Port Everglades Surprises: just off Dream

[jujubiee4]

So taxis are charging 30 and not running meter? A coworker sailed in November and told me the same
thing. She said Uber line was too long so they used a taxi. My sister n law said they paid 18 plus tip
in October. Maybe prices went up? We plan on using Uber so I hope it isn't too long of a wait.

 

[OKW Lover]

There are a lot of reports about security checks entering the port and some are conflicting. I think there are reasons for this including:

1. There is more than one entrance to the port, each of which has a different security setup
2. Security procedures change, sometimes randomly, based on MARSEC (maritime security) levels
3. Each security agent has some amount of flexibility in how they do their duties.

 

[travellingwithnikki]

Taxi from the port to FLL airport was $15 plus tip for us last month.

 

[dwg]

Yikes I wonder what happened! We sailed on the 12/2 and did not get searched coming in or out of the port. We had rented a car through Avis so we used their shuttle both in and out, but if they were checking taxis I'd think they would check us too. Both ways were quick, though out took an extra 5 min or so due to traffic.

As an aside, did your sailing have any issues with a stomach virus..? Folk were dropping like flies on ours. Everyone assumed it was motion sickness the first night as the ship was rocking but every day more and more people were struck with a horrible bug. Some were saying food poisoning, others noro, and others just a bug. The only difference we noticed was they started having folk check their own trivia answers - they didn't start serving us in Cabanas so I assume we were under whatever threshold kicks that into gear. My husband and I escaped unscathed but I was hoping they scrubbed her down extra well for you all! The carolers only performed once, their further times in the guide were cancelled and disappeared.

I guess we should feel lucky, we were on the same sailing and had no idea that people were getting sick. We were boring, LOL We only ate in cabanas for breakfast and we got there before it got crowded We ate lunch out on deck 11, mostly chicken nuggets except for a PALO Brunch. We only did self serve ice cream on the ship once. The self service ice cream on Lookout Cay was so much better. It tasted like real soft serve ice cream. Since this was our 17th cruise and have seen the shows we didn't go to the shows either. We also had a private table for dinner for the 2 of us. We just basically spent our time relaxing the entire cruise and staying away from crowds.

The only issue we had was that they were testing the sprinkler system by pressurizing the pipes which caused the sprinkler head in our stateroom to leak a little for a couple of hours each time they tested the system.

 

[swimfin]

I was on the Dec 7th 5 night … I didn’t hear of any stomach issues.

 

[professorandmom]

There isn’t a flat taxi rate between Port Everglades and any South Florida airport- Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or West Palm Beach. There are no flat rates from PortMiami, either.

To clarify, the port worker who directed us to the Taxi area explained it was a flat rate...our mistake to think that our taxi driver knew that

 

[PrincessShmoo]

security at the port was very surprising. I've sailed from Port Canaveral, Miami and New York but never seen all cars searched and IDs checked before entering the port (not the terminal, the whole port).

cars are searched leaving the terminal.

We just returned from Ft Lauderdale (not on Disney, however). We took a taxi from our precruise hotel to port and it wasn't searched, but driver had to show ID to get into port. Returning, taxi went directly through the gate to airport, wasn't stopped.

IMO, the Ft Lauderdale is a much busier port (with cargo ships as well as cruise ships), maybe they do spot checks to keep things honest.

When we arrive at the airport the taxi driver only wanted cash and charged $30...turns out that's not the flat rate. So, we overpaid...but at least we were at the airport.

There is a flat rate. We paid $25 (the Ft Lauderdale airport has an airport usage fee) typically added to taxi fare), but we had no luggage. Seems to me the $30 was fair, if you had bags.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Any hotel touting close to the cruise ships location doesn't mean all that much.
We've been real close walking distance and maybe it'll mean less cab/shuttle/rideshare fare, but walking to the ship isn't allowed.

Always without fail a chaotic time getting transportation to the ship.
Even when pre-registered with a shuttle. Never goes smoothly. Over-booked, late, confusing passenger list,, always something.

Lots of fake rideshare people, fake cabs and fare shenanigans.

We've sailed out of most, if not all Disney Ports and never experience the nonsense that we get in PE.

But once arrived,, getting aboard the ship is a breeze, Disney really handles that well. Always excellent, pleasant and welcoming, part of the fun.

 

[sjuncfan]

Any hotel touting close to the cruise ships location doesn't mean all that much.
We've been real close walking distance and maybe it'll mean less cab/shuttle/rideshare fare, but walking to the ship isn't allowed.

Always without fail a chaotic time getting transportation to the ship.
Even when pre-registered with a shuttle. Never goes smoothly. Over-booked, late, confusing passenger list,, always something.

Lots of fake rideshare people, fake cabs and fare shenanigans.

We've sailed out of most, if not all Disney Ports and never experience the nonsense that we get in PE.

But once arrived,, getting aboard the ship is a breeze, Disney really handles that well. Always excellent, pleasant and welcoming, part of the fun.

We walked to and from the port last December - from the Embassy Suites to embark (which was quick and easy) and to the Marriott after we disembarked (which was hot and miserable). We weren't in a hurry either way and when we got off the Dream it seemed like an uber or cab was going to take forever so we hoofed it. I wouldn't necessarily recommend walking, especially to the beach hotels, but at least as of a year ago it was allowed.

 

[Lesverts]

Sailed out of FE at least a half dozen times. Never had issues getting a taxi/rideshare/shuttle. From the Celebrity terminal there isn’t even a rideshare staging area. You just put in your terminal and it will pick you up where the location is set. Also every taxi ride was metered with the airport fee explained. They may have changed it to flat since. But it was not the last time I used one.

Mileage can vary depending on how many ships are changing over. More ships more pressure on ride shares/cabs. And I assume different terminals are set up in different ways depending on the curbside situation at each terminal. The Celebrity main and auxiliary terminals are different. I’d assume the same would be the case for the other lines that have multiple terminals in use.

 

[TooBoyz4us]

Not to encourage your heebie Jeebies but better to wash hands again after getting your food. Hand sanitizer unfortunately does not work on Norovirus

Great reminder! Thankyou!

 

[Momofmany2and4legs]

I disembarked yesterday from a 5 night Dream. This was my 8th cruise but first out of Port Everglades. I thought I did a fair amount of research but found a few surprises that I haven't seen posted. Of course your experiences may be very different. Our family: DSIL 34, DD24, DGD4 and DGD 1, me, the grandma

We flew in the night before and stayed at the (under renovation) Residence Inn. It was fine

1. security at the port was very surprising. I've sailed from Port Canaveral, Miami and New York but never seen all cars searched and IDs checked before entering the port (not the terminal, the whole port). I found I didn't factor in the time. Essentially the 10 minute ride took almost an hour! I had an 11:15 port arrival time and didn't arrive until after 12. Part of the problem: We ordered an uber XL but the car did not fit five adults and luggage so I had to try to get another uber...but by that time ubers were hard to get...after about 5 cancellations I was panicking. Eventually I got assigned someone who showed. Anyway, I was separated from my family as I waited.

2. cars are searched leaving the terminal. Luckily this was a bit faster than arrival but if you have an early flight, factor in the security searches.

3. When disembarking we faced a decision: try again with uber (and join the throng of people at the uber pick up area) or go with a cab that we could be sure would fit. We decided to use a taxi. HUGE problem because the taxi dispatch person wanted us in a cab fast and the first car - a Tahoe we were assigned to had a HUGE cooler in the back and wouldn't fit our luggage. The dispatcher was very frustrated with us that we needed another vehicle. It was awful trying to keep a 4 year old from being hit by double rows of cabs.

4. When we arrive at the airport the taxi driver only wanted cash and charged $30...turns out that's not the flat rate. So, we overpaid...but at least we were at the airport.

I hope you find Port Everglades easier to navigate

Just a hunch but I'm guessing with all of the recent world and domestic events...within the past 3 weeks or so...... security everywhere is ramped up.