kittysoul Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Hi friends... we have changed our cruise, which was postponed a year... from Harmony-Orlando... to now Aug 2021 Symphony leaving from Miami. I am learning all over again, except a new location. Im sure this has been discussed a lot but I was having trouble finding , so thought I would just ask! First question... should we fly to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale... or does it matter? We would like to fly in 2 days before the cruise and just relax in a nice Miami Hotel that whole day pre-cruise. Any suggestions? I had thought it would be cool to stay in an ocean view room , that is in fairly close proximity to the port and then take an Uber that morning... I saw a youtube video that said to pick a North Miami hotel for this... but when i looked on map, it looked like the port was not in North Miami, but near downtown ... help please... :D Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 We fly into MIA or FLL, whoever has the best rated at the time, transportation from FLL to Miami is reasonably priced. We generally stay near the port, we are very fond of the Doubletree Biscayne Bay. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 We usually fly into FLL from DTW because it is almost always cheaper. We love the Intercontinental Miami, especially the Bay view rooms. That is our go-to hotel when sailing from Miami. When is your August sailing on SY? @WAAAYTOOO and I are both on the 8 nighter in August 2021. Neesa, WAAAYTOOO and kittysoul 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted June 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 So around how much would it cost to UBER or LYFT from FLL over to one of the MIami port hotels? I guess since they are so close, that its not much further than it would be from Miami airport? I have flown into FLL once but never to Miami... I did really like FLL ...very nice and I would imagine that Miami is way more crazy too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted June 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: we are on the 7 day leaving Aug 14 (sat) . My son is really wanting to see Mayan ruins... gonna be HOT lol When is your August sailing on SY? @WAAAYTOOO and I are both on the 8 nighter in August 2021. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 33 minutes ago, kittysoul said: So around how much would it cost to UBER or LYFT from FLL over to one of the MIami port hotels? I guess since they are so close, that its not much further than it would be from Miami airport? I have flown into FLL once but never to Miami... I did really like FLL ...very nice and I would imagine that Miami is way more crazy too? In February we had a private car (Escalade) transport us (4 adults) from FLL to Downtown Miami for $75. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted June 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 7 minutes ago, TXcruzer said: In February we had a private car (Escalade) transport us (4 adults) from FLL to Downtown Miami for $75. thats not bad at all! thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 What do you like to do pre-cruise? If you are a foodie or like the bar scene, Fort Lauderdale's Los Olas district is perfect. Everything is packed in on the two sides of about a mile of Los Olas Blvd. If you like the beach too there are some very nice resort hotels in Fort Lauderdale on 1A1 (the Hyw that runs along the beach), a great bar scene and some good restaurants. There are also some very nice botique hotels a ways back from the beach - It's expensive but cheaper than Miami Beach or South Beach. The Los Olas District is about a 10 minute, $10 Uber or Lyft ride from the beach area. If you like museums, Miami has some of the best in the US. They are scattered around though so, seeing two of them for example will fill up your day. Down town Miami and South Beach can be crazy. It's mostly safe during the day but, like any big city, it has crime. I would not eliminate it on that basis. Just be aware. Fort Lauderdale is much more relaxed, IMO and I live there. If you find noisy, big cities unpleasant, Fort Lauderdale is an upgrade from that. If you're a city dweller now, you won't find it any different than whatever big city you live in or around now. It's easy to get to the Miami Cruise port from Fort Lauderdale via Uber or Lyft. About $55-65 for a regular car depending on the time of day, more for a larger vehicle that you might need if you have a lot of luggage or kids. The best time traffic wise to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Miami Cruise Port is between 11:00am and 12:30pm. Your driver will use the Express lanes. Even those can be a mess before 11:00am or after 1:00pm. A good drive will take about 40 minutes; a miserable one in a lot of south bound traffic, over an hour or more. Think about this. You may arrive later than you'd like to check in but, believe me, you don't want to risk a traffic delay caused by a wreck and at high traffic flow times there are lots of them every day. I'm very familiar with Fort Lauderdale accommodations and restaurants not so much bars. PM me if you think you find something you might like. I'll be glad to give you a personal recommendation. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 1 hour ago, kittysoul said: So around how much would it cost to UBER or LYFT from FLL over to one of the MIami port hotels? The times that we have gone, regular Lyft is around $40 one way. Lyft XL when we had the kids was between $75-80 one way. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 We stay at the Kimpton Epic in Miami. It's right next to the Intercontinental, beautiful, and far less pricey. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alamode123 Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 I've sailed out of Miami twice. Stayed in South beach both times. Amazing atmosphere and food. kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snotarni Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 We fly into Miami and we usually stay at the Sheraton Airport... I think their shuttle was about $20 for the 2 of us to get to the Port. (Free shuttle from the Airport of course) kittysoul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 @JeffB hit it spot on. Depending on what you want from your south Florida experience you may want to consider doing your beachfront stay in Ft. Lauderdale. It can be cheaper and not as a crazy as Miami. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted June 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2020 On 6/21/2020 at 9:16 PM, JeffB said: What do you like to do pre-cruise? If you are a foodie or like the bar scene, Fort Lauderdale's Los Olas district is perfect. Everything is packed in on the two sides of about a mile of Los Olas Blvd. If you like the beach too there are some very nice resort hotels in Fort Lauderdale on 1A1 (the Hyw that runs along the beach), a great bar scene and some good restaurants. There are also some very nice botique hotels a ways back from the beach - It's expensive but cheaper than Miami Beach or South Beach. The Los Olas District is about a 10 minute, $10 Uber or Lyft ride from the beach area. If you like museums, Miami has some of the best in the US. They are scattered around though so, seeing two of them for example will fill up your day. Down town Miami and South Beach can be crazy. It's mostly safe during the day but, like any big city, it has crime. I would not eliminate it on that basis. Just be aware. Fort Lauderdale is much more relaxed, IMO and I live there. If you find noisy, big cities unpleasant, Fort Lauderdale is an upgrade from that. If you're a city dweller now, you won't find it any different than whatever big city you live in or around now. It's easy to get to the Miami Cruise port from Fort Lauderdale via Uber or Lyft. About $55-65 for a regular car depending on the time of day, more for a larger vehicle that you might need if you have a lot of luggage or kids. The best time traffic wise to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Miami Cruise Port is between 11:00am and 12:30pm. Your driver will use the Express lanes. Even those can be a mess before 11:00am or after 1:00pm. A good drive will take about 40 minutes; a miserable one in a lot of south bound traffic, over an hour or more. Think about this. You may arrive later than you'd like to check in but, believe me, you don't want to risk a traffic delay caused by a wreck and at high traffic flow times there are lots of them every day. I'm very familiar with Fort Lauderdale accommodations and restaurants not so much bars. PM me if you think you find something you might like. I'll be glad to give you a personal recommendation. thanks so much for the great info! You have given us a lot to chew on and I have nothing to do but chew for the next year, while we wait, lol! i know that we want to avoid traffic and south beach, but we really are undecided beyond that... I will definitely use your great info to look at the options now and make a decision. thanks again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittysoul Posted June 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2020 On 6/22/2020 at 11:08 AM, AshleyDillo said: @JeffB hit it spot on. Depending on what you want from your south Florida experience you may want to consider doing your beachfront stay in Ft. Lauderdale. It can be cheaper and not as a crazy as Miami. yes, this is a wonderful idea and I am so glad he mentioned that..i had not thought of that... You guys all ROCK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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