What to do when it's over in Ft Lauderdale

[bradandmorgansdad]

My fiance and I don't fly out until 9 PM after our cruise is over.  Any suggestions for low key things to do in Ft. Lauderdale when we get back from our cruise?  Maybe a beach day or something like that.

[antarec]

I second this question for my next cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. I didn't plan ahead and waited at FLL for 7hrs after my recent cruise hoping there would be a good amount of food/drink options to keep us company  ---  quickly learned FLL before the the security checkpoint has slim food/drink options. 

Next time I will make sure to get an earlier flight or use the RCCL Luggage Valet service--there is a small fee $20-$25, but WELL worth it. That enables you to get off the ship and take a cab/Uber/Lyft to any place to kill time and not worry about your luggages. 

I was on the Harmony OTS, you'll get this Luggage Valet info on Day 3 or 4...its only a select amount of airlines, however.

[DocLC]

Consider renting a car and perhaps head to Holiday Park for an airboat tour of the Everglades. 

[tonyfsu21]

Take an Uber to Fort Lauderdale beach. Lots of food & drink options. Everyone on Sat & Sun has baggage in tow so you won’t look silly with your luggage. 

[PJquilts]

We just had that exact scenario last Sunday. We decided to do the hop on hop off tour of Miami. Although it was well done and transportation and luggage issues went off without a hitch, I would not recommend it. We were exhausted by 5:00. You really need to be on the top level of the bus for a good view, but it requires being in the sun and wind all day. There was one place we found on a website called resort for a day or something similar. In retrospect I wish we had done that. There were also some hotels in the area that offered rooms that you could rent for daytime hours, but the hours were still limited for our 9:00 flight.

 

[tonyfsu21]

4 minutes ago, PJquilts said:

We just had that exact scenario last Sunday. We decided to do the hop on hop off tour of Miami. Although it was well done and transportation and luggage issues went off without a hitch, I would not recommend it. We were exhausted by 5:00. You really need to be on the top level of the bus for a good view, but it requires being in the sun and wind all day. There was one place we found on a website called resort for a day or something similar. In retrospect I wish we had done that. There were also some hotels in the area that offered rooms that you could rent for daytime hours, but the hours were still limited for our 9:00 flight.

 

Advise from a Fort Lauderdale lifetime local: Avoid Miami Dade whenever possible! It’s a whole different world down there and everything (traffic wise) takes 3 times as long. A nice and relaxing day on the beach in FortLauderdale is the way to go. 

[Zacharius]

8 hours ago, antarec said:

I second this question for my next cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. I didn't plan ahead and waited at FLL for 7hrs after my recent cruise hoping there would be a good amount of food/drink options to keep us company  ---  quickly learned FLL before the the security checkpoint has slim food/drink options. 

Next time I will make sure to get an earlier flight or use the RCCL Luggage Valet service--there is a small fee $20-$25, but WELL worth it. That enables you to get off the ship and take a cab/Uber/Lyft to any place to kill time and not worry about your luggages. 

I was on the Harmony OTS, you'll get this Luggage Valet info on Day 3 or 4...its only a select amount of airlines, however.

Often, for $20-$25 + the price of a couple of Uber rides, you can rent a car for the day and keep your luggage in it, then go anywhere you like.