Ft Lauderdale Hotel Help

[lucyjlou]

We are cruising on Carnival Freedom December 7th. Looking for hotel 1 day before and 1 day after the cruise. It is myself, my husband and my 6yr old daughter. I have looked at a few online and wanted to get opinions on them....here is what we are looking for:

 

- somewhat near the airport and cruise port if possible....not a super expensive cab ride if possible....

 

- something with pool, a really nice pool is preferred since our daughter will spend all day there likely! A beach would be a plus, so we could use both but pool is more important.

 

- close to food choices, nothing fancy, but walking distance

 

- pre-cruise we would like to be near a CVS or some kind of store for pop and last minute shopping prior to boarding ship...or is there any stuff like this near the ship itself that we could go to once we check luggage, etc on the boat?

 

Looking to stay under $150 for sure....would prefer close to $100 or $125...but will spend more to get what we want.

 

Here are some prices i found on expedia...are these good prices for these hotels? Are these good hotels? Are they near the port at all?

 

Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach - $139 pre-cruise

Beach Comber $155 pre-cruise

Budget Inn Ocean Resort $95 pre-cruise

 

Or suggest something that maybe i didn't list....any advice is great! Thanks!!

Edited July 21, 2014 by lucyjlou

[lucyjlou]

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[trixiegal]

Try the Sleep Inn Dania. Tripadvisor reviews are mixed but we did a King Suite and it was fine for 1-night. The biggest plus was (besides being under $100) that it's right next to a really nice, big Walgreen's and we stocked up for the cruise the next day. The pool liked nice enough for a little one to have fun in. BTW, I didn't smell smoke at all in the hallways or our room.

 

 

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[royalcruz]

I would guess that the Crowne Plaza Hollywood is about 7 miles from the port but Google map it just to be sure. I'm not sure if there are any stores near there. There are no stores in walking distance to the Carnival terminal.

 

You don't mention what cities the other hotels you listed are in, so please provide that so that we can give you accurate opinions. If it's the Beachcomber in Pompano, that is over 10 miles from the port. Embassy Suites has everything that you want including a nice pool, but might be over your budget depending on the time of year. Sometimes they have good prices through hiltonfamilymvp using an hhonors member acct (free).

[kdawg954]

The BeachComber (I've stayed here 4 times and I love the location) and the Budget Inn are in Pompano Beach. You'll spend big cab fare trying to get there and back for your cruise. Cross them off the list. And cross the Crowne Plaza off as well . . . these are just too far. Seriously you are looking at $40 to $50 each way to reach these hotels.

 

By looking at your list, it's clear you want to be on the beach.

 

My personal suggestion is going on Hotwire. I did a search (2 adults, 1 6 year old child) for your dates and it showed a 4 star on Fort Lauderdale Beach for $118 a night ($142 after taxes) on December 6th/13th. I'm almost certain that is the Westin Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale which would be an IDEAL beach location hotel. Yea the Beach is across the street, but there is a skywalk that connects to the hotels 3rd floor pool deck that allows you to access the beach w/o crossing the street/traffic. Also there is a CVS within walking distance and plenty of food options.

 

I can't guarantee that it's the Westin, I want to make that clear, and it is a gamble, but I'm 95% sure it is, and for some strange reason it isn't, you are still booking a 4 star hotel, in December (high season down here) on Fort Lauderdale Beach for a great price. It's worth the gamble. The Westin is currently showing at $249 a night, you'd be getting it for $118. Cab fare from the airport should be $20 or less and to the cruise ship around $15 or less.

 

Good Luck and feel free to ask any more questions, but these prices are only going to get higher and availability will only get lower for this time of year as more events get concrete dates. Just keep that in mind.

[Marie51]

I would recommend looking on http://www.lastminutetravel.com

 

If you are not already a member you can join for free and they have some great prices for your dates. The Doubletree Gallery One is under $100 and is a nice place. There is a Publix and CVS within walking distance.

There are many other hotels to chose from too.