Ahoy there, Trevor, and welcome aboard planDisney! It’s always good to see a fellow Missourian here in these waters!
While it’s sad to have to think about debarkation day while planning months ahead of a Disney Cruise Line vacation, it’s definitely a planDrew-Approved approach. Oh, and trading a Missouri January for a Caribbean one? Doubly-so!
Port Miami may only be 30 minutes away from Miami International Airport, but debarkation traffic, luggage collection, and traffic headed to the airport can combine for an absolute slog of a morning. Officially, Disney Cruise Line recommends the earliest departure time on debarkation day to be 12:00 p.m., and I can tell you firsthand that’s a solid estimate.
Since you’re planning on heading to the airport right after debarking,
I’d strongly suggest booking your port transfers through Disney Cruise Line Ground Transportation. It’s one less reservation to keep track of separately and makes debarkation a bit simpler than trying to coordinate your departure from Port Miami to the airport. This way, once you get through U.S. Customs and Border Protection screening, you’ll be able to follow the helpful crew members to your transportation without having to scramble to find your pickup! I know that’s made my family’s trips from Miami MUCH simpler, even if we must wave goodbye to our ship!
I hope that draws a fine “X” to mark the spot for you and your crew, Trevor! Thank you so much for your question, and if any others surface while you continue planning, please drop me another line here at planDisney!
SEA ya real soon!
Andrew