Good For Lauderdale Pre-cruise Hotel - NOT Hyatt or Embassy

I find that interesting. Are they all requiring pre-payment? I always book directly with the hotel, either by phone or through the hotel's website, and I never really find that big a difference in the rates.

We book through Expedia since we can save with points. There is always a 'non-refundable' option and a 'free cancellation' option (or some don't have the 'free cancellation' option at all). Since we are 8 months away, we'd like the cancellable option. Also, I had some recent health issues (ironically had surgery exactly 1 year before our cruise) so am worried that the issues will arise again....so we prefer a hotel we can cancel if worst case, we need to change our cruise. Obviously the option that has 'free cancellation' costs more.

I agree. This is where was always stay. Clean, comfortable rooms and a great location. And an airport/port shuttle.

And the Best Western beside it on state Rd. 84 has always been excellent for us - for less money than Hampton. I have a room booked during the first week of March for $150.

 

Got another question...I am looking again and anyone know about Comfort Inn Ocean Side at Deerfield Beach? This price is less than when I looked a few months ago (and now same as Comfort Suites range). What looks interesting about this option is that there are waterslides (good for my 10.5 year old) and it looks like its near the beach. Not sure about shopping, but supposed if it ends up being a rainy day, then we could grab a cab somewhere.

 

Oh...but I think it's far from the port. :-(

Deerfield Beach would be about a $60 cab ride in each direction from the airport.

Deerfield Beach

would be about a $60 cab ride in each direction from the airport.

Thanks. That's what I got as well on a taxi estimation site. We scrapped Comfort Inn Ocean Side idea and are still booked with La Quinta.

A lot really depends on what you are looking for from a hotel...

For us, when we cruise from Fort Lauderdale, we are usually just looking for a place to relax for the day after flying in and before leaving on a cruise the next day. We are not interested in shopping or in seeing any "sights" in Fort Lauderdale (I've seen them and Fort Lauderdale leaves me largely unimpressed)...

The "action" around 17th Street and other "nicer" Fort Lauderdale locations is really just nicer shops and non-chain restaurants...or the beach in the beach area...

The area around the Oakwood shopping center works for me--since I'm just lounging around recovering from travel fatigue and jet lag...and all I want is a low room rate, an airport shuttle, free breakfast and WiFi...and MAYBE a port shuttle...And someplace--even fast food or a chain restaurant--nearby for dinner...

What has usually worked for me is the Springhill Suites on Sterling--accross from the Oakwood mall...But, for our cruise in March, even that has shown only sky-high prices ($329/night)...So, for this upcoming cruise, we found a great rate across the street at the Hampton Inn (Airport-Cruise port South) for $124 per night for our one pre-cruise night on a State Government rate--which, luckily, we qualify for...It has free breakfast, WiFi and airport shuttle...and, we'll just pay for a cheap taxi to the pier...

For our purposes, that works fine...We get in on Saturday morning before a Sunday cruise after flying the redeye from Los Angeles...So, we're not sightseeing...we'll just relax all day around the hotel, walk to one of the chain restaurants at Oakwood (TGI Friday, Red Lobster, Sal's Italian, the Ale House or whatever) for dinner, then back to the hotel for a good night's sleep...and taxi to the pier Sunday morning...saving a lot of the money we'd pay for 17th Street...

No wonder Fort Lauderdale leaves you unimpressed. What low expectations.

No wonder Fort Lauderdale leaves you unimpressed. What low expectations.

I've seen enough of the place to cement those expectations...I've visited not only for several cruises, but also for other reasons...I've got a lot of family that lives there...They all moved from New York to escape the snow and big city. I can see where the town impresses those who are escaping ten feet of snow...or who don't live near boats or beaches...

But, for me, I always leave BETTER weather to go there...and I've lived most of my life at or near the beach here in SoCal...

Fort Lauderdale, for me, is a place to catch a ship...

I don't care about local restaurants (and, yes, I've eaten in some nicer ones there as well) because I'm going to be eating well on the ship for the next week or two anyway and because I have better eateries back home. I am just there so as to not have to rush from the airport to the ship.

I will give you that it has a nice strip with shops and restaurants and it has a nice beach...But, when one is flying in Saturday to get on a cruise ship Sunday morning, one doesn't really need shopping and lots of restaurants. What one needs is a decent place to sleep, one decent dinner and convenient transportation from the airport and to the pier. Why pay twice the price for anything more?

We booked this hotel through LMT, and we will be landing in FLL about 8 ish. We would like to grab dinner after dumping our luggage off at the hotel, is there anything around there that is safe to walk to or should we take a cab? I appreciate any input!

Not a lot within the immediate area. Anthonys Coal Fired Pizza gets good reviews, it's just up from the hotel on Federal Hwy a block. There are a few more things over at the Harbor Shops plaza, like Duffys Sports Bar and Grill but you might want to cab it there at that time of night. I saw your other post about Steakhouses, there is an Outback just near the Embassy Suites, which is just beside the Harbor Shops.

Not a lot within the immediate area. Anthonys Coal Fired Pizza gets good reviews, it's just up from the hotel on Federal Hwy a block. There are a few more things over at the Harbor Shops plaza, like Duffys Sports Bar and Grill but you might want to cab it there at that time of night. I saw your other post about Steakhouses, there is an Outback just near the Embassy Suites, which is just beside the Harbor Shops.

But Anthonys is hard to get to by foot, right? If I remember correctly, we'd have to cross the highway.

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PS - Just realized that this is my own post from back in July. Just this past weekend we ended up switching from La Quinta to Comfort Suites on Federal Highway (i.e. near 17th street). An amazing price popped up and it was similar to La Quinta in terms of breakfast included, airport transportation included, swimming pool, free wifi. We decided to switch since it's pretty close to the port and it's just one night (arriving noon the day before). Hopefully it was a good choice...but it seems that both La Quinta and Comfort Suites have restaurants and basic shopping nearby.

But Anthonys is hard to get to by foot, right? If I remember correctly, we'd have to cross the highway.

 

 

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I should have quoted, but I was replying to the post right above mine about the Crowne Plaza. Anthonys is on the same side of the road on the next block north from there. From your hotel (and you are aware by now I hope that it's not a Comfort Suites anymore, right?), yes it looks like a pain to get to because US1 looks like it's 7 lanes or more wide most of the way down, with the only lights being at 17th and 24th. I would walk down to 24th to cross and pay attention as you go to see if there is any break in traffic to cross on the way.

I should have quoted, but I was replying to the post right above mine about the Crowne Plaza. Anthonys is on the same side of the road on the next block north from there. From your hotel (and you are aware by now I hope that it's not a Comfort Suites anymore, right?), yes it looks like a pain to get to because US1 looks like it's 7 lanes or more wide most of the way down, with the only lights being at 17th and 24th. I would walk down to 24th to cross and pay attention as you go to see if there is any break in traffic to cross on the way.

Ah ok thanks. I missed the context.

Yeah..I think it was yourself that has commented on other threads that it's no longer Comfort Suites. It's still listed as Comfort Suites when we booked it this past weekend and wouldn't know what to call it otherwise. ;) Hopefully it won't make a difference?

Btw..do you know if it changed quite recently? I'm asking since we got a great deal on our room, and I had been watching it the past while since it was always between La Quinta and Comfort Suites (or whatever it is now) and just recently the price dropped for our room type.

Ah ok thanks. I missed the context.

 

Yeah..I think it was yourself that has commented on other threads that it's no longer Comfort Suites. It's still listed as Comfort Suites when we booked it this past weekend and wouldn't know what to call it otherwise. ;) Hopefully it won't make a difference?

Btw..do you know if it changed quite recently? I'm asking since we got a great deal on our room, and I had been watching it the past while since it was always between La Quinta and Comfort Suites (or whatever it is now) and just recently the price dropped for our room type.

They just dropped Comfort Suites a week or so ago according to a news article. They will be changing to a Four Points by Sheraton this summer. I would expect some renovations to be going on, although I don't know when they will start or how extensive they will be. It is still using the comfortsuitesfortlauderdale.com website, although the hotel is calling itself the Fort Lauderdale Airport and Cruiseport Inn until officially joining Four Points.

They just dropped Comfort Suites a week or so ago according to a news article. They will be changing to a Four Points by Sheraton this summer. I would expect some renovations to be going on, although I don't know when they will start or how extensive they will be. It is still using the comfortsuitesfortlauderdale.com website, although the hotel is calling itself the Fort Lauderdale Airport and Cruiseport Inn until officially joining Four Points.

Sheraton is a good chain too so good to hear. Hopefully construction won't be going on in April when we're there (but just one night)

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Sheraton is a good chain too so good to hear. Hopefully construction won't be going on in April when we're there (but just one night)

 

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Yeah, all the Four Points I've ever been in have been nice. Did you book a non refundable rate or can you cancel? The hotel I'm staying at was also going to be doing some reno's, so what I did was booked another hotel as a fall back in case it sounded like mine was going to be a mess or otherwise potentially disruptive. Then a couple months ago when I heard the reno's were done, I cancelled the other hotel.

Yeah, all the Four Points I've ever been in have been nice. Did you book a non refundable rate or can you cancel? The hotel I'm staying at was also going to be doing some reno's, so what I did was booked another hotel as a fall back in case it sounded like mine was going to be a mess or otherwise potentially disruptive. Then a couple months ago when I heard the reno's were done, I cancelled the other hotel.

Yes. We can cancel up to start of April. But doh...dh already cancelled the La Quinta booking. In hindsight, we should have kept that one as it also had a cancel date of April. Prices have of course gone up since we booked. That was smart of you, and sounds like it worked out anyways.