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Parking and luggage drop off questions Port Everglades


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I'll be sailing on Independence in April from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. I'll be leaving my car at Park N Go.  Is it better to drop off my family and all luggage at the terminal before parking at Park n Go and have them wait for me while I park and ride the shuttle bus back, or better to go straight to Park n Go with whole family and all luggage?  It will be me, my wife, and 2 teenage kids.  Thanks.

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We use Park n Go too. 2 of us, 4 bags. Park n Go first, they load us up and drop us off at terminal, porters are right there for your luggage. Never had a problem.  That way we're always together, along with our bags. When you come back, pick up is easy too. Porters will take your bags to Park n Go's shuttle. You get dropped off right at your vehicle. Don't forget to tip if able. 

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I recommend dropping off first.  These shuttles often use a trailer for the luggage so you have to load all of that in and then wait for the shuttle to be full with passengers.  You don't have to worry about your luggage if you drop it off before you park.  Your wife and teenagers can even go check in and sit and wait for you in the air conditioned terminal if they are comfortable with that.  Otherwise they'll be outside -- it is covered and shaded, though.

It may take a while for you to return because of the wait for the shuttle to be full and all the loading of the luggage and such.  For this reason alone I always suggest it isn't really worth the $ savings to park offsite if you have others waiting on you.  Port Everglades also has a security checkpoint for driving into the terminal where everyone has to show their IDs and SetSail passes AND the driver has to show his license.  Your kids and wife may be waiting quite a bit for you to return.

After the cruise you also have to wait for the shuttle and have it be loaded and potentially it be too full, so you have to wait for it to return.  It's so worth the $ to just save that hassle and park at the port so you can hop in your car and drive home.

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2 hours ago, plasticmaster said:

Thanks Matt.  What's the benefit?  Does it save time?  Less hassle?

Saves time. The car rental shuttle back to the port is usually very popular, but easier to stick a person in there than more luggage.

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1 hour ago, plasticmaster said:

In all honesty, I could drop my family and luggage at the terminal, park car at Park n Go, and walk back to terminal. It's only a 1 mile walk and I walk further than this for exercise before work every morning anyway.  Anyone else done this?

You will be denied entry into the port. I’ve tried, I live 1/4 mile from the entrance and it’s a homeland security issue.

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1 hour ago, tonyfsu21 said:

You will be denied entry into the port. I’ve tried, I live 1/4 mile from the entrance and it’s a homeland security issue.

This is the hassle. We use PNG also and they are very efficient even with a large group. Drive in they unload luggage to their bus and off you go. They drive straight through the Home land security check point and drop you and the family at the luggage drop area. When you return there is usually a bus sitting waiting for you. 

The way you are looking at doing the drop off and check in will take more time. PNG are very good at what they do.

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10 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

This is the hassle. We use PNG also and they are very efficient even with a large group. Drive in they unload luggage to their bus and off you go. They drive straight through the Home land security check point and drop you and the family at the luggage drop area. When you return there is usually a bus sitting waiting for you. 

The way you are looking at doing the drop off and check in will take more time. PNG are very good at what they do.

How do they bypass the Homeland Security Checkpoint at the Eisenhower entry? Everyone has to present ID, cruise ticket & passport. I would imagine an entire bus load would be time consuming. As for walking in (as the OP stated), it’s not possible as the Port is secure and there are petroleum assets and critical infrastructure to contend with. It’s much easier just to drive your vehicle in and park it next to the ship (see pic):

1BE2A436-206B-4B60-B134-2D7A1F635BBA.jpeg

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I'll be heading there in November and was considering parking the terminal, but I'll be at terminal 29 and everything I read states to use the mid-point parking garage. After reading all the above info, I assume I should entry the port, drop off luggage and then park the car. However, the garage is not located near the terminal. Does anyone know, are there shuttle buses to get you back to the terminal? And is it a huge hassle after the cruise to be picked up and taken back to garage? Since parking at the port isn't as convenient as it would be for other ships, should I just use PNG? I appreciate any advice! Thanks!

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12 minutes ago, D_Hubb said:

I'll be heading there in November and was considering parking the terminal, but I'll be at terminal 29 and everything I read states to use the mid-point parking garage. After reading all the above info, I assume I should entry the port, drop off luggage and then park the car. However, the garage is not located near the terminal. Does anyone know, are there shuttle buses to get you back to the terminal? And is it a huge hassle after the cruise to be picked up and taken back to garage? Since parking at the port isn't as convenient as it would be for other ships, should I just use PNG? I appreciate any advice! Thanks!

I use Park n Go and recommend them. They park your car load and unload your luggage. No waiting take you right to your car.

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2 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

How do they bypass the Homeland Security Checkpoint at the Eisenhower entry? Everyone has to present ID, cruise ticket & passport. I would imagine an entire bus load would be time consuming. As for walking in (as the OP stated), it’s not possible as the Port is secure and there are petroleum assets and critical infrastructure to contend with. It’s much easier just to drive your vehicle in and park it next to the ship (see pic):

1BE2A436-206B-4B60-B134-2D7A1F635BBA.jpeg

They do not bypass perse but have their own lane. In other words they do not get in the lane with the cars. The bus pulls up and shows a pass or something but we have never pulled any paper work out to show the check point. 

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