Fort Lauderdale pre-cruise hotel help

Me, my hubby and 11 year old are staying in the Ft.Laud area the night before our cruise, arriving around 4:00pm. It seems like Port Everglades and north/south Ft.Laud are cheaper for a better hotel. Why is that the case? Are they bad areas to stay? I am hoping to stay somewhere with walkable dining from the hotel that evening.

http://www.sunny.org has lots of FLL area tourist and hotel info.

I will let one of the locals respond to your specific question.

A good area to search is the 17th street/downtown area - Embassy Suites and a host of other chain hotels in a variety of price ranges plus dining and shopping options within walking distance.

If they do not offer an airport shuttle a taxi from FLL to this area should be about $15+ and another $12-15+ cab will get you to PE the next morning.

I would say PE is cheaper as you probably will not be on the beach. Beach=more money.

North and South would have more transportation costs, to/from hotel from airport and same situation to the port. Not a big deal if you are planning to rent a car but for one night it may not be worth the hassel to you.

What hotels are you looking at? SE 17th street is popular as it has restaurants, grocery and drug stores fairly close. Some of the hotels offer a free shuttle to the above.

A taxi to the port would be about $15 which for a group of 3 would be a more convenient option than the hotel's option.

By listing the hotels you will get the pros/cons. That would help you to decide what is important to you.

Sheal

We are actually cruising out of Miami the following day. We don't care much about staying at a beach, just somewhere to walk around the night before and get some dinner. A hotel with free shuttle from the airport would be great if you have any suggestions.

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We stayed at the Hyatt Place which offers free shuttle from the airport. Pool area wasn't much to write home but I knew that before hand.

http://ftlauderdaleconventioncenter.place.hyatt.com/en/hotel/activities/area-activities/ft-lauderdale-airport.html

Two streets over is a shopping plaza with grocery and a Total wine store if you are looking to carry on wine. Duffy's sports bar is in this same plaza. We have eaten there a few times even when we were staying somewhere else.

Tons of other restaurants available too. We had the shuttle bring us to Bimini's :mad: and then Cold Stone afterwards for some ice cream

Sheal.

Just let me clarify, you are flying in to Ft Lauderdale , but cruising out of Miami? Are you taking a taxi to the Port of Miami from Ft Lauderdale. Need more information on your journey, to better help you with your plans. Its somewhere around 30 miles from Ft lauderdale to Port of Miami, takes approx 45 min depending on traffic. If possible I would arrange transportation to the Miami airport then find a hotel to pick you up there. There are many places in Miami to stay. Consider South Beach, shopping dining, close to the beach.

Just let me clarify, you are flying in to Ft Lauderdale , but cruising out of Miami? Are you taking a taxi to the Port of Miami from Ft Lauderdale. Need more information on your journey, to better help you with your plans. Its somewhere around 30 miles from Ft lauderdale to Port of Miami, takes approx 45 min depending on traffic. If possible I would arrange transportation to the Miami airport then find a hotel to pick you up there. There are many places in Miami to stay. Consider South Beach, shopping dining, close to the beach.

Yup you are correct. We will take Uber from the hotel to the Port of Miami the morning of the cruise. I heard it costs more in the evening so we will just stay in Ft.Laud after flying in. Would like to keep it under $200 for the hotel. I see sunny.org has a listing of hotels that offer free airport shuttles. Just still not sure of what area I should book?

Yup you are correct. We will take Uber from the hotel to the Port of Miami the morning of the cruise. I heard it costs more in the evening so we will just stay in Ft.Laud after flying in. Would like to keep it under $200 for the hotel. I see sunny.org has a listing of hotels that offer free airport shuttles. Just still not sure of what area I should book?

In that case, I would look in to Hollywood or the Adventura area. Its south of the airport going towards Miami. Hollywood beach is not to far from the airport so go to a hotel broker website to get an idea of what hotels are there and which offer shuttles from the airport. There is a new Margaritaville, plenty of restaurants and shopping and is right on the beach. Adventura has the larger mall in the area and I know there are hotels there. Go to Sunny.org as previously stated as well.

Yup you are correct. We will take Uber from the hotel to the Port of Miami the morning of the cruise. I heard it costs more in the evening so we will just stay in Ft.Laud after flying in. Would like to keep it under $200 for the hotel. I see sunny.org has a listing of hotels that offer free airport shuttles. Just still not sure of what area I should book?

Book something on 17th Street. Tons of restaurants.

I am not sure how Uber works, by the ride or by the mile. If its by the ride, you can stay anywhere from Lauderdale by the Sea to North Miami. If you want to save money on mileage I do suggest looking from the airport southward. Just do your research.

I agree with the Hollywood Beach area near Margaritaville Resort. There are small old-Florida hotels for every budget and if you can get a discount at Margaritaville go for it! Your kid will LOVE it! The boardwalk is safe and long and full of interesting restaurants and things - the way one pictures a boardwalk to be!

17th Street is functional as an overnight stop before a cruise but extremely boring in my opinion. Totally uninteresting to walk around while dodging turning vehicles competing for parking. Not sure if you can find something there under $200 anyway.

Along 17th street the Hilton is next to the bridge with a great view of the cruise ships and the water taxi stops nearby. You may enjoy a boat ride to Las Olas or to the beach area after arrival.

Thanks everyone! It's sounds like Hollywood has everything we would want. I will have to check about the airport shuttles though. We can always taxi or uber to the hotel if need be.

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Thanks everyone! It's sounds like Hollywood has everything we would want. I will have to check about the airport shuttles though. We can always taxi or uber to the hotel if need be.

 

 

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You can grab the water taxi at a couple of stops in Hollywood, depending on how much time you have. The ride is great, scenic, takes you a lot of places, but is very time consuming. Hollywood has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the canals on the other its only about a block or so wide. Not that far by taxi from the airport, your best bet. Also, if you so desire, Gulf Stream Racetrack is a hop away, has a nice but small casino, restaurants and shops, like a mini mall. And Adventura Mall is not to far either. Or you can just take a scenic walk along the "Broadwalk" not boardwalk, its a wide sidewalk between the business' and the beach. If you want, go to the Marriott Hollywood Beach webcam for a peak at the area.

Le Tub in Hollywood is a fun, rustic (as in picnic tables) place right on the intercoastal. The burgers are great! We walked it both ways from the Marriott. Get there as early as possible, the wait can get long.

The Broadwalk is great for people watching and grabbing some ice cream. You can rent those goofy bikes and take the family for a spin. Depending on the day of the week, they also have concerts.

Sheal

Thanks everyone! It's sounds like Hollywood has everything we would want. I will have to check about the airport shuttles though. We can always taxi or uber to the hotel if need be.

 

 

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While I agree that Hollywood Beach is a great area, how much time do you actually have to spend there?

It is actually a little out of the way for the POM even though it is on the way. I know that doesn't make sense but it will not be cheap to get from the airport to Hollywood Beach. Because of the distance, I would not imagine any hotels have shuttles.

On the flip side, a cab to the POM from there will be expensive.

I think if I were going to do Hollywood Beach, I might just go all the way to South Beach. From there it is a short, inexpensive cab ride to the port.