Should we stay in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami?

[Indianamale]

Our flight gets in on Friday afternoon November 5th. There will be 6 in our group. We would like to stay in a suite type of hotel. Last year we stayed at Hyatt Summerfield suites and paid $150 and loved it. The price for the same room this year is $219, I was wondering if there are any tips or tricks to getting the same type of room for about $150? And would we be better off satying in Ft. lauderdale or Miami?

[eandj]

Ft. Lauderdale will usually run you less.

 

You don't say where you arrive or where you sail from.

[Robinson Cruise-O]

Our flight gets in on Friday afternoon November 5th. There will be 6 in our group. We would like to stay in a suite type of hotel. Last year we stayed at Hyatt Summerfield suites and paid $150 and loved it. The price for the same room this year is $219, I was wondering if there are any tips or tricks to getting the same type of room for about $150? And would we be better off satying in Ft. lauderdale or Miami?

 

First, are you cruising out of Miami or Port Everglades?

 

I'm guessing the $219 rate is for a 2 BR Trio suite at the Miami location. The Summerfield Suites FLL-South has a little bit lower rates.

 

Second, can you get by with a 2 BR King instead of the Trio?

 

Third, you could book the government rate (currently $147 at Miami for a 2 BR Trio). I've done this several times when traveling and staying at Hyatts and no one has ever asked for an ID at check-in. Just make sure your whole group does not come trooping and whooping in during the check-in process giving them a reason to ask for ID.

 

Also, since you're flying into FLL (you are flying into FLL, right?) if you stay at the FLL location you would get the free airport shuttle and then pay for transfers only once to the POM (provided you're sailing from Miami) rather than paying for transfers to the Miami hotel from FLL and paying again for transfers to the POM the next day.

[JohninDC]

Flying into FLL and cruising Miami? :confused: I suggest staying near FLL as hotels are generally a little cheaper, and then shuttle (SAS www.ridesas.com) or rent a van to get your group to POM.

 

Flying into MIA and cruising from Port Everglades? :confused: There is a Homewood Suites Blue Lagoon that may fit your neads near MIA. Then rent a van for transportation, and drop it at FLL.

 

If you are cruising Port Everglades it would take an amazing airfare deal to get me to fly into MIA. Cruising from Miami, MIA is easy ($24 cab ride) and FLL is workable with shuttles.;)

 

Good luck!:)

[Indianamale]

I am sorry for all the confusion. We fly into FFL and cruise out of Miami. I was not thinking straight when I posted.

[Indianamale]

I found this place on LMT 3-star hotel in Lauderdale By The Sea/Fort Lauderd, does anyone know what hotel this is? I was unable to tell from the map. I used the birdseye view and it looks like it is on the beach.

[RuthlessBunny]

This is a copy of another post of mine, pertaining to the different areas in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.

 

You have a few options:

 

FLL

 

17th Street/Downtown Hotels: These are moderately priced chain hotels on a very wide street. Surrounded by chain restaurants and drug stores where you can buy last minute items. Hotels would be Hyatt Place, Marriott and Hilton brands. Charmless, but convenient and inexpensive. Most have free shuttles from FLL. Hyatt Pier 66 is on the edge, right at the drawbridge, but a great hotel with a marina, outdoor bar and grill and a water taxi stop. Use SAS to get to POM.

 

Las Olas Blvd: A lovely little street with cafes and shops. Only one hotel here, but it's very nice, Riverside Hotel. Folks have been getting amazing deals on this property through Hotwire and Priceline.

 

Ft. Lauderdale Beach: If you get in early, and you want a taste of the tropical lifestyle, you can stay on the beach. Westin, Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort, Lago Mar and W are options. This area is full of beachy restaurants and shops. More spendy than 17th Street, but very nice and fun. Eat at Primanti Brothers for the ultimate Pittsburgh sandwich. Take a bus, or drive up A1A to Aruba for a meal right on the beach!

 

Hollywood

 

You can get the Westin Diplomat Golf or Beach resort in Hollywood. About half-way between FLL and POM, it's a lovely resort with an amazing pool. If your plan is to just veg before your cruise and you want a resort to do it at, this would be the place. You'll have to arrange for transportation, but if you check it out on the web and they have a good price, it's a wonderful, luxurious experience. There's also a Crowne Plaza in Hollywood. Both properties are on a trolley route to the beach and boardwalk.

 

MIA

 

Downtown: I can't recommend downtown Miami for anything. While Miami Beach is vibrant and exciting, downtown rolls up the sidewalks at 5:00 PM. The only thing left are cruise tourists and zombies. The Intercontinental is a huge hotel, full of cruisers. Bayside Marketplace is a short walk away. Personally, I think Bayside is a tourist-captive kind of place. Full of goofy boutiques and crappy restaurants. Some cruisers LOVE it though, so check it out. SAS will pick you up at FLL and bring you here. Short cab ride to POM. There's also Holiday Inn-Port of Miami. Some people think it's nice. Mostly Europeans who are used to old, dingy places with small rooms. (No judgement intended.) If this isn't your bag, then skip HI-POM

 

Blue Lagoon: An office park spanning about 5 miles, rather its own little city. Lots of moderately priced hotels, restaurants and strip malls. Loaded with cruisers who just want a clean place to lay their heads. Most have shuttles to POM.

 

Miami Beach: The place they show you on TV. Ocean Drive, Collins Blvd, South Beach and Lincoln Rd respectively. The hotels on South Beach are typically VERY expensive and the rooms are VERY small. Party 24/7, with lots of young people walking around, seeing and being seen. Mid-Beach on Collins is the Fountainebleau. The punchline to many jokes in the fifties and sixties. Elegant older hotel, recently stripped to the studs and renovated. A Hilton property. Not particularly close to either South Beach or Lincoln Rd, but if you want to wear your Jackie O sunglasses, check in and just relax, this is a wonderful choice. When I stayed there, the rooms were huge and I loved the old fixtures. That may have changed. But the location is awesome. Up by Lincoln Rd, there's the Sagamore, a boutique hotel with unique rooms and very good pricing. If money is no object, then the Ritz-Carlton at Collins and Lincoln would be my first choice.

 

Coconut Grove: An intersting shopping district, anchored by a Bayside Marketplace type structure called Coco Walk. Miracle Mile (the name of the street) includes funky shops, restaurants and venues for the arts. I saw an evening of ballet here once. This is an option if you plan on renting a car, or have lots of money for taxis.

 

Coral Gables: The real Miami. Not the glamour and excitement of Miami Beach, not the commerce and tacky tourist traps of downtown, but a real, elegant neighborhood filled with older homes. There's sort of a main drag down there with a few high-end restaurants as well as the sort of places where one can lean into a window and get a cafe con leche and toasted Cuban bread for breakfast. Hard to get to, congested and more of a place to stay if you're exploring Miami and you don't want to be in a touristy area.

 

Airport: There are a few hotels out at the Miami Airport, the only one I can recommend is the Embassy Suites-Airport. They have a shuttle to POM in the morning, usually $10 per person. Better choice if you're flying into MIA and cruising POM.

 

Doral: The other side of the Airport. Very far west, with lots of moderately priced hotels, restaurants and strip malls. This is where you stay if all the other places are full due to boat shows or holidays. Safe, clean and convenient.

[renech]

Ruthless Bunny - Can I ask your opinion of the Grand Beach Hotel? I know it's further north from the Miami Beach area - but it does offer suites with 2 double beds and a sleeper sofa - which works out best for my family of 4.

 

I know it's not cheap, but it seems more reasonable than some of the more central beach located hotels. We'd really like a beach location since we are flying in the day before our cruise.

[renech]

Ruthless Bunny - Can I ask your opinion of the Grand Beach Hotel? I know it's further north from the Miami Beach area - but it does offer suites with 2 double beds and a sleeper sofa - which works out best for my family of 4.

 

I know it's not cheap, but it seems more reasonable than some of the more central beach located hotels. We'd really like a beach location since we are flying in the day before our cruise.

 

Well I went ahead and booked this hotel. It's fairly new, and the reviews are good. We really want a beach location so my husband and son can hang out there while my daughter and I do some shopping. We'll have a car, so being a little north of the "action" isn't a problem.

 

We are cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale, but my family prefers to stay in Miami for the pre-cruise day.

 

Just an FYI for anyone checking prices, for whatever reason, I found the rate for the suite I wanted cheaper at one of the big travel sites than it was on the actual hotel site. I called the hotel and they were surprised, but they are price-matching it.

[aqualojoy]

Well I went ahead and booked this hotel. It's fairly new, and the reviews are good. We really want a beach location so my husband and son can hang out there while my daughter and I do some shopping. We'll have a car, so being a little north of the "action" isn't a problem.

 

We are cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale, but my family prefers to stay in Miami for the pre-cruise day.

 

Just an FYI for anyone checking prices, for whatever reason, I found the rate for the suite I wanted cheaper at one of the big travel sites than it was on the actual hotel site. I called the hotel and they were surprised, but they are price-matching it.

 

How was your stay at Grand Beach Hotel? I am considering it for our stay before and after our cruise. My husband and I will be traveling with 17 year old son and 89 year old aunt.

Would you stay there again?