From $395 per vehicle: a private, one-way ride from Port of Miami to Driftwood 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.
Tell us the ship and the driver times the pickup to its arrival, then waits at your terminal’s curb at PortMiami. The curbside greeting there is included in the fare; the Meet & Greet at the terminal is a $40 add-on. From the port the ride is direct, with no other passengers.
Driftwood Inn sits on Sanibel Island, out along Florida’s Gulf shore, about 162.5 miles by road from Port of Miami. This is a barrier island with a distinct rhythm than the city you just left behind: there are no high-rises here, only a low horizon of sand, water, and green. The pace eases the moment you reach the island, and the inn puts you within reach of the quiet things Sanibel is known for.
What Sanibel offers is unhurried and close to the water. The island’s lighthouse anchors one end, and the wildlife refuge spreads its mangroves across a good share of the land, laced with channels and shaded paths where the birds tend to outnumber the people. Then there is the shelling — Sanibel gives up more shells than anywhere else in Florida, and the beaches fill with travelers walking slowly, heads down, reading the tideline. It is the kind of place where the day is set by the light and the tides rather than a clock.
For a group coming straight off a cruise, Driftwood Inn makes a natural landing point on the island — a base near the sand, the refuge, and the lighthouse, with the bags already carried in and the long drive behind you. You step out of the vehicle into the slower island air, and the rest of Sanibel opens from there: the mangroves in the morning, the beach in the afternoon, and shells for the pockets on the way back.
The ride runs door to door as a single leg. Your chauffeur meets the group at the terminal on Dodge Island once you clear the exit, loads the bags at the curb, and the vehicle is yours alone from the port straight to Driftwood Inn. Plan on roughly 162.5 miles and 171 to 179 minutes on the road via I-595, depending on the hour — quiet stretches move speedy, and disembarkation mornings can run toward the longer end.
Disembarkation mornings stack up at the terminal exits, so the driver is staged before your group walks out, and the wait is theirs rather than yours. With the luggage stowed and the route set, the drive west is one direct run: no changing vehicles, no added stops, no strangers along for the ride. You settle in, and Sanibel comes to you as the island road takes over near the end.
From the Port of Miami, plan on about 2 hours 47 minutes and 162.9 miles to reach Driftwood Inn in Sanibel via I-595. Prices are per vehicle, not per seat: $395 for the Black SUV, $520 for the Van, $635 for the Van XL. Pickup is at your cruise terminal curb at PortMiami.
| Road distance | 162.9 miles |
|---|---|
| Black SUV, 1-5 | $395 |
| Drop-off address | 711 Donax St, Sanibel |
| Drive time | 2 hours 47 minutes |
| Van, 6-9 | $520 |
| Main roads | I-595 |
| Van XL, 10-14 | $635 |
| Back from Driftwood Inn | $395 / $520 / $635 |
For the trip back, your driver picks you up at the main entrance of the inn (711 Donax St) and drives the 162.9 miles to your cruise terminal at PortMiami in about 2 hours 47 minutes. The return fare is $395 for the Black SUV, $520 for the Van and $635 for the Van XL. The booking box opens with Driftwood Inn as the pickup; just add the date and time. Book the return
Driftwood Inn is 162.9 miles by road from the Port of Miami. In light traffic the drive takes about 2 hours 47 minutes via I-595; rush hour can add time, but it is a fixed fare, no traffic or surge charges: $395 for the Black SUV.
Choose the moment you will be on the curb with your luggage. The driver is at your terminal at the agreed time, then covers the 162.9 miles to Driftwood Inn.
Curbside at the terminal your ship uses. Leave the building with your luggage, send a message, and the driver comes to that curb. From there it is 162.9 miles to Driftwood Inn.
In the Black SUV ($395 to Driftwood Inn) passengers plus big suitcases can add up to 10, so five people with five cases fit. The Van ($520) carries 9 passengers and 9 big cases, the Van XL ($635) 14 and 14, and everyone keeps a carry-on.
We do. The driver picks you up at Driftwood Inn and takes you to your cruise terminal for $395 (Black SUV), $520 (Van) or $635 (Van XL). Plan on about 2 hours 47 minutes for the 162.9 miles, more at rush hour.
Every policy in full: FAQ
My husband and I finished a wonderful cruise and followed it with a private car ready at the curb to take us to Driftwood Inn — no fuss at the port. The last thing you want after a week at sea is a ride that falls through, and this was there exactly when we needed it. We’ve already saved them for our next cruise out of PortMiami.
Getting a big group off the ship and over to Driftwood Inn is usually a headache, but one pre-booked private van made it effortless. We’ve already saved them for our next cruise out of PortMiami.
For a stress-free morning off the ship, my partner and I had a private driver meet us at the cruise terminal to run us over to Driftwood Inn.
With the whole crew, pre-booking a private car from the port to Driftwood Inn meant no scramble on disembarkation morning. For a no-hassle way to get from the ship to Driftwood Inn, it was money well spent.
With kids in tow, pre-booking a private car from the port to Driftwood Inn meant nothing to sort out on disembarkation morning. There was a sign with our name at the curb, so we knew right where to go. We knew the plan before the ship even docked, so there was no guessing at the port.