Getting to your next cruise in Florida could be a lot easier now.

Brightline opened up regular high-speed train service between Orlando and South Florida, with stops at the two major cruise ports. This means you could get to Miami or Fort Lauderdale with ease from the Central Florida region. Of course, residents of South Florida could do the reverse and take the train up to Orlando for a Port Canaveral departure.

The train service offers a much needed alternative to boring car rides and short flights that require a great ordeal of trouble to get through the airport.

Departing from Orlando International Airport, it's a convenient way to get between Orlando and Miami, with stops along the way. There's talk of expanding the route to Tampa as well.

For my cruise from Port Everglades, I took my family on the Brightline to try it out myself.

Departure from Orlando

I live in the Orlando area, so we booked tickets on the train to take us down to Fort Lauderdale for the evening prior to our cruise beginning.

This was actually my fourth time on the train, but first with a lot of luggage and my family.  And this was the first time I was taking the train for the purposes of going on a cruise.

Booking tickets is quite simple via the Brightline website or app and very similar to booking an airplane ticket.

There's two types of fares: Smart and Premium.

Smart is essentially coach, while Premium is described as first class.  With Premium, more amenities are included. The starting price is $99 per person for Smart, and $149 per person for Premium.

Smart seats get complimentary WiFi, leather seats, and power outlets at each seat. 

Premium gets you all of that, plus lounge access, complimentary food and drinks, and extra space with each seat.

We took a car service to the Brightline station at the airport, and were dropped off in front of the building. The reason I did this was because the first time I took the train, parking in the Orlando airport was limited and confusing. There is not good signage where to park for train, as the parking garage is shared with the airport.

Unfortunately, we arrived too late to have our luggage loaded onto the train for us.  Evidently you need to be there at least 30 minutes before departure.

I had purchased Premium tickets for this trip, which included 1 piece of luggage per person. Checked bags for Smart guests would have been $25 each.

After going through a security checkpoint where we sent our belongings through a bag scanning machine, we headed to the Premium Lounge.

The Premium Lounge is a designated area to wait in for guests that bought Premium tickets.  

You not only have reserved seating, but also have access to complimentary soft drinks, water, snacks, fruit, vegetables, cookies, and even self-serve beer.

If you don't have a Premium ticket, there is seating around the waiting area, along with a bar and places to buy snacks or a souvenir.

Boarding doesn't begin until a few minutes before the train is scheduled to depart. About 10 or 15 minutes before the departure time, the doors are opened for guests to board.

Unfortunately on the day we departed, the incoming train was delayed about 15 minutes. 

Once onboard the train, Premium guests are in the first car and everyone else in the other cars. You pick a seat when you book the train and find your seat in the proper car once onboard.

Each seat has multiple power outlets, and the WiFi was plenty fast, although occasionally it would drop out in rural areas. It would return to service quite quickly.

Being in Premium, you're given complimentary snacks and beverages to start once the train departs. It's very similar to first class on a domestic airline: beers, wines, cocktails and choice of chips, chocolate, nuts, and more.

The first three times I took the train for business, I had no issues and it went very smooth with everything on time.  On the train I took for my cruise, the incoming train was delayed and then about 10 minutes after leaving the station, we had to stop on the tracks for about 15 minutes due to let an incoming train pass.

Once we got going, the train really got up to speed. It's capable of doing speeds as high as 125 mph in the stretch between Orlando and the east coast of Florida. It slows down a bit for other parts of the trip, but the company says the train averages 69 mph.

For our meal service, it was a choice of a vegetarian caprese sandwich or an Italian sandwich. 

The food was fine, and since it was included in my Premium fare, I certainly didn't mind at least picking at it and having something to eat until we got to our hotel.

The train makes just a few stops between Orlando and Miami: West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Aventura.

Pricey, but with wonderful convenience

In thinking who is Brightline good for, it's really about weighing convenience over price.

Brightline tickets aren't cheap, but they probably will cost less than an airplane ticket.  More importantly, a train ride has significantly less hassle than the door-to-door airport and airplane experience.

I'm not sure a Brightline train ride is as ideal as replacement for a short plane ride as I think it's meant to be a compelling alternative to driving.

The drive between Orlando and South Florida is across a very rural part of the state with little to see.  Like all highways, it gets boring quickly and you always have to factor in traffic, weather, or animal crossings that could make the trip much longer.

Having done the drive dozens of times, it's so much easier to take the train and not have to contend with traffic or weather delays.  Plus, I can be more productive during the journey.

The experience from station to station is exemplary. Terminals are bright, new, and easy to navigate. Having grown up with Metro North trains in Connecticut and New York that had drab trains and seemingly ancient and dirty stations, the Brightline experience was remarkably more enjoyable.

I wish the train staff would come around more often to pick up trash.  You're given a sanitary wipe, drinks, snacks, and food, but they would rarely come around to collect trash. Most passengers started using unused seats as somewhere to stash their trash.

I also didn't love how short of a window there is to board.  When they open up the boarding process, you have just a few minutes to get onboard. No time for a bathroom break or to deviate. I wish the train had more time in the station for guests to get situated in their seats.  It wasn't a problem, it just felt rushed.

Bottom line

Without a doubt, I'm a Brightline customer for the foreseeable future because I despised the tedious and boring nature of driving the same route.

It's not a cheap way to go, but Brightline offers pleasant conveniences that make up the difference.

If your goal is to find the cheapest way not to drive to South Florida, Brightline isn't going to be it.  But if your goal is to easily go to your cruise across Florida, it's a heck of a lot easier than flying.

As some that does not want to deal with the long drive and unknown factors that come with traffic or weather, I've found my family's preferred way to go to Miami for a cruise.

Fort Lauderdale is one of Royal Caribbean’s busiest ports, home to some of the fleet’s most popular ships. Due to its proximity to the Caribbean, cruises from Fort Lauderdale visit many of the region’s most popular destinations in the Eastern, Western, and Southern Caribbean, including Mexico, Aruba, and the Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean sails year round from Fort Lauderdale’s port, which is known as Port Everglades. From choosing an airport to booking parking and hotels, here is what you need to know before cruising out of Port Everglades on Royal Caribbean.

How to get to the Fort Lauderdale cruise port

Port Everglades is conveniently located just 5 miles from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and 4 miles from downtown Fort Lauderdale.

The address of Port Everglades is 1850 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316.

Royal Caribbean ships primarily use terminal 18 at Port Everglades, although ships may dock at a different terminal if terminal 18 is in use. Passengers should follow the port’s digital signage upon arrival to guide them to the correct terminal.

Flying to Fort Lauderdale cruise port

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Flying into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the most convenient option for those flying to Florida before their cruise. With over 130 flights to domestic and international destinations, Fort Lauderdale’s airport has plenty of direct flights to choose from.

As the airport is located so close to the port, it is recommended to take a taxi or use a rideshare service to Port Everglades, which usually comes at a cost of $12-20. The drive from the airport to port should only take around 10 or 15 minutes.

However, one of our greatest tips at Royal Caribbean Blog is to fly to your cruise departure port the night before your cruise to ensure you don’t encounter any delays that could make you miss your vacation. There are many hotels to choose from located near Fort Lauderdale’s airport, making transportation from airport to hotel and hotel to port a breeze.

Related: Why you shouldn’t fly to your cruise the same day it begins

Miami International Airport

Alternatively, passengers can choose to fly out of the Miami International Airport (MIA). The Miami International Airport is around 29 miles away from Port Everglades. Driving time from Miami to Fort Lauderdale will take around 45 minutes, although it is important to leave wiggle room for traffic. Taxis and rideshare services are available from Miami to Port Everglades, and may cost between $50-70 each way.

It’s recommended to fly into Fort Lauderdale over Miami as travel time is shorter from the airport to Port Everglades. If your flight options are much better to Miami over Fort Lauderdale, though, flying into Miami may be a better option. If this is the case, be sure to leave extra time on your cruise embarkation and disembarkation days to ensure you arrive at the port and airport with plenty of time to spare.

What time should I schedule my flight home after my cruise from Fort Lauderdale?

When booking your flight home after a cruise, it’s crucial to make sure you do not book your return flight too early on disembarkation day, as you don’t want to risk missing your flight home.

We recommend booking a flight home no earlier than 11:30AM for flights out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and 12:30PM for flights out of Miami International Airport.

While you may be able to arrive at the airport in Fort Lauderdale by 8:30-9:30AM on disembarkation day, it’s always a good idea to leave extra wiggle room in case of any unexpected problems. Waiting at the airport for an hour or two longer than needed is a much better option than accidentally missing your flight home!

Royal Caribbean shuttle service from airport to port

Shuttle services are offered from the airport to port (and vice versa), which can be booked directly with Royal Caribbean or through an outside provider, such as the Fort Lauderdale Airport Shuttle.

We recommend a rideshare service or taxi over a shuttle bus, though, especially in Fort Lauderdale, as the port is extremely close to the airport. Not only do prices of taxis and rideshares tend to be quite low from Port Everglades to the Fort Lauderdale airport, but you will not have to wait for a shuttle bus to fill up before leaving.

Parking at Port Everglades

Those driving to the Fort Lauderdale cruise port have a few options when it comes to parking, all with varying price points. Because Port Everglades is located so close to Fort Lauderdale’s airport, there are many parking lots available to choose from. Passengers should expect to spend between $56 and $115 when parking for a 7-night cruise.

On-site parking is available at Port Everglades, with pricing at $15 USD per day for regular-sized vehicles and $19 for oversized vehicles. To park at Port Everglades, passengers should first drop off their bags with the porters at the terminal and then proceed to the terminal’s parking garage. This is the most convenient option due to its proximity to your cruise ship.

Off-site parking will be a bit cheaper, with prices around $6-10 dollars per day, and include a shuttle service to and from the parking lot to the port. Generally, the closer a parking lot is to the terminal, the more expensive the daily parking fee will be.

These are some of the best off-site parking options while cruising out of Fort Lauderdale:

• Park N’ Fly
• Park N’ Go
• Park by the Ports

Where to stay the night before your cruise in Fort Lauderdale

It’s highly recommended to fly in the day before your cruise departs, so booking a hotel is an important part of the planning process when cruising from Fort Lauderdale.

If your flight arrives late in the evening on the night before your cruise, it is easiest to stay near the airport. As you will likely arrive tired from a late flight, staying in an exciting neighborhood isn’t totally necessary. Dania Beach and Edgewood are two Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods close to the airport and Port Everglades, each with a variety of hotel options.

If your flight arrives earlier in the day, however, you may wish to stay closer to downtown Fort Lauderdale or the beach. This gives you time to explore the area and enjoy the city’s highlights before your cruise. Las Olas Boulevard is the main walkable street in Fort Lauderdale, offering plenty of shopping, restaurants, and bars. The street runs west to east from downtown Fort Lauderdale to the beach, with no shortage of hotel and resort options.

Royal Caribbean Blog readers shared the following recommended hotel options in Fort Lauderdale on our message boards:

• Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale
• Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale
• Hyatt House Fort Lauderdale Airport - South & Cruise Port
• Hollywood Beach Marriott

If you plan to stay in Miami the night before your cruise, here are a few recommended options:

• Intercontinental Miami
• Holiday Inn Port of Miami-Downtown
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Miami Airport East

Some hotels will offer shuttle service to the terminal on embarkation day, but we recommend taking a taxi or rideshare service instead, as you’ll have complete flexibility on the time you travel to the terminal from your hotel.

More cruise ship port guides:

• Guide to cruises from Miami
• Guide to cruises from New York

Whether you are cruising from Port Everglades or PortMiami, there is no shortage of hotels in South Florida to consider, so I decided to try out the Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale so that I could be near one of the best things to do in Fort Lauderdale.

In my opinion, a hotel super closer to the port your ship sails from does not matter much since you will have to take some form of transportation to get there.  Moreover, I would rather be close to something fun to do near my hotel that I can walk to the night before the cruise.  

The Hyatt Centric brand is a selection of hotels located near popular destinations. The idea is these full-service hotels are close enough to the action, and Los Olas Boulevard is a Mecca of shopping, dining, and nightlife.

You will find boutiques, galleries, specialty stores, and a lot of dining. It is the perfect spot for the night before your cruise when you want to take in an evening that is easily walkable.

The Hyatt hotel is about 5 blocks or so from where the Los Olas experience begins, so it is about a 5 minute walk from the entrance to the hotel.

The hotel is right in the middle of downtown Fort Lauderdale, surrounded by office buildings, restaurants and more.  

Amenities include a polished restaurant/cocktail lounge and a 24-hour fitness center, plus a rooftop pool with a bar. Breakfast and parking are available.

The hotel is brand new, having opened in 2020 and it still looks like the ribbon cutting ceremony was last week.

For this stay, I booked a King Bed Skyline room.  In addition to the proximity to everything to do in Los Olas, rooms offer views of Fort Lauderdale to enjoy.

The room is what Hyatt calls "minimalist", and features Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and mini fridges, as well a coffeemaker.

It makes good use of the space offered, and the shower is quite large.

For two people, there is more than enough room.  Staying in this hotel is kind of like booking an inside stateroom: you are mostly using it to sleep and shower, because otherwise you will be out and about.

Being a new hotel, everything was clean and I loved there are small touches you find in newer hotels, such as lots of plugs near both sides of the bed, as well as a USB plug.

Getting in and out of the hotel was a snap, and I really enjoyed being able to explore Los Olas Boulevard for a bit without needing to take a taxi.

My rate was $230 for the night (before taxes and fees), so it is not the cheapest hotel in Fort Lauderdale, but hardly on the expensive side either.

• Driving time to Port Everglades: 15 minutes with traffic (4 miles)
• Driving time to PortMiami: 45 minutes with traffic (29 miles)

If you want a clean and well-appointed hotel that is near plenty of shopping and dining that you can easily walk to, the Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale is a great choice.

One of the best tips for anyone going on a cruise is to fly to their embarkation port at least one day early. If you have an evening to spend in Fort Lauderdale, a great family dinner experience is the Mai-Kai Restaurant and Polynesian Show.

Mai-Kai is a bit of a local landmark, known for serving up Asian fare, tropical drinks & a Polynesian show. The building alone catches the attention of anyone passing by.  So much so that I took my family to check it out for dinner on an evening prior to our Royal Caribbean cruise.

Depending on the day of the week, there are one, two or three shows offered. The most shows are on the weekend, and they are closed on Mondays. You definitely want to call ahead and make a reservation as Mai-Kai is a very popular choice for tourists, celebrations, date nights and more.

As you drive up to Mai-Kai, the building's Polynesian architecture is hard to miss and in a part of South Florida that definitely has no other buildings that look anything like this one, it is hard to miss.  It is mandatory valet parking, so bring cash or take a Lyft ride over.  They offer standard valet parking ($3), as well as "express valet" ($10) that promises to get you out faster. I paid for the express valet to avoid a rush when the show was over, but there was hardly a line so next time I would go for the standard valet option.

Mai-Kai is a very large building, with the Molokai Bar immediately on your left as you walk in.  You could forgo the dinner show and just enjoy drinks here while also walking the grounds for a less-expensive evening. 

Dinner at the Mai-Kai means you are paying for the meal, and the show.  At the time this review was written, the show charge is $15 for adults, and for kids 2-12 years old, no show charge when ordering from the kids menu, or $10 per child without the kids menu.

You should also be aware Mai-Kai has a business casual dress code for the bar and dining rooms. Their site says, "No shoes meant for swimming or beach (flip flops or such sandals ok for the women). No swimwear or gym attire. No hats for men. No sleeveless shirts for men. Slacks are required for men." 

Upon check-in, the wait staff directs you to your assigned table.  There are a variety of tables with views of the stage, and I am not certain how tables are assigned.  We ended up with a great table that was slightly elevated, which provided the perfect view for my kids of the stage.

Dinner is served prior to the show, and you can (and should) walk the garden grounds before the show begins. Outside the restaurant is a large outdoor South Pacific inspired green space, which is perfect for family photos.

The menu is massive, and features a large variety of tiki drinks to enjoy. In addition, the food menu covers a wide variety of choices. Most of the food is Americanized Chinese food, with some sushi available as well.  

Speaking of the menu, this is not the cheapest meal you will find in South Florida.  It is fairly pricey, but the experience is part of what you are paying for overall. 

The food is far from the best I have ever had, but certainly tasty and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. Mai-Kai is not serving up avant garde cuisine, or looking to break the mold with their offerings. This is comfort Chinese food that anyone can enjoy.

Of course, the reason for going to Mai-Kai is for the show.  A troupe of performers who have been doing the show for decades regales the audience with a variety of musical and dancing styles from across the South Pacific.

The Polynesian Islander Revue provides the music and dancing styles of Samoa, New Zealand, Hawaii and more. During the summer months (starting in mid June to mid November), the Mai-Kai features a Kids Show every Sunday evening.

Mai-Kai claims the restaurant owner and choreographer began as one of the original dancers in 1961, and the show is now the longest running Polynesian dance show in the continental United States. In fact, the owner crafts a new show each year that aims to showcase village life in the South Pacific at the turn of the last century.

Overall, the Mai-Kai restaurant was a big hit with our family. Anytime I can find food that the adults can find appealing and my young daughters do not complain about is always a win.  The show and performance is what truly drew us in, and it was a big winner. 

The show's pacing and styles keep the audience engaged, and it is exactly the kind of pre-cruise family outing that we were looking for to get our vacation off on the right foot.

If the price is not going to break your vacation budget and you are staying in the greater Fort Lauderdale area, Mai-Kai is a great choice for an night out.

One of the largest cruise ship ports int he world is Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and if you are not lucky enough to be on one of these cruise ships, the next best thing is to watch them leave!  Blog writer Michael Poole shares where to watch the ships leave if you want to see them in Fort Lauderdale.

More often than not, if you are sailing on a cruise, you arrive to the departing city the day before to avoid any unplanned delays.  That’s exactly what I did on my last cruise on Oasis of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale.  

Once I arrived to Fort Lauderdale, I reached out to my good friend, Emmy Schaffer, about the best place to watch ships sail out of Port Everglades.  I’ve always seen pictures of people on rocks at the beach waving bon voyage to the ships, but honesty had no clue how to get there. 

Almost all the cruise ships sail between 4:00pm – 5:30pm, so I’d recommend arriving no later than 3:00pm. 

The cross streets you want to look for are South Ocean Drive and Anchor Drive SE 20 ST.  You can also look for Everglades House condos, as they are on the same block. 

Once you arrive there are only a few meter parking spots on the right side, so get there early.  We had to circle around a few times and lucked out getting one, but it was almost 4:00pm. 

Now that you are parked, you are going walk back towards the street signs and look for a black gate.  This gate gives you access to the public beach and is not locked.  Upon entering the beach you will see a long walkway and then you want to turn right when you pass the ally. 

Now you will see a large section of rocks to the right and this offers the best views for watching ships sail away. 

Just a warning don’t get to far out, because the water will splash up on you, in fact I got soaked! 

This is such a great way to get even more excited about your upcoming cruise, if that’s even possible at this point. 

If you have any questions about how to get here please leave them in the comments section below.  

Royal Caribbean is investing more and more cruise ships in Fort Lauderdale these days so if you're looking to get to Port Everglades (the cruise ship terminal in Fort Lauderdale), here's a quick guide to getting there easily.

Royal Caribbean currently operates a few cruise ships out of Port Everglades including Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Vision of the Seas.

Photo by Marc-Andre Mireault

Driving

Port Everglades is pretty easy to get to via car thanks to a number of major roads that connect to highways. 

If you're driving from outside of Fort Lauderdale (elsewhere in Florida or out of state), you can get easily to the main entrance of Port Everglades via U.S.1, I-95, State Road 7 (441), Florida's Turnpike, Sawgrass Expressway and I-75.

You just need to look for an exit to I-595 East straight into the port (I-595 becomes Eller Drive once inside the Port).

From Fort Lauderdale International Airport (5 miles):

• Exit the airport and follow signs for I-595 East/Port Everglades. Continue to the last exit on I-595 East and follow the signs to Port Everglades.
• This will automatically take you to the Port Everglades security entrance.
• From there, follow the directional signs for your designated ship's pier terminal.

From Miami International Airport (30 miles):

• Take 836 East to I-95 North.
• Exit I-95 North at 595 East.
• Follow 595 to the end; then follow the Port Everglades signs.

From Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

If you are flying into Fort Lauderdale and want to go straight to your cruise ship there are a few options for you.  The airport is very close to the cruise terminal via U.S. 1.

The quickest and arguably simplest option is to take a taxi from the airport and have them drive you to the port.  Taxi fare will cost you about $10 to $15.

There are also other shuttles and private car/limousine services available to purchase.  Shuttle services can be cheaper, especially with larger parties but may take longer.  Private sedan/limousine service will be more elegant than a taxi but cost more.

From an area hotel

If you are staying at a hotel near Port Everglades, many hotels and resorts near the port offer complimentary shuttles to the port.  Check with your hotel about if one is available and how to sign up for it.  

Some hotels require advance sign up and/or a specific pick up time to be brought to the airport.  

In addition, many area hotels offer parking for the duration of your cruise for a fee or included in your hotel price.

Royal Caribbean Transfers

Royal Caribbean offers a bus service of its own (called transfers) to bring you to the port from Fort Lauderdale Airport as well as Miami International Airport.

Royal Caribbean offers transfers in one way increments (you can book two one-ways to create a round trip).  At last check the cost was $29 per person, each way for a transfer from either Fort Lauderdale or Miami airports to Port Everglades.

To purchase a Royal Caribbean Guest Transfer or for additional information consult your travel agent or the Royal Caribbean reservations department at 1-800-327-6700.

The city of Fort Lauderdale, home to Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, is seeing increasingly large growth in terms of the amount of passengers that pass through the city on their way to a cruise and the city is looking to capitalize on the big business.

In just two years, Port Everglades will become the busiest cruise port in the world and city officials want to get as many of those millions of cruise passengers to stay in their city and spend money locally.

To get things going, city officials agreed in principle earlier this week to start a new bus service to take people from cruise ships into Fort Lauderdale before they take their flights home from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.  Routes would run to downtown and the beach.

How big of a number are we talking here?  It's expected to exceed 3.5 million passengers per year once Allure of the Seas starts regular cruises and many more will follow as a result of a recent deal with Carnival cruise line that will bring an additional 25.5 million cruise passengers over the next 15 years.