Royal Caribbean operates from the Midport section of Port Everglades, principally Terminal 18 - expanded specifically to handle Oasis-class ships and one of the largest cruise terminals in the world - and the modern Terminal 25. When a ship carrying more than six thousand passengers turns around in a single day, the approach roads become the bottleneck, not the check-in hall. Terminal 18 mornings are the busiest thing this port does, and they are exactly why a pre-assigned car with a driver who knows the Eller Drive traffic pattern beats improvising with an app at the airport curb.
Midport is reached through the main Eller Drive entrance off US-1 and I-595, a straight shot from FLL of about two and a half miles. Our chauffeurs run this gate constantly and know how the port marshals inbound cars on multi-ship days - which lane peels toward 18, where the 25 drop loop sits, and when the SE 17th Street gate is the smarter back door. You are dropped at the terminal canopy, not waved toward a parking structure across the road with three roller bags.
Timing advice for Royal Caribbean at Port Everglades: check-in at 18 and 25 opens around 10:30 AM and both buildings process crowds quickly, but the security queue peaks between noon and 1:30 PM. Arrive early or arrive after 2:00 PM; the dead middle is where the waiting happens. For debarkation we stage pickups from 7:30 AM and track the ship's actual clearance, so an early customs release does not leave you standing on the curb watching an empty pickup lane.
What to expect
- Eller Drive gate routing tuned to multi-ship embarkation mornings
- Drop at the Terminal 18 or 25 canopy, not a remote lot
- About 6-9 minutes from FLL; 15 from beach hotels
- Boarding-window guidance to skip the midday security peak
- Sprinter Vans for large family groups sailing Oasis-class ships