First Holland cruise in March

Anyone have a good tip on hotel for 1 night in March, Fort Lauderdale? Near cruise terminal, with airport transfer....and less than $200?

The Florida Departures Board is a good place to learn lots of information on hotels.

 

Less than $200 AND near the cruise terminal may be a challenge...March is high season and depending on how close to the end of the month, you'll be pushing up against Easter.

 

We've cruised the last three months and stayed at the Hyatt Place Convention Center, just a short cab ride to the port (they do have a shuttle available for a fee). We've paid just about $200-210 for a night, and that included breakfast in the morning.

Ft lauderdale is under hoteled since the Oasis of the seas and sister ships arrived on the scene. You will be extremely lucky to find $200 hotel rooms, especially during spring break season which includes March and April. You won't have much luck with Priceline bidding as area hotels hold onto their inventory.

There are decent hotels in the Dania Beach area including a Fairfield inn and a Courtyard by Marriott that may be had for $200 a night but demand is high. You could pay more. This is considered a safe area. They offer free airport to hotel shuttles. There is a nominal fee - ten bucks or so pp for transfer to the cruise terminal or get a cab for roughly twenty five dollars.

 

Ft lauderdale has some very rough areas, if a hotel price is pretty cheap the area may be sketchy. Check TA for reviews.

Agree, Florida Departures board is the place for your research. Dozens of threads discussing this exact topic. And it has nothing to do with HAL.

We often stay in Plantation FL., which is 7-8 miles west. There are Marriott properties under $200 (others too I'm sure). Shuttle or cab under $30. Good shopping and restaurants as well.

We stay at the Embassy Suite's. Breakfast included, free drinks at Happy Hour nightly & if memory serves me right it was $20 for the shuttle to the port. You can see the ships tied up from the top of the hotel. Have a good cruise.

Allan

We stay at the Embassy Suite's. Breakfast included, free drinks at Happy Hour nightly & if memory serves me right it was $20 for the shuttle to the port. You can see the ships tied up from the top of the hotel. Have a good cruise.

Allan

 

We used to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn on SE Seventeenth but switched to Embassy Suites a few years ago and have been very pleased with ES. Our cost per night for a Premium Suite at ES is more than $200 but, as ski ww points out, that is somewhat offset by the (very good) breakfast and happy hour which are included at no additional cost. And, since we stay in a Premium Suite, we also get soft drinks, snacks and wifi service at no additional cost. Additionally, IIRC cab fare from airport/to ship terminal is (or at least as recently as last January was) less than $20 per cab (including tip), which is less than the $20/person hotel shuttle. Do the math and see if your overall cost of staying at ES (as opposed to an hotel in an adjoining area) isn't about the same after you factor in your "savings" on cab fares, breakfast and happy hour.

Smooth sailing $$$

Edited August 15, 2017 by avian777

I am glad I looked now for a hotel....so many are full in late March! It wasn't cheap but whatever....Im in Plantation and can get a shuttle to ship and hopefully from airport to hotel. Thanks all for ideas.

:)

Cabs are not expensive since you're relatively close, especially if there are 2 or more in your group. We always try to eat at the Mustard Seed when we stay in Plantation. A lunch salad will feed two and cupcakes as big as grapefruits. Fine dining at night. Either way it's fantastic.

We have used La Quinta several times! Nice place and have a transfer service to the cruise terminal. Also if you are driving your own car, you can leave it in parking lot for up to 2 weeks at no charge.

 

 

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We've stayed in Dania Beach at the Fairfield Inn. They're o.k. But something like $30 for a cab. No place w/in easy walking distance for last minute shopping.

 

We've also stayed in the Renaissance several times. The Walgreens is an easy walk for supplies, and you can get a cab to the dock across the street.

 

If you opt for the cheap shuttle, they pack people in. And they make multiple stops at the port. Also, getting shuttles on embarkation is tricky. They took forever to arrive.

 

On our last disembarkation in Port Everglades, the porter lost a suitcase, and DH went after him to find the suitcase. I was waiting in the cab, with bronchitis, and the cabbie didn't want to wait for my husband. He threatened to empty the taxi of the luggage and kick me to the curb.

 

We spent the first night in the Fairfield, then the next day they made reservations at the Renaissance so we could get the room service. The staff did a wonderful job!

We like the Courtyard FLL Airport & Cruiseport, 400 Gulfstream Way, Dania Beach. The provide complimentary airport shuttle pickup and cruiseport shuttle dropoff, 2 very important services.

Embassy Suites. As already said - great value.

 

 

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