While Royal Caribbean's cruise terminal in Miami is arguably the best in terminal experience of any out there, the traffic has become a real problem.
Passengers on recent Royal Caribbean cruises departing from Miami have received emails about free bus transfers, even if they paid for them already.
Ships like Icon of the Seas or Symphony of the Seas depart from Terminal A in PortMiami, and it appears traffic is bad enough that the cruise line is offering ways to consolidate the amount of vehicles getting there.
"Since we're expecting heavier traffic than usual on debarkation day, we're now offering complimentary transfers," an email sent to passengers on Icon of the Seas sailing departing March 15.
Royal Caribbean is offering these free transfers, even though people already paid for them, "Because you've already booked and paid for your return trip to the airport, we'll be refunding your reservation and rebooking you on a complimentary shuttle back to the airport on debarkation day."
A similar message was sent to guests booked on Symphony of the Seas sailing from Miami, "How would you like a transfer to the airport on us? Yeah, that’s right, ON US!"
"We’d like to offer you a complimentary transfer to either Miami International or Fort Lauderdale airport after your cruise to make sure you enjoy every moment of your time with us."
Royal Caribbean offering free rides to the airport seems to be a push to get more passengers to use mass transportation, rather than rely on more vehicles.
These emails have been sent to passengers on specific sailings close to the departure date, so there's no way to know exactly if it will be offered on future sailings as well.
"Crazy traffic"
When you talk to cruisers, they see the issue Royal Caribbean appears to be addressing.
The cruise terminals in Miami aren't in the city, but rather located on Dodge Island. This is inbetween Downtown Miami and South Beach, and it's a small piece of land where cruise ships and cargo ships go to dock.
"Just got on Independence in Miami and can attest to the crazy traffic," wrote reddit user happyinbentonville.
User juliaguuullliiaa added, "it took me an hour and a half to get to the port today when it was only supposed to be 30 mins."
Royal Caribbean offers cruises out of different terminals in Miami, but Terminal A is the one used for its big ships, like Icon.
These are some of the biggest cruise ships in the world, with Icon of the Seas alone able to handle up to 7,000 passengers when the ship is totally maxed out on capacity.
Ride share services are a very popular way to get to or from the cruise terminal, but they add much more traffic.
Add to that a lot of cruise ships, and it's a recipe for a swath of people.
On February 8, a record-breaking 10 cruise ships were docked in Miami on a single day, with close to 68,000 passengers on board.
When you add a lot of cars on a single road to get in and out of Terminal A, it's a recipe for traffic.
"The drive was 5 miles but took 45 min with traffic," posted Rich Klepacz on Facebook.
Brian Hill posted, "The traffic flow to the ships is ridiculous! I go quite often and have spent over an hour getting round to pick up people I can see waving to me!"
Liz Romeo added, "That is the main reason I don’t like cruising out of Miami."
Options for getting in and out of Miami
Passengers have a few options for getting home after their cruise from Miami.
Bus service is offered to the major airports nearby, and can be purchased through Royal Caribbean or on your own.
It's been my experience you can hop on a bus to go to the airport on the spot when leaving the cruise terminal, as there are people standing outside the terminal with signs advertising bus options.
Ride share services and taxis are also available, with the taxis stationed near the exit of the terminal, while ride shares are closer to the luggage drop off areas.
You could park your own car in the parking garage, which has a daily fee to park there.
Finally, you could rely on someone picking you up.
