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Fort Lauderdale vs. Miami
Most travelers think of Miami when they think of South Florida cruising. Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, is actually the busier port — and Fort Lauderdale is a better pre-cruise city.
Miami is spectacular but overwhelming. Fort Lauderdale is manageable, walkable, and has a beach that's less crowded and more pleasant than South Beach. The restaurant scene on Las Olas Boulevard is excellent. The Intracoastal Waterway water taxi system is a genuinely fun way to get around. And the Everglades are 90 minutes away.
Give yourself two nights in Fort Lauderdale before you board. You won't regret it.
Getting to the Port
From Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL): The port is 5 minutes from FLL — the closest major airport to any cruise port in the US. Uber and Lyft are reliable and cheap ($10–$15).
From Miami International Airport (MIA): 45 minutes to the port in normal traffic. The shared shuttle services (GoPort, Cruise Connection) run $25–$35 per person.
Parking: Port Everglades has multiple parking facilities at $20–$25/day. The Northport Parking Garage is the most convenient for most terminals. Book in advance for holiday sailings.
Las Olas Boulevard
Las Olas is Fort Lauderdale's main dining and entertainment street — a 10-block stretch of restaurants, galleries, and shops between downtown and the beach. The restaurant quality is consistently high.
Standouts: Steak 954 (the best steakhouse in Fort Lauderdale), Louie Bossi's (Italian, excellent pasta), and Casablanca Cafe (seafood, on the beach, worth the wait for a table).
Las Olas is also the eastern terminus of the water taxi system — you can take a water taxi from the Riverwalk downtown to Las Olas and then walk to the beach.
Fort Lauderdale Beach
Fort Lauderdale Beach runs 7 miles along the Atlantic, from the Port Everglades inlet north to Pompano Beach. The beach is wide, clean, and significantly less crowded than Miami Beach.
The best section is between Las Olas Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard — the main beach strip with hotels, restaurants, and the Elbo Room (a Fort Lauderdale institution since 1938). The beach north of Sunrise is quieter and more residential.
The Everglades
Everglades National Park is 90 minutes from Port Everglades — close enough for a day trip before embarkation if you arrive two nights early. The Shark Valley entrance on the Tamiami Trail is the most accessible for cruise passengers.
The airboat tours from the Miccosukee Resort are the most dramatic Everglades experience — 30-minute tours through the sawgrass prairie with alligators visible from the boat. Book in advance; tours fill up on weekends.
Airboat tours: $35–$45 per person. The Miccosukee tours are the best-operated and most wildlife-rich.
The Water Taxi
Fort Lauderdale's water taxi system runs along the Intracoastal Waterway and New River, connecting the beach, Las Olas, the Riverwalk, and several waterfront restaurants. A day pass costs $30 and covers unlimited rides.
The water taxi is the best way to understand Fort Lauderdale's geography — the city is built on a network of canals, and the waterway perspective reveals a side of the city that's invisible from the road.
The Bottom Line
Port Everglades is the most efficient cruise port in the US — the proximity to FLL makes it the easiest port to fly into, the terminals are well-organized, and the parking is reasonable. Fort Lauderdale is a genuinely excellent pre-cruise city with a beach, a food scene, and the Everglades within reach.
Arrive two nights early. Stay near Las Olas. Take the water taxi to the beach. Board the ship rested.