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Port Everglades / Fort Lauderdale with Kids [CRUISE PORT GUIDE]

Located in Greater Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Florida and adjacent to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport is the Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) cruise port.

It’s one of the busiest cruise ports in North America with 9 cruise terminals and more than 3 million visitors annually. The majority of ships departing from Port Everglades follow a 2 to 7 night Bahamian or Caribbean cruise itinerary.

Port Everglades Address:

1850 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Port Everglades Entrances:

Port Everglades has three entrances with shuttle service to select distant terminals:

Northport entrance – 17th Street Causeway, located at Eisenhower Boulevard
Midport entrance – State Road 84, located just off of US 1
Southport entrance – I-595 East

Port Everglades Cruise Port Airports & Distances:

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport – main airport less than 2 miles away
Miami International Airport – 27 miles south
Palm Beach International Airport – 50 miles north

Getting to Port Everglades / Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port

There are several transportation options for families heading to Port Everglades.

Cruise Line Transfer – All cruise lines offer transfer service from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Taxi – Because of its location to the airport (less than 3 miles away), taxis are available and run all day from from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport to Port Everglades. Most cabs accept credit cards as payment.

Airport Shuttle Transfer – The Go Airport Shuttle has pick-up locations at each airport terminal. Shared van rides are $11 and run every 15 to 20 minutes. Visitors can call to reserve rides in advance to avoid waiting for an available shuttle.

Car – It’s less than 10 minutes to drive to Port Everglades from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood airport. When leaving the rental car area from the airport, follow signs toward U.S. 1 north and on the right-hand side you’ll see a sign for Port Everglades and Eller Drive. They lead directly to the cruise terminals.

Bus – The #40 bus from downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Sun Trolley both make stops near the Eisenhower entrance. You’ll still have to walk a bit though to get to the terminals. This option is only recommended for those boarding ships at that terminal.

Parking at Port Everglades Cruise Terminal

Several parking options are available for cruisers driving to Port Everglades:

Port Everglades Cruise Terminal – Onsite Parking

There are two parking garages at Port Everglades, each serving different cruise terminals. Parking is $15 per day and both have parking for disabled passengers with access to crosswalks and elevators.

Northport Parking Garage – Located next to the Greater Fort Lauderdale County Convention Center (near the 17th Street entrance) with over 4000 parking spaces services cruise terminals 1, 2 (Princess Cruises) and 4.
Midport Parking Garage – This parking garage services Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. There are over 2500 parking spaces with overflow parking available at Terminal 19. led passengers with unimpeded access to crosswalks and elevators.

Port Everglades Cruise Terminal – Offsite Parking Options

Park ‘N Go – Park ‘N Go is an off-site parking option located 4 blocks from the port. The daily rate is slightly cheaper than Port Everglades cruise terminal parking, and even cheaper if you book in advance. Complimentary shuttle service is available to and from the cruise terminal.
Park ‘N Fly – Across the street from Park ‘N Go is Park ‘N Fly – another off-site parking option for cruise passengers. Again, the daily rate is slightly cheaper than Port Everglades cruise terminal parking and shuttles run all day to and from the cruise terminal.
Port Everglades Area Hotels – Several Port Everglades area hotels have special daily rates and free shuttle service for pre-cruise guests.

Where to Stay Before or After Your Cruise

There are many Fort Lauderdale and Port Everglades hotels to choose from for a pre or post-cruise stay.

Below are 5 family-friendly hotels near the Port Everglades cruise terminal. All allow you to park your car during your cruise and provide shuttle service to and from the airport (complimentary) and the port (paid).

Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center – 1 mile from port
Best Western Fort Lauderdale Airport / Cruise Port – 1 mile from port
Candlewood Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport / Cruise Port – 1 mile from port
Rodeway Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport Port Everglades Cruise Port – 1.2 miles from port
Quality Inn and Suites Ft. Lauderdale Airport/Cruise Port South – 3 miles from port

What to Do in Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) with Kids

The Fort Lauderdale / Port Everglades area has lots to offer cruisers. With Miami only a half hour drive away, many cruisers opt to spend an extra day or two exploring the area before or after their cruise.

Below are 6 things to do with kids in the Fort Lauderdale area:

Butterfly World – There are 20,000 butterflies from around the world that call Butterfly World home. And this is the reason why Butterfly World is the world’s largest butterfly park. Along with butterflies, visit exotic birds, hand-feed the lorikeets, and check out the waterfalls and botanical gardens while you’re there too. Children under 3 are free.

Everglades Holiday Park – Come face to face with alligators at this popular family friendly attraction in the Everglades. A short drive west of Fort Lauderdale is Everglades Holiday Park. Climb aboard a covered airboat and see gators and birds up close. There’s daily live gator shows and opportunities to hold and take photos with an alligator.

Flamingo Gardens – This 60-acre botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary features exotic and native plants, alligators, otters, eagles, bobcats, panthers and of course flamingos.

Intercoastal Waterway Water Taxi Tour – Enjoy a leisurely tour of Fort Lauderdale’s waterways on this hop on hop off boat. For $26 for an all day pass ($12 for children 5 to 11 and children 4 and under are free), you can go to the beach, shop and pick up a bite at Las Olas Boulevard and watch the cruise ships at Port Everglades.

Jungle Queen Riverboat Cruise – For a guided sightseeing tour or dinner, show and sightseeing tour, hop aboard the Jungle Queen Riverboat. These tours start at $23.50/adult and $12.95/child. Sail through Millionaire’s Row, visit a tropical isle to meet birds, lemurs, monkeys and alligators or enjoy an all-you-can-eat chicken, ribs and shrimp dinner while you learn about “Venice of America”.

Museum of Discovery and Science – Located in Downtown Fort Lauderdale is the Museum of Discovery and Science. This two floor building features over 200 interactive exhibits including animal habitats and flight simulators, a five-storey high IMAX film, a coral reef with sea creatures and tropical fish and an Everglades Airboat display.