Ft. Lauderdale/Miami - info/hotels

[Newbie123]

Hello! We just booked our first Disney cruise for next January, and we will be sailing out of Miami. We plan on flying into Ft. Lauderdale the day before our cruise departs (free southwest flight with points we've stored up) and getting a hotel in Miami for that night.

So, a few questions:
1. Does anyone have any suggestions for transportation from Fort Lauderdale to Miami? There will be 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 kids (9 & 5)
2. Suggestions for hotels in Miami? I see that some offer free transportation to the port, which seems like a nice perk.
3. I'm not at all familiar with Miami, so any suggestions of things to do or the best/most convenient places to stay would be great! If we can make it to the beach, the kids would love it I'm sure, but they would also be set if there is a hotel pool
4. I'm open to any other suggestions/info you may have, especially if you've done the trip from FLL to Miami and needed to get to the port. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the logistics, but I'm sure it will fall into place.

Thanks so much!

 

[BCV23]

Hi Newbie123. I just bumped up an old thread with info on Miami. I always have trouble finding this FAQ. Some info may be outdated but hope you find it helpful. Happy sailing.

 

[Newbie123]

Hi Newbie123. I just bumped up an old thread with info on Miami. I always have trouble finding this FAQ. Some info may be outdated but hope you find it helpful. Happy sailing.

Awesome, I'll check it out-thanks!

 

[runnerchick]

Hi! We flew to FLL and stayed at the Cambria Suites the night before our cruise. Cambria had a van that picked us up at FLL. The hotel was nice and we had dinner there. In the morning, we used SAS Transportation to get to the port - they dropped us off right at the Disney Wonder! SAS was AWESOME!!! They called to confirm and made sure we knew what time they would pick us up. Comfortable ride and very reliable. We used them the day we got back into port and SAS picked us up and drove us to FLL. They made it very easy and provided excellent written instructions in an email so we knew exactly what to expect - where to meet them and the times (which they did call and confirm!). HAVE A BLAST!

 

[anricat]

We sailed out of Miami in October and flew into FLL so the trip report in my signature may be relevant to your interests.

1. Does anyone have any suggestions for transportation from Fort Lauderdale to Miami? There will be 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 kids (9 & 5)

We used SAS Transport and we were mostly happy with them. I felt like the driver on the way back from the port to FLL was a little speedier than I would have cared for, but they were timely and the price was right. There's another company that I believe provides free car seats. I don't recall the name, but you should be able to Google it. If you need a seat for your 5 year old, that may be worth it (we used a Bubble Bum).

2. Suggestions for hotels in Miami? I see that some offer free transportation to the port, which seems like a nice perk.

Even if they don't, taxi from downtown Miami to port is like $10-15 if I remember correctly.

3. I'm not at all familiar with Miami, so any suggestions of things to do or the best/most convenient places to stay would be great! If we can make it to the beach, the kids would love it I'm sure, but they would also be set if there is a hotel pool

We stayed at the Intercontinental. We flew into FLL in the afternoon and got to the hotel and checked in and only had a couple of hours before dinner so we went across the street to the park and played at the playground there. Then we went to the nearby Bayside mall and walked around before dinner.

4. I'm open to any other suggestions/info you may have, especially if you've done the trip from FLL to Miami and needed to get to the port. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the logistics, but I'm sure it will fall into place.

It will. It was very very simple. Honestly, I would just get on hotwire and tell it you're willing to stay at any hotel in downtown and then pick the highest star rating within your budget and book it. We did this and ended up paying $89 for the Intercontinental and it was great. But the other options it said were possibilities were all great (all were 4 star hotels).