WDW to Ft Lauderdale for a Cruise

[dsnydaddy]

Booked a Dream cruise out of Ft Lauderdale and was considering a pre cruise stay at our DVC resort. I had originally been planning to take the train to the cruise port but saw some YouTubers who said that they got a good deal renting a car one-way. Then either rent the car one way back to MCO or fly back home from Ft Lauderdale. Has anyone priced this out and is it worth it to go rental car vs train? What about the convenience factor?

 

[OKW Lover]

Some good questions here. The price will depend a bit on how many people and when you are traveling. You will have to do the calculations yourself. Keep in mind that the train pricing is per person, while a rental car will carry a family at whatever the price point is.

Convenience is in the eye of the beholder. Is it easier to just get in the car at your resort and drive the 3.5 hours to Ft Lauderdale? Or is it easier to get to the train station at MCO by ride share or bus and then train to Ft Lauderdale? Either way you'll need a way to get from either the car rental place or the train station to the port.

 

[dsnydaddy]

You are right the more people the higher price the train will be. There is only two of us. But looks like the rental car one way will be about $100. Whereas the train fare looks to be about $300 for the two of us. And that’s just one way! So on the surface looks like a much better deal to just rent the car but I want to make sure that I’m not missing anything on the calculation.

 

[mmouse37]

Not sure which car rental company you were planning on using but there is an Avis rental car office on Miami Road which is very close to the Ft. Lauderdale port. We rented a car for our FLL cruise on the Dream (picked up at the FLL airport) for 2 nights before our cruise and it seemed to be the closest to the port I could find. We were going to take the rental office complimentary shuttle to the port but when we dropped off the car there was at least 30 people waiting to get on the bus that wasn't even there yet. I knew it would be a long time before we got to the port so I just ordered an Uber from the rental office. Easy Peasy. We were on our way before the shuttle bus even got back to the office. We did this in January.

https://www.avis.com/en/locations/u...486602&ARCIATA=0103202Q&clickref=1100lyCSkzMF

Also, if you are a Costco member I have found them to be the least expensive consistently over the years for our car rentals. You can book online at the Costco site under their travel section, then rental car section. Easy matrix for comparing prices.

MJ

 

[dsnydaddy]

Not sure which car rental company you were planning on using but there is an Avis rental car office on Miami Road which is very close to the Ft. Lauderdale port. We rented a car for our FLL cruise on the Dream (picked up at the FLL airport) for 2 nights before our cruise and it seemed to be the closest to the port I could find. We were going to take the rental office complimentary shuttle to the port but when we dropped off the car there was at least 30 people waiting to get on the bus that wasn't even there yet. I knew it would be a long time before we got to the port so I just ordered an Uber from the rental office. Easy Peasy. We were on our way before the shuttle bus even got back to the office. We did this in January.

https://www.avis.com/en/locations/us/fl/fort-lauderdale/qf1?utm_source=partnerize&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=affinityglobal-1011l75-defaultlink-evergreen30&utm_content=Display/Media-0-D486602-affdefault&AWD_NUMBER=D486602&ARCIATA=0103202Q&clickref=1100lyCSkzMF

Also, if you are a Costco member I have found them to be the least expensive consistently over the years for our car rentals. You can book online at the Costco site under their travel section, then rental car section. Easy matrix for comparing prices.

MJ

Thanks! Good to know about Avis! And I’ve never used Costco before. I’ll have to try that!

 

[mmouse37]

Thanks! Good to know about Avis! And I’ve never used Costco before. I’ll have to try that!

Price some rentals out at their rental sites and then compare to Costco's site. Costco also includes an extra driver for free. Happy planning! Oh, and keep checking as the prices change all the time. Costco lets you book and then rebook and cancel without penalties. I often save even more money by checking every few days or so.

MJ

 

[SteveMouse]

Do factor in gas, tolls, and parking if staying in a hotel that charges parking.

Brightline often has discounts. Amtrak is another rail choice.

The Fort Lauderdale airport is adjacent to Port Everglades. It is important to note that the airport car rental outfits DO NOT offer free shuttles to Port Everglades. There are separate locations to serve the port for some (notably Avis and Enterprise).

 

[Gatorbuff]

Booked a Dream cruise out of Ft Lauderdale and was considering a pre cruise stay at our DVC resort. I had originally been planning to take the train to the cruise port but saw some YouTubers who said that they got a good deal renting a car one-way. Then either rent the car one way back to MCO or fly back home from Ft Lauderdale. Has anyone priced this out and is it worth it to go rental car vs train? What about the convenience factor?

If u download the brightline app they will send u sale pricing. The pricing changes frequently. We just rode that route for a cruise for 39.00 per person. It was a great trip.

 

[auntlynne]

Convenience, overall, is probably car. Less loading, unloading, sitting around and waiting.

The train means you don’t have the stress of traffic.

I have enjoyed Brightline for runs between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Everything about them seems shiny and new, with smiling faces.

I also like the Delta Terminal at FLL. Remodeled, very manageable. Lines can be long. Pre helped and unlike MCO, was actually a short line.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We’ve done a number of cruises using the Port of Miami, followed by a WDW stay. Always just the two of us traveling. We’ve picked up a rental car at the airport, driven to WDW and dropped it off at the Car Care Center at WDW. That supports Alamo-Enterprise-National. Typical cost for the rental has been less than $100 including gas and tolls plus the cost of getting from the port to the car rental center if we chose to use ride share rather than a shuttle. Rentals from WDW to cruise port would work similarly, in my opinion. I would expect the situation to be similar in Port Everglades except for being a shorter drive and car rental drop off at the airport would not have a shuttle option. There is an Enterprise location near the port with a shuttle.

We prefer renting a car because it makes our luggage handling simpler. We usually cruise with two wheeled checked bags along with carry ons. At the airport, we either rent one of the hand luggage carts or use a porter. Managing the luggage for the train seems more challenging than simply putting it into the trunk of a car and unloading same at the other end.

 

[dsnydaddy]

We’ve done a number of cruises using the Port of Miami, followed by a WDW stay. Always just the two of us traveling. We’ve picked up a rental car at the airport, driven to WDW and dropped it off at the Car Care Center at WDW. That supports Alamo-Enterprise-National. Typical cost for the rental has been less than $100 including gas and tolls plus the cost of getting from the port to the car rental center if we chose to use ride share rather than a shuttle. Rentals from WDW to cruise port would work similarly, in my opinion. I would expect the situation to be similar in Port Everglades except for being a shorter drive and car rental drop off at the airport would not have a shuttle option. There is an Enterprise location near the port with a shuttle.

We prefer renting a car because it makes our luggage handling simpler. We usually cruise with two wheeled checked bags along with carry ons. At the airport, we either rent one of the hand luggage carts or use a porter. Managing the luggage for the train seems more challenging than simply putting it into the trunk of a car and unloading same at the other end.

Yeah, this is really looking like the way to go. I was even thinking that I might be able to arrange flight into MCO for the WDW stay and then out of Ft Lauderdale for the trip home. Might save a few $$ that way too.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

Booked a Dream cruise out of Ft Lauderdale and was considering a pre cruise stay at our DVC resort. I had originally been planning to take the train to the cruise port but saw some YouTubers who said that they got a good deal renting a car one-way. Then either rent the car one way back to MCO or fly back home from Ft Lauderdale. Has anyone priced this out and is it worth it to go rental car vs train? What about the convenience factor?

as has been said, price subject to change... the cost and convenience depends on how many, when I priced it out for my family of five adults cost favored renting a car even when I parked it at the cruise terminal. For me the convenience was the driving factor (pun intended)... I hate standing in line or waiting for some ride service.. plus the anxiety associated with trying to time that right. By renting I just had to do that on pick up and drop off. In between I was free to come and go as I pleased, including any side trips to check out different places or restaurants. So for my family of five it was no brainer, rent

Having said that, the economics when it's only two can favor the patience route (train) if you get sales on the tickets. I have been considering that for our next couples cruise just because we do like traveling by train and brightline looks cool.