Saturday, August 22, 2009

MIA vs FLL

Already looking at flights? You may have noticed that fares into Fort Lauderdale (FLL) tend to be cheaper than those into Miami (MIA). Rose Tours lists FLL as one of the airports to fly into, so it seems like a no-brainer to take the cheaper flight, right? Not always.

FLL is about 20 miles from the Port of Miami. MIA, on the other hand, is 6 miles. So what you save in airfare may be much less than what you spend to get to the port from FLL.

In a later post, I'll cover transportation options from either airport to the port, but in general, FLL is only a better option when the flight is more than $50 less than one into Miami AND you are traveling with a group. If you're traveling alone, it would need to be more than $100 less to save you money. Shuttles from FLL are available but many require at least two people to make a reservation. (You then have the added step of finding/waiting for your shuttle.)

If your friends are flying in at different times, or if you don't want the extra bother of reserving shuttles, taxis are the way to go. Taxis from FLL are about $75 + tip. If you've got 3-4 people sharing a ride, that could still make the FLL fare better. On the other hand, taxi fares from MIA are around $20.

As for me, I've got fare trackers set up on kayak.com so that if a flight happens to drop below $200, it's mine. And if it doesn't, I'll probably book in March.

Good luck booking!

6 comments:

  1. Last year we took a train from FLL to MIA and then a $20 cab ride. All in all it cost us $36. It took about an hour to get from FLL to our hotel.

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  2. I flew into MIA last yr and we booked a shuttle to the advertised hotel for $15..then from there all these shuttle companies showed up without being called & only charged $5 a person. My mom has the shuttle info for MIA to the hotel offering the rate, so if anyone needs a # we can help. The hotel has NO shuttle service.

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  3. kimmiek291976 said... My mom and I over packed too. I also saw girls freaking because of the wind. This isn't like "the Love Boat"..YOUR HAIR WILL BE ALL OVER! Also..HOT during the day..cold @ night!If you want to follow the themes don't be upset if they don't notice. Sorry to say but last yr they stayed on the Lido Deck most of the time roped off. Don't go nuts cuz they prob won't see it anyways. Alot of people bought stuff for Jordan and Dannys b-day..u couldnt give it to them last yr..you put it on a table and then security delivered the stuff to them. Also..if you like pop/soda..buy it in Miami & bring it on the boat. It's not included, and it's $5 a can!! And for those who didn't go last yr..you're photo op will last 10 seconds and be in groups of 10. You cannot bring anything with you..no purse..sunglasses..nothing! So make those seconds count!! And if they have a decorate your door contest again..bring tape! They told cruisers the doors were metal! THEY WEREN'T!! Also don't spend alot..there were so many doors decorated and we found out the girl that won was a friend of theirs from Boston and that only Jon & Danny went to 2 floors to look and that was it. We spent $60 for stuff that no one saw.Also there is ONE outlet in the room..bring an extention cord. Also you can only call room to room on the ship, so don't buy a phone card. Plus once in the Bahamas the rates on the cell go way up! $4 a minute!! Also..take advantage of all the stuff the cruise offers. So many people didn't do anything cuz they were looking for the guys all the time. Unless it changes this yr..they didn't roam much. Enjoy the free shows..putt putt and spa. Think of this as a vacation too..with them as an added perk. Don't know if this helps anyone but it's stuff I could have used last year haha Any other questions feel free to email me!

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  4. Last time, hubby and I flew into FLL Thursday night and rented a car for approx. $60. That was great because we were able to take a leisurely drive to MIA, stop at the store on the way, and return the car to a downtown location that offered a free shuttle to the port. On the way back, our flight didn't leave from FLL until the late afternoon, so we did a Miami excursion that dropped us off at the FLL airport for $90 total. It worked out rather well for us.
    -nessa188

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  5. For the person who took the train from FLL to MIA? Was it difficult? I was looking into doing that for my friend and I, but if it's gonna be a big hassle, I would rather just take a shuttle from FLL. Thanks for any help!

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  6. I rented a car to drive from FLL to MIA, it cost $32 i only had it for about 10 hours way cheaper than a taxi and shuttle. My roomie and I split the cost of it, so even better!

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