[rpodell]

How do you get to the Miami port from the villages? The cruise may be cheap, but hard to get to.

[New Englander]

I've taken a cruise out of the port of Miami three times. Each time I drove my car and parked in the garage right at the port. It is a five hour drive each way.

[Carla B]

Look up Yankee Trails or Cruise Connection on line; they have buses that go to Miami and Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale).

[LuvtheVillages]

We drove to Miami and parked at Park N Go. Its very near the cruise terminal. They shuttle you to your ship and shuttle picks you up when the ship returns.

Very efficient, and much less expensive than the parking garage at the port.

Warning, remove any loose change before you leave your car.

[CWGUY]

Originally Posted by Carla B

Look up Yankee Trails or Cruise Connection on line; they have buses that go to Miami and Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale).

Yankee Trails ....... GREAT!

Yankee Trails

[JerryLBell]

Originally Posted by New Englander

I've taken a cruise out of the port of Miami three times. Each time I drove my car and parked in the garage right at the port. It is a five hour drive each way.

We've taken several cruises out of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As New Englander said, it's a 5-hour drive each way and it's nearly all on the Florida Turnpike. The Port of Miami can be a little confusing to navigate but there are signs and, of course, a good GPS helps.

We've driven directly to the ports, parked there and got on board with plenty of time to spare. However, if you don't feel like driving that far in the morning before a cruise, you can opt to find a hotel near your port that you can spend the night at the night before. Many will allow you to keep your car there for a week for a modest fee (check with them first though) and provide shuttles to the port. Some don't provide shuttles from the port so you just grab a cab when you get off the boat.

Note that folks who fly to Miami and bus to the port have to give up their luggage the night before they disembark and have to exit the boat on a staggered schedule to take buses back to the airport. Folks who drive can keep their luggage that night and get off the boat almost as soon as it is docked and beat the crowds.

Other posters mention bus services but I have no experience with them to share.

[tophcfa]

Wait a few more years and it could be a much shorter drive.