip!!!!

 

[IMMkXLVI]

I can't answer your question because I have the same ones. We leave a week after you and plan to do the same, stay overnight in the area, then make our way to the port. I wasn't aware Disney had a bus to the port from the airport, I'm assuming this is something you book and prepay for? I'm just guessing it isn't a free shuttle.

I completed the check-in and selected an arrival time. Disney stated multiple times, not to arrive early and our arrival window is just 15 minutes. That seems like a short window to arrive within when relying on transportation other than our own. I'd ask how strict this is but given how many times they mentioned "don't arrive early, don't arrive late" I can imagine it is 1942 Germany strict.

 

[Girl of the South]

The Cruise Port is less than 4 miles from the FLL airport. Although I have loved the convenience of the DCL Buses for other cruises, because of the very short distance involved, I would do a taxi (or Uber/Lyft).

The reason DCL is strict about arriving at the Port is because they can’t handle 4,000 people showing up at once.

Call DCL to get the time (or times) the buses will leave. There are 4 separate terminals at FLL so I suspect it would be slightly different for each one.

Took a taxi after my last cruise. There were 4 of us at it was $18. Helpful signs after Customs directed us to the Taxi line which was monitored. Took maybe 12 minutes to get to the FLL airport.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

Given your post, I'll revert back to Plan A. Take an Uber from the hotel directly to the port. It's a 5-8 minute drive. I just hope I don't get ignored by Uber drivers thinking it is too short a trip and not worth the time.

Arriving within a 15 minute window seems....how shall I say, tight?

Is there no place to loiter for 10 minutes or so?

The piers in NYC didn't have that requirement and surely, Florida has less of a space constraint than NYC. Moot point really, thems the Disney rules and I don't foresee them changing!

 

[dreamer17555]

Given your post, I'll revert back to Plan A. Take an Uber from the hotel directly to the port. It's a 5-8 minute drive. I just hope I don't get ignored by Uber drivers thinking it is too short a trip and not worth the time.

Arriving within a 15 minute window seems....how shall I say, tight?

Is there no place to loiter for 10 minutes or so?

You are overthinking it. You can arrive late (no issues there as long as it is before All Aboard) but the terminal is a bit stricter about arriving early because almost everyone wants to be on the ship ASAP and the terminal is not set up to accommodate everyone arriving early.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

You are overthinking it. You can arrive late (no issues there as long as it is before All Aboard) but the terminal is a bit stricter about arriving early because almost everyone wants to be on the ship ASAP and the terminal is not set up to accommodate everyone arriving early.

Ah. I assumed the time slot we were required to select as like a DMV appointment, miss it and you join the standby crowd. Only in this case, sure, we'd eventually get onboard but not without much waiting and after being told to leave and return later. Without a car to sit in and no where we'd want to walk to with luggage in tow, it seems best to *try* and get there during the appointed time.

 

[dreamer17555]

Ah. I assumed the time slot we were required to select as like a DMV appointment, miss it and you join the standby crowd. Only in this case, sure, we'd eventually get onboard but not without much waiting and after being told to leave and return later. Without a car to sit in and no where we'd want to walk to with luggage in tow, it seems best to *try* and get there during the appointed time.

It is not like that. In fact you are more likely to wait in lines if you have an early Boarding Group or Port Arrival Time. Towards the later ones there is no line at all and you simply walk on. Once your boarding group is called you can board anytime after that (prior to all aboard). Arriving later means you will not be waiting around to enter the terminal.

Also I assume you will give most of your bags to the porters outside the terminal to check so you don't need to carry on as much). Keep in mind staterooms are not ready until 1:30PM (sometimes later) so any bags you carry on will need to stay with you until then.

 

[kevtlas]

We usually Uber. We’ve taken the shuttle in the past and found that for the four of us Uber was faster since no waiting around for the shuttle to leave and it was cheaper. I think the Uber was like $20 or so.

 

[pamjb]

Given your post, I'll revert back to Plan A. Take an Uber from the hotel directly to the port. It's a 5-8 minute drive. I just hope I don't get ignored by Uber drivers thinking it is too short a trip and not worth the time.

Arriving within a 15 minute window seems....how shall I say, tight?

Is there no place to loiter for 10 minutes or so?

The piers in NYC didn't have that requirement and surely, Florida has less of a space constraint than NYC. Moot point really, thems the Disney rules and I don't foresee them changing!

Uber drivers love those short trips, as they can get more in. We sailed out of FLL in December and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Dania Beach. Uber driver was there within five minutes and we were at the port 20 minutes after pickup. Mainly due to traffic.