Earliest Flight time from FLL getting off Ship at Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)

[tigger2002]

What do you consider the earliest departure flight from FLL after getting off the ship at Port Everglades? There is a flight at 11:00 AM and the next one is not until 4:50 PM. I really don't want to sit around the airport until almost five o'clock. Note: I know this has been asked before, I was checking to see if there is anything new or something has changed.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Just got back from a FLL cruise. Did later dining breakfast (so 8:15am) at a leisurely pace, had to be in the last 10% of people leaving the ship based on how many bags were left on tables, and we were still through security at the airport thumb twiddling at 10:30am.

We have a 10:50am flight in November because of similar scheduling to what you're describing. Despite being generally risk averse, I have zero concerns about making that flight. We'll probably do express walk off so that we aren't beholden to a luggage tag being called, just in case. But, seriously, we stayed on the ship a solid 45 minutes after they were announcing that all tags could exit and we still would have made an 11am flight.

 

[Girl of the South]

I did Express Walkoff in Nov and could have easily made an 11pm flight. Airport is close to the port and FLL has 4 different terminals that each have just a couple airlines. As long as the ship clears as scheduled you should be fine.

 

[princesscinderella]

The airport and the port are less than 10 minutes apart so you should have no issues making a 11am flight. The route also isn't prone to gridlock traffic so you don't have that to worry about either.

 

[jwalk03]

I agree with the other posters. Barring any crazy delays in the ship being cleared (unlikely) you will have no problem making an 11AM flight.

 

[WinterSolider]

You'll make it but I personally wouldn't want to be rushed in the morning. We like to take our time getting off the ship and will dawdle on the top decks until they kick us off.

Protip: There's a restaurant called Casavana in the FLL airport near the LEGO store. Don't sit down and order from the menu, just go to the counter and get a bag full of beef empanadas and guava pastries. It's insanely cheap and delicious for airport food.

 

[OKW Lover]

This question comes up regularly - almost daily - and the general answer is:
As long as the ship docks on time and customs clears it on a normal schedule you can make a flight at FLL at 11 am.

 

[jimmymc]

I'd be fine booking the 11 am flight. I'd try to get off earlier, but I don't even think you need to walk off as early as possible.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

You'll make it but I personally wouldn't want to be rushed in the morning. We like to take our time getting off the ship and will dawdle on the top decks until they kick us off.

Protip: There's a restaurant called Casavana in the FLL airport near the LEGO store. Don't sit down and order from the menu, just go to the counter and get a bag full of beef empanadas and guava pastries. It's insanely cheap and delicious for airport food.

Genuine curiosity here: you'd feel that way even if they next flight wasn't until 4:50pm?

Because I like a leisurely exit as much as the next gal, but the headache/expense of getting somewhere for the day, figuring out what to do with your luggage, etc is enough of a negative that I don't mind hustling off the ship a bit earlier in the morning if 4:50 is the only alternative. I'm not racing for a 9:45 flight, but 11 is pretty doable in FLL...

 

[WinterSolider]

Genuine curiosity here: you'd feel that way even if they next flight wasn't until 4:50pm?

Because I like a leisurely exit as much as the next gal, but the headache/expense of getting somewhere for the day, figuring out what to do with your luggage, etc is enough of a negative that I don't mind hustling off the ship a bit earlier in the morning if 4:50 is the only alternative. I'm not racing for a 9:45 flight, but 11 is pretty doable in FLL...

I don't mind hanging out at airports so I wouldn't do all of the "getting somewhere, figuring out what to do with luggage, etc."

We would just go to the airport as late as possible and hang out there for as many hours as we had to. It's not ideal but I'd rather be relaxed and a little bored than scrambling.

We have lounge access so that helps us at a lot of airports, though not at FLL which doesn't have a lounge in our terminal.

 

[jwalk03]

I don't mind hanging out at airports so I wouldn't do all of the "getting somewhere, figuring out what to do with luggage, etc."

We would just go to the airport as late as possible and hang out there for as many hours as we had to. It's not ideal but I'd rather be relaxed and a little bored than scrambling.

We have lounge access so that helps us at a lot of airports, though not at FLL which doesn't have a lounge in our terminal.

FLL really needs to up its lounge game!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I don't mind hanging out at airports so I wouldn't do all of the "getting somewhere, figuring out what to do with luggage, etc."

We would just go to the airport as late as possible and hang out there for as many hours as we had to. It's not ideal but I'd rather be relaxed and a little bored than scrambling.

We have lounge access so that helps us at a lot of airports, though not at FLL which doesn't have a lounge in our terminal.

Do you check bags? Because we saw other families being turned away at bag check because they had arrived too early. Not sure if that's a Southwest thing or if other airlines do it as well, but with SW you'd be stuck with whatever is available outside the security perimeter dragging around your bags until 12:50pm.

I know some airports have better pre-security amenities than others, so maybe that's not a big deal at FLL?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you check bags? Because we saw other families being turned away at bag check because they had arrived too early. Not sure if that's a Southwest thing or if other airlines do it as well, but with SW you'd be stuck with whatever is available outside the security perimeter dragging around your bags until 12:50pm.

I know some airports have better pre-security amenities than others, so maybe that's not a big deal at FLL?

A lot of airports (well, at least all the ones we've been through) only allow baggage check in 2-4 hours prior. There are a few airlines that have earlier check in for bags for specific flights.

You have to check with your airline/airport for specific requirements.

 

[WinterSolider]

Do you check bags? Because we saw other families being turned away at bag check because they had arrived too early. Not sure if that's a Southwest thing or if other airlines do it as well, but with SW you'd be stuck with whatever is available outside the security perimeter dragging around your bags until 12:50pm.

I know some airports have better pre-security amenities than others, so maybe that's not a big deal at FLL?

The only time I ran into that issue was in Rome because there was only one flight on our airline that day so there was literally nobody staffing that airline's counter yet.

 

[jwalk03]

Last time we flew out of FLL Southwest was not letting anyone check bags more than 2 hours prior to flight time. Not sure if they were just overwhelmed and really busy or what. But if you tried they were turning you away and telling you to come back within 2 hours of your flight.

 

[tigger2002]

Just got back from a FLL cruise. Did later dining breakfast (so 8:15am) at a leisurely pace, had to be in the last 10% of people leaving the ship based on how many bags were left on tables, and we were still through security at the airport thumb twiddling at 10:30am.

We have a 10:50am flight in November because of similar scheduling to what you're describing. Despite being generally risk averse, I have zero concerns about making that flight. We'll probably do express walk off so that we aren't beholden to a luggage tag being called, just in case. But, seriously, we stayed on the ship a solid 45 minutes after they were announcing that all tags could exit and we still would have made an 11am flight.

I did Express Walkoff in Nov and could have easily made an 11pm flight. Airport is close to the port and FLL has 4 different terminals that each have just a couple airlines. As long as the ship clears as scheduled you should be fine.

.
I guess everyone just takes an Uber from ship to FLL? Is there a mad rush for Uber drivers at any particular time?

 

[tigger2002]

This question comes up regularly - almost daily - and the general answer is:
As long as the ship docks on time and customs clears it on a normal schedule you can make a flight at FLL at 11 am.

.
I noticed in your signature that you took a Northern Italy and Switzerland tour. Did you do it on your own or with a group?

 

[chamberlain]

Earlier this month we took a taxi from port to FLL. The taxi que was very convenient as we left the building so instead of ordering an uber we just hopped in a taxi for the short ride to airport. Cost us about $20.

 

[OKW Lover]

.
I noticed in your signature that you took a Northern Italy and Switzerland tour. Did you do it on your own or with a group?

That was a DIS/Dreams Unlimited sponsored Adventure by Disney trip. There were about 30 of us.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

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I guess everyone just takes an Uber from ship to FLL? Is there a mad rush for Uber drivers at any particular time?

Uber xl pick up took less than 10 minutes off of the Magic but we weren't in the first rush out, either.