Fort Lauderdale Hotels

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 hours ago, JLMoran said:

And then there's the slight hassle of following Matt's advice to drop the rest of the family at the port first, then drive the car back to the rental agency, and then take their shuttle back to the port. I want to be in the port at the same time as everyone else, dang it! Why do they get to "ooh" and "ahh" and ogle the ship while I have to do administrative work?!? 

It's cause you are the planner.  The planner does all the research, goes over all the fine details, runs over the entire trip multiple times in his/her head, knows every detail, ensures that everyone has a stress free and seamless vacation while everyone else in your travel party enjoys and reaps the benefits of your careful planning.  Then, they go home and brag about what a wonderful vacation they had and how easy going it was not having a single clue how it all happened in the first place.  So yea...you're the planner...as am I...aka "the genie" lol

[DocLC]

@JLMoran if you drop the car off before 10, you won't have a problem. We dropped the car off at the airport shortly after 9 and shared the shuttle with just one other couple. After 10 until about 1, it becomes a madhouse, so it really just depends on how early you want to get to the port. 

[JLMoran]

@DocLC, I don't know what voodoo you used to get a car rental rate of only $20, but I'm not seeing anything remotely near that. I just checked Avis, Hertz, Budget, and Enterprise; and they're all charging about the same rate: For our pre-cruise time, where we'd pick up the car at 7 PM on Mar 28 and return it at 9:30 AM on Mar 31, they all want about $65 per day for a Standard sedan, and about $70 for a Full Size. And that's with the AARP discount that Avis and Budget offer.

At that rate, going with Lyft or even the hotel shuttle is going to be far less expensive overall.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Our one-way car rental from Hertz was $65/day.

[DocLC]

@JLMoran I booked it about 36 hours before, do it could have been a last minute deal. But that said, I've also booked a one week rental from MCO to MIA for $100 plus tax. 

Try Costco Travel if you're a member and also try autoslash.com as they keep repricing the rental up until the day of your rental. I also don't book any prepaid rentals so that I can keep pricing and also book early and then change.