Schluetz

We took the cab in front of the hotel. You're going 2 miles. Not much can go wrong.

Just pointing out that we got our money's worth.

Instead of giving you advice on how you should book your cruise I'll just offer this in answer to your question.

I booked June 2013 and sailed January 2014. I sailed inside cabin and canceling and rebooking would have been punitive. I watched diligently for a Beverage Package Sale and found none. Never happened.

I ended up purchasing a Bev Package for my wife and myself and we "made them pay." :D

in January 2014 I booked 123 on Summit out of San Juan in January 2015. We will upgrade to premium. We will make them pay again! :D

Happy sailing!

I had mixed experiences on Equinox 1/20/14.

In nearly bar I could order an alcoholic beverage and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Bloody Mary and a fresh squeezed OJ for example at breakfast in MDR and the Buffet. At the coffee shop I could order a specialty coffee and a water and a shot of Bailys which I then put in my coffee. (Soon the waitress just added it for me.) Martini bar was the same, Evian and a Martini. same at the MDR for dinner. Same at the pool and other bars except...

The Oceanview Bar out side the buffet. Turned down there by three different bartenders, so I stopped asking at this bar. The Sunset bar, directly above, had no problem with it.

As to when it starts, immediately. As to when it ends, the Oceanview Cafe Bar inside the buffet was open on debarkation.

Happy sailing

I just stayed at the Hilton Marina 1/19/2014. You can read my full review on Trip Advisor with the title as above.

Know what you are getting. It's clean and the staff treated us very well. But this place is tired and the wear is showing. That being said, I would stay there again for the price I got. Think Ben Franklin.

The location is what makes it awesome. Walk to a restaurant. Walk to Bimini for an upscale dinner. Walk to Walgreens for precruise. Walk to the water taxi. It's all right there.

Get a room on the tower overlooking the cruise terminal and watch the ships leave port. Sit on your balcony with a glass of wine and enjoy the view.

Take a cab to the terminal for less than $8.

It's clean and tidy. It's just old. But it works fantastically!

eandj has it right. Take a cab

We recently stayed at the Hilton Marina and the cab fare was $7.80+tip. Shuttle was $6pp. We were at the curb with luggage in hand in 9 minutes from the time we walked out the hotel door.

Happy sailing

I recommend checking out Los Olas Blvd. it was just a nice place to stroll and shop and find whatever you want to eat. The place is lit up with lights on the palms and seemed very safe.

I recommend Sushi Rock. A small sorta cramped and loud joint with some great sushi. Very reasonably priced too.

I wouldn't rent a car for two days if you want to see Ft Lauderdale. Take a cab. Or walk to the water taxi and float on that. It's a day pass so you can get on and off all you want.

Enjoy your stay!

Happy sailing.

When is a shuttle not a shuttle?

My wife and I flew in to MIA Sunday 1/19/14 and sailed out of Port of Eveglades the next day. Here is what we did.

I booked JRShuttles as a private transport from MIA to the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina on 17th St. It was $69 + 20% tip = $82.80.

I priced about 10 different limo/car services (those that seemed to have a good reputation) and a bunch of shuttles and car rentals.

I dislike shuttles and avoid them whenever possible. The shuttles are always cheaper than taxis or private cars at about $20-35 pperson. But then you are on a van, have to make multiple stops (how is it we always seem to be the first on and the last off? Just lucky I guess) and get crammed into the van or bus forever. It's slow and painful to me. To avoid this I am willing to pay a little extra.

The limos/private cars were higher priced with quotes ranging from $90+tip up to about $110+. There are some interesting ads on Craigslist if you want to go that route. Then it gets cheaper.

I also priced and priced and priced, up to the last day, car rental. You could get a Fox or Sixt or other super cheap rental for about $29-38 for the one way trip. That seemed like a good deal but a hassle of airport to car rental shuttle and driving myself and dropping off the car and parking fees if if we stopped at the Hotel were unappealing. The killer is, the cheap car rentals drop off at FLL or nearby. So then I would need to take a cab from there back to the hotel for $10-$20. Any offices at the PoE shut down at 2:00 or were not open on Sunday.

So I found JRShuttles. They were cheaper but there are not many reviews out there. Jamie was easy to talk to and gladly gave my prices for multiple options for both legs of my trip and called me back when I left a message. Their fee is for the vehicle. It can be private or group. Group is cheaper but, as I said I'm not good with that so I chose private. My plane landed 45 minutes earlier than planned (never had that happen before) so I caught JRShuttles off guard. Not to worry, he had the vehicle there in about 15 minutes. The driver and vehicle were clean and professional.

Notice I keep saying vehicle? That's because he sends whatever vehicle he has available. In this case he sent a 12 passenger van pulling a trailer for luggage. If you are into a comfortable and quiet ride, this is not your choice. There was nothing wrong with the vehicle. It was just a shuttle van. Seemed odd to me. Why not have a few cars in the stable for this kind of situation? In any case, we arrived quickly and safely to the hotel. That's really all I was looking for, a safe, private ride. Mission accomplished.

For our return trip I booked JRShuttles again. This time we found another couple through the roll call on CC. They were also going PoE to MIA. So now the private shuttle was for the four of us and was half priced. It went slick with just the four of us... Riding in the 12 passenger van pulling a trailer with luggage in it.

I would use JRShuttles again but I would also price private cars again to compare.

One other note, I avoided the shuttle from the Hotel to the PoE by taking a taxi. The valet told me the taxi would be $12 on the meter. The cost was $7.80 on the meter for the two of us compared to $6 pperson for the shuttle. I don't think the hotels are accurate when they tell you what a taxi costs to the terminal because they make money off the shuttle. And if you had four people they could take all four with luggage.

So, for me, the shuttle opposer, it's private cars and taxis. I hope the research is of some value to others.

Happy sailing!

Rick

On Hotwire

4* in Los Olmos Blvd area.

Booked 1/4 for a stay on 1/19 precruise.

Paid $118 less $25 for downloading the app. Tax and Total $121

Turned out to be Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina as I expected. This tired 4* was just fine in the perfect location.

Asked politely and got an upgrade to a room with a balcony overlooking the cruise terminal and watched the ships leaving on Sunday.

Take a cab for less than $8 to the terminal.

I would stay there again.

In brief, I suggest taking a cab when staying at a hotel near the cruise port in Fort Lauderdale.

Shuttles can be very convenient and affordable. Hotels gladly set you up with them at their front door. Fares seem to run between $6-$8 pperson. Here is my story and personal preference.

On Sunday 1/19/2014 my wife and I stayed at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina. This is on 17th St near the bridge. They provide a shuttle to the Cruise Port, whichever ship you are sailing on, for $6 pperson.

I dislike shuttles. It's not so much the shuttle itself as the cattle drive we have to go through sometimes. I avoid them when I can, along with cruise transfers. Load the luggage, get in, wait for others, pack the van/bus full cause you wouldn't want to waste a drop of fuel, drive, arrive, unload, unload the luggage and tip the driver. All of this is not for me so I am willing to pay a bit more for a taxi or private car, though I'm usually quite cheap. And that's where this is worth a post.

Asked the valet what the cab fare was for a ride to the terminal. "About $12 on the meter. The shuttle is only $6" I'm no genius, I'm thinking 2x6=12 so get me a cab. The valet tried to talk me out of it by saying they would go with just two people if that's what I wanted. Mmmmmm.... I doubt it. Get me a cab.

A cab pulls up, we toss our bags in and drive away past a line of four shuttles. We were at the pier, on the curb, bags in hand in 9 minutes and it was $7.80 on the meter and I gave the guy $10.

The cabbie told me he would gladly haul 4 people and their luggage and this would be an even bigger savings. If you are traveling alone or with just two people you could even ask someone in the lobby to join you on the way to the terminal and split the fare!

I'm going to guess this story could be told from a number of hotels that offer a shuttle to the terminal. The hotel is making a killing on the shuttles. And they were not exactly accurate on the cost of the cab.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I was happy to avoid a shuttle experience. Now, my preference is and always will be "take a cab".

Thanks to the OP for this question. And the opinions so far. I have been wondering myself.

An additional question on topic is this: Do you prefer fly-cruise OR cruise-fly? From the US one would choose to get the long flight out of the way at the start of the trip and then have a short flight afterwards. OR end with the long flight?

Depending on your country of origin this may be the same as east-west or west-east but if you had no preference on direction do you have a preference on the long flight before or after your cruise?

I'm in the same boat as Baba 7.

Booked before the 123 came out. (Or after. Or both?):confused:

So I bought the Premium Bev package outright and bought the Premium N.A. for my wife. Oddly it is the non alcohol drinks that make this worth the cost. (But that's a topic for another thread.) Won't do that again.

Anyway, I think it's true that they put the cabin on sale when the 123promo is off.

As for buying after the fact, I would just buy it now. You can always cancel up to 4 days previous to sailing, so if it goes on sale they would have to honor the lower price.

On the Equinox 1/20... Can't wait. The high in MN will be -17

Happy sailing.

Judging by the length of that reply.....I bet you have a government job.

I'm here to serve!

Greetings to all and Happy Sailing to you!

I just have to weigh in. I don't know why. Resistance is futile, I guess.

Read the thread. All of it. I have concluded…. you are all correct. :) So, relax, make a good choice for you and enjoy your cruise! Ahhhh......:cool:

Here is my perspective. I have cruised NCL twice. I recently considered booking Norwegian and ended up on "Brand X" in January for various reasons. Looking at this thread is like looking at the threads about all other cruise lines’ Bev Packages. There are math questions and there are intangibles. Math is easy to value, intangibles are not.

Regarding the math… Drinks x Cost = Value or not!!

If one hardly drinks alcohol, Bev packages are not worth it. That is really easy to see. So, if, like Out To Sea, “after 2-3 beers, I would even remember to go to dinner or the show! ” it’s an easy equation. No deal. Good choice.

If one drinks only beer, it may or may not be worth it. Do the math.

If one’s spouse does not consume a similar amount, the math gets even sketchier like Danh78 said.

If one consumes a moderate amount of various kinds of alcohol throughout the day, the math could very well work out just fine as Sam and Mrs. Cool state. Sam’s consumption listed 9 beverages and, with some wine and mixed drinks, the math works out to about $59-$63. A $10-$14 savings/day. Good choice.

Also in the equation are sodas! They count!

If you drink off the charts expensive then the math doesn’t work either as states SteveH2508. Good Choice!

The intangibles are more difficult to measure but they are basically1) an all-inclusive feel. 2) try more options 3) no “bill dread”. These things tend to add to the pleasure of one’s vacation. So, if the intangibles have a “value”, then it doesn’t matter if the math is perfect. Ah… Good choice!

These intangible benefits are ruined by “trying to get your money’s worth” like sparks1093 said or “checking to make sure you break even” like sbrocket52 said or “counting the number of beers I drink” like Out To Sea. So these three are correct in PAYG. Good choice.

Now, if one got sick on the cruise that would just plain stink! And you might lose an excursion too because you cannot cancel these the day of! Let’s all just go wash our hands and hope that upon no one.

Regarding alcohol consumption and “remembering the cruise” and “being wasted the whole time” and “making yourself sick every night” and so on, I think personal experiences has to be factored in here.

Out To Sea’s perspective comes from “after 2-3 beers, I would even remember to go to dinner or the show! ” and he cannot fathom 10 drinks per day. So as Mrs. Cool says, Out To Sea harshly assumes one would not be able to remember his cruise and would be so stumbling drunk that he would be oblivious to his condition and would need to ask others if he was intoxicated and then throw in an “EEK” face because the thought is frightening to him. His experience is to be accepted. As is Mrs. Cools experience of having seen a human consume beverages moderately over time and give no signs of being intoxicated.

Out To Sea, one must factor in time (Sam said he is one who enjoys staying on the ship, not going to port) and not just the number of drinks one consumes. If one starts with a Bloody Mary at 10:00 AM, enjoys drinks throughout the day and finishes with a rum/coke at 1:30 AM he has consumed less than the one who has “2-3 beers” in an hour while he forgets to go to dinner. :eek:

My guess is you can look for Samiams2 and his wife and Mrs. Cool and her husband. They won’t be the raging drunks starting a fight with a deck chair. They won’t be the ones with a spread sheet checking to make sure they get their money’s worth. They will be the ones blithely enjoying their cruise with their beverage of choice in their hand. All day. Good choice!;)

Happy sailing,

Schluetz

PS

As I stated, I am taking a Brand X cruise in January. I am purchasing a Premium Beverage Package for myself and a Premium Non-Alcohol Package for my wife. I’m not going to try and start a NCL vs Brand X debate but there are interesting differences in the Bev Packages.

X is $5/day more for the Premium.

X includes all beer, drinks and wine up to $12 (includes most offerings on the ship including at the Martini Bar.)

X does not require all in the cabin to purchase unless it’s in a promotion, in which case they are giving it away.

X includes fresh squeezed juice, energy drinks, premium coffee, coffee drinks, AND…

X includes premium bottled water including letting you take it to shore!

The last two are what sent me over the top!

Get the get the frappe latte mochachina double chocolate espresso deluxe grande froo froo coffee drink! Heck Throw in a shot of Bailys! ;)AND “Waiter? Could you please bring me a Pellegrino to drink with my scotch? I like to mix in a water!”

Like it or not, that is the reality of discussion boards. If you are going to get frustrated reading the same questions and answers over and over again, you'd best not spend your time reading here.

 

Should you decide to stay, however, you can head over to the formal dress and smoking threads where posts are far less repetitive! :D

I'm not frustrated, Fouremco. :) It is actually oddly entertaining somehow. I tried to resist the urge to point out the repetition but I just couldn't resist!

I might start a spread sheet showing how man times the same questions can be asked!

53 days to the Equinox, Drink Package in hand! (does that include gratuity?);)

Yep, just finished reading, over 4 days, all 28 pages. Great OP. Excellent answers to every question. Thank you very much. And thanks to many who shared their personal experiences! And the spread sheets! Awesome!

I have no questions remaining. None. Zero. Every possible question has been covered. 99% of it was covered in the first 10 pages. But I couldn't stop reading. Like watching a movie that was so bad I just had to see how bad it could get.

I am amazed at the patience of so many of the people posting here answering questions. Thank you to the OP and Sloop and Simon And many others for answering the same questions over and over and over and over and over and over.

To anybody who has a question remaining I recommend this: read the OP; read Celebrity's Beverage package page - all of it. Yes, even the real small letters!; Read the first 8-10 pages of this thread; if necessary keep reading; use common sense. You will have the answer to your question!

If you have a question, Please do not start your post by saying "I've read the posts" and "I've searched all over" and then ask a question that is answered in the OP and the Celeb Bev terms! Or 20 times in the thread. You didn't look, you didn't read, you didn't search, you didn't think.

"Does the $8 limit on drinks include gratuity?"

"What if I have a package and go over the daily limit?"

"Does the classic package include G&T?"

"Does the Premium Package include wine at dinner?"

"Can we share?"

Seriously!?!? A little consideration for the people who are kind enough to take the time to answer the question the first time and are kind enough to share their knowledge would be reasonable.

That being said, nobody who will ask the same question over and over again will read this anyway. At least I've gotten it off my chest.

To all, have a great Cruise. Enjoy the beverage packages (or not)!

One more thing.... If I have the Premium Alcohol Package, can I get tap water?