Oasis "Logistics" Questions

[thurgood]

I have just booked on Oasis and have two quick questions:

 

1. Any recommendations for a good hotel in Fort Lauderdael for the night before the cruise? I am looking for a decent hotel from which the port is easily accessible.

 

2. When and how do I make reservations for shows, special dinners, spa appointments, etc? I seem to recall hearing that these can be made on line but not until 90 days before the cruise leaves. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[Cruising89143]

I have just booked on Oasis and have two quick questions:

 

1. Any recommendations for a good hotel in Fort Lauderdael for the night before the cruise? I am looking for a decent hotel from which the port is easily accessible.

 

Depends on what type hotel you're looking for. Some of ones close to the port are:

Hyatt Pier 66 - My favorite

Hilton Marina

Holiday Inn Express

Renaissance

Embassy Suites

Hyatt Place

 

2. When and how do I make reservations for shows, special dinners, spa appointments, etc? I seem to recall hearing that these can be made on line but not until 90 days before the cruise leaves. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

There is no set time for entertainment or specialty dining to open up. Specialty dining normally opens up before entertainment. 90 days is about right for specialty dining. Entertainment is more like 75 days out but again this is not written in stone. Just keep checking the website at about 100 days out. You make your reservations on RCI's website by logging into your cruises and clicking on the reservation.

[DonnaK]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites on SE17th st, and LOVED it! There are literally dozens of great hotels within a $15-20 taxi ride of both the airport and the port.

 

As for reserving shows, they open up anywhere between 60-90 days prior to sailing. You just have to check every day when you get within that time frame. If you are on the roll call for your sailing, the people there will check and will post when the reservations are open.

[mikedoes]

We stayed at pier 66 in septemper 2011. Would not stay there again. It’s on the wrong side of the bridge...the EXPENSIVE side. No complimentary breakfast. Not even coffee. $3.00 for a toasted English muffin.

[sherilyn70]

The dining reservations (which includes dreamworks breakfast and cupcake classes) just opened up on day 99 for our cruise. Entertainment is not available yet.

[Bazoo]

I booked spa and dining 120 days out. Was actually amazed when they opened up. No Shows yet though...

[CroozinFamily]

We've stayed at the Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Beach Hotel twice and have liked it. I think there is a AAA rate that includes breakfast. We like it because it's on the beach and we get there early enough in the day the day before that we have time to enjoy the beach.

[will773]

I'll agree with the others. Stayed at Embassy Suites and loved it! As for the entertainment reservations, it varies greatly. I can't remember how many it was for my cruise, but I think it was around 70. I think they wait a month or two and then open a whole bunch, and then wait another month or two and open up a bunch more.

[RoyalFan2011]

Hampton Inn is great and has free shuttle from the airport and to the cruise port. Good breakfast for free too.

[93beachbum]

Hampton inn north cruise port. Free breakfast and shuttle to port and airport. Great service.

[irun5k]

Just got back from Oasis- stayed at Hyatt FLL South. Booked a one night stay with one week parking for ~$120, included a nice breakfast. Shuttle was extra but service was good, prompt, etc. If you need parking these packages are ideal. If not your options are a lot more plentiful.

[Kycruisefan]

great info! thanks!

[kaykels]

Hyatt Summerfield Suites is only about 2 years old and has a free shuttle to the hotel from the airport and also has a free shuttle to the port in the morning. And best of all, they have a shuttle driver that will take you to area restaurants for free. Also a free breakfast in the morning. I booked a 2 room suite for 119 for next week.

[sprout76]

We were just at the Embassy and I'll book it again for next year! Great hotel, great breakfast the next day and an easy cab ride to the port the next morning.

[outtoseacruise]

Just got back from Oasis- stayed at Hyatt FLL South. Booked a one night stay with one week parking for ~$120, included a nice breakfast. Shuttle was extra but service was good, prompt, etc. If you need parking these packages are ideal. If not your options are a lot more plentiful.

Was that the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport-South (91 SW 18th Ave, Dania Beach, FL)? If so how was security of the lot? Do they take your tag and acknowledge your ok for the week? How much extra was the shuttle for pu and drop? Thanks

[irun5k]

Was that the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport-South (91 SW 18th Ave, Dania Beach, FL)? If so how was security of the lot? Do they take your tag and acknowledge your ok for the week? How much extra was the shuttle for pu and drop? Thanks

 

That is the one. A Hyatt Springfield Suites is also right across the parking lot. The lot behind the hotel for extended parking was protected by a fairly simple gate and you don't need any credentials to exit, the gate opens automatically. However, the area seemed fairly safe and we had no trouble with our car. The hotel is quite nice, only disadvantage for some is that the pool area is small but hey it will get you ready for the pools on the ship. haha

 

We booked with parksleepfly.com, I was skeptical at first but when we checked in they wrote our tag in a big notebook titled "park sleep fly" so I think they get a lot of business from that site.

 

The shuttle was $8 per person each way, going there they didn't charge for our 3 yr old but coming back they did. On the return they dropped as right at our car and the shuttle driver even loaded our car for us. It only took about 5 minutes to get the shuttle upon calling after the porter wheeled our luggage out.

[outtoseacruise]

That is the one. A Hyatt Springfield Suites is also right across the parking lot. The lot behind the hotel for extended parking was protected by a fairly simple gate and you don't need any credentials to exit, the gate opens automatically. However, the area seemed fairly safe and we had no trouble with our car. The hotel is quite nice, only disadvantage for some is that the pool area is small but hey it will get you ready for the pools on the ship. haha

 

We booked with parksleepfly.com, I was skeptical at first but when we checked in they wrote our tag in a big notebook titled "park sleep fly" so I think they get a lot of business from that site.

 

The shuttle was $8 per person each way, going there they didn't charge for our 3 yr old but coming back they did. On the return they dropped as right at our car and the shuttle driver even loaded our car for us. It only took about 5 minutes to get the shuttle upon calling after the porter wheeled our luggage out.

Thanks for the info, we keep going back and forth on driving down in the morning or doing the hotel and shuttle. We have a 3 and 1 year old and trying to decide if this would be easier or parking in the garage at the port is?

[irun5k]

Thanks for the info, we keep going back and forth on driving down in the morning or doing the hotel and shuttle. We have a 3 and 1 year old and trying to decide if this would be easier or parking in the garage at the port is?

 

We had the same basic dilemma (we were driving from St. Pete with a 3 yr old.) The parking at the port is expensive ($15 a day I think?) although there are apparently alternate parking providers that are cheaper.

 

Overall this was a pretty painless operation both ways, and it was nice to only have a 10 minute shuttle ride to get on the ship vs. a 4hr+ drive in our case.

 

Even though our car is fairly new and low milage, I was thinking Murphy's Law would kick in and we'd have a break down on Alligator Alley if we drove down the morning of. Then our fate would be in the hands of AAA's responsiveness.

 

Speaking of- on the return drive, don't forget to get gas before getting back on Alligator Alley on the way home! Our GPS diverted us off Alligator Alley through some sort of migrant worker village in the middle of nowhere (presumably a "short cut" vs. just staying on 75) and there were no gas stations on that road either.