South Florida has a genuine season. From roughly December through April the hotels are full, the cruise terminals turn over several ships a day, and every transportation company in the region is running its whole fleet on weekends. Outside those months you can usually book a vehicle the day before. Inside them, you cannot.
How far ahead, by vehicle
- Sedan (1–3 passengers) — 24 to 48 hours is usually enough, even in season. Most companies have the most of these.
- Full-size SUV (4–6) — two to three days in season. Weekend mornings go first.
- Sprinter van (7–14) — one to two weeks on a season weekend. This is the class that surprises people, because it is the one everyone wants for a cruise.
- Mini coach (15–25) — two to three weeks.
- Motorcoach (26–56) — three to four weeks, and longer around holidays. There are simply not many of them.
The days that go first
It is not spread evenly. In order of how quickly they fill:
- Saturday and Sunday mornings, December through April. Peak cruise turnaround. The single hardest slot to book.
- The weeks either side of Christmas and New Year. Everything, everywhere, booked.
- Spring break, March into April. Heavy on group vehicles in particular.
- Presidents Day and Easter weekends.
- Major convention weeks in Miami Beach and Orlando. These do not follow the tourist calendar — check your dates against the convention schedule if you are booking a group.
Why large vehicles are the constraint
A transportation company can add a sedan or an SUV relatively easily. Coaches are a different matter: expensive, requiring specific licensing and parking, and only worth owning if you can keep them busy year-round. So the regional supply of large vehicles is more or less fixed, and in season demand exceeds it every weekend.
This is why we tell group organisers to book as soon as they have a date, before the final headcount. Adjusting a reserved vehicle is easy. Sourcing one that is already committed is not.
If you have left it late
Options, roughly in order of how well they work:
- Move the time. A 6am or a 2pm pickup is far easier to fill than 9am. If your boarding window allows it, this alone often solves the problem.
- Split the group. Two Sprinters are usually available when one coach is not.
- Move the day. A Friday or a Monday is a different world from a Saturday.
- Ask anyway. Cancellations happen, and a company that has your details can call you when one does.
A note on price
Rates in season are higher than in September, and any company that tells you otherwise is quoting you September prices for a January date. What should not happen is a price that changes after you have booked. We quote a flat rate agreed before the trip, and that is the rate you pay — there is no surge multiplier on a pre-booked private vehicle.
The quiet months
If your dates are flexible, September and early October are the easiest and cheapest time to travel in South Florida. The trade-off is that this is the peak of hurricane season, so build in flexibility and take travel insurance seriously.
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