ellenbw

We (DH, DS 16 and I) will be dis-embarking in Ft. Lauderdale on a Sunday after a cruise. We are flying out of Miami the next day. We would love to go to South Beach for the day and have dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Should we rent a car to drive to South Beach, then stay in a hotel near the airport? I don't want to deal with morning commute traffic. Or should we get some other transportation to SB, stay there, then get a taxi to the airport.

I'm looking for the cheapest solution here. I know parking can be a problem in South Beach as well. I am finding cheaper hotels near the airport.

keymom

I might head first to your airport hotel, leave the luggage there (even if it's too early for a room) and then cab over to South Beach. In addition to not having to deal with the price of parking, you aren't tied to having to return to a car. That lets you explore the area a bit more.

keymom

oh - sorry - didn't see that you are in to Ftl/out of Miami. Yes, I think renting a car is the best idea. I assume you can find one without a drop off fee.

mclaurie

Taking taxis between all these stops will likely cost more than renting a car. There is train service between Ft. Lauderdale and the Miami airport. I've never used it and not sure how close the stops in Ft. Lauderdale are to where you disembark. Info is here
http://www.tri-rail.com/schedules_fa..._schedules.htm

As far as where to stay, I think it depends on what time your flight leaves. If you plan on staying in South Beach all day, seems silly to me to go to the airport, go back to South Beach and then go back to the airport. Is Priceline or Hotwire an option for finding a cheaper hotel?

ellenbw

Thanks for the advice. Our flight leaves at about 10:30am, so not that early.

I am thinking more about staying in South Beach, since we will have all day and evening free. We won't need a car there, except to go to the airport and there are parking fees everywhere in South Beach.

I just found a hotel, Mercury Hotel that does provide a free airport shuttle, but I think your times have to fit into theirs so I have to explore that a bit more.

So maybe my only dilemma now is the cheapest way to get from FLL cruiseport to a South Beach Hotel.

mclaurie

This doesn't sound like a good option. Don't you know about tripadvisor? http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...h_Florida.html

Have you checked with the cruise co. to find out if they provide any transportation options at disembarkation? You might also look on the forum at cruisecritic.om where you might find others who've done the trip.

ellenbw

Thanks McLaurie,
Yes I found the reviews on tripadvisor after I posted. Frommers had a good review of the place,,oh well. So many of the South Beach Hotels sound like this one. We are not exactly looking to party the night away and go club hopping! The others are all expensive! I'm afraid Priceline isn't an option since there are 2 of us and I want to just use 1 room. You can't guarantee 2 beds on Priceline and some rooms are too small for a rollaway - esp. in South Beach.
The good news is that I reserved for $39 with one way rental, so that part is solved - DH is not too thrilled about using the rail with luggage, particularly since there is not a stop at the cruiseport.

mclaurie

Many of the South Beach hotels don't have rooms for 3 and many have minimum stay requirements of 2-3 nights in season. Now that you have a car, a would repost here for a reco for room for 3 for 1 night in South Beach and see if anyone can help. Post a budget and when this is happening. Now that you'll have a car, you also don't need to stay right in South Beach although I understand why you would want to.

ellenbw

Just wanted to follow up with our solution for post-cruise time. We rented the car ($39) and used it to go from the cruiseport to Miami. We used the airport Embassy Suites ($145) which worked quite well for us. We drove to the hotel, dropped our bags, spent the day in South Beach, had a great Cuban lunch, shopped, meandered, took in the vibe, then returned to the hotel late afternoon. We enjoyed the complimentary happy hour and breakfast the next morning. The hotel had great service - the car rental drop off was 1 mile away. They offered to pick me up from there if they weren't too busy. They also offered to take us to nearby restaurants in the evening if they weren't too busy! Great service and friendly. We used their complimentary shuttle to the airport the next morning. For $145 we got a suite, breakfast, happy hour drinks, car service, oh and free internet! Loved it.

mclaurie

Sounds great!

GoTravel

Sounds like you got a great deal!

As far as the TriRail is concerned, there are too many kinks to make it viable for tourists.

Firstly there is no luggage storage and no help getting your bags on and off the train. If the main car is full, you'll have to schlep your luggage to the upstairs car.

Secondly and most importantly, TriRail shares the tracks with Amtrak and freight cars and they both have the right of way. It isn't uncommon for the ride between FLL and Miami to take several hours even though it is only 20 miles or so and it can take much longer.

Just wanted to point that out for future cruisers.

Dayenu

And a future cruiser is here, reading. Thank you, GoT

GoTravel

One last thing about tri rail, they've discontinued their weekend service and will cease to exist in 2011.