FLL or Miami airport for cruise out of POM

[mrsgthatsme]

In the past, we have cruised several times out of Port Everglades and once out of Ft. Lauderdale, however, this spring, we will be cruising out of Miami. Recently, I have been hearing lots of negative comments about the Miami airport, so we are strongly considering flying and and out of Ft. Lauderdale and just taking an uber or lyft to the port in Miami. What airport do you generally use when you sail out of POM? The advantages of FLL would be slightly cheaper airfares from our home city, although with the transportation cost from Ft Lauderdale to POM, it would likely be a wash, more positive airport experience (?) especially with kids, and cheaper hotel in FLL vs Miami. However, I worry a bit about the traffic from FLL to Miami and back and the added travel time. If you have experiences or opinions to share about the Miami airport or FLL airport, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I've flown into both airports and have not had bad experiences at either. FLL seemed slightly easier to navigate, but it wasn't enough of a difference to make me choose FLL over MIA just based on that. I would look more at cost and flight times. I've flown into FLL more because Southwest flies there and I can get non-stop flights at decent times. The times for non-stop flights into MIA haven't been as convenient and the price has been higher so FLL has won out due to those factors.

 

[belle032]

We've always flown in and out of FLL when cruising out of Miami (doing it again in January!) mainly because we usually fly Southwest and it's nonstop to/from Buffalo. And for us, FLL is cheaper than the Miami Airport just in general. FLL is very easy to navigate, just not a ton of bells & whistles. Traffic has never been an issue. I've actually heard traffic from the Miami airport to the POM can be just as bad or worse than coming from FLL, but I don't know how much truth there is to that. Hotels are similar in price, I just think they're more expensive the week we go because we found out it's Superbowl in Miami the day we get back.

In January, we're flying in the morning before our cruise, staying the night in FLL then plan on just taking an Uber to the POM first thing embarkation day. Our party is 4 adults, so it may be different for us but I would just compare the flying into the two airports, factor in cost of of travel to/from the port, and hotel price to see what works best for your family. I don't think you can go too wrong here!

 

[ScooterScott44]

If choosing MIA vs. FLL without factoring in a cruise. I would say likely say MIA. As a frequent business traveler, FLL is probably one of my least favorite airports. So unless there was a specific flight or really cheap rate I personally would avoid FLL.

Factoring in a cruise out of port of Miami, MIA would probably be easier if flight schedules and cost are similar. Sure there is traffic but it is pretty easy to get from MIA to the port via the dolphin expressway.

 

[grantclaire]

We prefer Miami airport. The security is done in a different way I think and the lines went fast. If you fly in the day of your cruise it is close to the cruise port.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We’ve only flown into Miami and it was easy, no negatives at all. We flew in the day before and chose a hotel in the Brickell district, it was Hampton Inn or Homewood Suites, I cant remember which. There are a ton of restaurants to choose from in the area and it’s a 10 minute Uber ride to the port. We did cruise shuttles to the airport the morning we debarked and it was super fast. I wouldn’t hesitate to fly in/out of there, it was a piece of cake.

 

[SamFaniam]

I prefer Miami when sailing out of POM, just because it is closer, but always choose the airport with the cheapest flight. Transfers from FLL are not too far, so even if there is traffic, you will be fine.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

We like to fly out of FLL the airport is easy to navigate through as are the car rentals and there really is not a big difference in the drive, we've been to both Fort Lauderdale and Miami a bunch of times and the 20-30 minutes is not a big deal. I fussed a bit my first time until my father looked at me and said I'm 75 if I can do it so can you LOL. We flew into FLL and our hotel was Comfort Suites right at MIA so I brought the car rental back and the shuttles were a mess, the terminal is huge you walk forever and the courtesy hotel phones would cut in and out. If my son had not been with me I would have just walked back to the hotel.

 

[OKW Lover]

When we used to live up north we would simply chose between FLL and MIA based on price and flight times. The difference in cost to get to the actual cruise terminal is fairly minor.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We have flown from Chicago to Miami each of the last four years for DCL cruises, and will do so again in January. The first time, we were booked on Southwest into FLL. SW cancelled our flight at the last minute and we had to scramble to get seats on whatever flight was available since they offered few flights from Midway to FLL each day and everything was fully booked. We ended up taking an American flight from O’Hare to MIA, paying the penalty of booking so late in order to make our cruise. However, MIA is an American hub for flights to the Caribbean and South America, so there was a lot of availability, with flights every hour or so. Since then, we always book AA to MIA and stay at one of the many Miami hotels. We always stay at a Hyatt when we can use a family discount, so we’ll be spending two days in Miami prior to our next cruise.

We find the Miami airport to be okay. Easier to navigate than O’Hare and somewhat nicer than Midway (although the ongoing MDW renovations are making significant changes there so that may change). We usually pick up a rental car after our cruises to drive to WDW, and the car rental center has been fine. We Lyft/Uber from the port and use skip the counter service so we can simply walk to the appropriate aisle to pick up a car.