# Car Rental At Fort Lauderdale Cruise Ship Port



## dreamin (Oct 17, 2010)

DH and I are going on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Holland America Eurodam ship.  On our return we'll be spending a week at the Palm Beach  Resort & Beach Club in Fort Lauderdale and then 4 days elsewhere (haven't planned that part yet!).   I've reserved a full size car from Budget, located at the Quay Shopping Plaza on 17th Street.  My research showed that this was the closest car rental to the cruise ship port.  The rate for 11 days is $334, all taxes & fees included.  Does anyone know if Budget has a shuttle that will pick us up at the port?  I did some price comparisons and this was a very good deal compared to the other agencies, likely because it's not an airport location.  I'm also looking for recommendations on a hotel near the port as we'll be arriving 2 days early.  Would prefer one with a shuttle service.  Has anyone been on the Eurodam or stayed at Palm Beach Resort?


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## Jennie (Oct 21, 2010)

Look at the top of this page and you will see "Search". Type in Palm Beach Resort" and it will provide links to several recent discussion about it. 

By the way, it is not in or near Ft. Lauderdale. Palm Beach is about 1/2 hour north of Ft. Lauderdale. If you have the time and energy, you could drive there along A1A instead of taking 1-95. It is a beautiful scenic route. 

Even if it is available, do not take the rental car company's shuttle to the rental office or they will be required to charge all those extra fees that are added on when you rent a car at the airport. It's cheaper to take a cab. 

Or, if you will be staying at a hotel, you could take the hotel shuttle van (or the blue van shuttle) to your hotel and then call the car rental office and see if they will pick you up at the hotel and drive you from there to the rental office. Many companies provide this as a free service if you are staying at a local address. Call the rental office now directly and ask about this. Keep in mind, however, than many of the local offices have limited hours, usually closing by 6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon or 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, and usually they are closed all day Sunday.

Oh, I just checked the location of the Quay Shopping Plaza on 17th Street. It's up in Ft. Lauderdale. That's a long trip through horrendous traffic. It is not feasible to schlep all the way up there to pick up a car. The cost of a cab would be astronomical. You could call 1-800-bluevan and see what they would charge to pick you up at the cruise port and bring you to Quay. It would be at least $15. per person, not including the tip. And I am not sure that they would even be willing to come to the port. Where will you being dropping the car off at the end of your trip?


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## gravitar (Oct 21, 2010)

I am a bit confused. The OP said they were at the Port of Ft Lauderdale. The port is just off 17th St and the Quay shopping center is just off 17th st. The should be no traffic or distance issues in getting the 1/4-1/2 mile from the port to the Quay.

The should be no extra charges in using the Quay location for Budget. There are no airport concession fees there as it is not an airport location.

If the OP can provide some dates, I might be able to suggest some options.

Steve


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## dreamin (Oct 26, 2010)

Jennie - Thanks for correcting me.  We're flying into FLL but I realize now that the resort is in Palm Beach.  I was asking about the resort because there have been many positive comments on TUG yet this resort is unrated by RCI.  We've mostly stayed at Gold Crown or Platinum resorts and the photos of this resort look like it should be in that category.  I was just a bit confused and concerned about it having no RCI rating.  Does that mean it's rated lower than a RID?  I did more searching about Budget and according to Cruise Critic it is located half-way between the pier and the airport.  They offer a free shuttle to either.  There were no extra fees to pick it up at the Port and then drop it off at FLL when we leave.  So I think we'll be okay.

Gravitar - We'll be renting a full-size car from Jan. 22 - Feb. 2.  I'll need 2 nights hotel stay pre-cruise for January 13 & 14.  Any suggestions?  I was hoping to use Priceline but I have to figure out my geography first!


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