Ft. Lauderdale Q&A/FAQ Part 2

Hello,

We'll be traveling with 3 yr old, so it seems like we need a car seat or be in a bus/shuttle bus if we don't bring our car seat.

How much are the shuttle? I heard the RCI has shuttle too, that us a bus, but can't find how much that costs. There are 3 of us.

Or I am wondering if it's better if we bring our own car seat and rent a car, my husband drops me and our daughter with luggage at the cruise terminal, and go back to the rental car company and drop off the car and take the free shuttle back (just himself without luggage).

I read that there are some car rental companies with free shuttle to the port, but can be very busy at times. But I also read that it can be like 20 mins or so. Has any one done that before?

So... My cruise on RCCL is in early November when hotel rates around FLL are high. I eventually found out that there's a boat show that I'm sailing out of that's driving prices to $350+ per night. So, to save money, we're renting a car and we found a hotel in Plantation that is reasonable for 2 rooms. A couple of questions:

1) We are landing the day before the cruise in FLL and renting a car from the Rental Facility to get to the hotel. We will return the car at the FLL Rental Facility the morning of the cruise. My research tells me that there's a free shuttle bus from the Rental Facility to Port Everglades (can anyone confirm this?), but I fear that lines will be long. Since I will have my elderly parents (77yo and 72yo) and my child (5yo) in tow, the alternate option is to take a taxi but I didn't want to drag everybody on the shuttle bus back to a Terminal to catch one. Are taxis available at the Rental Facility to get to Port Everglades?

2) The path to our hotel in Plantation maps us onto I595. I am trying to avoid renting a SunPass from the car rental company, if possible, because they charge a hefty sum to use their SunPass. Is this a toll road? If it is, I can always take the local roads.

Thanks for helping out this uninformed New Yorker! :-)

...if we bring our own car seat and rent a car...

Not sure if you knew or not, but if you have AAA and use their code when you make a reservation, Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty will give you a free car seat. Hertz won't show a charge on your reservation. Dollar/Thrifty will show the charge but will take it off at the rental counter. I figured to throw this out there so you won't have to lug your car seat...

So... My cruise on RCCL is in early November when hotel rates around FLL are high. I eventually found out that there's a boat show that I'm sailing out of that's driving prices to $350+ per night. So, to save money, we're renting a car and we found a hotel in Plantation that is reasonable for 2 rooms. A couple of questions:

 

1) We are landing the day before the cruise in FLL and renting a car from the Rental Facility to get to the hotel. We will return the car at the FLL Rental Facility the morning of the cruise. My research tells me that there's a free shuttle bus from the Rental Facility to Port Everglades (can anyone confirm this?), but I fear that lines will be long. Since I will have my elderly parents (77yo and 72yo) and my child (5yo) in tow, the alternate option is to take a taxi but I didn't want to drag everybody on the shuttle bus back to a Terminal to catch one. Are taxis available at the Rental Facility to get to Port Everglades?

 

2) The path to our hotel in Plantation maps us onto I595. I am trying to avoid renting a SunPass from the car rental company, if possible, because they charge a hefty sum to use their SunPass. Is this a toll road? If it is, I can always take the local roads.

 

Thanks for helping out this uninformed New Yorker! :-)

Hi I am still figuring my things out, so I am not sure how accurate my info are... but.... How about you drop off everyone and your luggage and return the car and take shuttle? Maybe there's more room to accommodate 1 person without luggage?

That is something I am considering to do. Also, there are plenty of taxi's at the airport too. BTW, how about renting a car and droppin it off at Port Everglad location?

Not sure if you knew or not, but if you have AAA and use their code when you make a reservation, Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty will give you a free car seat. Hertz won't show a charge on your reservation. Dollar/Thrifty will show the charge but will take it off at the rental counter. I figured to throw this out there so you won't have to lug your car seat...

We're Canadian without AAA or CAA.

We are now flying into FLL, and don't have all that much time at For Lauderdale, so we may just taxi around..

Subscibing

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Has anyone tried to book the Hyatt Place 17th St Convention Center on ValueTrips for 2018. Last year I was able to book a January 2017 room in June of 2016. I tried to book a January 2018 room in September and was told that I could not do so until Oct. 15. I tried again on that date and got no reply. I emailed and received no reply. Does anyone know what has happened?

Thanks for any information you might be able to supply.

Linda

Hi,

We are sailing out next week from Port Everglades terminal 2 on Princess. Has anyone experienced the newly renovated terminal yet? Does anyone know about or have information on if they have a Suites waiting area? Hopefully the new terminal will be nice for all as being reported in news articles and not a let down like the Medallions we did not receive or get selected for :eek::p

J&S Waterluv

Has anyone tried to book the Hyatt Place 17th St Convention Center on ValueTrips for 2018. Last year I was able to book a January 2017 room in June of 2016. I tried to book a January 2018 room in September and was told that I could not do so until Oct. 15. I tried again on that date and got no reply. I emailed and received no reply. Does anyone know what has happened?

 

Thanks for any information you might be able to supply.

 

Linda

I booked hyatt thru value trips for jan 2018. It did take a long time but eventually they responded & apologized for the delay indicating they had server problems. Good Luck

Looking for help again on priceline. I've read through the priceline bids but I don't see exactly how many stars and what area to pick. If I want to try Express Deals for Westin Diplomat Resort on South Ocean Blvd, do I search 4 star and what area do I narrow it down to? We're flying into FLL but leaving out of Miami the next morning. Thanks for all your help in advance!

Where's the best place to park to get to the jetty to watch the ships depart? TIA

Hi All,

Looking for hotel in FLL that has a shuttle to/from the airport and hotel. The problem is that we are coming into FLL around 11 pm. The last time we did this, the shuttle wasn't running because of the time and we ended up in a taxi. Clearly I hadn't asked the correct questions, so this time I'm asking. Thanks for the help!

Spring Hill suites

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Most of the hotels offer shuttles, I’d narrow it down and then call the hotels to find out the operating times.

I need a hotel after a cruise in early March. I want one that offers a free shuttle to the airport and is close to the cruise port. I am trying to find one that is not isolated and allows for safe walks to restaurants or other places to spend time. Also, I am trying to find one that is less than 250/night and in a safe neighborhood and clean. Considering the time of year, I may have priced myself out of the market, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Linda

I need a hotel after a cruise in early March. I want one that offers a free shuttle to the airport and is close to the cruise port. I am trying to find one that is not isolated and allows for safe walks to restaurants or other places to spend time. Also, I am trying to find one that is less than 250/night and in a safe neighborhood and clean. Considering the time of year, I may have priced myself out of the market, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

Linda

A great location is along 17th Street. Try getting the Hyatt Place on valuetrips dot com. Several hotels along 17th Street and lots of shopping and Restaurants.

You might also try hotels in Dania off of Sterling Rd —Comfort Suites, BW+, Cambria, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, etc. Also,several hotels along the SR 84 Area.

I’d book a Refundable Hotel now and then watch the prices, have noticed lately prices coming down a few weeks out.

Carla

A great location is along 17th Street. Try getting the Hyatt Place on valuetrips dot com. Several hotels along 17th Street and lots of shopping and Restaurants.

Carla

We booked Hyatt Place several times thru them a few years ago. Rates were considerably less. They offered shuttle service to their hotel from the airport. There were a few restaurants and large grocery store behind them thru a parking garage. The Mexican restaurant had good margaritas during happy hr. Outback is next door. They contract with a shuttle service to the ship. If I remember, it was quite reasonable.

We are considering driving in to Ft L for 1 night prior to sailing.

We'd have a rental car.

Thoughts on a 1 night hotel with a shuttle TO the Cruiseport?

I am googling/maps and see airport shuttles... do the hotels do cruiseport shuttles?

Most of the hotels along 17th street have shuttles to the port for a fee of 7-8 dollars per person. If more than 2 people just take uber or a cab,its under 2 miles.

On 9/30/2018 at 10:42 PM, nhraformula00 said:

Most of the hotels along 17th street have shuttles to the port for a fee of 7-8 dollars per person. If more than 2 people just take uber or a cab,its under 2 miles.

We, a party of 9, will be staying in Ft. Lauderdale the night before we sail in February.  The hotel offers a shuttle for a price but with 9 people, the price will be well above what I would expect to pay for two cabs.  My question is how easy is it to find a cab or get an Uber without a hefty price increase because of demand.  We will be sailing on a Sunday on a mega ship, most likely not the only one leaving that day.  This is the first time in many years we are sailing out of Port Everglades rather than POM.

Thank you for any advise you can offer.

Linda

For 9 plus bags you'll need three UberX/standard Lyfts or 2 UberXLs - should not be an issue getting an Uber.

Time to pass thru the Port Everglades on to the ship ?

The ship is scheduled to leave at 5 pm, what is the latest time that I should arrive to the port?  This will be a Saturday afternoon in March 2019 ?  Thank you!  

If you are not at check in at least 90 min prior to departure (so 3:30) you will likely not be allowed to board.  Why wait?  We usually try to arrive early and enjoy lunch and some pool time before they open up staterooms.

I generally am at the ship to check in by 11 AM. 

53 minutes ago, JohninDC said:

If you are not at check in at least 90 min prior to departure (so 3:30) you will likely not be allowed to board.  Why wait?  We usually try to arrive early and enjoy lunch and some pool time before they open up staterooms.

@JohninDC ...   I was debating on flying in that day (with the best I can do is land at 2:00pm) or to fly in the night before and landing at 11:30 pm.   

Your not leaving yourself any room if there are delays. Flight delay, getting off the plane, getting luggage for one, especially if your not near the front of the plane. I think most ships leave around 4:30 in FL so that means you need to be at the counter and checking in by 3 PM. .