3 hrs. to kill before boarding cruise ship-what to do?

What is close to FLL that we can do for a few hours before boarding the ship? On our return we will spend several hours on the water taxi but we need something to do for just a few hours next Friday. What transportation is at the airport that could take us to do something? (i.e the trolley, tri-rail, etc.)

Are the flea markets worth a visit and are they nearby?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

3 hrs. to kill before boarding cruise ship-what to do?

I%26#39;m still fuzzy from holiday revelry, so if I%26#39;m not thinking this through, the others will correct me.. There are no trolleys from/to the Airport. There is only one city bus , Route 1, that runs through teh Airport and it only goes north /south along US 1 I believe and then to teh terminal in Downtown, so getting much of anywhere requires that you get a transfer along RT. 1 at one of eth other intersections ( usually involving a wait) or go to the terminal in Downtown and transfer there( again a wait). The Tri Rail requires that you take brief , but not all the frequent free shuttle ride from theAirport to the TriRail station south of teh Airport at Griffin Rd. Then ther are only two TrtiRail Staions to choose from in teh city and one is way north of anywhere you would be heading. teh otehr one broward blvd( not the world%26#39;s best neighborhood , would put you south and west of the Thunderbird Swap Shop , the closest flea market , out west on Sunrise Blvd and require a taxi ride from that point ,I am pretty sure , as any bus that calls there would likely involve transfering again at least once .

So, I can%26#39;t imagine public transportation working well for you in your scenario. Are you in a situation where your luaggage is being handled to the cruise port in some way for you? That is unusual I think... and there is only a lugagge check room at FLL that I think is $5/bag.( no luggage lockers post 9/11)

Then , of course, you have to reverse the route going back if you need to go back to the Airport to retrieve your luggage.

I just can%26#39;t imagine this all working well and smoothly , and truthfully , even with paying for taxi all the way and back to make it easier , there is still that luggage issue( unless I%26#39;m missing something). It might be in your best interst just to stay at the Airport for a while , boring as that might be. I think most folks who venture out Pre-cruise have rented a car and us etheir trunk to store luggage while they are out and about so it stays with them.

Maybe I%26#39;m just not using my head- if so, some otehrs will surely pipe in with ideas- to me , it%26#39;s a luggage issue as well as a time one- three hours sounds like a lot , but relying on our rather limited public transportation system , really isn%26#39;t.

3 hrs. to kill before boarding cruise ship-what to do?

By the way, when I mention the bus going ';Downtown , don%26#39;t mistake that for an area of shops etc , as it is not- we don%26#39;t have a Downtown that is anything more than Government buildings in reality. Shopping is mainly in malls , the closest being Galleria ,which I think also would be a problematical location for you , or Las Olas Blvd, more boutiques and restaurants than anything and , while it would be sort of accessible by that #1 bus, the luggage remains a problem I think- if you were able to do the storage room thing , Las Olas might be ok- but still not easy with bus schedules and maybe not really worth the effort for the short time you could stay...

I agree with Lulu - you%26#39;re better off just going to Port Everglades and boarding the ship. Luggage will definitely be an issue and I can%26#39;t imagine what you%26#39;ll do with it unless you rent a car (and that doesn%26#39;t seem very practical for 3 hours) or the cruise line is taking it from the airport to the Port for you.

www.sunny.org has a ';3-hour tour'; listed, but without a car, nothing is very practical as public transportation certainly isn%26#39;t among the best things Fort Lauderdale has to offer :)

Thank you both for the info. Some ships let you board early, some do not. Guess we will take our chances.

What about the flea markets-any ideas?

Then closest flea market is the one I mentioned in my first post- Thunderbird Swap Shop- very far north and west of the Airport and pretty much impossible to get to and back by public transportation and in the time frame you mention. There are no flea markets that I know of in the east area of town , which is where the Port and Airport are.

Still curious what arrangement you have about your luggage to allow you to get off the Airport site...

http://www.floridaswapshop.com/swap.html

FYI

I agree that public transport is not going to work. If you are willing to pay for a cab, you could go to a sandwich shop (can%26#39;t remember the name- think it%26#39;s a woman%26#39;s name) in the strip mall adjacent to the Publix on 17th Street behind the Embassy Suites. The sandwich shop is similar to a Panera- invites you to spread out, read magazines, etc. That Publix also has an eating area near the deli. You could take turns watching the luggage, while one of you does some shopping (maybe window shopping depending how early you are) at gift shops, etc in the strip mall. Cab shouldn%26#39;t be more than about $20 or so one way. You are close to the causeway there, and could ask cab driver to head east a short distance to the bridge to look at the intercoastal and othe ships before doing a U-turn and taking you to the port. Good luck!

What time do you get in? Most ships start boarding at approximately 11:00 am.

Florida1- I wonder if you are referring to Camille%26#39;s in the Harbor Shops-if so I am so sorry to tell you it is gone...It is part of asmall chain , but this was teh only one in Ft. lauderdale- and I think teh chain still exists elsewheer. They started out so well- and I too felt it an inviting place to read magazines, enjoy coffee and bagel etc- but it was very sad how soon it started to be unkempt and had employees who didn%26#39;t seem motivated toward customer service- that not the way it started out..

That was in the west corner of Harbor Shops- and ther ewas also another coffee shop on th esame side as Publix- and sadly it is gone too( it was near the Carvel ice cream shop and the Hallmark store). I can%26#39;t remember what it was called but remember going in for pretty good muffin once.There are a few other places that have closed there as well- most notably I think that massive Original Steak House that had the big sports bar- completely deserted now.

There are lots of other places left, but of course I still don%26#39;t know how that would work out with major luggage- and depending on how early the poster is arriving at FLL, I think every coffeeshop type place in that center that opened fairly early is now closed- most restaurants left are only open around lunch time ( 11:30ish) and that may not be within the time the poster is trying to kill. One possibility (by taxi) would be the Barnes and Noble ( with a Starbuck%26#39;s coffee shop inside ) that is on Griffin Rd in the Oakwood Plaza south of the Airport near I-95- probably open at 9 or 10- but I%26#39;ve only seen folks there with small carry on bags- not sure if a suitcase could be welcomed into their rather cramped coffee area and the sofa seating throughout the rest of the store is quite sparse if I recall.

Sorry to hear about Camille%26#39;s closing along with others there. Was a nice place to relax. How is the quality of the remaining restaurants? Have heard music blasting out of a seafood place in the corner, but didn%26#39;t have earplugs so haven%26#39;t tried it.

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