From $475 per vehicle: a private, one-way ride from Port of Miami to Tarpon Tale Inn in a chauffeured SUV or van.
These are fixed one-way fares for the whole car or van, tolls and fuel included, so the total is known before anyone gets in.
Book with the ship’s name and the date, and the driver handles the rest at PortMiami: waiting at the correct terminal, helping with the suitcases, and leaving the port without a queue. The curbside meet-and-greet costs nothing extra; the inside name-sign welcome adds $20.
Tarpon Tale Inn sits on Sanibel & Captiva, the pair of islands that curve into the Gulf like a shell-collector’s daydream. Once your ride pulls up, you step out at the door of your stay with the water and the island’s quiet pace close at hand. This is where your trip settles down after the ship — a small island address rather than a busy port, reached by a single door-to-door run that ends exactly where you are staying.
The islands are known for their shelling, and the beaches here draw people who like to walk the tide line looking for whatever the Gulf has left behind. Bike paths thread across Sanibel, and the J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge sets aside a wide stretch of protected land for the birds and wildlife that live along the coast. The Sanibel Lighthouse marks the island’s eastern tip, an easy landmark once you have dropped your bags at the inn.
When you feel like sand and salt, Bowman’s Beach and Blind Pass are both close by in Sanibel & Captiva, so a beach afternoon is a short move rather than a full outing. Anything about the stay itself — rooms, check-in, what the inn offers — lives on Tarpon Tale Inn’s own page; the ride to and from the ship is the part we handle. Our job ends when you are standing at the door with your luggage beside you, free to start the island part of the trip on your own clock.
The pickup is built around your ship’s real arrival, not a fixed clock time, so the vehicle is waiting when you clear customs and the luggage hall rather than the other way around. Your chauffeur meets your group at the curb of your cruise line’s own terminal, loads every bag, and heads straight out — one direct leg to Tarpon Tale Inn with no other stops and no other passengers sharing the vehicle.
From the port the route runs about 162.5 miles along I-595, and you should plan on roughly 171 to 179 minutes door to door depending on how the traffic moves that day. Your luggage stays in the vehicle the whole way, so there is nothing to reload and nothing to track. When you arrive, the driver brings the bags to the door of the inn, and the island part of your trip begins right there.
The car waits for you, not the other way around. Your group travels together with the luggage in the same vehicle, the fare is known before the ride, and the driver takes the direct route to the destination.
Booking takes a 50% deposit; the other half goes to the driver when the ride is done, by cash or card. There are no seat fees and no add-ons unless you request them.
Rides between 9 PM and 7 AM add a night fee for the SUV: $20 within Miami-Dade and Broward, $50 farther out. Child seats are available for $15 each. An extra stop is billed at $45 per 30 minutes of the detour.
Up to five people ride in the SUV; larger parties move to a 6-to-9 or 10-to-14 passenger van so everyone and every bag travels together in one vehicle.
Details such as an extra passenger or a child seat can be adjusted up to 12 hours before the pickup. The date itself is fixed once booked, so double-check it before you confirm.
Reach us on WhatsApp at wa.me/17866828748 or by phone at 786-682-8748; send the date, passengers and luggage and the reservation is confirmed the same day.
Reserving a few days ahead is ideal, and in peak season (holidays, spring break, big cruise weekends) a week or more keeps your first-choice vehicle available. Requests inside 24 hours are welcome but depend on availability, and those bookings are non-refundable once confirmed.
We run on reservations rather than on-demand pickups. A same-day request may still work if a driver is free: message us on WhatsApp with the pickup time and we will confirm quickly. Keep in mind that a ride booked within 24 hours of pickup cannot be refunded.
No. A 50% deposit holds the vehicle when you book online, and the other half goes to your driver on the day of the ride, in cash or by card. If you prefer to settle everything at once, choose Pay in full at checkout.
Yes. After the deposit, the remaining half is paid directly to your driver when the ride is done, cash or card, whichever you prefer. There is nothing else to pay unless you added an extra service.
Cancellations are free up to 24 hours before the pickup. Inside that 24-hour window the ride is non-refundable, and no-shows are treated the same way. Booking details such as an extra passenger or a child seat can still be updated until 12 hours before pickup.
The pickup time and other details can be adjusted until 12 hours before the ride, subject to driver availability; write to us as soon as your plans change. The travel date itself is fixed once booked, so double-check it before you confirm.
Payments run through Stripe over an encrypted checkout; we never see your card number. Card payments carry a 3% processing fee that is shown before you pay. Zelle is also accepted for the deposit with no fee: ask us on WhatsApp.
Not at all. Travelers reserve from all over the world, international cards are accepted at checkout, and we answer on WhatsApp and email in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Yes. Give us the flight number when you book and your driver tracks it in real time, so the pickup follows the actual landing rather than the scheduled one, at no extra cost.
Message us the moment you know. We reschedule around the new arrival whenever a driver is available; because that counts as a change to the booking, the cancellation terms above still apply if the ride cannot be rebooked.
Your driver meets you at the MIA arrivals level at the curb, and that meet-and-greet is included in the fare. If you would rather be greeted inside the terminal with a name sign, add the name-sign welcome for $20 when you book.
You receive the meeting instructions in advance, and the driver contacts you the day before the ride to confirm every detail. On landing, head to the agreed curb; connect to the airport Wi-Fi and message us on WhatsApp if anything is unclear.
The day before the ride we send the driver’s name and phone number, and the vehicle details you need to spot the car. Vehicle photos on the site show the category booked; the exact model can vary.
Call or WhatsApp us at +1 (786) 682-8748 and we connect you right away. The pickup is always coordinated at the confirmed spot, and the courtesy waiting time keeps running from your landing or your scheduled pickup.
At the airport we wait up to 60 minutes after landing on domestic flights and up to 2 hours on international arrivals; at hotels, homes and the cruise port the courtesy wait is 15 minutes. Beyond that, waiting is billed like an extra stop, $45 per 30 minutes.
The distance and the usual driving time for this exact route are listed on this page. Real timing depends on traffic and the hour, which is why the driver plans the pickup around your actual landing or ship arrival rather than a fixed clock time.
Yes. Your driver loads and unloads every bag at the curb. Drivers do not go inside the hotel or terminal to collect luggage, so have it with you at the meeting point.
Each passenger can bring one large suitcase plus one carry-on. The black SUV carries up to 5 passengers as long as passengers plus large suitcases total 10 or fewer; larger groups or extra bags move to a van. Surfboards, bikes or many extra cases need a custom setup, so tell us before booking.
Yes. Add them when you book: a child seat for babies and toddlers up to about 3 years, or a booster for ages 3 to 5. Each seat is $20 and is fitted before the driver leaves for the pickup.
Planned stops are fine when you add them at booking, priced at $45 per 30 minutes with a 30-minute minimum, then $1.50 per extra minute. Unplanned detours on the day are not part of the fare.
Never. Every transfer is private: the vehicle carries only your group, door to door, with no other pickups and no waiting for strangers.
A black SUV for up to 5 passengers, a van for 6 to 9 and a larger van for 10 to 14. The fare table on this page shows the price for each. For groups above 14 we arrange several vehicles or a minibus on a custom quote.
No. We pick up and drop off at Miami International Airport, PortMiami and the other cruise terminals, hotels, private homes, offices and event venues across South Florida and beyond.
Yes. Wedding parties, corporate groups and private events get a tailored quote with the right mix of vehicles; message us with the date, head count and schedule.
Between 9 PM and 7 AM the black SUV adds a night fee of $20 inside Miami-Dade and Broward and $50 farther out. The fee is shown in the quote before you book, and daytime rides carry no surcharge.
The fare shown is for the exact route named on this page. For a different pickup or drop-off address, use the ride search on this site: it prices the real road distance instantly and lets you book on the spot.
The fare includes the driver, fuel and tolls, with no hidden fees. Only optional items add to it: the 3% card fee, a name-sign welcome, child seats, extra stops or the night fee, each shown in the quote before you pay. Tipping is at your discretion.
De crucero con la familia, no queríamos caos el día del desembarque, así que una van privada esperando en la terminal Tarpon Tale Inn fue perfecto. El auto estaba con espacio de sobra para todo el equipaje del crucero, con lugar para todo.
We reserved one van for the entire crew from the terminal to Tarpon Tale Inn so we all checked in together.
Éramos seis bajando en PortMiami, y un traslado privado a Tarpon Tale Inn fue mucho más simple que dividirnos en autos. Era un auto privado solo para nosotros — sin nadie a quien esperar — justo lo indicado para esa mañana. Pasamos del barco a la recepción de Tarpon Tale Inn sin una sola complicación. Hizo el desembarque facilísimo.
We cruised with a group of friends and wanted everyone and the luggage in one private ride to Tarpon Tale Inn after disembarking. We got a clear confirmation, so there was nothing to worry about at the terminal.
With the little ones, pre-booking a private car from the port to Tarpon Tale Inn meant no scramble on disembarkation morning. For a reliable way to get from the ship to Tarpon Tale Inn, it was money well spent.