Jim_Iain Apex Key West, TansAtlantic and British Isle with a Week in Amsterdam

[woldridge]

Hi Jim,

I live in Fort Myers and it is beautiful here today.  You could fly in Regional Southwest (RSW) and drive to port in a rental.  It is about a 3 hour drive. Just a thought.

[boxkite]

23 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I was just talking with a friend of ours last night.  They live in Hawaii and their youngest daughter lives in Los Angeles.  He was saying he got round trip tickets this year for 1/3 of what he paid for tickets last year.  The only change he said was they took a red eye flight from Hawaii to LAX. 

 

 With one exception, when we stayed at the Westin, we have always stayed at the Renaissance on 17th street.  We have been discussing trying some of the other hotels but we've always seemed to get the best deal at that Renaissance.  The only complaint I've ever had with it has been the inability to get into a room before 3:00 pm.  We have learned to work around that by dropping our bags off with the bell desk and then taking a long leisurely lunch at a restaurant nearby. 

 

Do you have any restaurant recommendations for Fort Lauderdale? 

 

 

DaKahuna, we stayed at the Renaissance when we had a February cruise and ate lunch at a nice Thai restaurant next door. Had dinner that night at Boatyard, also very nice.

 

Ask for a room that has a view overlooking the draw bridge and cruise port.

 

The hotel has free shuttle service to the cruise port.

[mauimary]

55 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Did you try West Palm or Orlando?  Might be able to rent a car in Orlando and drop off in Ft. Lauderdale.  Some of the car agencies don't charge a drop off fee when it's within Florida.  We use Avis to get to the port.  Just a suggestion, hope you are able to secure an earlier flight.

 

Orlando Airport to south Florida you would take the 528 east to I-95 and then south all the way to FLL.

This flash flood sure did play havoc for lots of cruisers and others at the last minute. 

That’s exactly what we are doing only next week. It was way less expensive for us to fly into Orlando from the west coast. We used points for the hotel and rented a car for one day to drive to Fort Lauderdale.  No drop off fee with Enterprise.  Not as handy I’ll agree but doable.  Especially when we’re flying in three days early for our transatlantic. 

[Jim_Iain]

We never have trouble getting an Uber.   Sometimes the arrive before we even get to the curb. 
 

[Jim_Iain]

Quick 10 minute trip to Airport. Beautiful day for our departure. 

 

 

Boarding began 45 minutes for our sold out flight. 
 

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 At least you got a flight!  

 

And in this situation, coming in later will give time for the floods to recede, and also for authorities to get  stalled cars off the roads and re-opened.  Some main roads in the FLL (and Miami) area are still impassable due to flood waters and abandoned//stalled cars.

I agree just hope all goes well tomorrow.  
 

I was watching the Fort Lauderdale News this morning.   Definitely looks bad and possibly more rain tonight. 

[lola2013]

Safe travels 🛫

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, goldsmip115 said:

Jim,

 

I’m so sorry. Not a great way to start a wonderful vacation.  Can you go DFW to Miami?  Trish

Unfortunately with 2 days of cancelled out flights, nothing available.   I even thought of driving 19 hours but nixed that idea.   

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

Jim, not sure if you want the drive but have you tried Orlando or Tampa? The drive from Orlando to FLL is not bad going down the turnpike. 

Checked that also all Florida airports fully booked.  I’m sure will affect lots of passengers.    Wonder if they will allow down line boarding in Key West. 

[goofysmom99]

JAX shows availability on AA from DFW tomorrow.  Drive time on I-95 to FLL is 5 hrs (I've done it easily) and it's minimum 3-lanes entire way.  Most traffic is heading north since Easter week is almost over and the snow birds are leaving, too.  Just a thought.

[Jim_Iain]

The AA agent was wonderful.  She worked on it for 30 minutes.    She did say there were a couple standby options but I declined.  
 

[TravelBluebird]

4 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

JAX shows availability on AA from DFW tomorrow.  Drive time on I-95 to FLL is 5 hrs (I've done it easily) and it's minimum 3-lanes entire way.  Most traffic is heading north since Easter week is almost over and the snow birds are leaving, too.  Just a thought.

 If worse comes to worse (more rain) and they don’t open FLL airport and you get notice your flight is cancelled later today or early tomorrow, that is a good option. If that books up, try some of the other smaller airports in the South—for instance, SAV (Savannah) on SW would be a 7 hour drive.  

 

Fingers crossed that all goes well—no. more rain today, they open FLL on schedule, and your flight tomorrow night is as scheduled.  

[Ken the cruiser]

Hey, we're so sorry you're having to deal with all of this extra pre-cruise stress. But here's another option if they still have flights into Atlanta today, and you're able to rent a car there. Just a thought. 

 

[DaKahuna]

54 minutes ago, boxkite said:

DaKahuna, we stayed at the Renaissance when we had a February cruise and ate lunch at a nice Thai restaurant next door. Had dinner that night at Boatyard, also very nice.

 

 

Thank you.   I think we have stayed there at least a dozen times by now.   

 

 My wife avoids spicy foods when traveling.  She has a very sensitive tummy so I usually get her Chicken Pad Thai with no spices.  I am more of a Kapow kind of person but cannot do Thai hot.  I go for the next lower spice level. 

58 minutes ago, boxkite said:

Ask for a room that has a view overlooking the draw bridge and cruise port.

The hotel has free shuttle service to the cruise port.

 

 We have lucked out a couple of times and have had a corner suite that looks over the draw bridge and the cruise port.  I think some new buildings are going up that are going to spoil that view, if they have not already.  

 

 We took the hotel shuttle pre-COVID and it was not free.  It was not a pleasant experience with people shoving to get their bags loaded first so they could sit in the front of the shuttle.  We appreciate comfort and these days it's Lyft XL or Uber XL.  

 

@Jim_Iain If there is anything I can tell you or pictures of specific areas you would like to see of the Renaissance let me know and I'll take care of it when we are there a week from today.  

 

[aring75]

33 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Quick 10 minute trip to Airport. Beautiful day for our departure. 

 

 

 

Wow. Just look at that gorgeous blue sky. Hoping this a good omen for your travels!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

24 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

If worse comes to worse (more rain)

 

It's raining again now - or was an hour ago. A friend posted a video of it raining.

[mduffy1834]

Safe travels - weather here in Southern Florida is crazy.  We "only" got about 2" here in Fort Myers.  Just came back from a day trip to the Seminole museum, about an hour from FLL - it was pouring when we left.  You should be fine for your re-scheduled flight, fingers crossed.

[boxkite]

Jim & Iain, good luck with your adventures getting to Florida!

 

A 1-in-1,000 year rainfall event for Fort Lauderdale!

 

As one who lives in Dallas I second the Grand Hyatt DFW or Hotel ZaZa Dallas Uptown. Of course there is also the Mansion on Turtle Creek hotel or The Ritz-Carlton, both with outstanding restaurants.

[Gaynors]

51 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Hey, we're so sorry you're having to deal with all of this extra pre-cruise stress. But here's another option if they still have flights into Atlanta today, and you're able to rent a car there. Just a thought. 

 

Having done that trip many many times..under 9 hours is amazing and not the norm.  More likely 10-11 hours....at least.

[hcat]

hoping for the best..we,'d love some rain over in Venice!

 

another possibilty is Nashville..SW Air hub....flights from there to Orlando not usually filled

[Laurab23]

6 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I'll have to look it up.    I have 70 Audio Books loaded on my phone currently an always looking for something new.  

 

I have to admit I mostly read Crime, Forensic and Detective novels but listed to at least 4 non-ficition this year -  including Spare.   

Spare was better than I expected.

 

Laura

[Ken the cruiser]

40 minutes ago, Gaynors said:

Having done that trip many many times..under 9 hours is amazing and not the norm.  More likely 10-11 hours....at least.

We live in Alabama and usually spend the night at Ft Pierce and then finish the 2-hour drive to Ft Lauderdale the next morning. If Jim and Iain made it to Atlanta sometime this evening, that's what I would suggest if they wanted to break up the drive over Friday and Saturday morning.

[asnaleah]

The Grand Hyatt is quite nice, with excellent service. If you have AmEx platinum or centurion card, the centurion lounge is lovely. Good food and drink, and a little spa.

[goldsmip115]

Jim,

You may be in the air now.  I had the chicken dish that you ordered on a recent AA first class flight. The chicken breast was so dry,  Gone  are the days of even decent meals in first class.  Safe travels.

[goldsmip115]

It is so wonderful to see all of the concern and caring for Jim and lain!  We had the great pleasure of meeting them on a recent Celebrity cruise.  We shared a wonderful dinner with them in Luminae.  What we wonderful evening!