Alan Karp · Owner, Ace Tours Inc
· Updated · 5 min read
Start with your head count to find the vehicle class: a Sprinter van with a driver for a small party, a minibus for 15 to 20 people, a full size motorcoach for 56, and two or more vehicles beyond that. Then count the bags, because luggage is what pushes a group up a size or into a second vehicle. Ace Tours Inc sizes every trip to people plus bags when it quotes, so the right answer for your group comes from dispatch, not from a seat count alone.
Start with the head count
Count everyone who rides, including children and infants in car seats. Then find the class that seats your group. The table shows where most groups start.
Ace runs no sedans. The smallest vehicle is a Sprinter van with a driver; dispatch confirms its seats for your trip when it quotes.
| Group size | Vehicle class to start with | What can change it |
|---|---|---|
| Small party or family | Sprinter van with a driver | Seat count confirmed at quote; heavy luggage |
| 15 to 20 people | Minibus | Lots of luggage may call for a full size motorcoach |
| 21 to 56 people | Full size motorcoach | Bag count, equipment; a smaller group may fit a minibus plus a van |
| More than 56 people | Two or more vehicles | Drawn from a partner-fleet capacity of 40+ vehicles |
Then count the bags, honestly
A vehicle that seats your group does not always carry your group's luggage too. A business group with a carry-on each and a cruise group with a large case each are very different loads for the same number of seats.
Ace does not print a luggage limit per vehicle, because the fit depends on the mix of bags. Instead, tell dispatch what you are carrying, and the quote is built around it. If the bags do not fit the class your head count suggests, dispatch moves you up a size or adds a second vehicle before the trip, not at the curb.
- Large checked suitcases, per person
- Carry-ons and backpacks
- Strollers, car seats and wheelchairs
- Golf bags, dive bags and fishing rods
- Coolers and boxed items
- Musical instruments or team equipment
Can one shuttle fit the whole group plus luggage?
Often, yes: one full size coach seats up to 56, as long as the bags fit along with the people. A full size motorcoach is the largest single vehicle, and coaches of that size usually carry bags in bays under the floor, which frees the cabin for people. Smaller vehicles carry bags inside or at the back, so passengers and luggage share the same space.
When one vehicle is not enough, splitting into two can be the better plan anyway. Two vehicles let half the group leave earlier, or let one vehicle carry most of the luggage. Ask dispatch which works for your trip.
Families with lots of luggage
A family of five or six heading to a cruise or a long stay can have as many bags as a group twice its size. That is the usual reason families book a Sprinter van with a driver instead of a car: everyone and everything travels together, and the driver handles the loading.
The question is the same whether you leave from Miami Beach, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Coral Gables or Boca Raton to an airport or cruise port. The town changes the route; the people and the bags decide the vehicle. List both when you ask for a quote.
Cruise groups and port mornings
Cruise luggage is the heaviest load most groups carry: a large case per person, a carry-on, and often a garment bag for formal nights. For a group headed to Port Everglades or PortMiami, size the vehicle to that load, not to a light day trip.
After the cruise, the return is just as full, and sometimes more so with shopping. Book the return leg with the same vehicle size. Our cruise groups page covers how Ace moves groups to and from the ships.
Longer trips from Palm Beach, the Treasure Coast and the Keys
Families leaving West Palm Beach or Port St. Lucie for FLL, MIA or a cruise port ride longer than a hop across town, so comfort matters more. Do not squeeze. If the bags fill the aisle on a long ride, the vehicle is too small.
Trips from Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and Key West often carry gear as well as suitcases: dive bags, fishing rods and coolers. Ace runs one way MIA and FLL transfers to and from the Keys and Keys charters. Tell dispatch exactly what gear you have; it confirms whether it can travel and sizes the vehicle to it.
When the group arrives on different flights
Head count is only half the story at an airport. A group of thirty landing on three different flights is really three smaller pickups, each with its own bags. One coach waiting for every flight can mean a long wait at the curb for the first arrivals.
Give dispatch every flight number and how many people and bags are on each. It may suggest one vehicle per wave, a single coach timed for the main arrival with a van for the stragglers, or one pickup after the last flight lands. The plan follows the arrivals, then the vehicle size follows the plan.
What to send dispatch for an accurate quote
Every Ace trip is quoted, and the quote depends on your details. The more exact the list, the better the vehicle fits.
- Date and time of the trip, and flight or sailing details
- Pickup address and drop-off, including every hotel stop
- Number of travelers, with children and car seats
- Number and type of bags, plus any equipment
- Wheelchairs or mobility needs
- One way or round trip
