The shuttle circles the port; it doesn’t wait for you
Reserve on the cruise-shuttle code at Avis, Budget or Payless downtown, and their shuttle meets passengers at the pier and runs you to the car. The port has no rental counter of its own, and the other companies whose pages we could read either say they don’t serve it or don’t mention it — so for them it’s a taxi to their office or the airport first.
Use the cruise-shuttle code
Book Avis Q8M, Budget P2F or Payless M15 — Avis and Budget say those cruise codes carry “no fee for pick up”. The ordinary downtown codes don’t include the port, so check the code, not just the address.
Find the ambassador
Avis says an ambassador at the port will point out where to wait. Payless says to phone if its shuttle isn’t there: “If not, call location for pick-up service.”
Catch it on the loop
Avis says the shuttle passes every 20–30 minutes, depending on traffic and how many ships are in, and that it “will only stop if there is a shuttle space available.” On a busy morning, you may wait for the next one.
Sign and head out
Avis is at 99 SE 2nd St, Budget and Payless at 93. From there the Keys are south on the expressways, and Orlando is north on I-95 and the Turnpike.
When is MIA the better place to pick up?
Stay with the downtown desk if
- You’re driving somewhere, not flying out this morning
- Avis, Budget or Payless has the car you want
- You’re off the ship in the morning
- The car ends up somewhere other than downtown: Key West, MCO or FLL
MIA makes more sense if
- You’re set on Enterprise, Hertz, Sixt or another brand
- It’s Sunday afternoon and Budget’s desk shuts at 2
- The car goes back to MIA anyway
- A taxi ride first doesn’t bother you
Downtown cruise desk
- The shuttle comes to the pier, and an ambassador points you to the stop
- Avis 7 AM–7 PM daily; Budget and Payless 8–6 on weekdays, 8–4 Saturday, 8–2 Sunday
- Off-airport, so the rental carries no airport charges
- Miami-Dade’s 7% tax still applies
- Cruise codes: Avis Q8M, Budget P2F, Payless M15
MIA’s Rental Car Center
- Thirteen companies, with Avis and Budget open all hours
- A taxi first: about $34 on the meter by our estimate, with the $2 port surcharge (there’s a $15 minimum)
- Airport charges apply, and MIA doesn’t publish the amounts
- The easy choice if the car goes back to MIA
- On cruise days taxis wait at every terminal, and rideshare works from “designated pick-up and drop-off zones”
About $34 of taxi before you reach a counter
| Length | Downtown cruise desk | MIA’s Rental Car Center |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | $50 | $55 + roughly $34 in taxi first |
| 3 days | $151 | $165 + roughly $34 in taxi first |
| 5 days | $251 | $276 + roughly $34 in taxi first |
At our assumed $45 a day, with fees, Florida’s $2-a-day surcharge and Miami-Dade’s 7% tax. MIA’s airport charges aren’t published, so we assumed 10% for that column. The taxi is Miami-Dade’s meter run over our 8.6-mile route estimate, before any waiting time — and fuel, tolls or a one-way drop charge sit on top of all of it. Illustrative
The gap looks small on paper.
The morning is where it shows: a shuttle already looping past the pier, or a taxi line and a nine-mile ride.
Search downtown Miami as the pickup and choose the Avis or Budget cruise-shuttle location, not the plain downtown office.
The drop-off is wherever the trip ends — Key West, MCO, FLL or back in Miami.
- Pick-up: downtown Miami
- No-cost cancellation to 48 hrs before
- Drop-off: Key West, MCO, FLL or back in Miami
- The one-way fee sits inside the total
South, west or north from downtown
| Heading | Where | How far | Before you go |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | The Florida Keys | Key Largo about 68 miles, Key West about 165 (our estimates) | The whole plan, Key by Key: the Keys before or after your cruise. |
| West | Everglades, Shark Valley | About 30 miles west of Miami on the Tamiami Trail, per the Park Service | Entry is $35 a car and covers 7 days at every entrance, plus $100 for each visitor 16 and over who isn’t a US resident. |
| North | Fort Lauderdale | About 27 miles (our estimate) | A flight home from FLL, or a beach night first. FLL and PortMiami. |
| North | Orlando | About 229 miles, 4½ hours with no traffic (our estimate) | Parks after the ship. Orlando and PortMiami, both ways. |
Our own route estimates, unless a source is named; park fees from the National Park Service. Checked Sept 28, 2026
Leaving town, the Dolphin Expressway and the Turnpike Extension are both tolled, so a road trip usually crosses one — and that’s when the rental company’s toll plan starts to count.
Bring your own transponder if you have one
| Plan | Charged | Most you’ll pay | Fine print |
|---|---|---|---|
| TollPass (Enterprise, Alamo, National) | $4.95, only on days you use a toll road | $34.65 a rental | It starts by itself the first time you drive through, and tolls are charged at the highest of the video, cash and undiscounted rates. National |
| e-Toll (Avis, Budget) | $6.95 on each day a toll gets used | $34.95 a rental | Tolls at non-discounted rates. It isn’t e-Toll Unlimited, which charges for every rental day. Budget |
| PlatePass (Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty), the All-Inclusive plan | $14.99 every rental day in Florida, tolls included | A weekly maximum we couldn’t confirm | Decline it and still use a cashless road, and it’s $9.99 per toll day plus tolls. PlatePass |
| Your own transponder | Just the tolls | — | E-ZPass, E-PASS, SunPass and SunPass PRO all work here. Register the rental’s plate for your dates, and take it off afterward; the 95 Express lanes take transponders and nothing else. 95 Express |
As each company’s toll page read on Sept 27, 2026. The plans are statewide, so a Miami pickup gets the same terms as any other in Florida. Checked Sept 27, 2026
For a one-day hop the plan hardly matters — over a week it can.
TollPass and e-Toll bill only the days you use a toll road and top out near $35 a rental.
PlatePass costs $14.99 for every day of the rental, whether you drive a toll road that day or not.
Car seats: rent them, or check your own free
Through age 5, Florida law wants a child in a crash-tested restraint, in a rental as in your own car. Through age 3 that’s a carrier or a built-in seat, and for ages 4–5 a booster qualifies as well.
Rented seats are billed by the day. At the counter, Avis’s US rate is “usually” $14 a day with $84 the most per rental, and Budget’s is $14.50 with an $87 cap.
On a one-way, watch Avis’s $50 charge for a rented seat that isn’t returned where it came from.
American, Southwest, Delta and JetBlue each say you can check a car seat for free — the cheaper route, not the rented one.
Luggage is the other question. By Enterprise’s US figures, a midsize car is rated for 5 people and 3 bags, while a standard SUV takes 5 and 5, and a full-size SUV 7 and 3.
That full-size SUV’s bag count seems to assume the third row is carrying people; a 7-passenger minivan lists 7 and 5, and an 8-passenger minivan 8 and 5.
PortMiami pickups: what people ask
Can I pick up a rental car at PortMiami after my cruise?
Not at the port itself — it has no rental counters. Avis at 99 SE 2nd St, plus Budget and Payless sharing 93 SE 2nd St, say their shuttles collect cruise passengers at the pier and bring them to the downtown offices, provided you book the cruise-shuttle codes.
How do I get from PortMiami to the MIA rental car center?
Taxi or rideshare. Miami-Dade’s taxis run on the meter, with a $2 surcharge and a $15 minimum on trips that begin at the port; our estimate for the 8.6 miles is about $34, before any waiting time.
What are the hours of the rental desks near PortMiami?
Avis’s cruise desk keeps 7 AM to 7 PM, every day. Budget and Payless: weekdays 8 AM to 6 PM, Saturday 8 to 4, Sunday 8 to 2.
Is it worth renting a car after a Miami cruise?
Usually yes if you’re heading somewhere — the Florida Keys, the Everglades, Orlando or Fort Lauderdale — and more so with two or more of you. Flying home the same day? Then a taxi or your cruise line’s transfer is simpler.
More on renting around a PortMiami cruise
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