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View Full Version : Transportation to Miami Cruise Port in May


Bethieg1
01-14-2025, 02:38 PM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?

biker1
01-14-2025, 02:48 PM
Take Groome shuttle or other means to MCO and then the Brightline train to Miami. Reverse on the way back.



Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?

kkingston57
01-14-2025, 05:00 PM
Take Groome shuttle or other means to MCO and then the Brightline train to Miami. Reverse on the way back.

Good but I would recommend going the day before. Brightline probably has more accidents involving cross roads than any other train. Watch prices too. The prices change frequently and can be more expensive than plane travel.

WiseSpender
01-14-2025, 05:01 PM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?

I'm curious to know why Yankee Trails is out of the question....

I myself already booked a rental car to go to the Port Everglades cruise port (which is very near the Miami cruise port) this coming April from Budget Rental Car (Kia Rio or similar), dropping it off there and getting on Budget's free cruise port shuttle. One-way rental cost, $65.70. I priced other options, such as the "Take Groome to MCO and then take the Brightline", or "Cruise X-press (aka Yankee Trails)", or "Drive your own car and park down there".
The cheapest choice was the Rental car option.

biker1
01-14-2025, 06:09 PM
They don't run their busses in May, when the OP wants to go.

I'm curious to know why Yankee Trails is out of the question....

I myself already booked a rental car to go to the Port Everglades cruise port (which is very near the Miami cruise port) this coming April from Budget Rental Car (Kia Rio or similar), dropping it off there and getting on Budget's free cruise port shuttle. One-way rental cost, $65.70. I priced other options, such as the "Take Groome to MCO and then take the Brightline", or "Cruise X-press (aka Yankee Trails)", or "Drive your own car and park down there".
The cheapest choice was the Rental car option.

Stu from NYC
01-14-2025, 07:16 PM
They don't their busses in May, when the OP wants to go.

Apparently they do not get enough business to fill busses when snowbirds go north

Arctic Fox
01-14-2025, 09:00 PM
The main Caribbean cruise season is October to April so the buses are taken north for bus tours of New England / Canada etc.

I would second using Groome/Brightline - very easy and, as an earlier poster said, if you keep an eye on prices they often offer special deals, but you have to be quick as they are limited in number of seats and don't last long

FloridaGuy66
01-15-2025, 01:54 AM
Rent a car from Leesburg to the Miami cruiseport one-way. Drive the day before the cruise, get a hotel and drop off the car at the rental place. The major ones all have free shuttles to the cruiseport. We've done this several times.

Arctic Fox
01-15-2025, 09:01 AM
We are using Brightline to get to Fort Lauderdale in March (cheaper, quicker and more comfortable than CruiseExpress).

Just locked in on a $44 per person ticket. They are offering one at $29 but it leaves MCO at 04.50 which is not attractive to us!

Stu from NYC
01-15-2025, 09:06 AM
We are using Brightline to get to Fort Lauderdale in March (cheaper, quicker and more comfortable than CruiseExpress).

Just locked in on a $44 per person ticket. They are offering one at $29 but it leaves MCO at 04.50 which is not attractive to us!

Wish it was easier to get to Brightline. Too complicated and risky to go day of cruise.

Michael 61
01-15-2025, 02:04 PM
For my cruise a few weeks ago, I took Groome to MCO (took 90 minutes to get out of the bubble, as I was the first one picked up). From MCO, I took Brightline to Fort Lauderdale for the first time - fares were all over the place and varied wildly depending on what time you departed. I got a good fare for first class, so was able to enjoy the first class Lounge at MCO, was able to choose my forward-facing seat in the spacious first class train. Complementary snacks and drinks. Arrived on time at Fort Lauderdale - and was given a $10 Uber voucher to apply to my ride from train station to port.

For the return, we departed on time, but half way through trip, we came to a complete stop for a full 90 minutes, as there was a vehicle accident on the tracks about a mile ahead of us that had to be cleared. Arrived back at MCO 90 minutes late - had to call Groome and reschedule the reservation I missed.

Luckily the delay was on the return and not the departure date, as that could have made boarding the ship close to sail away time. Going forward, I would take train the day prior to plan for any delays.

RICH1
01-16-2025, 06:59 AM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?
American Airlines flys from MCO to MIA ... get a ride to Orlando and sit back and enjoy. Next time do your research , so you aren't asking a bunch of "know-it-all" Old Timers. Call Uber for a ride to Orlando Airport. Spend some of the money, and Enjoy your trip

Vlwolf
01-16-2025, 07:04 AM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?

Have you looked into Creative Concierge? It is not inexpensive, but convenient. I used their services to go to the Ft Lauderdale Port last May and was very happy with them. There was 4 of us so the cost was shared. We use Creative Concierge on a regular basis to and from the Orlando/Tampa area airports as well. Their vehicles are clean and the drivers pleasant and punctual. You can check out the rates on their website. It can be cheaper to fly from Orlando/Tampa to Ft Lauderdale, depending on the number of people in your party.

defrey12
01-16-2025, 07:57 AM
Wish it was easier to get to Brightline. Too complicated and risky to go day of cruise.

Doesn’t matter where or when one 🚢 cruise, ALWAYS get to port the day before. They don’t wait…not just risky, it’s foolish.

Sully2023
01-16-2025, 08:42 AM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?

Get a ride to MCO airport and take the train. Then uber to port. I heard great things about the train.

Arctic Fox
01-16-2025, 08:44 AM
Next time do your research , so you aren't asking a bunch of "know-it-all" Old Timers.

Isn't that half the fun of TOTV?

People on this forum have a lot of knowledge and experience and, while some of the answers may be suspect, there is a lot to be learned from other users.

ToniPaul
01-16-2025, 09:00 AM
Try Paul O’Reilly from Port Transport Car Svc at (954) 899-3700
He’s a dedicated car and driver service - door-to-door
Let him know your return trip time for a return pickup

JRcorvette
01-16-2025, 09:28 AM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?

Take the Train… it’s easy and comfortable and faster!

juddfl
01-16-2025, 10:08 AM
Try Village VIP Transportation at 352-353-1037. We are using them to go to Port Canaveral and they might go to Miami, but I'm not sure. Our price to Port Canaveral is $107.50 per person round trip.

mikemalloy
01-16-2025, 10:09 AM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?
Id second the suggestion to use Brightline. First thing I'd do, if that's your choice is get the app on your phone and open an account. You will get emails with various sales and if you see one for your time window, use the deal. We got a good price on first class seats. We used the train to go to Fort Lauderdale and had an Uber waiting for us. Very easy. I assume Miami would be the same. We had a friend drive us to MCO using our car. Cost was our gas and tolls. Groom doesn't drop you at the train station so it's a long walkk from the airline section to the train. Enjoy your cruise.

Arctic Fox
01-16-2025, 10:16 AM
Groom doesn't drop you at the train station...

We got picked up by Groome from very close to the train station at MCO.

They have also recently adjusted their timetable to coincide with train arrivals, so you are no longer waiting almost an hour. Very convenient.

paqdkq
01-16-2025, 12:00 PM
Why is Yankee Trails is not in consideration?

Arctic Fox
01-16-2025, 12:40 PM
Why is Yankee Trails is not in consideration?

See earlier posts - they only run Oct-Apr

Salty Dog
01-16-2025, 01:21 PM
Ditto on Brightline. We rented a car the day before we left and dropped it off at terminal C not far from train station. At the Fort Lauderdale train station, we were picked up by a van provided free by Princess Cruises. We were on a 30 day cruise to Europe so flew back to MCO where we rented a car to get back home. Car rentals were cheaper than car services for 2 people and more convenient.

Garywt
01-16-2025, 05:30 PM
Does anyone have information on getting to and from Miami cruise port in May? Yankee Trails is out of the question. Any others suggestions, other than driving?
Have you looked into flying? Isn’t it 5-6 hours to drive. I have never done it. We rented 2 cars when we had the entire family down and then sailed out of Cape Canaveral. Parked the 2 cars in the parking garage there.

Kelevision
01-16-2025, 05:34 PM
I almost always drive myself but I have also taken Brightline. They have so many times. I was due on the ship at 11am but we didn’t sail until 4pm so I got an early train knowing if we got delayed I’d still get there in time. I’d never fly the day of a cruise. There were no delays and it was a nice ride.