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Ft. Lauderdale Q&A/FAQ Part 2


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Sharon and all CCPosters, Thank you for your wealth of information, patience and sense of humour.

I just cancelled Hilton Marina @$259 (2 nights January) and re-booked with Hyatt Regency Pier 66. Bingo! Hyatt offered $199 with Costco membership.

The 2 properties are literally across the inlet..I can walk across the bridge for $60.

 

The Hyatt offered a 'Cruise & Sleep' $269 pack which included wifi breakfast & upgrade room. At this late date they couldn't offer an upgrade..so I will stay at $$199 and see what happens at check in...this is like playing blackjack.

Merry Christmas

 

How bad can it really be? :) Have a great trip. The weather has been beautiful and sunny this week.

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Help needed in finding a hotel in FLL that has a 24 hr airport shuttle and complimentary breakfast near cruiseport for one night in March. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Look at Holiday Inn Express. There are 2 that might offer this near port and airport.

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How is the area around the Courtyard Dania Beach? Its on 400 Gulf Stream Way?

 

Looking to stay there for the night before our cruise out of FLL.

 

You can walk to Islamorada Fish Co, Tropical Acres, and Rustic Inn. There isn't really anything else around.

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We are 2 couples and we cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. We have stayed each year at Embassy Suites and it suits us well because we have a snorer in our group who usually stays on the sleeper sofa. Unfortunately, they are totally booked. We are looking for a replacement. We would like something in that same general area, within walking distance to the Harbor Shops. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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Well, we are staying at the Extended Stay America on 17th St. Seems a little weird to me just for one night, but it gets decent reviews on Trip Advisor, mainly good ones, actually. Plus, it looks to be w/in walking distance of shops, restaurants etc. Wanted to not spend $200+ and I got this for around $140. We really just need a clean place to sleep and access to some dinner. Seems like it should be an inexpensive taxi ride to the port. Hoping for the best.

 

 

We are back from our stay so I thought I would update. Our stay was good. the pick up from the airport was quick, but I think we just lucked out. You call once you have your luggage, which we did. We went outside and waited for a few minutes and a van pulled up. However, the people who boarded with us, said that they had been waiting over an hour. One van had come through and they hadn't been able to get the driver's attention. There is not a specific spot for each hotel, just a general area.

 

The driver was informative but a little off with her info. We asked how far of a walk it was to Publix and she said 15 to 20 minutes. But we had just passed one and then didn't go all that far to the hotel. (We'll get back to that.) There are a lot of restaurants in the area, but you do have to walk up to the intersection to cross the street even though some of them are directly across the road. It is a VERY busy street.

 

We walked up the road a bit--maybe 5 min and I walk slowly-to a Mexican restaurant called Carlos and Pepe's . The food was very good. The salsa was excellent, but the prices were pretty high for Mexican food compared to our area. We had pulled up Google Maps on our phone and just looked up restaurants in the area. While doing that, we noticed that Publix, and therefore Total Wine seemed to be right behind the restaurant. But maybe on the other side of some kind of back alley. The liquor store the van driver had told us about was across the intersection from the restaurant and up a short block. While we waited to be seated, DH ran over there and picked up some rum but said it didn't have a good selection and on the way back he could see Publix through the parking lot.

 

After dinner we walked over there. No way was that a 15-20 min walk. To get there you literally go out to the street in front of the hotel and head away from the port, so a left turn out of the parking lot. Walk a block and there is a sign for Publix right on the street. You can then see the grocery store at that point. There are also a lot of other stores and fast casual restaurants back there.

 

The hotel was QUIET! We seriously did not hear a peep once our door was closed and we were one room down from the elevator. Breakfast was beyond minimal. That was okay, we just needed a bit to tide us over. Grabbed a banana and granola bar each. Coffee wasn't terrible.

 

The shuttle situation was not ideal. The one for Carnival didn't leave until 11:45 and since at 10:15, the 10:00 Princess shuttle hadn't shown up yet and since we had Faster to the Fun, we didn't want to wait that long. The front desk called a taxi for us and after a call back to the taxi company 20 min later, the taxi showed up. The driver was funny and informative. It cost about $20 including tip and was absolutely worth it.

 

Hope this info helps anyone looking for a hotel..

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We are 2 couples and we cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. We have stayed each year at Embassy Suites and it suits us well because we have a snorer in our group who usually stays on the sleeper sofa. Unfortunately, they are totally booked. We are looking for a replacement. We would like something in that same general area, within walking distance to the Harbor Shops. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Comfort Suites 1800 S. Federal Hwy has 2 room executive suites with sofa beds in the living room. It's a few blocks from Harbor Shops but if you walk the back streets it's much closer.

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The shuttle situation was not ideal. The one for Carnival didn't leave until 11:45 and since at 10:15, the 10:00 Princess shuttle hadn't shown up yet and since we had Faster to the Fun, we didn't want to wait that long. The front desk called a taxi for us and after a call back to the taxi company 20 min later, the taxi showed up. The driver was funny and informative. It cost about $20 including tip and was absolutely worth it.

 

Hope this info helps anyone looking for a hotel..

 

From the 17th St hotels, the taxi ride to the port can cost as little as $10. Traffic on weekends right now to get into the port is very heavy and that is why it cost about $20. We were there on December 14th at about noon and the traffic line to go thru security was one of the worst that I had seen.

Edited by royalcruz
taxi from Embassy Suites...
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A big THANKS to everyone that provides valuable answers on this thread. Made my first cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale very enjoyable. The Riverside Hotel was excellent, as was Big City Tavern directly across the street. I used Uber a half dozen times or so over two days - glad to see they are in south Florida now!

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From the 17th St hotels, the taxi ride to the port can cost as little as $10. Traffic on weekends right now to get into the port is very heavy and that is why it cost about $20. We were there on December 14th at about noon and the traffic line to go thru security was one of the worst that I had seen.

 

Most definitely! The vast majority of that cost was sitting still. Our driver was really good at maneuvering himself in to where he wanted to be. He also commented several times that there weren't any cops directing traffic and there are usually a ton of them keeping things moving.

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Hi -- First Time Cruisers leaving out of Fort Lauderdale. We are flying in the day before and have never been to Fort Lauderdale.. We are flying in the last weekend March 2015. There is so much information to digest in these threads. Any quick tips on:

> how to find the cheapest hotels (Holiday Inn type)

> Best way to get to the ship from the hotel (I read somewhere you can't get close and have to pull your luggage?)

> Once the Cruise arrives back we must head straight to the airport. Is taxi the best way?

Thanks and Happy New Year.

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Hi -- First Time Cruisers leaving out of Fort Lauderdale. We are flying in the day before and have never been to Fort Lauderdale.. We are flying in the last weekend March 2015. There is so much information to digest in these threads. Any quick tips on:

> how to find the cheapest hotels (Holiday Inn type)

> Best way to get to the ship from the hotel (I read somewhere you can't get close and have to pull your luggage?)

> Once the Cruise arrives back we must head straight to the airport. Is taxi the best way?

Thanks and Happy New Year.

We use a taxi for both the trip from the hotel to the ship, and from the ship to the airport. There are hotels that provide free shuttle to the ship, but we would rather go on our schedule, and make a stop at the wine store on the way, so a taxi works best for us.

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Hi -- First Time Cruisers leaving out of Fort Lauderdale. We are flying in the day before and have never been to Fort Lauderdale.. We are flying in the last weekend March 2015. There is so much information to digest in these threads. Any quick tips on:

> how to find the cheapest hotels (Holiday Inn type)

> Best way to get to the ship from the hotel (I read somewhere you can't get close and have to pull your luggage?)

> Once the Cruise arrives back we must head straight to the airport. Is taxi the best way?

Thanks and Happy New Year.

 

We have found some good rates on bookingdotcom and sunnydotorg. Have used choice hotels app previously and stayed Dania area with free shuttle airport and port. Locals may tell you those with shuttle will charge too much more but I found that not to be true last year. Just check a lot of sites and compare.

Found Crown Inn (just off 17th St so close to port for $129 in March but have never stayed there)

Enjoy your cruise.

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Hi -- First Time Cruisers leaving out of Fort Lauderdale. We are flying in the day before and have never been to Fort Lauderdale.. We are flying in the last weekend March 2015. There is so much information to digest in these threads. Any quick tips on:

> how to find the cheapest hotels (Holiday Inn type)

> Best way to get to the ship from the hotel (I read somewhere you can't get close and have to pull your luggage?)

> Once the Cruise arrives back we must head straight to the airport. Is taxi the best way?

Thanks and Happy New Year.

Some popular hotel sites are Priceline, hotwire, lastminutetravel, valuetrips. In March, a cheap but decent hotel will cost about $200/night. Anything less might be a dirty, scary motel. Rodeway Inn is probably the cheapest acceptable (which is subjective, as I wouldn't stay there but some people really like it) motel, and they have free shuttles. Taxi is the best way to FLL airport. Taxi or hotel shuttle is the best way to the ship.

 

What do you mean "you can't get close and have to pull your luggage"?

Edited by royalcruz
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We are staying at the Embassy Suites for the third time.

 

Our TA priced it with linking it to our cruise and it was more than we ever paid.

 

Then we booked on our own using our rewards Number (not Points) and we got a better deal.

 

Plus we found out had we booked thru RCI we would not be able to claim our loyalty points for a reason we do not know since the price was higher.

 

So we are staying at the Embassy Suites again for a decent price.

 

We like it there it meets our needs, and we like the evening managers special, and the full breakfast.

 

Also we walk to Publix to get our last minute supplies.

 

Sea Ya

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http://www.yelp.com/biz/crown-inn-fort-lauderdale

It doesn't get much worse than this one! The reviews are as bad as it looks from the outside.

 

Thanks. I also saw some good reviews on other sites and I know a lot of things are subjective. Ever read two reviews of the same cruise and wonder if they were on the same ocean? Not being from the area, I have to rely on others for advice so will take yours and cancel.

Finding a reasonable (we can't afford more than $150 a night for the three nights) room is a full time research job. We can drive a ways as we will have a car but don't want to be terribly far from the beach either.

Do you know anything about the Seville?

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Has anyone left their car at one of the hotels on 17th St while they were in their cruise? I am just trying to see if anyone had any problems with vandalisim or anything like that when they returned?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Forums mobile app

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Thanks. I also saw some good reviews on other sites and I know a lot of things are subjective. Ever read two reviews of the same cruise and wonder if they were on the same ocean? Not being from the area, I have to rely on others for advice so will take yours and cancel.

Finding a reasonable (we can't afford more than $150 a night for the three nights) room is a full time research job. We can drive a ways as we will have a car but don't want to be terribly far from the beach either.

Do you know anything about the Seville?

 

If you have a car, look north of Fort Lauderdale in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Pompano Beach or Deerfield Beach. As Fort Lauderdale's tourist site (http://www.sunny.org) likes to brag, there are 23 miles of beautiful beach in Broward County.

Edited by capriccio
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Thanks. I also saw some good reviews on other sites and I know a lot of things are subjective. Ever read two reviews of the same cruise and wonder if they were on the same ocean? Not being from the area, I have to rely on others for advice so will take yours and cancel.

Finding a reasonable (we can't afford more than $150 a night for the three nights) room is a full time research job. We can drive a ways as we will have a car but don't want to be terribly far from the beach either.

Do you know anything about the Seville?

 

I know that finding a reasonable hotel/motel in March can be challenging, but it's not worth staying in a place where you might be taking a risk. That motel is in an area that is walked by prostitutes and homeless, so you have to be careful which hotels you choose (i.e.Comfort Suites on the same block has a very good reputation and would be fine but is more expensive).

 

If you want to be near SE 17th St, See if The Bridge at Cordova has vacancies. It's an odd little boutique hotel but it's safe and VERY reasonable, and I know first hand people who like it. I don't know the Seville, but I looked it up and it's in a great location. The Alhambra in the name neighborhood gets great reviews too. My friend often finds time shares in Pompano Beach to rent. This is just north of Fort Lauderdale.

Edited by royalcruz
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We stayed at Marriott Spring Hill Suites in Dania Beach. It had free airport shuttle, cruise port shuttle, breakfast, and we left our car there all for much less than Embassy Suites. Granted, the restaurants were across the highway, but it was clean and decent.

Cheryl

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If you want to be near SE 17th St, See if The Bridge at Cordova has vacancies. It's an odd little boutique hotel but it's safe and VERY reasonable, and I know first hand people who like it. I don't know the Seville, but I looked it up and it's in a great location. The Alhambra in the name neighborhood gets great reviews too. My friend often finds time shares in Pompano Beach to rent. This is just north of Fort Lauderdale.

 

Thanks. Still trying to find Alhambra on a discounter site (I think I came across it once) but if no luck will have to call them.

Confused about Bridge at Cordova as tripadvisor reviews are the worst I have seen. Which Comfort Suites were you referring to with good reviews?

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Thanks. Still trying to find Alhambra on a discounter site (I think I came across it once) but if no luck will have to call them.

Confused about Bridge at Cordova as tripadvisor reviews are the worst I have seen. Which Comfort Suites were you referring to with good reviews?

 

I was referring to the Comfort Suites Airport and Cruiseport on S. Federal Hwy. The reviews are fine there.

 

Bridge at Cordova does get some terrible reviews and like I said it's an odd place, but it's cheap and in a better part of the neighbhorhood. I know a family who rented out a bunch of rooms last year there and said it was good enough. Really, I hate to suggest any of these cheap places because the majority of people would be disgusted, so I'll retract.

 

Alhambra has a very good reputation and books up quickly, so don't wait too long to call.

Edited by royalcruz
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Hello!

It's our first time cruising from Port Everglades. Can you advise us if flying into Orlando the day before and driving to FLL is a decent option? The kids want to go to Universal after our cruise so we'll likely fly home from Orlando. We understand Florida traffic can be really heavy at times, is this about a 4 hour trip? Thank you!

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