WDW to FLL cruise port

[roxysmum123]

We will be in WDW before and after our cruise. What's the easiest/best way for us to make the trek to FLL? We're looking at renting a car, but is there anything better? Will drive down the day before the cruise and back on the cruises return date in April.

Would it be unreasonable to try to drive down to the port on the date of the cruise?

 

[wilkeliza]

Fort Lauderdale is a good 3-4 hour drive from Orlando. The only good way is to drive yourslef. At one point there was a bus but most people agree who wants to pack the family into a bus for that long. Your best bet is to take the Florida Turnpike and pay the toll. You can definitly drive down morning of but be ready for a long day.

 

[sarah-jane]

We are doing the same thing and trying to decide the same. We'd rather get up early and drive down on the Turnpike the morning of embarkation day so we can watch fireworks and dine at Be Our Guest the night before, rather than try to find budget accommodations in Fort Lauderdale. But we obviously don't want to miss the ship. What did you end up deciding?

 

[bumbershoot]

If you do want to stay in Ft L, the Embassy Suites on 17th is rather nice.

We had a set of cruises that requires us to disembark in FtL then drive up to PCanaveral. Easy. Took a few hours but it was no big deal.

I'm allergic to turnpikes that require pay by plate, so I personally would do the same drive up the coast then hook over at canaveral. The only toll road that way is 528 and you can pay cash.

 

[ldo]

we have done it all ways. driven and stayed in FL (springhill suites @ Pt Everglades), driven 2 hrs and spent the night (Fairfield Inn in Ft Pierce), driven in the AM. If you leave by 9am, you can be on the boat for lunch. We use the turnpike. Allow 4 hrs to get there, though it should be somewhat less. Sevral places have port transporation. Hertz and Avis have cars near the port and Alamo/National has a bus from FLL. If you have a longer cruise, it might be cheaper to rent/drop a car each way and skip the parking fees @ the port. For 5 days or less, not worth the bother. Most rental cars have places near WDW on hotel blvd (Avis/Budget) or @ Dolphin (Alamo/Nat), or Disney care center.

 

[sarah-jane]

Thanks for your expertise. We will likely rent a car our whole vacation, because the two one-way fares were almost the same as the week was. However, we will have parking fees, but just decided that was probably easiest. We decided to drive down the morning of the cruise - because fireworks. Our kids get up early, and the time change works in our favour coming from the west, so we'll likely be on the road early. Does anyone know if the rental places provide a sunpass? How do the tolls work in a rental? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

 

[itsodisney]

Thanks for your expertise. We will likely rent a car our whole vacation, because the two one-way fares were almost the same as the week was. However, we will have parking fees, but just decided that was probably easiest. We decided to drive down the morning of the cruise - because fireworks. Our kids get up early, and the time change works in our favour coming from the west, so we'll likely be on the road early. Does anyone know if the rental places provide a sunpass? How do the tolls work in a rental? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

We rented a car Fr FT Lauderdale going to WDW after our cruise last December. We paid the toll cash but I was surprise I have a charged of almost $20 as toll fee. Hertz said there are part that you cannot pay cash and car will be charge automatically. I don't want to stress myself about the $20 since I really don't know... I'm not sure if just the rental car or that's how it really works.

 

[StarCruiser]

We rented a car Fr FT Lauderdale going to WDW after our cruise last December. We paid the toll cash but I was surprise I have a charged of almost $20 as toll fee. Hertz said there are part that you cannot pay cash and car will be charge automatically. I don't want to stress myself about the $20 since I really don't know... I'm not sure if just the rental car or that's how it really works.

I found this information on the Florida Turnpike website. Some of the turnpike is indeed electronic only (no cash accepted).

"All Turnpike tolls are collected electronically between the U.S. 1 (Exit 1) and County Line Road (Exit 47) interchanges in Miami-Dade County, on the Sawgrass Expressway in Broward County, on a portion of the Veterans Expressway in Hillsborough County, and on the I-4 Connector in Tampa, and cash tolls are not accepted. Motorists will use either SunPass or TOLL‑BY‑PLATE, and everyone will enjoy the benefit of paying their toll without having to stop."

Also, there is some good information on rental car programs for SunPass at the link below. Double check with the actual rental company to be sure the information is correct. Also be aware that the rental car company will typically charge a per day fee in addition to the actual tolls incurred.

https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

 

[21stamps]

You can either purchase a sunpass yourself beforehand, or you can pay a daily charge at rental agencies.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

If you do want to stay in Ft L, the Embassy Suites on 17th is rather nice.

We had a set of cruises that requires us to disembark in FtL then drive up to PCanaveral. Easy. Took a few hours but it was no big deal.

I'm allergic to turnpikes that require pay by plate, so I personally would do the same drive up the coast then hook over at canaveral. The only toll road that way is 528 and you can pay cash.

I would advise against this and go with the turnpike. I95 has some construction going on right now and gets icky in places with some traffic and a lot of unruly shifting lanes.

I truly despise the turnpike, mostly because you're stuck with service plazas for bathrooms, but as somebody who drives from Orlando to S Florida fairly regularly it is much less stressful.

 

[sarah-jane]

We actually ended up switching to the Oasis Cruise out of Port Canaveral with the latest promotion. Saved $350 and saved a minimum 7 hours driving roundtrip. Very happy that we're now just a short drive between our Disney pre- and post-cruise resort stay. I think renting a car is still the cheapest option for transfers though.

 

[tz2989]

I would advise against this and go with the turnpike. I95 has some construction going on right now and gets icky in places with some traffic and a lot of unruly shifting lanes.

I truly despise the turnpike, mostly because you're stuck with service plazas for bathrooms, but as somebody who drives from Orlando to S Florida fairly regularly it is much less stressful.

I disagree. From Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale, there is a total of 10 miles of construction (I just drove this on Sunday). The rest of the drive is 3-lanes, 70mph, and toll-free.