Miami Cruise Ports

For a lot of Australians, South Florida is really about one thing: the Caribbean cruise you cannot do from home. The two departure points are PortMiami, right off Downtown Miami, and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, and getting to the correct terminal on time is the one part of the trip you do not want to improvise after 24 hours of travel.

At PortMiami, Royal Caribbean sails from Terminal A, Norwegian from Terminal B, Carnival from Terminals C and D, MSC from Terminal E and the new MSC World terminal, and Virgin Voyages from Terminal V. Port Everglades spreads its lines across numbered terminals: Princess at 2, Celebrity at 4, Royal Caribbean at 18 and 25, Holland America at 21, Carnival at 19, 26 and 29. Your driver takes you to the right door for your ship, not just to the port gate.

The distances are short but the timing matters. MIA to PortMiami is about nine miles, 15 to 25 minutes. FLL to Port Everglades is barely four miles, ten minutes on a good run. Crossing over, MIA to Port Everglades or FLL to PortMiami, is roughly 25 to 30 miles, and we do both daily. Embarkation usually opens around 10:30 and ships close boarding about an hour before sailing; tell us your cruise line and we will suggest a pickup time with a sensible buffer.

Fares start at $89 fixed, including luggage handling, tolls and waiting time. On disembarkation day we track ship arrivals the way we track flights, so an early or late walk-off does not leave you standing on the kerb with your cases.

What to expect

• Drop-off at your exact terminal, not the port gate
• Pickup times matched to embarkation windows
• Ship arrival tracking on disembarkation day
• Sprinter vans for family and group cruises
• Airport-to-ship and hotel-to-ship, both directions