The Final 100 Days!

I just reached the 100 days left mark for a cruise on the Regal. I can't wait, mainly because I want to cruise again and partly from what I have read here on Cruise Critic (hereafter just called CC). Everyone has been so informative starting with the post about checking frequently for a better price. So far I have been able to get a modest price break (I am retired on a fixed income so every bit helps) and free gratuities (which is more than a little bit).

I have been going crazy trying to zero in on a good hotel with an retirees price range in mind. I would much rather spend the money on cruising. I got a fantastic rate on airfare using Southwest from Midway in Chicago and flying back to Milwaukee. This works because I live right on the WI/IL border. I was told to arrive a day early, but I didn't trust the weather in late February so I opted for leaving on Tuesday instead of Friday or Saturday. BONUS, time at the beach instead of possible winters end in Wisconsin! Seriously, if you were retired wouldn't you try for Florida?

I have read some blogs about the cruises and thought I would try this, please let me know if I am boring or if this is just a plain dumb idea.

Thank you and let's cruise till the cows come home (ps. I don't own any cows)!

I always laugh at the terms "fixed income" and "affordable housing".

When I was working I knew exactly what my income would be each month. After I retired my income dropped dramatically but, again, I know exactly how much it will be each month.

When I was poor I lived in cheap housing as that was what was "affordable" to me. Later on I lived in much nicer housing as I could "afford" that.

While I do understand what you were saying these things are merely pet peeves to me. Please don't take this as any kind of assault of put down. (I also grate when I see grammar errors such as the constant use of "I" when the word "me" would be proper in the context. Also the constant use of "less" when the word "fewer" would be correct for the context. Our local newspaper drives me totally nuts. See? It's my problem - not yours. )

Not at all boring nor a dumb idea :)

A ballpark price range that you are looking at might help those of us on the board make suggestions of where to stay for you pre-cruise stay. My retiree budget along with others may vary widely from yours and a suggestion to stay at the Renaissance may be what some consider within their budget. Personally my husband and I tend to stay at the Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn hotels as they seem to be moderately priced. However, they can definitely be more expensive at the cruise port area than say 15 miles north of the port area.

Will you do a rental car or just get around on public transport? That is something to consider also.

Whatever you decide, have a great time on your cruise and enjoy the warm (fingers crossed) weather.

I just reached the 100 days left mark for a cruise on the Regal. I can't wait, mainly because I want to cruise again and partly from what I have read here on Cruise Critic (hereafter just called CC). Everyone has been so informative starting with the post about checking frequently for a better price. So far I have been able to get a modest price break (I am retired on a fixed income so every bit helps) and free gratuities (which is more than a little bit).

I have been going crazy trying to zero in on a good hotel with an retirees price range in mind. I would much rather spend the money on cruising. I got a fantastic rate on airfare using Southwest from Midway in Chicago and flying back to Milwaukee. This works because I live right on the WI/IL border. I was told to arrive a day early, but I didn't trust the weather in late February so I opted for leaving on Tuesday instead of Friday or Saturday. BONUS, time at the beach instead of possible winters end in Wisconsin! Seriously, if you were retired wouldn't you try for Florida?

I have read some blogs about the cruises and thought I would try this, please let me know if I am boring or if this is just a plain dumb idea.

Thank you and let's cruise till the cows come home (ps. I don't own any cows)!

You must be on the same cruise as us as I realized it is 100 days until our next Regal cruise. We booked one night pre-cruise in Fort Lauderdale at the Courtyard for $185 a night and I thought that was a bargain. I don't think Fort LauderdLe is often thought of as a bargain. I think someone suggested renting a car and staying away from the beach area for a better price. That is likely your best deal - but of course I guess it all depends on your definition of a retiree price!!

Jimorel:

Welcome to CC! I was one of the one's to say check pricing often!

My suggestion to you is this: Trying to figure out from your post, you are looking for a hotel/motel for 5 nights starting on Tuesday, February 20th? If I am about right, my main suggestion to you is BOOK YOUR ROOM NOW!! Availability is only going to go down and prices up. My countdown is 113 days and I made my reservations on August 28th! If you want to book a hotel close to port in the 17th St. area, there are just a few places left in the $250-350 plus taxes per night range. There are several smaller, nice, motels/hotels in the Fort Lauderdale, Pompano, Sawgrass Mills area which is fine (you will need a rental car for these areas or use other transportation) in the $150-180 plus taxes per night range. I would look on hotels.com, priceline.com, and booking.com for hotels/motels. Find one you like and then check pricing on all three and also on the specific hotel's website to get the best price. You can pay slightly less if you pay upfront, but I pay the little extra so I can cancel for free almost right up to the time I will be there. Staying in Fort Lauderdale area can be expensive in February/March. So, please book soon.

Also, for future cruises, I have found that if you are flying just in the continental U.S., Southwest is the best pricing 100% of the time due to free luggage and no pricing for seats (except $15 for earlybird checkin which I advise you to do for the return home flight part). This way you don't have to make sure to check-in EXACTLY at the 24hour before flight mark. You can even wait to get boarding pass at airport. Also, SW is part of the what I call "put your luggage outside your stateroom door and see it next at your home airport carousel!" program which is really worth the price!

So have a great cruise and let's both enjoy our countdown!

Pooh

The difference is that when you are working, you are able to get off your fat a$$ and make earn more income is you are so inclined. Not so easy after you retire and perhaps are not physically able to do that, not to mention the tremendous age descrimination in the job market.

To the original poster; it is nice to read a post from someone who still has a genuine enthusiasm for cruising.

If you are looking for a pre cruise hotel in FLL, the Quality Inn on Stirling Rd. in Hollywood FL, while not fancy, is clean, has reasonable rates, provides free shuttle from FLL, caters to cruisers, and has a reasonable bus to the port, along with free breakfast, for about $125-150 per night.

Enjoy your cruise!

We are cruising out of Fort Lauderdale on the 19th of February.

We are flying in on the 17th, so have 2 nights pre-cruise in a hotel

We booked our rooms in August, and are staying at the Quality Inn & Suites Airport/Cruise Port South

Our rate is $160 per night average (Saturday night is a bit more than Sunday Night) this is a AAA/CAA rate.

Just floating through here. Have you checked Airbnb.com? If you are a solo (or couple) traveler you may be able to find a single room to rent for much cheaper than a hotel room.

We have done this and it can help make things a little bit more affordable.

Another thing may be look to stay somewhere outside the 'prime' vacation area and use uber/lyft to get in and out. Example - if you can stay at a hotel out by the highway for 79$ a night and it's a 24$ round trip uber ride it may be cheaper than a 149.00 hotel on the beach.

Just some thoughts... floating away now ;)

-Sean

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

We have a reservation at the Ramada Airport. As the name suggests it’s near the airport with free shuttle from the airport and to the cruise terminal.

We’ve also stayed at the Rodeway Inn (nicer than I expected) and at the Super 8 in Dania (clean and close to a lot of stuff).

We have a reservation at the Ramada Airport. As the name suggests it’s near the airport with free shuttle from the airport and to the cruise terminal.

We’ve also stayed at the Rodeway Inn (nicer than I expected) and at the Super 8 in Dania (clean and close to a lot of stuff).

MrSchwump,

Did you like the Ramada Airport? My good friend has been the manager for years.

Tony

You must be on the same cruise as us as I realized it is 100 days until our next Regal cruise. We booked one night pre-cruise in Fort Lauderdale at the Courtyard for $185 a night and I thought that was a bargain. I don't think Fort LauderdLe is often thought of as a bargain. I think someone suggested renting a car and staying away from the beach area for a better price. That is likely your best deal - but of course I guess it all depends on your definition of a retiree price!!

Feb 25 is my sailing date. My wife would have a fit if I said $185 was a bargain, but she never looks a the hotel prices that's my job. Actually, I am the one who plans all vacation details. I have always liked Marriott hotels and think that Courtyard is a nice hotel when I do stay there.

Jimorel:

 

Welcome to CC! I was one of the one's to say check pricing often!

 

My suggestion to you is this: Trying to figure out from your post, you are looking for a hotel/motel for 5 nights starting on Tuesday, February 20th? If I am about right, my main suggestion to you is BOOK YOUR ROOM NOW!! Availability is only going to go down and prices up. My countdown is 113 days and I made my reservations on August 28th! If you want to book a hotel close to port in the 17th St. area, there are just a few places left in the $250-350 plus taxes per night range. There are several smaller, nice, motels/hotels in the Fort Lauderdale, Pompano, Sawgrass Mills area which is fine (you will need a rental car for these areas or use other transportation) in the $150-180 plus taxes per night range. I would look on hotels.com, priceline.com, and booking.com for hotels/motels. Find one you like and then check pricing on all three and also on the specific hotel's website to get the best price. You can pay slightly less if you pay upfront, but I pay the little extra so I can cancel for free almost right up to the time I will be there. Staying in Fort Lauderdale area can be expensive in February/March. So, please book soon.

 

Also, for future cruises, I have found that if you are flying just in the continental U.S., Southwest is the best pricing 100% of the time due to free luggage and no pricing for seats (except $15 for earlybird checkin which I advise you to do for the return home flight part). This way you don't have to make sure to check-in EXACTLY at the 24hour before flight mark. You can even wait to get boarding pass at airport. Also, SW is part of the what I call "put your luggage outside your stateroom door and see it next at your home airport carousel!" program which is really worth the price!

 

So have a great cruise and let's both enjoy our countdown!

 

Pooh

I have booked a room starting on Tuesday, so I am good to go. We are not coming back until two days after the cruise. I would like to visit a spring training baseball camp, but I would need a rental car for two days and they are too much from the port. I hope to zero in on and book my post cruise room today (if the Wisconsin/Michigan football game doesn't get in the way of things. GO BADGERS!!). I requested a reservation at Hyatt from Valuetrip.com, but haven't heard yet so probably they are booked. My other cruise I stayed at a nice place in Fort Lauderdale that was clean, comfortable and reasonably priced. If I could just remember the name of it.

Your comments about Southwest is like preaching to the choir, they are lower than most plus you get the free luggage and they give me priority boarding. Plus the fly nonstop to a lot of places both to and from Milwaukee (I absolutely detest O'Hare airport). The only reason I am using Midway for departure is that I stumbled across a $32 fare from there to FLL and just could not pass it up. The cost savings pays for one night in Fort Lauderdale.

The difference is that when you are working, you are able to get off your fat a$$ and make earn more income is you are so inclined. Not so easy after you retire and perhaps are not physically able to do that, not to mention the tremendous age descrimination in the job market.

 

To the original poster; it is nice to read a post from someone who still has a genuine enthusiasm for cruising.

 

If you are looking for a pre cruise hotel in FLL, the Quality Inn on Stirling Rd. in Hollywood FL, while not fancy, is clean, has reasonable rates, provides free shuttle from FLL, caters to cruisers, and has a reasonable bus to the port, along with free breakfast, for about $125-150 per night.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Yes, indeed that is my case. I was forced to medically retire in 2004 after having had both a hip replacement and quadruple heart by-pass surgeries about five months apart. So I have gotten only a microscopic Social Security raise and no pension raise. Which means we live on 2004 income in 2017, which is not easy.

Thank you, I am excited to be doing this cruise with the love of almost all my life and so is she.

I was glad to see you mention the Quality Inn on Stirling Road because that is where I booked our pre-cruise stay. I do have a rental car reserved, but I am told that we can use public transportation as there is a bus stop right by the hotel. I hope this is true. I would much rather take a bus into the city than drive and fight for parking spots. I figure I can ride the bus, use the Water Taxi and avail myself of Uber or Lyft cheaper than the cost of a car. I am thinking of booking the same hotel for our two nights postcruise as well. If I don't get a room at the Hyatt through Valuetrip.com.

Age discrimination! Surely you gest, my wife at age 59 noticed no discrimination when her company downsized. It was just that every single place she tried to get employed at either just filled the position or would be in touch soon. I guess they all suffered from memory loss because she never heard back from any of them. Worse case of mass memory loss so far in the 21st century.

Just floating through here. Have you checked Airbnb.com? If you are a solo (or couple) traveler you may be able to find a single room to rent for much cheaper than a hotel room.

 

We have done this and it can help make things a little bit more affordable.

 

Another thing may be look to stay somewhere outside the 'prime' vacation area and use uber/lyft to get in and out. Example - if you can stay at a hotel out by the highway for 79$ a night and it's a 24$ round trip uber ride it may be cheaper than a 149.00 hotel on the beach.

 

Just some thoughts... floating away now ;)

 

-Sean

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I have never used Airbnb and I don't personally know anyone who has. Perhaps I should investigate it some. I considered staying at Vacation Village timeshare resort. I have toured other properties of theirs and found them to be quite nice, but I settled on Quality Inn Airport/Cruiseport South. Thanks for the idea on Airbnb for the future. I also looked at staying at a few local motels near the beach, but decided against anyplace with out late night front desk hours. It's mostly a spring break precaution..

We are cruising out of Fort Lauderdale on the 19th of February.

 

We are flying in on the 17th, so have 2 nights pre-cruise in a hotel

 

We booked our rooms in August, and are staying at the Quality Inn & Suites Airport/Cruise Port South

Our rate is $160 per night average (Saturday night is a bit more than Sunday Night) this is a AAA/CAA rate.

That is also where I ended up booking our precruise stay. Also a AAA member and I suspect the senior rate may have been the same as the AAA.

I would love to here how it is before our stay, but since I am booked there arriving on the 20 of February that sounds a little late to switch. Enjoy your cruise!

I have always found a deeper discount for Seniors or AARP

than for AAA. Pretty funny. You do not have to pay for membership

if your age is truly a Senior citizen. More savings.

We stayed at the Bonaventure Resort before our last cruise. It's about 20 miles west of Fort Lauderdale. For our upcoming one, we're staying two nights at the Grand Hotel near Sawgrass Mills. We wanted a hotel close to the hockey arena since we're going to a game the night before the cruise. Both were less than half the price of the hotels closer to the port. Priceline and Hotwire are the places to go if you're not particular about which hotel you get within an area. Rental cars are not very expensive in Fort Lauderdale.

I have always found a deeper discount for Seniors or AARP

than for AAA. Pretty funny. You do not have to pay for membership

if your age is truly a Senior citizen. More savings.

I am a member of all three groups, so I always check all three discounts and rarely find much difference. I did book my cruise through the nearby AAA office which got us both a specialty dining. So that is something I was not expecting. I originally booked the cruise myself and then asked both AAA and the top TA in our city for what they could get me. Using AAA helps most of the time.

I mentioned to PoohUnderstands that I was going to book my post cruise hotel room on Saturday unless the Wisconsin/Michigan football game got in the way. Well, it seems that everything got in the way of booking it this weekend, but not to be deterred today is a new day and I have narrowed it down. I plan to seek information from CC about renting a car at the port upon disembarkation and returning it to the airport. Otherwise I suppose I will be using UBER .

Hello. are you cruising on 2/18? Is so I will see you there as I am on that cruise as well. I would have seconded the nomination for AirBnB. I was initially hesitant, but now that I have done it once, I enjoy the bargains I have found. something to consider. There is a roll call for our cruise if you would like to come join it!

Hello. are you cruising on 2/18? Is so I will see you there as I am on that cruise as well. I would have seconded the nomination for AirBnB. I was initially hesitant, but now that I have done it once, I enjoy the bargains I have found. something to consider. There is a roll call for our cruise if you would like to come join it!

No not 2/18 but 2/25. Airbnb has some good per night pricing for sure, just not sure about it because I have heard some bad stories. I am on the roll call for our cruise, but not much going on so far. I expect it might pick up after Christmas or perhaps even after the final payment.

With all the comments on CC about booking Hyatt Place through Valuetrip.com, I requested two nights post cruise, but I had not gotten a confirmation so I called the Hyatt. They have my reservation, but only for the first night. Great the room is available through Hyatt for another $140 over the Valuetrip rate. Now I am waiting them to let me know if they can book me for both nights. And I thought my work was finally done, raise anchor Jim you're not done yet.

Down to 89 days and I seem to have all reservations set. Well maybe, I have been having trouble with reservations at the Hyatt Place on 17th through Valuetrips.com. First they only booked me for one night even though I requested two nights. So I wrote an email and they haven't responded and I checked with Hyatt Place (no longer a Hyatt, I think it's called Pier 66 now) and they said they have no reservations under my name. So I called Value Trips and left a voicemail. No return call yet anyway! They are very hard to get anything from. After much checking I booked Quality Suites for five nights pre-cruise and Comfort Suites two nights post. I really wanted to stay at the Hyatt Place to see if it is as nice everybody says, but not at $350 + taxes a night.

I always laugh at the terms "fixed income" and "affordable housing".

 

When I was working I knew exactly what my income would be each month. After I retired my income dropped dramatically but, again, I know exactly how much it will be each month.

 

When I was poor I lived in cheap housing as that was what was "affordable" to me. Later on I lived in much nicer housing as I could "afford" that.

 

While I do understand what you were saying these things are merely pet peeves to me. Please don't take this as any kind of assault of put down. (I also grate when I see grammar errors such as the constant use of "I" when the word "me" would be proper in the context. Also the constant use of "less" when the word "fewer" would be correct for the context. Our local newspaper drives me totally nuts. See? It's my problem - not yours. )

Fixed income to me is a reference to the fact that I will not be getting raises. Ten years from now our pensions will be the same dollar amount they were when we started drawing them several years ago. Social Security my or may not get a COLA increase, of course the Speaker of the House wants to cut Social Security. I never went more than a year without either myself or my wife getting an increase in or wages. I guess in truth they are not "fixed", they are shrinking in relation to true buying power.

Coming late to this thread, but I have always stayed in motels when cruising out of Fort Lauderdale. I stay on Hollywood Beach, and have had my room booked for my April 2018 cruise since June this year. The room is 100$ a night and it costs 15$ to get to the cruise terminal. I walk or use public transport while I am there and usually fly in two or three days beforehand as I am flying in from Europe to MIA