advice getting from miami port to tri-rail to WPB - quick! how to! - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

wrightm · 09-15-2008, 01:03 PM

Hello,
I am somewhat working with a pretty tight schedules upon a return from my cruise.
I am taking carnival imagination which arrives at the miami port on a friday morning at 8am.
I am trying to get back to California to work friday evening and I found a flight out of West Palm Beach at 12:10.....is this doable?

Though tight...there is a tri-rail train out of Miami at 9am arriving in plenty of time at WPB airport at 10:30. This would be perfect.
How on time are the boats for that 8am arrival?
Is the exiting of the boat upon arrival very quick or are there lengthy lines and baggage processes?
How far is it from the port to the Tri-Rail Miami station? How much would it be for a taxi/buss to get there?

If I were not able to make the 9am train; there is a 10am train which in theory would get me to the WPB airport at 11:30am. This is a back-up plan if the first train were missed but it would be cutting it very close at the WPB airport for a 12:10 flight. How on-time are the tri rail trains?

I am hoping that 1 hour would be plenty of time to get from the miami port to the tri-rail though.

And a final back-up plan would be to just rent a car. If the boat was a bit late and we were to miss both 9am and 10am trains - maybe we could just rent a car and high-tail up to WPB. Not sure how long that would take or how much; but it's another fall back on option.

What are my chances on pulling this off???

sue miller · 09-15-2008, 01:13 PM

If you do not have much luggage and can carry off your own you can go to the pursers desk for early off the ship, tell them you need to get to tri rail. If there are no problems, customs, weather, you should be fine. The airport (rail station) is about 20- minutes from the port. If you get early off the line to customs should not be that long, just grab a cab and go. Ships come in early, 5-7 am and as soon as the ship is cleared the disembark can begin

wrightm · 09-15-2008, 01:20 PM

excellent.....so it is possible then to leave the ship before 8am....assuming the ship is cleared? is the ship usually cleared early?

sue miller · 09-15-2008, 01:29 PM

Not sure of before 8 but I would think it would start around 8, If you have too much luggage to take off yourself it will take a bit to get luggage and off, but the rarl off will be a lot less of a line than those waiting for the deck by deck announcements