Need decent, inexpensive hotel for 2 nights prior to cruise in Feb 2012

[Memaw 114]

Looking for help to locate best deal on hotel for Feb 2-4, 2013. Flying into Ft. Lauderdale and will need transportation also. Group consists of 3 adults and 4 children. Need safe place with food choices nearby to hotel. (within walking) Will also need transportation from hotel to Miami cruise port. Any help or suggestions welcomed.

[bucks724]

Is everyone staying in the same room? What is your price range?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Looking for help to locate best deal on hotel for Feb 2-4, 2013. Flying into Ft. Lauderdale and will need transportation also. Group consists of 3 adults and 4 children. Need safe place with food choices nearby to hotel. (within walking) Will also need transportation from hotel to Miami cruise port. Any help or suggestions welcomed.

 

Not sure what you call inexpensive but the time you are cruising is very expensive. Expect minimum $150 per night.

 

Do You plan on staying in Fort Lauderdale or going straight to Miami from the airport and staying there?

 

Bill

 

 

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[Memaw 114]

will have to have 2 rooms; open for staying in Miami area or anywhere around there. Have determined that we will be renting car for 1 week. the same price as taxi service one way

[eandj]

Are you using the car for a week? Lots here use a shuttle to get from Ftl to Mia port. Guess I don't get the week's rental.

 

The cheapest hotels will be near the airports at that time of year. Start reading these threads and you'll find lots of hotels mentioned near the airports or both cities.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Are you using the car for a week? Lots here use a shuttle to get from Ftl to Mia port. Guess I don't get the week's rental.

 

The cheapest hotels will be near the airports at that time of year. Start reading these threads and you'll find lots of hotels mentioned near the airports or both cities.

 

I'm also not getting the rental for the week unless they are going to rent it, park at the port ($$$$), or they'll need to find a hotel with free parking and shuttle for the time they are gone for the cruise.

 

Shuttle from FLL to MIA with SAS is $91 each way for 7 people @ $13 each.

 

They'll never get a rental for a week for $182 since they'll need a minivan or big SUV with 7 people.

 

Bill

[JohninDC]

www.sunny.org has info on most FLL area hotels. We like the Embassy Suites in the 17th St/downtown section of Fort Lauderdale - big rooms, great breakfast, nice pool, shopping and dining within walking distance, and free happy hour :D There are several other chain hotels (including just about every variety of the various Hilton and Marriott brands).

 

Good luck! :)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

www.sunny.org has info on most FLL area hotels. We like the Embassy Suites in the 17th St/downtown section of Fort Lauderdale - big rooms, great breakfast, nice pool, shopping and dining within walking distance, and free happy hour :D There are several other chain hotels (including just about every variety of the various Hilton and Marriott brands).

 

Good luck! :)

 

The OP has not come back to define what they mean by inexpensive.

 

Since the OP has stated that they need 2 rooms and are staying 2 nights pre cruise and the Embassy Suites is going for $289 per room per night, the total would be $1156.:eek:

 

Bill

[JohninDC]

...the Embassy Suites is going for $289 per room per night, the total would be $1156.:eek:

 

Bill

 

But if you drink enough at the free happy hour you are saving $$ :o

[S.S.Oceanlover]

But if you drink enough at the free happy hour you are saving $$ :o

 

Lol been there done that. :D

 

Bill

[Memaw 114]

Inexpensive is just that...around $100 per room per night. I do not need free drinks as none of the adults or children drink ! I was just hoping for some response as to a clean, no frill hotel that you would feel safe in for 2 nights. I am able to get the mini van for $260 for an entire week and that is with fees and taxes included. The price for transfers is $60 per person round trip....That is $420 (we are flying into FLL)

 

I am sorry that all people are not able to afford nice hotels, but this cruise has taken every bit of scrimping and saving to take 4 children on what they wanted for Christmas. Happy Holidays !

[eandj]

Inexpensive is just that...around $100 per room per night. I do not need free drinks as none of the adults or children drink ! I was just hoping for some response as to a clean, no frill hotel that you would feel safe in for 2 nights. I am able to get the mini van for $260 for an entire week and that is with fees and taxes included. The price for transfers is $60 per person round trip....That is $420 (we are flying into FLL)

 

I am sorry that all people are not able to afford nice hotels, but this cruise has taken every bit of scrimping and saving to take 4 children on what they wanted for Christmas. Happy Holidays !

 

Not sure why you feel you have to apologize here....:rolleyes:

 

Still not sure what you are doing with the van? :confused::confused: So you will rent it and drive to Miami and park it while cruising and then drive it back to Fort L before flying home??? Is your cruise a week or 5 days?

 

If you have to park your van, then you want to stay at a hotel where the rate will include the parking for the rental while you are gone.

parksleepfly.com will give you options for that. But you will pay more than your budget for the room in a safe place.

 

Where did you get that rate for the transfers? Usually its around 40$ round trip.

[eandj]

Also....Memaw...Work on getting the shuttle service figured out first. Your rate of $60 per person is not accurate...it's too high. Where did you get that rate? SAS service does transfers for around $15 per person, one way. To have a rental van sit while you cruise doesn't seem smart or safe.

 

Hotels in Feb are always higher than other times. A hotel for around $100 a night will be nearer the airport. But even those will tend to run higher than your budget on those dates. Look at some in the Dania area and outside downtown Ft L. Scan the threads here and you'll find many mentioned. You could also look at hotwire or lastminute travel.

[JohninDC]

Inexpensive is just that...around $100 per room per night. I do not need free drinks as none of the adults or children drink ! I was just hoping for some response as to a clean, no frill hotel that you would feel safe in for 2 nights. I am able to get the mini van for $260 for an entire week and that is with fees and taxes included. The price for transfers is $60 per person round trip....That is $420 (we are flying into FLL)

 

I am sorry that all people are not able to afford nice hotels, but this cruise has taken every bit of scrimping and saving to take 4 children on what they wanted for Christmas. Happy Holidays !

 

No offense meant. :o

 

$100/night hotels near FLL in February will be a challenge -- but you are better off there than in Miami where prices will likely be even higher. There are several budget options near the FLL airport - again check out www.sunny.org and hopefully some of the locals will chime in. If you'll have a car look north of FLL in Deerfield Beach where the La Quinta and other chain motels there should meet your needs and budget. ;)

 

$60 transfers only apply if you book through the cruiseline. You can save almost half (and enjoy better service! :cool:) by booking transfers with SAS (www.ridesas.com), QLS transportation (www.qualitylimoservice.com ) or Go Airport Shuttle (http://goairportshuttle.com/). The trip from FLL to POM takes about 40-45 minutes and they will also transfer you back to FLL after your cruise.

Good luck! :)

[miamiyogi]

Inexpensive is just that...around $100 per room per night.

 

I am sorry that all people are not able to afford nice hotels, but this cruise has taken every bit of scrimping and saving to take 4 children on what they wanted for Christmas. Happy Holidays !

 

Inexpensive is a relative term. That's why people will ask what your budget is. To some $250/night for a hotel room could be called inexpensive.

 

Okay if the budget is $100/night. Then I am going to suggest you concentrate on a Fort Lauderdale hotel room. $100/night in Miami is only going to get you an airport hotel without anything within walking distance.

 

At $150 a night it is Possible to get a hotel in downtown Miami, or a Boutique hotel in Miami Beach.

[Twickenham]

Inexpensive is just that...around $100 per room per night. I do not need free drinks as none of the adults or children drink ! I was just hoping for some response as to a clean, no frill hotel that you would feel safe in for 2 nights. I am able to get the mini van for $260 for an entire week and that is with fees and taxes included. The price for transfers is $60 per person round trip....That is $420 (we are flying into FLL)

 

I am sorry that all people are not able to afford nice hotels, but this cruise has taken every bit of scrimping and saving to take 4 children on what they wanted for Christmas. Happy Holidays !

 

I stay in nice hotels, but that doesn't mean I pay the price that nice hotels try to charge... ;) There are always ways, my favourite being the various hotel chain's price-matching policies, especially Marriott's. Using the technique I outline here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30308190&postcount=8, and using mybowlingvacation.com as your comparison site, you can get the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Plantation (note, this is not the one near Port Everglades), for $105/room/night. As you will have a van, the further distance shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

 

Whatever you do, don't rent a minivan for the whole week. Do 2 days, then return in Miami. Pick up another one-way rental upon your return. This should be significantly cheaper.

[Memaw 114]

Thanks, sorry to be so abrupt, but this trip is costing us more than anticipated in the beginning and we are feeling the stress.

I have arranged for a shuttle service and will no longer be renting a vehicle.

So. We are back to needing hotel only, but one that provides shuttle from the airport upon arrival. (Unless cab will not be too much; but we will have to get 2 cabs ! )

 

Thanks for all the information so far, it has helped.

[eandj]

Do some research and then come on back and we can advise. If without a car, you will need more advice re a hotel choice that is near walking distance for restaurants, shopping etc.

Too you can read about popular ones by scanning these threads. Again, you are looking at prime time plus a weekend. So if you can raise your budget a bit, I think you will be happy with the choices.

I would presume and hope you are saving on air fare by flying into Ft. L rather than direct to Miami.

 

Here's a great list for you to review from the sunny.org site

 

http://www.sunny.org/visitors/hotels/airport/

[Florissouri]

will have to have 2 rooms; open for staying in Miami area or anywhere around there. Have determined that we will be renting car for 1 week. the same price as taxi service one way

 

Huh?

 

That's not making sense unless you're arriving a week before the cruise.

[eandj]

Huh?

 

That's not making sense unless you're arriving a week before the cruise.

 

 

Guess you didn't read all the posts.

[Florissouri]

Inexpensive is just that...around $100 per room per night. I do not need free drinks as none of the adults or children drink ! I was just hoping for some response as to a clean, no frill hotel that you would feel safe in for 2 nights. I am able to get the mini van for $260 for an entire week and that is with fees and taxes included. The price for transfers is $60 per person round trip....That is $420 (we are flying into FLL)

 

I am sorry that all people are not able to afford nice hotels, but this cruise has taken every bit of scrimping and saving to take 4 children on what they wanted for Christmas. Happy Holidays !

 

You're being a bit on the defensive side. You don't give us enough information to help you and then you go off on a tirade. People will help you if you help them help you.

[Robert Peel]

Try searching Last Minute Travel, we are a party of 12 and staying at the Double Tree Hilton in Fort Lauderdale from Jan 31-Feb 2, 2013 and have rates of $140 per night and the suites are equipped with kitchens which will assist you with cutting the costs on meals.

 

Also using SAS transportation again and gfound their rates very reasonable.

 

Good luck

[Florissouri]

You're best bet in this situation would be to stay at a FLL airport hotel that has a free airport shuttle. Then shuttle to the POM from there.

 

There are a lot of airport area hotels that have shuttles, but the ones near Oakwood Plaza Mall may work better for you. There's a K-Mart in the mall as well as Burger King, Chipotle, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Moonlite Diner, Wendy's, Hollywood Ale House, TGI Friday's, Dave and Buster's, Red Lobster and Sweet Tomatoes that are spread out, but walking distance.

 

The List would include La Quinta Airport, Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, SpringHill Suites, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House.

 

I would suggest looking into the 2 BR/2 BA Trio Suite at Hyatt House. They have a king bed in one bedroom, two queens in the second bedroom, a sofa sleeper in the living room as well as a full kitchen so that would give everyone more space and a fridge to keep beverages or even cook a meal. They also have a free breakfast that would save your group a lot of money over two days. I just did a quick search for the FLL Hyatt House and it's showing sold out. I don't know if that's a glitch or they really are. You should call them to find out, though. If they are sold out, maybe you could keep checking for a cancellation. There's also one in Miami at the Blue Lagoon area.

[eandj]

Another thing to do if you aren't booking on a discount site, is to join the hotel's "club" and then book using that memebership number. You will get some kind of discount on the room. Some hotels are grouped together like "Choice Hotels" which include many name brand moderate priced places.

 

I glanced at some of the hotels I think are moderate and they run $130 or more for that weekend. And of course add some taxes. So you will need to do research for sure to find something you can live with.

[aria48]

You're best bet in this situation would be to stay at a FLL airport hotel that has a free airport shuttle. Then shuttle to the POM from there.

 

There are a lot of airport area hotels that have shuttles, but the ones near Oakwood Plaza Mall may work better for you. There's a K-Mart in the mall as well as Burger King, Chipotle, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Moonlite Diner, Wendy's, Hollywood Ale House, TGI Friday's, Dave and Buster's, Red Lobster and Sweet Tomatoes that are spread out, but walking distance.

 

The List would include La Quinta Airport, Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, SpringHill Suites, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House.

 

I would suggest looking into the 2 BR/2 BA Trio Suite at Hyatt House. They have a king bed in one bedroom, two queens in the second bedroom, a sofa sleeper in the living room as well as a full kitchen so that would give everyone more space and a fridge to keep beverages or even cook a meal. They also have a free breakfast that would save your group a lot of money over two days. I just did a quick search for the FLL Hyatt House and it's showing sold out. I don't know if that's a glitch or they really are. You should call them to find out, though. If they are sold out, maybe you could keep checking for a cancellation. There's also one in Miami at the Blue Lagoon area.

 

Hyatt House is a good suggestion if it becomes available. THey have the free shuttle to FLL & they also offer a shuttle service to Port of Miami (2 guests complimentary one way with a package or $15/pp). There's a whole list of hotels that offer packages in one form or another, who also have free shuttles to FLL. But as the previous poster mentioned, factor in everything including the food cost with that amount of people. A hotel that offers free breakfast can save you a great deal of money as well.