cruisintwinsmom

Now i am confused... we went to SJU a few years back and back then the Marriott stelaris resort and casino was a 5 star... now they call it a 3 star... are we talking about the same hotel?

I would check out trip advisor to see what people are saying about the hotel. Also, look to see if there is another Marriott that might be confusing the issue.

I've stayed at both these hotels. Granted, it's been a while since I have stayed at the Carib. However, if I were to do it again I would stay at La Concha. I preferred the location.

Anyone had any luck with using Hotwire in NYC? We're going on NE/Canada cruise first Sat in Oct and while I'm content with flying in that morning, my DD would like to see some of the Big Apple. Advice I've been given is Wallstreet area due to proximity to 911 memorial and free ferry to Staten Island, both on the to do list. We will be flying into LGA most likely as we fly Southwest from Dallas.

 

Thanks for input!

 

If you google better bidding you will see a site that is very helpful for figuring out hotwire hotels in NYC.

Are there any regular happy hours (2 for 1 drinks) in any bars on the Celebrity Silhouette?

On the Reflection last month the bar menus had some happy hour pricing for 3 different drinks. I think they were $5.50 or something like that. If I recall correctly there were 2 different times for happy hour - one earlier in the evening and one much later. I didn't go to the Martini bar and I think it is a little different. Hope this helps you.

Just got the W Fort Lauderdale by bidding on priceline for Feb 11. On the express part there was a 4* hotel priced at $141 with these amenities

• Pets Allowed
  
• Business Center
  
• Restaurant
  

• Indoor or Outdoor Pool
  
• Fitness Center
  
• No Smoking Rooms/Facilities
  

that I thought would be the W Fort Lauderdale. It had an 8 rating and showed a 26.50 resort fee. I decided to try bidding to see if I could get a better price. Started with $111 and added zones 1, 3, 4, 6 until I got to $125. My bid was accepted. Total for the hotel is $125 + 22.97 = $147.97 to priceline and 26.50 payable at hotel for a grand total of $174.47. I am happy with that considering trip advisor shows the hotel going for $434 total.

Send me an email and maybe I can help you

 

lido.deck@yahoo.com

Thanks! I'll email you later this afternoon!

Price is my first priority and then shopping/restaurants. Sounds like I'll stay put at the Crowne Plaza.

 

As far as pricing, I was able to find these rates through a corporate booking tool from my employer and I was glad to see them as many of the hotels I was finding were in the close to $300 a night range.

 

Thanks for everyone's input!

Lucky you!!!

I've only cruised out of FLL one other time and stayed pre-cruise at the Crowne Plaza. Nice hotel, but not the greatest location. I had booked it again for my cruise in a couple of weeks and got a pretty good rate of $149. I'm now finding the HI Express Dania about $20 cheaper and wondering if the location is better. I'm specifically wondering if there is any shopping/restaurants within walking distance. Thanks!

I just have to ask, how did you get such good deals on hotels? I am leaving in 2 1/2 weeks and the prices are horrible - relative to my past sailings. Thank you for any insight to getting a better price.

I was there last month and took uber (it was my first time to ever use it). I think it was $14 there. We ubered back to the hotel from the port and it was $17. Easy Peasy. The price was for me and a friend.

As a side note: I thought the buffet was expensive and did not eat there for breakfast. My friend did eat breakfast there and seemed to like it.

Not sure if anyone else noticed this, but WonderMan3 has started a thread on his current cruise and has posted a copy of the first day's daily. The dress code is clearly indicated there and is NOT the same as what is on Celebrity's website in relation to evening chic - for men it is much more restrictive. I didn't want to put this on WonderMan3 thread so as to not take away from his narrative. I wonder if things are starting to slip back to the old dress code, or am I missing something?

Some one probably just missed updating the daily when making changes.

I can't recommend a beach near the Marigot ferry terminal, but that terminal is not the only one.

 

Meeting at Maho may be the best solution, but I would mention that it is probably easier to meet up at Guy's Driftwood Boat Bar than at Sunset.

 

gary

Thank you! I should have figured that there was more than one ferry terminal. Although she did say she would be on the Dutch side. Will check out Guy's.

I'm going to be in St. Maarten on the same day that a friend of mine will be ferrying in from Anguilla to fly back to the States. Is there a beach with a bar near the ferry or would it be best to meet up at Maho?

Thanks in advance.

Yes, as safe as it gets.

Thanks! Appreciate your input!

Sorry, I got confused and was thinking you were staying at the Hilton Marina.

 

I don't know much of anything about those two hotels other than it's just under a mile to the the Gallery One Doubletree where there is a Water Taxi and Sun Trolley stops.

 

Both hotels are reasonably close to the Galleria Mall and a little over a mile to the beach.

No problem! I did not clarify very well. I am staying at the Hilton before the cruise for 1 night, so your info is very helpful. Are the Clarion and Victoria Park in safe areas?

I didnt post on there. I found bidding helper on there and went through that and it has a hint to tell you which hotel it might be. It said might be Riverside. Amenities below and so I went a

 

FULL AMENITIES: Free Internet, Pet friendly, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Golf nearby, Accessible bathroom, Roll-in shower

3.5 stars

Thanks!

Just got 2 rooms at the Riverside in Fort Lauderdale for $117 each (plus taxes which made it $142.76 each) for April 28, 2017 on Hotwire using better biddings assistant portion of their page :)

What were the amenities? % recommended? Or did you post this info in better bidding? Thanks

The obvious choice would be the Water Taxi then. Underneath the Causeway bridge right in from of the Hilton Marina is a Water Taxi stop where you can catch both the Ft Lauderdale Water Taxi and the Hollywood Water Taxi using the same daily ticket for both. The Water Taxi is hop on, hop off all day and night so pick a day when you can enjoy it during the day and then at night when the Intracoastal is lit up by the yachts and Millionaire's Row.

 

The Hollywood Water Taxi will take you to the stop at 5 O'Clock Somewhere right across A1A from Margaritaville and the Broadwalk described above. They have live music Wednesday-Sunday at the Hollywood Beach Theatre from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. The last Water Taxi going north from Margaritaville to the Hilton is at 9:00 PM.

 

To get to and from the beach and the Galleria Mall use the Sun Trolley which is $1.00 per ride or $3.00 for a day pass.

.

Perfect, thanks!!!

What are you thoughts for Feb 19-20th on either the Clarion or Victoria Park?

Are you planning to have a rental car?

no, hoping for a place where I can walk to eat and to the beach. Uber if needed.

What are your dates?

Feb 19-21, 2017

Precruise, I have a reservation at the Hilton Marina, but may change that if I find something more cost effective.

Thanks

Sounds like an amazing day! I'm jealous!

Your advice please. I'm considering staying a couple of nights after my cruise because the airfare is cheaper to fly out on Tues and I'm planning to take the tri-rail to West Palm one day to visit a friend. A couple of places I'm thinking about staying are the Clarion and the Victoria Park. Thoughts? I would like to stroll on the beach the day I am not going to West Palm. I'm kind of on a budget - like to get the best bang for my buck.

Thanks in advance.

When comparing the number of murders from one place to another it is important to look at the population. The population of St. Lucia is 165,500 while Chicago is 2,700,000 - so for Chicago to have an comparable rate they would have to have 309 murders this year. Just sayin'

To the OP: having traveled there 3 times, I would suggest going on a tour with either Cosol (check on the St. Lucia board for the name) or Herod. Both were very good. On time, my adult daughter and I decided to stay on the ship, then walk over to the spice market. It was horrible! The taxi drivers harassed us when we left. The people in the spice market were rude. Leaving the spice market a man followed us for quite a bit. A policeman was not too far in front of us and if he had continued, I planned to start screaming for the police. He stopped and we made our way back.

If you are a worrier, then just stay on the ship and enjoy the pool without the crowd.

Also, you can check out the state dept warnings for travel to foreign countries.

Thank you both for the follow-up!

I just booked through Hotwire the W hotel Miami for $214 cdn for dec 2017 a night says I saved 72% as reg $760 cdn a night

 

 

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For those shopping today for a Fort Lauderdale hotel stay around March 17th, I just scored the Hyatt Regency at Pier 66 on Priceline for $186/night using their Express Deal "4-star FTL downtown - cruiseport - convention".

Thanks for posting. Can you share what the amenities were for the hotels and what the rating for the hotel? For hotwire, the rating would be the % of people who recommend the hotel. For priceline, it is usually a number like 7+, 8+, or 9+. Thanks in advance.

I had the classic package and it was enough for me - don't usually drink a whole lot and don't have a sophisticated palate. NO ONE ever asked me if I wanted to upgrade when I was cruising last month.

I'm not that techie, so I could be wrong, but unless you have an unlimited wifi package on the ship, just be sure to log off on the wifi when you are done using it. Otherwise you will use up your package quickly. I'm not sure if Celebrity still charges by the minute when you go over your package limit.

A couple of years ago we went to Doctors Cave Beach from Falmouth, but I'm not sure we did the right thing for transportation. As we left the terminal, there were some vehicles that had prices for trips to different places. We climbed into a small van - maybe 10 passengers - and had to wait for the van to fill up before we left. Then we all had to decide on a time to be picked back up. If I recall correctly, it was about $20 roundtrip. A young Jamaican woman got in the van and gave us a talk about Jamaica on our way there and back. Is the best way to get there? Did we miss the taxis somewhere along the way? Thanks.