From $400 per vehicle: a private, one-way ride from Port of Miami to Waterside Inn on the Beach 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.
On disembarkation morning the driver plans around the ship’s arrival and waits at the curb outside your terminal at PortMiami. The curbside greeting at the terminal is included; the Meet & Greet at the terminal, your driver holding a name sign, is available for $40. Luggage goes straight from the terminal into the vehicle and the ride leaves private and direct.
Waterside Inn on the Beach sits where Sanibel and Captiva bend into the Gulf, on a shore that shell collectors treat like a private dream. This is the quiet end of Florida’s coast, far from the noise of the city you left at the pier. You step out of the vehicle and the beach is right there, the kind of place people come back to year after year for the sand, the water, and the slow pace.
The setting is what makes the stay. Sanibel is laced with bike paths that run past the J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge, a stretch of protected wetland and mangrove where the birds and the light are the whole show. The Sanibel Lighthouse stands neighboring, an old marker at the island’s tip that has watched over these waters for generations. You can walk it, ride it, or merely sit and let the Gulf do the talking.
Then there are the beaches, which is really why anyone chooses this corner of the coast. Bowman’s Beach and Blind Pass are both within reach, and the shelling here is renowned, drawing people who bend low over the tideline for hours. Waterside Inn on the Beach puts all of it a short step from the door, so the moment your bags are down you are already in it, salt air and open water, the island unfolding at whatever speed you please.
The journey is one clean run across the state. From the Port of Miami it is roughly 166 miles along I-595, a drive that normally takes 180 to 187 minutes, ending right at the door of Waterside Inn on the Beach. There are no stops and no detours, just your own vehicle carrying your group and your luggage the whole way. The chauffeur handles the bags from the terminal curb to the entrance, so you are not wrestling suitcases across the country.
Disembarkation mornings pile up speedy at the terminal exits, so your driver is staged before you even clear the hall, with 60 minutes of courtesy wait built in to cover customs and the luggage claim. You walk out, the car is already there, and the group settles in for a single ride west. When you are heading back to the ship, the chauffeur meets you at the entrance, loads the bags, and I-595 does the rest.
From the Port of Miami, plan on about 2 hours 59 minutes and 166.3 miles to reach Waterside Inn on the Beach in Sanibel via I-595. Prices are per vehicle, not per seat: $400 for the Black SUV, $530 for the Van, $650 for the Van XL. Pickup is at your cruise terminal curb at PortMiami.
| Road distance | 166.3 miles |
|---|---|
| Black SUV, 1-5 | $400 |
| Drop-off address | 3033 W Gulf Dr, Sanibel |
| Drive time | 2 hours 59 minutes |
| Van, 6-9 | $530 |
| Main roads | I-595 |
| Van XL, 10-14 | $650 |
| Back from Waterside Inn on the Beach | $400 / $530 / $650 |
The return covers the same 166.3 miles: pickup at the main entrance of the inn (3033 W Gulf Dr), drop-off at your cruise terminal at PortMiami after about 2 hours 59 minutes. From Waterside Inn on the Beach the Black SUV costs $400, the Van $530 and the Van XL $650. Open the booking box with the points swapped and choose the date and time. Book the return
The 166.3 miles from the Port of Miami to Waterside Inn on the Beach take about 2 hours 59 minutes without heavy traffic via I-595. At busy hours, allow extra time. Each vehicle has a fixed fare, no traffic or surge charges: $400 for the Black SUV, $530 for the Van and $650 for the Van XL.
Set the pickup for when you expect to clear the cruise terminal, allowing for customs and the luggage hall. From the terminal, Waterside Inn on the Beach is 166.3 miles away, about 2 hours 59 minutes in light traffic.
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 166.3 miles to Waterside Inn on the Beach.
Count people and big suitcases together: up to 10 fit the Black SUV at $400. Larger groups going to Waterside Inn on the Beach take the Van at $530, for 9 passengers and 9 cases, or the Van XL at $650, for 14 and 14. One carry-on each is included.
We do. The driver picks you up at Waterside Inn on the Beach and takes you to your cruise terminal for $400 (Black SUV), $530 (Van) or $650 (Van XL). Plan on about 2 hours 59 minutes for the 166.3 miles, more at rush hour.
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Booked it last minute and no issues. managed my oversized bags fine.
We reserved one van for the entire crew from the terminal to Waterside Inn on the Beach so the whole group stayed together. There was plenty of room for the whole group and everyone’s bags in one van to Waterside Inn on the Beach. The night before, we got a message with the driver’s name and plate number, so there was nothing to figure out on the way out.
Tras el crucero, mi pareja y yo no queríamos arriesgar un transporte en la terminal, así que reservamos un auto privado a Waterside Inn on the Beach. El conductor se ocupó de las valijas para que no tuviéramos que hacer fuerza.
Took all the worry out of getting off the ship — so easy. For a stress-free way to get from the ship to Waterside Inn on the Beach, it was absolutely worth booking.
My partner and I finished a wonderful cruise and capped it off with a private car waiting right at the terminal to take us to Waterside Inn on the Beach — not one worry at the terminal. Honestly the smoothest part of the whole trip — ship to hotel door with zero stress.