The Water Taxi covers the beach days, not the ship
If it were our afternoon, we’d hand it to the Water Taxi — off at Las Olas for lunch, on to Pier Sixty-Six or the state park, and back up the Intracoastal by boat.
| Way | What it costs | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Water Taxi | $38 an adult all day, $18 for ages 5–11, $25 for the 5–10 PM evening pass | 10 AM–10 PM daily, boats every 30–45 minutes. Stops at Las Olas, the Riverside Hotel, 15th Street Fisheries, the Hilton Marina and convention center, Pier Sixty-Six, Bahia Mar, Las Olas Landing, the Galleria and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. |
| LauderGO! Community Shuttle | Free | The free LauderGO! Community Shuttle (the old Sun Trolley): the Beach Link runs daily 10:30 AM–5 PM, the Las Olas Link Friday to Sunday 12:45–5 PM. |
| Broward County Transit | $2 a ride, $5 all day | Exact fare, or pay in the RideBCT app. |
| Taxi or rideshare | Metered, or whatever the app shows | The airport run and the ship. |
Fares from each operator’s own site, except LauderGO!, which comes from Visit Lauderdale (the county’s tourism bureau) because the city’s shuttle pages wouldn’t load for us. Checked Sept 28, 2026
The boat has one gap, and it’s the one that matters on sail morning.
It doesn’t stop at the cruise terminals: “we are not permitted, it is a security zone”.
So the beach days call for a boat pass, not a car, and the ship calls for a cab.
Between a free shuttle, a $2 bus and a boat pass, there isn’t much left for a rental to do until you leave town.
$59 to $67 a night to park, before the car moves an inch
The rental rate is the smaller line on this bill. The hotel garage is the one that decides it.
| Hotel | Parking, per its own site |
|---|---|
| Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale | $67.41 a night, tax included, valet |
| W Fort Lauderdale | $63 a day valet, before tax |
| The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach | $62 a night plus tax |
| Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach | $60 a night plus tax, valet only |
| The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale | $59 overnight valet |
| Marriott Harbor Beach | $59 self-parking, $65 valet, a day |
| Lago Mar Beach Resort | Free valet and self-parking, one car a room |
Read on each hotel’s own site, Sept 28, 2026 — some quote by the night and some by the day, and some fold in the tax while others add it. Checked Sept 28, 2026
| Two nights on the beach | With a car | Without one |
|---|---|---|
| Rental, 2 days, picked up at FLL | $110 | — |
| Hotel parking, 2 nights at $59–$67 | $118–$135 | — |
| Getting around | Fuel | Water Taxi day pass $38 an adult, the free LauderGO! shuttle, or a $2 bus |
| Total for the car alone | $228–$245 | — |
Our arithmetic: $45 a day is an assumed rate, the 10% airport fee is assumed too, and Florida’s $2 surcharge and Broward’s 7% tax go on top. Parking is each beach hotel’s own rate. Illustrative
Lago Mar is the outlier — it parks one car a room free, valet or self, so the bill above doesn’t apply there.
Don’t count on the city for an overnight spot either. City beach parking is $4.00 an hour at its beach locations, with 3- to 10-hour limits and no overnight parking.
Those meters suit an afternoon at the sand, not a car you need back after two nights.
Save the rental for a day trip, or for after the ship
Fly into FLL, cab to the beach, and let the car question wait. Two days of rental at our assumed rate come to about $110, and two nights of beach-hotel parking add $118 to $135 on top — for a car that mostly sits in a garage while you’re on the boat.
No car needed if
- You’re sleeping on the beach or near Las Olas
- The plan is sand, the Intracoastal, dinner and the ship
- You flew into FLL, 1.8 miles from the port
- Your hotel charges to park — most of the big ones do
Rent one after all if
- You landed in Miami or Palm Beach and you’re driving up anyway
- You’re at Lago Mar, which parks one car a room free
- There’s a day trip on the list: the Everglades, Palm Beach, Miami
- You’re staying out by the airport, where parking runs $10–$18
Avis has a desk at the W Fort Lauderdale (3101 Bayshore Dr) and another beside the Brightline station (155 NW 3rd Ave) — a one-day rental for a day trip doesn’t have to start with a ride back to the airport.
We couldn’t find either desk’s hours — check them before you book.
One day and one parking night at most, and the car goes back before sail morning. Where to point it: the Everglades, Naples or the Keys, the same drives we map for after the cruise.
About 5 miles, one cab and a photo ID
From Las Olas and A1A it’s about 5 miles and 15 minutes to the port by our routing — the Four Seasons, from its own door, says 5.3 miles and 15 minutes. Take a taxi or a rideshare.
The port publishes no fare from the beach, so we won’t make one up. Its average from FLL runs $18–$21, for a ride that starts closer in than the beach does.
At the port’s security checkpoint, anyone 18 or older shows a government-issued photo ID — arriving in the back of a taxi doesn’t change that.
The port says taxis, rideshare and hotel vans wait in “designated areas outside the cruise terminal.”
Bringing your own car to Fort Lauderdale?
Then sleep by the airport instead of the beach. The four airport-area hotels below charge $10 to $18 a day to leave the car, and several run a shuttle to the ship.
| Hotel | Parking |
|---|---|
| Hyatt House Airport South | Cruise parking $18 a day plus tax |
| Fairfield Airport & Cruise Port | Long-term parking $10 a day or $70 a week |
| Four Points Airport/Cruise Port | Long-term parking $10 a day or $70 a week |
| Home2 Suites Airport-Cruise Port | Free on your hotel night; $10 a night while you sail |
| Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina | Self-parking $48–$58, valet $52–$62 |
| Pier Sixty-Six | $60 a night plus tax to leave the car while you cruise |
Each hotel’s own site, via our hotel research in September 2026; shuttles and the full ranking are in our top 20 for the night before. Checked Sept 2026
The two marina hotels near the port price parking closer to the beach, not the airport.
The port’s own garages run $20 a day maximum for a standard vehicle, $25 oversized — compared with the rest here.
Fort Lauderdale beach, the car and the ship
Do I need a car in Fort Lauderdale before a cruise?
Not for a beach night. FLL sits 1.8 miles from the port; the Water Taxi, the free LauderGO! shuttle and $2 county buses cover the beach and Las Olas; and the beach hotels charge $59 to $67 a night to park. Want a day trip? Rent for that one day.
How much is parking at Fort Lauderdale beach hotels?
Per each hotel’s own site in September 2026: the Ritz-Carlton $59 overnight valet, the Conrad $60 plus tax, the Westin $62 plus tax, the W $63 before tax, Marriott Harbor Beach $59 self-parking or $65 valet, and the Four Seasons $67.41 with tax included. Lago Mar parks one car a room free.
Does the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi go to Port Everglades?
No. The operator says it isn’t permitted at the cruise terminals because they’re a security zone. Boats run 10 AM to 10 PM, stopping at Las Olas, Pier Sixty-Six and the Hilton Marina among others, and an adult all-day pass is $38.
How far is Fort Lauderdale beach from Port Everglades?
By our route estimate, about 5 miles and 15 minutes from Las Olas Boulevard and A1A; the Four Seasons gives 5.3 miles and 15 minutes. A taxi or rideshare is the simple way to do it.
Can I park overnight at Fort Lauderdale beach?
Not at the city’s beach meters. They charge $4 an hour with 3- to 10-hour limits, and the city closes or tows overnight, so it’s your hotel’s garage or no car at all.
More on renting around a Fort Lauderdale cruise
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