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Ever Fly to Fort Myers for Cruising out of Port Everglades or Miami?


Iluv4n6

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Some new airline options are opening up for those of us in the north-woods (e.g., Green Bay) for direct flights to new places in FL this winter.  One of the options I just saw was on Sun Country direct to Fort Myers.  The price is compellingly low (compared to the cost for flights to FLL or MIA) so it warrants serious consideration for a 6-member family cruise vacation this Feb on Oasis out of Miami.  The arriving flight would come in an couple extra days ahead of time.  So we would roll the dice and take our covid tests at the hotel after we arrive in FL.  The trickiest part would be getting from Miami to Fort Myers for a 3:35 PM flight on disembarkation day.  Flixbus departs from Miami Airport at either 9:00 AM (arrive Ft Myers @ 11:20 AM) or 12:00 PM (arrive Fort Myers @ 2:30 PM).  This seems kind of tight either getting us all off the ship and to the MIA airport bus stop before 9:00 AM, or for the later option getting from the bus terminal in Fort Myers to the Fort Myers airport ASAP.  I would guess that the early option on disembarkation day would be the only one to consider, and that would mean self assist for every one.  On the plus side, Oasis is scheduled to dock back in Miami at 6:00 AM. 

Seems probably too far for Uber/Lyft.  I haven't researched any other transportation services between MIA and Fort Myers so far other than Flixbus.  Larry's Limos?

Although we likely will opt for a more expensive flight to either FLL or MIA that would make for easier connections, Sun Country probably could save us ~$1,000+ in airline cost for our family group. 

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions from bloggers who may have flown in/out of Fort Myers for their cruise vacation.

  

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Yes, we have family in Cape Coral and flown into Fort Myers frequently.  It's an easy drive (or ride to Miami) of 2 to 2.5 hours.  The bus ride would add a layer of difficulty to your trip but seems feasible if you arrive on time and have no delays.

We have rented a car but rental rates are still pretty high so we may try Uber or Lyft for our February cruise.  The uber fare may be competitive with your 6 person bus fare as long as you can get all 6 people and luggage in one vehicle.  We always carry our bags off ship for a speedy exit.

Another good thing about Fort Myers is that the airport is smaller and flights tend to be less expensive.

 

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The issue with these low-cost carriers is their limited schedule. If the only flight that would work is days before the cruise, if anything happens with that flight you will be scrambling for last minute airfare for the whole family. Gives you plenty of time to deal with a delay but if they flat out cancel the flight you might be out a pretty penny.

Have you looked into pricing a one way rental from Miami to Ft. Myers? It would give you more control over the time. It's about a 2.5 hour drive without stops.  Several of the rental car companies out of the Miami airport have complimentary shuttles that pick up at Port of Miami too.

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2 hours ago, Iluv4n6 said:

Some new airline options are opening up for those of us in the north-woods (e.g., Green Bay) for direct flights to new places in FL this winter.  One of the options I just saw was on Sun Country direct to Fort Myers.  The price is compellingly low (compared to the cost for flights to FLL or MIA) so it warrants serious consideration for a 6-member family cruise vacation this Feb on Oasis out of Miami.  The arriving flight would come in an couple extra days ahead of time.  So we would roll the dice and take our covid tests at the hotel after we arrive in FL.  The trickiest part would be getting from Miami to Fort Myers for a 3:35 PM flight on disembarkation day.  Flixbus departs from Miami Airport at either 9:00 AM (arrive Ft Myers @ 11:20 AM) or 12:00 PM (arrive Fort Myers @ 2:30 PM).  This seems kind of tight either getting us all off the ship and to the MIA airport bus stop before 9:00 AM, or for the later option getting from the bus terminal in Fort Myers to the Fort Myers airport ASAP.  I would guess that the early option on disembarkation day would be the only one to consider, and that would mean self assist for every one.  On the plus side, Oasis is scheduled to dock back in Miami at 6:00 AM. 

Seems probably too far for Uber/Lyft.  I haven't researched any other transportation services between MIA and Fort Myers so far other than Flixbus.  Larry's Limos?

Although we likely will opt for a more expensive flight to either FLL or MIA that would make for easier connections, Sun Country probably could save us ~$1,000+ in airline cost for our family group. 

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions from bloggers who may have flown in/out of Fort Myers for their cruise vacation.

  

Our daughter lives in Naples.  In Oct we flew down prior to cruising out of Miami.  We flew into FLL rented a car for a week to drive to Naples and then dropped it off in MIA.  It was not cheap ($600).  FLL to Naples is 105 mins. and Naples to MIA is 100 mins.  Uber/Lift is not realistic in price.  No good Limo service between either.  Your best bet is probably to rent a car in Ft. Meyers and park at the port and drive back to Ft Meyers.  You should get a better weekly rate and it is much cheap to rent in the west coast of FL vs. FLL or MIA. 

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2 hours ago, Iluv4n6 said:

Some new airline options are opening up for those of us in the north-woods (e.g., Green Bay) for direct flights to new places in FL this winter.  One of the options I just saw was on Sun Country direct to Fort Myers.  The price is compellingly low (compared to the cost for flights to FLL or MIA) so it warrants serious consideration for a 6-member family cruise vacation this Feb on Oasis out of Miami.  The arriving flight would come in an couple extra days ahead of time.  So we would roll the dice and take our covid tests at the hotel after we arrive in FL.  The trickiest part would be getting from Miami to Fort Myers for a 3:35 PM flight on disembarkation day.  Flixbus departs from Miami Airport at either 9:00 AM (arrive Ft Myers @ 11:20 AM) or 12:00 PM (arrive Fort Myers @ 2:30 PM).  This seems kind of tight either getting us all off the ship and to the MIA airport bus stop before 9:00 AM, or for the later option getting from the bus terminal in Fort Myers to the Fort Myers airport ASAP.  I would guess that the early option on disembarkation day would be the only one to consider, and that would mean self assist for every one.  On the plus side, Oasis is scheduled to dock back in Miami at 6:00 AM. 

Seems probably too far for Uber/Lyft.  I haven't researched any other transportation services between MIA and Fort Myers so far other than Flixbus.  Larry's Limos?

Although we likely will opt for a more expensive flight to either FLL or MIA that would make for easier connections, Sun Country probably could save us ~$1,000+ in airline cost for our family group. 

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions from bloggers who may have flown in/out of Fort Myers for their cruise vacation.

  

I’m all for saving money when you can, but in this situation I think you may be risking too much. If any delay were to occur either with the ship or traffic you are really pushing it to get between the points in time.  The way I look at it for our trips is that we want our vacations to be as stress free as possible and I wouldn’t invite this extra stress point into my vacation.  If the port was closer to the airport,  Anne it would work out, but a lot can happen on the highway that you have no control over and this is a long enough drive or bus ride that it’s too risky for me.

 

we also look at the total cost of everything when we decide. Sure we may pay more for the flight, but is that offset by cheaper transfer options to and from the port? 
 

I make a spreadsheet that lists all the combinations of each item and then we can see which is the cheapest option and generally that’s what we go with.

I had a hard time getting some other travelers to understand that while one cruise cost was more expensive than another one, flights and such we’re cheaper to that port and overall the total cost of the vacation was cheaper.  It’s all a balancing act and each family has to figure out which is best for them.

good luck.

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Until the Covid shut downs, I flew in and out of Ft Myers every week near enough. I live about 40 miles north of there.  That being said I would not fly in on a budget airline, nor on the same day of cruise to allow for delays and cancellations. 

Technically it is under 3 hours to either Port Everglades, or Port Miami. However, there are always unpredictable surprises such as an overturned tanker on I-75 which happened today. So if you are flying into RSW, plan on doing it at least 24 hours ahead.

In your situation, I would choose the additional costs of flyng into Miami or Ft Lauderdale if only for peace of mind and less hassle.

 

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1 hour ago, Andy & Sheryl Unwin said:

Until the Covid shut downs, I flew in and out of Ft Myers every week near enough. I live about 40 miles north of there.  That being said I would not fly in on a budget airline, nor on the same day of cruise to allow for delays and cancellations. 

Technically it is under 3 hours to either Port Everglades, or Port Miami. However, there are always unpredictable surprises such as an overturned tanker on I-75 which happened today. So if you are flying into RSW, plan on doing it at least 24 hours ahead.

In your situation, I would choose the additional costs of flyng into Miami or Ft Lauderdale if only for peace of mind and less hassle.

 

Thanks all for your feedback!  We may consider Ft Myers to fly in/out of on a future cruise vacation with embarkation in S FL, and when the available flights give us more cushion on the front and back end to not be scrambling to make any connections.   I also can appreciate the potential problem of having the *budget* airline cancel the only flight they have for the week, besides my main concern of simply being able to transport the family with a decent cushion. 

But if I see a good rental car option/price from Fort Myers, I may still be tempted to roll the dice.  😜 

  

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13 minutes ago, Iluv4n6 said:

Thanks all for your feedback!  We may consider Ft Myers to fly in/out of on a future cruise vacation with embarkation in S FL, and when the available flights give us more cushion on the front and back end to not be scrambling to make any connections.   I also can appreciate the potential problem of having the *budget* airline cancel the only flight they have for the week, besides my main concern of simply being able to transport the family with a decent cushion. 

But if I see a good rental car option/price from Fort Myers, I may still be tempted to roll the dice.  😜 

  

One thing I would consider if you choose to fly into RSW (other than arriving at least a day ahead) is the alternative routes of either State Route 80, or US-41 (Tamiami Trail). Its good to know there is a backup should I-75 be shut down.

 

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