Where to stay night before cruise in Ft. Lauderdale?

[Luv2Cook2010]

Just trying to plan our vacation and need information on where to stay if Ft. Lauderdale the night before our April 3rd cruise on the Allure. Never been to the area and would like to find a nice hotel with shuttle to the port. If you could help with some hotels that would be great!

 

Thanks!

[dirtgirl]

Embassy Suites on 17th is great. They have an included hot breakfast. $7 per person to the pier.

 

Crowne Plaza has a $5 fee to the pier.

 

Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale North has a free shuttle to the pier, free wifi, and a continental breakfast.

[Ashland]

Our favorite is the Embassy Suites..but more budget friendly Springhill Suites I believe they have an airport shuttle (FLL) and a port shuttle..also price Cambria Suites..Have read some good reviews on both..

[Gonzo70]

If money is a factor, I'd recommend you big for a hotel on Priceline. Pick the downtown area if you have enough time to enjoy the city the day before the cruise, or an airport hotel for even greater savings if you just need a place to sleep. Cabs are easy, fast and cheap in Ft. Lauderdale so the money you'd save using Priceline would allow you to use a cab (if the hotel does not have a shuttle) and still save money.

[Cruising50's]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Ft. Lauderdale Airport North. We chose this after doing a

 

lot of research on Hotels.com and recommendations on Cruise Critic. We were happy with

 

this particular hotel because they have a shuttle that picks you up from the airport and

 

a free shuttle that takes you to the ship. We were surprised at how many people were

 

staying there pre and post cruise. The lobby and outside area had tons of people standing

 

around visiting about their various cruises. They offer a nice free breakfast, and they

 

are located right across the street from a shopping area containing a large grocery store /

 

Subway / bar and grill / Big Lots / et. We walked over to pick up some last minute items

 

saw lots of fellow cruisers walking to and from the hotel doing the same thing.

 

Their hotel shuttle will also take you to some other restaurants nearby if you need that.

 

We were very surprised that the hotel shuttle service also offers to pick you up when

 

you return from the cruise and take you directly to the airport if you need that. We

 

were especially happy with this because we had a noon flight and couldn't waste any

 

time getting off the ship and getting to the airport. For a small fee, they picked us up

 

and had us to the airport exactly as we requested. The check-in lines at the

 

Ft. Lauderdale Airport were horrible ! We stood in line for over an hour. Both the

 

outside curb check-in and the inside check-in had long, long, long lines. Many of the

 

people that had booked early morning ( before noon ) flights were in a panic.

 

Try not to book a flight until after lunch if possible.

 

We made our flight, but I am so glad that we didn't wait around for a taxi. The shuttle

 

pick-up was great.

 

In addition......... I am really particular about hotel mattresses and bedding. I have

 

reall issues with hard mattresses. I found that this hotel had nice, soft, comfortable

 

mattresses and nice bedding. The room temperature was good and the hotel was

 

very clean. The front desk staff was very friendly, helpful, and answered our questions

 

cheerfully. They have a nice organized method of making a reservation for your

 

shuttle service to the port by which ship you are sailing on and what time you would

 

like to leave the hotel.

 

It is a popular hotel by the looks of how many people were there on Saturday and

 

Sunday............breakfast was really busy ...........so get down there early to get

 

a table. I talked to one group that told me that they always stay at this hotel

 

before and after every cruise. They always stay over one day to rest and relax before

 

flying back home on Monday. They said it is less hectic at the airport. Wish I had known

 

this before I booked my flights.

 

All in all, this was a good hotel choice. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions

 

about it, I will be happy to try to answer them. Happy cruise !

[LuckyStar]

Just stayed at Comfort Inn Airport South. Very worn hotel but transportation was reliable to Port of Miami. I wouldn't stay there again because it was overpriced but in all honesty, it was a last minute trip and I didn't have a lot of time to shop. But I won't lose sleep over it. :o

[JohninDC]

Don't worry about port shuttles - the FLL area is not that big and taxis are cheap! ;)

 

Focus your search on the 17th street/downtown area - just about every chain (Hilton, Marriott, etc.) has something here, along with shopping and dining options within walking distance. Most offer free airport shuttles. The Hyatt Pier 66 is a great hotel with a nice pool and outdoor bar/grill area.

 

If your budget will allow it you can stay on the beach - try the Westin, Lago Mar, W, and Sheraton; lots of beachy dining optons and shops -- more expensive than 17th Street, but lots of fun. Good luck! :)

[dfwhgsfan]

I would say it depends on when you are arriving in FLL and if you plan on doing anything when you get there. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott last week before our cruise on the Crown. The hotel was great and they have a free shuttle from the airport and to the cruise port. However, if you get there early and want to go to the water taxi or do anything, you will have to catch a taxi that's about $28 or so one way plus tip. If you are getting in later in the day and don't care to do anything but get to your room, this is a great hotel, if not, I would try something closer to the port.

[wrk2cruise]

We have used Priceline twice for FLL. We tried to get Downtown zone 3* I believe (as we were trying to get something like Hayatt Place North) but when the prices was getting up there I include FLL Airport Zone and got 3* for $50.

 

We got Hayatt Place South one time and Hayatt Summerfield Suites the next time. Both are very nice hotels. Although there is not much in that area other than fast food. If you have the better part of a day maybe Downtown would be worth the extra $$.

 

Both hotels have free Airport shuttle and $8 PP shuttle to FL port. We took a taxi and it was less than $30.

 

We feel that what we saved using Priceline more than made up for the cab (which we probably would have used anyway). Free shuttles to the port tend to be way overloaded.