Embassy Suites, Really!

[SevenSeas1492]

Guess I was really fortunate to get ES for $208 for 4/9/16[emoji33]

We booked a the cruise in Nov. For our return night we are paying only $146 per night for 4/17. Both nights are AAA rates.

Last year for our March cruise, we booked it only one month before and had to pay around $300 per night for the Hyatt Place near the Embassy Suites, so I feel like we were lucky to get this year's hotel deal. Rooms in Ft Lauderdale have gotten a lot pricier over the last few years. In 2003 we paid only $64 to stay at the ES on a Hotwire rate

 

Keep checking the ES website. I booked there in November, and a month later they had reduced the AAA rate by $34! I called the hotel, and they gave me that rate without hesitation. I did originally book directly thru their website. Don't know if they would honor a price drop if booking thru a third party.

[luvscruising2007]

We cancelled a booking for E/S because we decided there was simply no reason for us to stay in FLL. We've driving from North Alabama which is a fourteen hour drive. We stayed in FLL our last two cruises. We get up around 0600 and can't board the boat until 1200 or so. Since we are driving and don't need to worry about weather and can control our travel, we decided it would be better to just arrive in FLL around 1200. We driving about 10 hours to Ocala where we will spend the night. Should be about a four or four and a half hour drive to the port. If we leave around 7AM, then we'll arrive at the port at about the right time to board.

 

I notice you're staying at St. Augustine. Not sure if there is a specific reason (friends) to stay there. You might consider driving another hour or so. Then you'd have about a four hour drive as well. Even from St. Augustine, if you're on the road by 7AM, you could be in the port area around 1230.

 

BTW, one of the reasons folks like the E/S, is that it is a safe choice. Not referring to the area around the E/S, but to the E/S itself. If you're flying in and you're unfamiliar with the area, you know what you will get. Sure, there are other hotels with similar offerings but the E/S will always deliver.

 

We are stopping in St. Augustine to do a little sight-seeing. We thought about staying there 2 night but decided to go ahead and get safely to Ft. Lauderdale and be there the night before.

[capriccio]

We are stopping in St. Augustine to do a little sight-seeing. We thought about staying there 2 night but decided to go ahead and get safely to Ft. Lauderdale and be there the night before.

 

St. Augustine is a great place to visit! While just about everything is within walking distance I recommend the HOHO trolley to orient yourself. Enjoy your visit, have a safe drive to Fort Lauderdale, and a great cruise!

[RocketMan275]

We are stopping in St. Augustine to do a little sight-seeing. We thought about staying there 2 night but decided to go ahead and get safely to Ft. Lauderdale and be there the night before.

 

As this thread has shown, the hotel costs go up from Octoberish to Aprilish which tends to coincide with the cruising season. You could book RCI/Carnival in the summer but that comes with a tradeoff of large numbers of children on-board.

 

Also, the hotels in the port area will get plenty of business from those who are flying into FLL. Driving in allows you to stay outside the most popular areas and finish your trip to the port in the morning.

 

So, there are trade-offs. You can reduce travel risk by travelling to FLL but at a an extra cost. There are many excellent hotels between St. Augustine and FLL. You'll just need to balance how much it is worth to you to be in FLL around the port.

 

I certainly understand why you might feel it necessary to spend the night as closely as possible to the port. We felt the same way on our first two cruises out of FLL. We had read all the advice on CC that one should arrive the day before. But most of that advice is geared towards those who are flying particularly in the months where air travel is subject to weather delays.

 

Our solution may not be for you but I thought it might be worthwhile to mention an alternative. I'll try to come back and share how this works for us on our cruise next month.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[luvscruising2007]

Thank you, rocketman and Capriccio! I appreciate your thoughts.

[sdrocks]

What other options for motels in Ft Lauderdale reasonably close to the port ?

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading on the board would find many threads on your question. Hint: 17th St is the common "close to the port" area.

[Keith1010]

What other options for motels in Ft Lauderdale reasonably close to the port ?

 

There are tons of options.

 

Do you want something more or less expensive than Embassy?

 

Keith

[DanJ]

Also, the hotels in the port area will get plenty of business from those who are flying into FLL. Driving in allows you to stay outside the most popular areas and finish your trip to the port in the morning.

 

So, there are trade-offs. You can reduce travel risk by travelling to FLL but at a an extra cost. There are many excellent hotels between St. Augustine and FLL. You'll just need to balance how much it is worth to you to be in FLL around the port.

 

I certainly understand why you might feel it necessary to spend the night as closely as possible to the port. We felt the same way on our first two cruises out of FLL. We had read all the advice on CC that one should arrive the day before. But most of that advice is geared towards those who are flying particularly in the months where air travel is subject to weather delays.

 

Our solution may not be for you but I thought it might be worthwhile to mention an alternative. I'll try to come back and share how this works for us on our cruise next month.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

There are also lots of cheaper options within a pretty close radius of FLL itself, that aren't popular amongst us fly-in folk but would be great options for those driving in. Whenever I'm doing a hotel search on hilton.com, hyatt.com or marriott.com etc, I always see reasonably priced options come up with maybe 20 or 30 mile drives from FLL whereas the "near the port" hotels are quite expensive. I myself wouldn't plan to be 3 or 4 hour drive from port the morning of the cruise, but if I was looking to save money, being within an hour drive would be reasonable to me.

[RocketMan275]

There are also lots of cheaper options within a pretty close radius of FLL itself, that aren't popular amongst us fly-in folk but would be great options for those driving in. Whenever I'm doing a hotel search on hilton.com, hyatt.com or marriott.com etc, I always see reasonably priced options come up with maybe 20 or 30 mile drives from FLL whereas the "near the port" hotels are quite expensive. I myself wouldn't plan to be 3 or 4 hour drive from port the morning of the cruise, but if I was looking to save money, being within an hour drive would be reasonable to me.

 

We're not staying four hours from the port to save money. It just happens that it will. We really don't mind spending $300 or even $400 for an Embassy Suites room. We've done it before and we stayed in their preferred suites area.

 

OP was looking for options for cheaper rooms. OP is also facing a long drive to the port. I explained our plan thinking that it might also work for OP. Driving to the port opens up more options than just staying near the harbor. You don't have to worry about flight delays. You can control your arrival time. As I explained to OP, some might not be comfortable with a four hour drive but there are other options that are less of a drive.

 

The deciding factor for us was this. We don't really have anything to do the morning of our cruise. We can't board before noon. We can board as late as 1500. We can use the morning hours to drive to the port. Just makes more sense to us than sitting around the hotel.

 

We have about a 14 hour total drive. In the past we drove 10 hours and spent the night. We don't want to drive much more than 10 hours the first day. We certainly do not want to drive 14 hours the day before the cruise. We can't board the ship before, maybe 1200 any way so why not spend that morning time driving?

 

Besides staying 20 or 30 miles from the port wouldn't really save us any more anyway. We would have to spend two nights on the road. Two motels. Two days of meals.

[BlueHerons]

Besides staying 20 or 30 miles from the port wouldn't really save us any more anyway. We would have to spend two nights on the road. Two motels. Two days of meals.

 

20-30 miles from port is going to be Miami to the south and Palm Beach/Boca/Delray to the north.

 

Neither are going to be cheaper. Not that you said they were just for anyone else who may be wondering.

[Pia1913]

FWIW, we have friends in Alabama who drive down to the port several times a year. They spend the night in Ft. Pierce.

[RocketMan275]

20-30 miles from port is going to be Miami to the south and Palm Beach/Boca/Delray to the north.

 

Neither are going to be cheaper. Not that you said they were just for anyone else who may be wondering.

 

It was DanJ who suggested those.

 

Was it you that said that most hotels south of West Palm Beach and close to the Interstate could not be recommended?

 

Our problem is that we live as far north in Alabama as you can without having a Tennessee address. If we lived in south Alabama, we would probably drive further south before stopping. We really have a day and a half drive. We can spend the half day sitting around a hotel or we can spend it driving to the port.

 

We think the risk of driving four hours on the day of the cruise are overstated. I suspect that the majority of folks who live in Florida would agree with me as well. I sincerely doubt they spend the night in FLL prior to a cruise.

[DanJ]

 

We think the risk of driving four hours on the day of the cruise are overstated. I suspect that the majority of folks who live in Florida would agree with me as well. I sincerely doubt they spend the night in FLL prior to a cruise.

 

I think the risks of flying in the day of the cruise are overstated as well, but until something happens to a traveler in a given situation, they don't worry about it. We can only post what our own experiences and preferences are and why and people can bases their own decisions on whatever advice they want. I prefer being as close to the port the night before as is reasonable. I've sat on highways for hours behind major accidents, and I've sat on the side of highways for hours with a broken down vehicle. But I certainly understand the distance you are looking at and the desire to split the drive into reasonable parts.

[RocketMan275]

I think the risks of flying in the day of the cruise are overstated as well, but until something happens to a traveler in a given situation, they don't worry about it. We can only post what our own experiences and preferences are and why and people can bases their own decisions on whatever advice they want. I prefer being as close to the port the night before as is reasonable. I've sat on highways for hours behind major accidents, and I've sat on the side of highways for hours with a broken down vehicle. But I certainly understand the distance you are looking at and the desire to split the drive into reasonable parts.

 

Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts. Perhaps others will read our exchange of ideas and find something useful. I must admit this is the first time we will try this method for getting to the port. If it does not work then we'll adjust and I'll be back to tell you what went wrong. After all, sharing information is the real reason for this forum.

 

I have given this a lot of thought. It is certainly true that there could be a major accident or a breakdown. Or, we could be in an accident too. But, if we have a major breakdown or are in an accident, I suspect we'll miss the cruise regardless of how close we are to the port. Insurance is your friend.

 

If there is a major accident, there are alternative routes to the ports. Both the turnpike and I95 will get you there as well as many secondary roads. GPS is your friend too.

 

Perhaps I'm being too optimistic. I'm retired now but I traveled extensively when I was working. I've usually managed to get there on time.

[DanJ]

 

Perhaps I'm being too optimistic. I'm retired now but I traveled extensively when I was working. I've usually managed to get there on time.

 

The odds are certainly in your favour, have a great trip.

[BlueHerons]

It was DanJ who suggested those.

 

Was it you that said that most hotels south of West Palm Beach and close to the Interstate could not be recommended?

 

.

 

Pretty much. Once you get south of Delray the interstate hotels can be very sketchy.

 

There are quite a few good ones in Boca, West Palm, etc.