Port Everglades to Ft. Lauderdale Amtrak

[AudenHoggart]

Anyone have experience transferring from an arriving cruise at Port Everglades to the Ft. Lauderdale Amtrak station for the northbound Silver Meteor that leavs Ft. Lauderdale at 9:20 a.m.?

What time did you need to leave the ship in order to be at the train station in reasonable time (taking into account getting baggage, clearing customs, and getting a taxi to the Amtrak station?)

I assume you need to take a taxi. I haven't seen anything about any other type of shuttle, but does anyone have information about any alternatives?

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Anyone have experience transferring from an arriving cruise at Port Everglades to the Ft. Lauderdale Amtrak station for the northbound Silver Meteor that leavs Ft. Lauderdale at 9:20 a.m.?
What time did you need to leave the ship in order to be at the train station in reasonable time (taking into account getting baggage, clearing customs, and getting a taxi to the Amtrak station?)

I assume you need to take a taxi. I haven't seen anything about any other type of shuttle, but does anyone have information about any alternatives?

I will leave the time needed to travel between the two points to one of those who lives down there in the area. Just keep in mind the possible issue of traffic at that time of the AM which can get atrocious down that way. It also may be a better idea to travel on the "Star" which passes through later if you determine the time is too short. That of course is if you don't need the specific train for several reasons (station you are going to, ect).

OBS gone freight...

 

[Shotgun7]

OBS is right about morning traffic around here... it's hellish. If you want to guarantee you get off the ship early, request white tags from your cabin steward (something white, anyway, as opposed to various other color codes you're issued for your bags). With these, you'll be in the first group to leave the ship, usually around 6AM. Actually, you can leave anytime after that also, but the process will go much quicker the earlier you get off. Expect about an hour of going through customs and retrieving your bags. If you get off later than 7:30 or 8:00, add another hour to that.

For other options besides taxis, Tri-Rail has a shuttle bus that will pick you up from the port and drop you off at the Ft Lauderdale Airport Station, avoiding all the major AM traffic. From here, it's a five to ten minute ride on a commuter train north into the Ft Lauderdale Broward Blvd Amtrak Station. You'll have to check Tri-Rail's site to see where the shuttles pick up exactly. This option will probably even be quicker than a cab if you time it right.

 

[battalion51]

Shotgun, the problem with your theory is that it would require a jaunt on Tri-Rail from Ft. Lauderdale Airport to Ft. Lauderdale (proper) that would definitely add some time to your route, and they very well could be waiting for their Tri-Rail on Track 2 and watch 98 blow by on Track 1...

 

[Shotgun7]

Shotgun, the problem with your theory is that it would require a jaunt on Tri-Rail from Ft. Lauderdale Airport to Ft. Lauderdale (proper) that would definitely add some time to your route, and they very well could be waiting for their Tri-Rail on Track 2 and watch 98 blow by on Track 1...

Brings back memories

 

[cindylou]

To the OP, we faced this exact scenario last January after a cruise...but after weighing all the possible "unforseens" we opted to stay in Ft. Lauderdale that night and catch the SM the next day.

We did self-disembarkation (Princess Cruise); if you can schlepp your own bags, you can get off the ship with the earliest groups. (But I think cruising is just like train travel...if you bank on everything going perfectly, it probably won't )

We were through customs and standing outside the terminal by 8 am, so looking back, it probably would've been possible to grab a cab to the Amtrak station, check our bags and get on the train. (As it was, the SM was late pulling into the FTL station by about 30 minutes anyway.)

But...we just decided to play it safe and avoid the stress...didn't want to end a wonderful vacation that way! If you can afford an additional day/night in FTL, it's worth considering.

Happy Travels!

Cindy

 

[Shanghai]

I've done that twice, but I was catching the Silver Star. One time was when the Star was leaving early (10:00am) due to track repairs in northern Florida.

We were able to disembark the ship (Holland America) and take a taxi to the train station at 9:30am. The agent checked our bags and we were off!!

Good luck. Enjoy your cruise and your train trek. We will be on the Zuiderdam leaving Everglades on Oct 24th. Unfortunately, I will miss the Boston Gathering.

 

[goodnightjohnwayne]

Anyone have experience transferring from an arriving cruise at Port Everglades to the Ft. Lauderdale Amtrak station for the northbound Silver Meteor that leavs Ft. Lauderdale at 9:20 a.m.?
What time did you need to leave the ship in order to be at the train station in reasonable time (taking into account getting baggage, clearing customs, and getting a taxi to the Amtrak station?)

I assume you need to take a taxi. I haven't seen anything about any other type of shuttle, but does anyone have information about any alternatives?

Be aware that cruise ships start disembarking passengers once they've been cleared by customs - and it can sometimes be unpredictable as to how long it takes. Sometimes you can get off the ship before schedule and sometimes you can be delayed 3 or 4 hours. Every port and every cruise is different. If just one non-American passenger oversleeps, it can delay deboarding for an entire ship. In a major metropolitan area, with frequent mass transit and plentiful taxis, I would still allow several hours to make a connection. It all depends on when the ship gets into harbor and how long it takes to clear customs, not to mention how long it takes to get some for of transport to the train station.

My gut tells me that making the train would be a near certainty with a midday or early afternoon departure, but with an early 9:20am train too many things can go wrong and the odds might be against you. I really don't think that it's possible without tremendous luck. You'd also have to carry your own baggage to get off the ship as early as possible and have absolutely no duty free - and even if you're prepared and determined, you might not make. The odds are against you.

I'd advise you to search for Cruise Ship forums and post your question there. It seems likely that someone has done, or attempted, exactly what you're looking to do and can answer your question precisely.

 

[colobok]

Shotgun, the problem with your theory is that it would require a jaunt on Tri-Rail from Ft. Lauderdale Airport to Ft. Lauderdale (proper) that would definitely add some time to your route, and they very well could be waiting for their Tri-Rail on Track 2 and watch 98 blow by on Track 1...

BTW, I was wondering how it works? Amtrak runs on the track 1 northbound while Tri-Rail runs on the same track southbound??? Does Tri-Rail stop it service and wait until Amtrak train passes West Palm Beach? Nonsense to me.

 

[Upstate]

Seems like the prudent thing would be to take the Silver Star. Why go through the stress of trying to make the early train.

 

[battalion51]

Shotgun, the problem with your theory is that it would require a jaunt on Tri-Rail from Ft. Lauderdale Airport to Ft. Lauderdale (proper) that would definitely add some time to your route, and they very well could be waiting for their Tri-Rail on Track 2 and watch 98 blow by on Track 1...

BTW, I was wondering how it works? Amtrak runs on the track 1 northbound while Tri-Rail runs on the same track southbound??? Does Tri-Rail stop it service and wait until Amtrak train passes West Palm Beach? Nonsense to me.

Well AFAIK Amtrak has to exclusively operate on Track 1 at Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale, primarily Track 2 at Deerfield, and exclusively Track 2 at West Palm. Fortunately the way that the South Florida Rail Corridor is set up there are a large number of crossovers in the system. At Ft. Lauderdale CP Whalen is just south of the station. So if there's a Southbound Tri-Rail in the block 98/92 can just hold out south of the station and then cross back over at Cypress a few miles north. With Deerfield for 91/97 you can cross over at Rankin which is about three miles north of the station and then Parker is just south of the station to cross back over. At West Palm Beach there's crossovers at Coral about a mile north of the station and about three miles south of the station at Seaboard to get back over to Track 1. Now Tri-Rail has no restrictions on which platform they use. They primarily run Track 1 southbound and Track 2 northbound. However I've seen quite a few occurrences where they'll operate on the opposite platform. When this happens the automated PA system will come on and alert passengers that "P6xx will be operating on Track x, please use the overhead walkway to cross over to the other side." Pretty much as soon as the dispatcher lines up that move the PA system will kick in to give people enough time to get over.

 

[battalion51]

OBS is right about morning traffic around here... it's hellish. If you want to guarantee you get off the ship early, request white tags from your cabin steward (something white, anyway, as opposed to various other color codes you're issued for your bags). With these, you'll be in the first group to leave the ship, usually around 6AM. Actually, you can leave anytime after that also, but the process will go much quicker the earlier you get off. Expect about an hour of going through customs and retrieving your bags. If you get off later than 7:30 or 8:00, add another hour to that. For other options besides taxis, Tri-Rail has a shuttle bus that will pick you up from the port and drop you off at the Ft Lauderdale Airport Station, avoiding all the major AM traffic. From here, it's a five to ten minute ride on a commuter train north into the Ft Lauderdale Broward Blvd Amtrak Station. You'll have to check Tri-Rail's site to see where the shuttles pick up exactly. This option will probably even be quicker than a cab if you time it right.

Just found this:

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Effective Monday, June 29, 2009 the FLA 2 Shuttle (Port Everglades Route) servicing passengers traveling to and from the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Station at Dania Beach will be discontinued. Please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-TRI-RAIL for additional information.

 

[Shotgun7]

OBS is right about morning traffic around here... it's hellish. If you want to guarantee you get off the ship early, request white tags from your cabin steward (something white, anyway, as opposed to various other color codes you're issued for your bags). With these, you'll be in the first group to leave the ship, usually around 6AM. Actually, you can leave anytime after that also, but the process will go much quicker the earlier you get off. Expect about an hour of going through customs and retrieving your bags. If you get off later than 7:30 or 8:00, add another hour to that. For other options besides taxis, Tri-Rail has a shuttle bus that will pick you up from the port and drop you off at the Ft Lauderdale Airport Station, avoiding all the major AM traffic. From here, it's a five to ten minute ride on a commuter train north into the Ft Lauderdale Broward Blvd Amtrak Station. You'll have to check Tri-Rail's site to see where the shuttles pick up exactly. This option will probably even be quicker than a cab if you time it right.

Just found this:

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Effective Monday, June 29, 2009 the FLA 2 Shuttle (Port Everglades Route) servicing passengers traveling to and from the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Station at Dania Beach will be discontinued. Please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-TRI-RAIL for additional information.

What moron made this decision?! :huh: Does the SFRTA have any clue as to how many airport employees use Tri-Rail?? Absolute morons.

 

[battalion51]

That was the Port Everglades Shuttle, not the Airport Shuttle.