rmartin1286

I will take whatever I can afford at the time, whether that be an inside or a suite. I don't really like being in inside cabins as part of the experience to me is being able to look out your window. A picture window is fine to me if it doesn't make financial sense to book a balcony. I think my thinking is that if there is an itinerary that is really expensive but goes to great ports and is on a really nice ship, I would take an inside cabin to be able to afford to go.

Just booked with Captain Bob for our main excursion on our upcoming cruise - SO EXCITED. We love to Snorkel but have never been to Saint Maarten and wanted to see some of the island so were thrilled to find something with a little of everything thrown in. The beer and soft drinks/water on the boat are also a nice touch.

We've stayed here twice now before cruises and both times have been great experiences. We used to drive to Florida and would leave our car here for no extra charge (at that time, the last time we stayed there was about two years ago) which was awesome since it saved us so much money. The hotel is nice with large quiet rooms. There is a great pool and the free shuttle to the port is always easy to use. You do have to pay for a taxi back to the hotel after the cruise, but it's only about $25 which isn't terrible IMO.

As far as food goes, previous poster is correct, there is not a lot within walking distance. We always ordered in a pizza from a local place, they are reasonably priced and they have pretty tasty New York style pizza. There will be a million flyers outside your room or shoved under the door so you shouldn't be lacking for choices.

Wait, you haven't checked in yet have you?

 

Before you get upset about a room you haven't seen yet, here is a little advice. I was in the hotel business for almost twenty years.

 

Firstly, call the Hyatt and tell them that you are aware of the bad reviews of the hotel and would like to make sure you are in a good room. Ask them to note this on your reservation.

 

When you check in, tell the person at the front desk checking you in, that you would like to see the room before you accept the room. This holds more weight when there isn't a line out the door trying to check in.

 

If the above two fail and you still end up in a bad room, call the Hyatt #800 phone number. Nothing worse for a hotel manager than having an unhappy guest in a hotel room when the guest has tried to resolve things onsite and the hotel will not oblige and the guest in having to call corporate.

 

Good luck, the Hyatt is really a nice property.

Thank you for your suggestions, I will definitely do this. I've never stayed at a Hyatt before and I will probably love it but was just very taken aback that we didn't get a resort on the beach. It made me sad, I was hoping to look out my window in the morning and see the ocean but I'll be doing that for seven days on my cruise. :)

Again, I don't think you understand...the area of the HOTEL that people who book through Priceline are put in is NOT four-star quality. I do not disagree that the general area of the hotel seems to be a high quality area. You make valid points and I know that some of the responsibility lies on me as I chose to book a room blindly, but as someone who can't afford to take more than one vacation a year I was hoping to get something a little better.

You stated that by paying $102 for a $140 room that I overpaid? Bingo. That's what I'm upset about.

Actually the same room is around $140 per night for the evening I'll be staying there, not $250. And I do see that the resort is four star, however the area that Priceline people are put in within the hotel is not a four-star area, it gets terrible reviews. I rarely buy hotels that aren't 1.5 - 2 star rated and cheap, so it's a big deal to me to spend that much money on a hotel that probably isn't going to be worth it to me. Unrealistic expectations have nothing to do with the fact that I and most other people would feel that if they booked a "beach" hotel, that it should be on a beach.

This disappoints me since I just booked a Priceline Express 4* deal for $102. When I received my confirmation email with the hotel name I began doing research on the one I was assigned too and was alarmed by the reviews of the hotel and the fact that even though I booked a supposed beach area hotel this is not on the beach. I called the customer service line and was told that they don't allow any kind of cancellations or editing of the reservation even though I explained to them that I figured since I booked a "beach" hotel that it should be on the physical beach. I probably will never use Priceline again to book a room and am thinking of disputing the booking with my credit card company. It's a let down, we were hoping for a nice post-cruise hotel :(

Booked the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-six for $92 with a 10% off coupon code ($102 before code) with the Priceline Express Deals. I chose the Fort Lauderdale Beach area on the map and was disappointed with this hotel assignment because I figured that when I booked a "beach" hotel that it would actually be on a beach and not just on the intercoastal waterway, but that's what you get when you book these kinds of deals. From looking at the hotel's website it looks like I saved around $50 a room so I guess I can't complain too much.

Anyone else ever stay here? Did you like it?

This is me holding a python at the Belize Zoo:

My husband looking through his drink:

And this is one of my favorites of all time...

heh heh.