Fort Lauderdale ??'s

[3guysandagirl]

Hi all, I'm coming out of "lurking" mode because I realize I have a million questions. Where do I start.... okay, we will be going on our 1st cruise in July. It will be a quick 5 day on the Empress of the Seas. Any views on this ship?? I know it is on the small side, but this just really works for us timing wise. We are very excited and planning on becoming addicted!! We are planning a day before and a day after in Fort Lauderdale. Any suggestions on places to stay, things to do, hotels that offer shuttles??? Should we be focusing on finding a hotel with a shuttle or is that really not neccesary?? Like I said we are "cruise virgins" and would welcome your advice on everything. Thanks in advance!!:)

[TheWog]

Welcome aboard. I just returned Thursday from FLL and had a great time aboard the Enchantment. We stayed at the Hyatt Pier 66 (pier66.com) and loved the hotel. We secured the room off Priceline for $95.00 for the night pre-cruise (Friday night). There were pools and palm trees and the rooftop restaurant/lounge. What a great way to watch the sunset. It was across from the pier terminals and you could see the ships come in if you have a high enough room. Hotel shuttle is not necessary, but a nice feature. There are plenty of cabs and they had cabs waiting right at the hotel for people who needed one. We used a private car service for our party of 4, but the price was not more then a cab and we had a set schedule and personalized service. So it was nice for us. Check out the hotels pre-cruise boards and read up on info in the FLL area and where you may want to stay. The pools and hot tubs were excellent and this would be a great hotel for a multiple night stay if you wanted. It is also on the intercoastal and you can get the water taxi right there. The price was great compared to regular internet price of $315.00 for the same room. Good luck.

[RiverRev]

We are also cruising in July, but on the Navigator out of Miami. We still stay in Miami because we fly into FLL and it is just convenient. This year we will be staying at the Amerisuites on 17th St because:

 

1. A free airport shuttle.

2. Proximity to restaurants and stores for last minute details.

3. Included continental breakfast.

4. $85 tax included.

 

I believe they also have a free shuttle to Port Everglades, but that does not matter to us since we will be cruising out of Miami. I think we can get to Miami for about $35.

 

We have also stayed at the Holiday Inn Fort Lauderdale Beach which has a beautiful, but isolated location on the beach. We booked it last year through Priceline and they were very gracious to us. The downside is, apart from some local color restaurants with overpriced pizza and beachfront t-shirt shops there is nothing around the hotel. The beach is beautiful, but the isolation is expensive - the hotel restaurant cost us more than we expected.

 

Don't worry about the size of the Empress. The cruise experience is wonderful.

 

When are you cruising in July?

[puddleducky]

We sailed on Enchantment of the Seas last May, five nights, then stayed in Ft. Lauderdale for a couple of days. Stayed at Sheraton Yankee Trader on A1A, right across the street from ocean, no more than 15 mins from Pier. Great area, enjoy!

[maryr65]

Puddleducky,

 

Where did you eat when you stayed at the Sheraton? We're thinking of trying Shula's.