Mcgeneseo

Ocean view from balcony and chairs with intracoastal in background.

I forgot to mention we took a cab from the airport to the hotel. It cost about $36 with 20% tip included. I've scheduled an Uber for tomorrow's trip to the port.

Hello. DH and i are leaving on a cruise on Sunday and came in yesterday (Friday). We usually stay on 17th Street when we cruise out of Port Everglades. But the last two hotel stays in that area were so-so at best or horrible at worst, so I decided to try something different, hence Margaritaville Hollywood Beach (MHB). It is a resort, so it is pricey. But very relaxing and you don't have to leave the property if you don't want to. I'm writing on my tablet and the photo won't adjust, but here's the sunrise from our balcony in the 11th floor. I won't post any more till I figure it out. For dinner last night, we walked to Billy's Stone Crabs. Easy walk and it is located on the intracoastal. We walked in the street entrance and sat at a small bar literally in the kitchen. You can come in the entrance off the parking lot and go upstairs to the fancier part of the restaurant. You'll want reservations if you want to eat upstairs. Or take your chances for a seat at the bar. The food was fabulous. I had stone crabs for an appetizer and you pick the size of the claw and the amount by weight. I got a half pound of the large so about 3 claws. My DH had clams casino and he said they were delicious. We then split a half pound order of shrimp that came with an amazing cocktail sauce. And be sure to get the rolls....the butter had a touch of honey in it. The rolls were just a carrier....a spoon would have worked too! Then I had grilled Mahi Mahi and DH had the Key West Fish dish. You pick the base (he chose yellow tail snapper) then it's topped with lump crab, shrimp and avocado. The base choices were the snapper, Mahi Mahi, grouper or salmon. He said it was unbelievable. Then we shared a piece of key lime pie. I was glad we had to walk back to the hotel! We walked back along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. (Broadwalk, not boardwalk). There are A TON of places to eat. All sorts of options. There are a couple of mom and pop stores that I probably won't go in but you could find last minute items. We're stopping at the liquor store across the street today for wine for the ship. I'll post more later today. Only one more sleep until we board the Beyond!!

I haven't either. I'm going to write a review and post it on tye Florida departure board by Sunday.

I went to law school in Ft Lauderdale and there was a fair amount of alcohol involved. And how can you not like Margaritaville?????

I got a lump in my stomach just reading this....then had to go check that I had our passports in my carry on. We are also on this cruise, in a Celebrity suite. We leave at o'dark thirty tomorrow to fly from western NY to Ft. Liquordale. Staying at Margaritaville Hollywood Beach until we board Sunday. Hopefully we'll run into you somewhere!

I used to live in FLL and spent lots of time on 17th St. I have noticed a significant increase in homeless people hanging out at the intersection of Cordova and 17th - right across from ES and near the Publix plaza. We always walk to dinner when we're in town for a cruise and my DH is 6'4" and retired cop. Neither of us feel comfortable doing that anymore. I think"seedy" isn't too far off from what it is after dark.

I took it years ago and we did not get anything from the workshop. BUT! It was amazing. The wine did taste different in each glass. And it was the same wine. They started by pouring Chardonnay into a "cheap" bar glass. You took a sip. Then you poured that wine into the next glass. So you knew it was the same wine you just tasted. But boy, did it taste different! Now I'm waiting for my current wine glasses to break so I can justify buying new Riedel ones!

I think the poster was referring just to the World Class Bar. My experience there is that you only can get the drinks on the WCB menu... nothing not on the menu and no wine or beer at that bar. The bartender told us that the Bar only uses specific type of liquors to "showcase" them. If you want something other than those specific liquors, you have to go to a different bar.

@lexmillerare there lockers?

She's in St Martin so may join at that stop.

I don't use either very often but those prices are crazy high! I live in the country in western NY and I don't think we have many people driving for either one.

I'm also on the Feb 5th sailing. I wonder why Puerto Plata keeps changing. I don't plan on getting off the ship much, but just curious.

The port website shows Beyond leaving at 8 pm and Reflection leaving at 8:30 pm. Hopefully you won't be too far off your itinerary.

We did one in Aruba a year ago. It was fabulous but expensive. We had an obscene amount of OBC so it was worth it. I wanted to do it due to COVID. I contacted the Private Journeys by email and they set it up. High end SUV, knowledgeable driver and he gave us a tour of the entire island including Aruba Aloe. I asked about a time share that my friend has and he took us through it so I could see it. I'm glad we did it.

Morning from around 7 am to 9 am headed eastbound (to port). Afternoon 3 pm to 7 pm westbound (from Port to Davie). Traffic is pretty heavy all day. It took me about 30 minutes to get from Davie to the airport mid-day.

It's quite far away from the port. During rush hour traffic, give yourself 45 minutes to an hour.

Be careful leaving belongings in the trunk. Break ins are common with rental cars.

I think the hotels along 17th Street will be pricey. Since you have to take some type of transportation to the port, look for hotels that are near the airport or further inland, in your price range. Some might have a shuttle but taxis and Uber/Lyft to the port aren't too expensive. If you're arriving late and only staying overnight, I think a name brand hotel will be fine.

I grew up in Coral Gables but haven't been there in years. I loved staying at the Omni near Miracle Mile when I would visit. There are (or were pre-covid) a ton of restaurants right on Miracle Mile so it was an easy walk. I would Uber or cab anywhere after dark just to be safe. And you would definitely need to do that for the port. Another beautiful (but pricey) location is the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. It is in a residential area, but has its own restaurants and bars. It is an amazing place and perfect if you want to start your vacation pampering early.

You had better call. I applied credit card points in late June and they were not there when my TA checked yesterday. Luckily, I had kept a copy of the transaction. And I've redeemed for OBC in the past and it appears before you board, or at least it has in the past. Definitely take your paperwork but also try to suffer through being on hold to try to get them by phone before you leave.

Since I won't know if I have a male or female steward, what would you suggest? I hope to go on a holiday cruise in coming years to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary (a few days before Christmas....what was I thinking when I picked that date????) and I think that's a great idea.

My favorite series. Glad to see you're hooked. It helps if you read them in order as her characters develop and change.

Thank you for your post. I like Jimmy too, so I'm excited. Glad to know it's worth considering. We will definitely try Nick's.

Thank you for the tip! Sounds like our kind of place!