From $145 per vehicle: a private, one-way ride from Port of Miami to Santa Barbara Inn in a chauffeured SUV or van.
One number per vehicle covers the full journey one way. Choose by how many people ride and how many bags come along.
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 greeting costs nothing extra; the Meet & Greet at the terminal with a name sign adds $40.
Santa Barbara Inn sits in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a stretch of coast that has held onto its small-town feel while the bigger resorts grew up around it. This is a genuine beach village, not a highway strip: low-rise inns line the streets, the pace is unhurried, and the ocean is close enough that you can walk to it with your shoes in your hand. Arriving here straight from the ship, you trade the crowds of the terminal for something quieter and more human-scaled.
The setting is the real draw. Anglin’s Pier reaches out over the water as the village landmark, a spot for a slow walk or an early cast, and the sand carries the easygoing rhythm of a place built for beach days rather than for rushing. What sets this corner of the coast apart is the living coral reef lying just offshore. You can snorkel straight off the beach here, no boat required, dropping into clear water within a short swim of the shoreline and finding reef life that most visitors have to charter out to see.
For a traveler stepping off a cruise, that combination is the appeal: a low-key inn in a walkable village, with the beach, the pier, and the reef all part of the everyday landscape rather than a day journey away. After days at sea, Santa Barbara Inn gives you a peaceful base where the water stays the center of attention. Your chauffeur brings you the full run from the port and leaves you at the door, ready to settle in and let the village set the tempo.
From the PortMiami cruise terminal to Santa Barbara Inn is about 34.9 miles, run as one clean leg up I-95. Plan on roughly 58 to 74 minutes depending on traffic and the time of day. Your chauffeur meets you curbside at your own terminal once your group clears the exit, not out in a distant parking lot, and every bag goes into the vehicle with you. The car is reserved for your party alone, so once you are loaded it is a direct drive north to the door of the inn.
Ships rarely release everyone at the same minute, so the pickup is timed to your actual disembarkation rather than a fixed clock, with courtesy wait time built in to cover customs and the luggage hall. You walk out, the vehicle is already staged, and the next stop is Santa Barbara Inn. On busy weekend mornings the I-95 traffic is already factored into the timing, so the plan holds up even when the port is at its fullest.
The ride from the Port of Miami to Santa Barbara Inn covers 35.1 miles and takes about 1 hour in light traffic via I-95. Each vehicle has its own fare: Black SUV $145, Van $290, Van XL $350. Pickup is at your cruise terminal curb at PortMiami.
| Road distance | 35.1 miles |
|---|---|
| Black SUV, 1-5 | $145 |
| Drive time | 1 hour |
| Van, 6-9 | $290 |
| Main roads | I-95 |
| Van XL, 10-14 | $350 |
| Back from Santa Barbara Inn | $145 / $290 / $350 |
Going back works the same way. The driver meets you at the main entrance of the inn and takes you to your cruise terminal at PortMiami, 35.1 miles away, in about 1 hour with light traffic. Fares for the return from Santa Barbara Inn are $145 (Black SUV), $290 (Van) and $350 (Van XL). The booking box below opens with the two points swapped. Book the return
The 35.1 miles from the Port of Miami to Santa Barbara Inn take about 1 hour without heavy traffic via I-95. At busy hours, allow extra time. Each vehicle has a fixed fare, no traffic or surge charges: $145 for the Black SUV, $290 for the Van and $350 for the Van XL.
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 35.1 miles to Santa Barbara Inn.
Outside the cruise terminal, at the curb. Driver, car and plate arrive by message ahead of the pickup, so you know who to look for; the drive to Santa Barbara Inn starts as soon as the bags are loaded and takes about 1 hour.
Count people and big suitcases together: up to 10 fit the Black SUV at $145. Larger groups going to Santa Barbara Inn take the Van at $290, for 9 passengers and 9 cases, or the Van XL at $350, for 14 and 14. One carry-on each is included.
On sailing day the ride from Santa Barbara Inn to your terminal is $145 for the Black SUV, $290 for the Van and $350 for the Van XL. The 35.1 miles take about 1 hour in light traffic, so leave early enough for boarding.
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conductor amable. viaje cómodo. reservé fácil. ayudó con maletas.
A few friends and I came off the ship together and arranged one private van from the cruise terminal to Santa Barbara Inn.
We booked one van for the whole group from the terminal to Santa Barbara Inn so nobody got left behind. The fare was fixed when we booked, the same number we were quoted.
The two of us sailed out of PortMiami and having a private car waiting curbside for the ride over to Santa Barbara Inn was the best part of the day. For a reliable way to get from the ship to Santa Barbara Inn, it was well worth it. It was a private car for our party alone — no side pickups — so much nicer than piling in with strangers.
For a smooth disembarkation, my wife and I had a private driver meet us at the cruise terminal to run us over to Santa Barbara Inn. The ride from the terminal to Santa Barbara Inn was quiet and relaxed, and we could just watch the city go by. The SUV was roomy enough for all the cruise luggage, a relief in the Miami heat.