Info needed on Ulta Music Festival

[NJLVW]

Hello all. We are cruising out of Miami March 30, 2025. It has been brought to my attention there is this Ulta Music Festival that weekend. I am not familar with this so I did a search. Oh my the amount of people that will be there is crazy. I am finding sold out hotels in the area we would usually stay or hotel prices that are triple its normal price. Any suggestions on what to do & where to stay? We have almost always stayed at the Hyatt Regency. Downtown hotels. Have always been able to get a room. All the places we know of and locations are booked. Any and all help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance...

[KP@Sea]

We just came to the same realization over the weekend. I couldn’t figure out why everything was either sold out or exorbitantly priced.
 

Following for suggestions… 

[BlondieB]

A couple of months ago when I started looking for hotels in Miami I couldn't figure out why everything was double and triple what I've always paid in the past.  I finally googled the dates to see what popped up and I had totally forgotten about that annual electronic music fest which also means, I will be taking my 7yr old nowhere near there.  I'm so disappointed because I was looking forward to a frozen concoction at Bayside and taking my kiddo on the speed boat. Womp womp!  We're going to just stay in FLL and maybe do an airboat tour or something and we'll shuttle down to Miami on Sunday morning. 

[BlondieB]

3 hours ago, KP@Sea said:

We just came to the same realization over the weekend. I couldn’t figure out why everything was either sold out or exorbitantly priced.
 

Following for suggestions… 

My favorite, Intercontinental, which I've always paid in the $300s for was over $700 a night!!! Nope!

[Host CJSKIDS]

It's a very tough weekend to be in downtown Miami and Brickell and was a weekend that I tried to be away for when I lived in Brickell.  The event has a huge impact on the surrounding area.

 

I would HIGHLY suggest staying far away from the hotels near Bayfront park even if one does end up having a room. That's due to the crowds and the loud music.  

 

Coconut Grove might be an area that I would look in.

[NJLVW]

Thank you everyone for the info. Would it make sense to stay either near the Miami airport or stay in Ft Lauderdale? Staying in Ft. Lauderdale I was afraid not getting to the port early in case there were a lot of traffic. Unfortunately I am not real familiar with the Miami area. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

19 hours ago, NJLVW said:

Thank you everyone for the info. Would it make sense to stay either near the Miami airport or stay in Ft Lauderdale? Staying in Ft. Lauderdale I was afraid not getting to the port early in case there were a lot of traffic. Unfortunately I am not real familiar with the Miami area. 

 

 

You are sailing on a Sunday so the traffic between Fort Lauderdale and Port Miami should be minimal. ( I take it you are flying into Fort Lauderdale.)

 

If you are getting into Fort Lauderdale early on Saturday, then I would stay up there in either Fort Lauderdale or Dania Beach  and enjoy all that it has to offer.  If your flight is late and you are just looking for a place to sleep, then you can stay near the airport if you want to be closer.

 

Coconut Grove is also a lovely area in Miami and you won't have any of the music festival issues there. 

 

Personally, I would stay in Fort Lauderdale and head to the port in Miami on Sunday.  Figure it will take about 30-45 minutes to get to the port depending on where you stay.  You can also take the Brightline train down.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

While I don't go to Ultra itself, I do attend many Miami Music Week events that weekend. Ultra is of course in downtown Miami but there are DJ events all over downtown, Miami Beach and Wynwood. My recommendation would be to stay anywhere around the airport and then taxi/rideshare to the port on Sunday morning. Ultra's Day 3 is on Sunday but it doesn't start until around 1PM so traffic to the port that morning will not be impacted by Ultra.

[KP@Sea]

On 9/17/2024 at 4:16 PM, Host CJSKIDS said:

 

 

You are sailing on a Sunday so the traffic between Fort Lauderdale and Port Miami should be minimal. ( I take it you are flying into Fort Lauderdale.)…….

 

Personally, I would stay in Fort Lauderdale and head to the port in Miami on Sunday.  Figure it will take about 30-45 minutes to get to the port depending on where you stay.  You can also take the Brightline train down.

 We just scheduled our flights into FLL

arriving 3/28, so planning on spending 2 nights in Fort Lauderdale. Is there an area you recommend that is convenient to restaurants and hopefully shopping to p/u the last minute essentials? (I tried searching & reading but quickly became overwhelmed with the different areas 🤣)

 

Thank you!  

[Flymia]

Ft. Lauderdale is a 30-45 minute drive. If you leave in the morning no amount of traffic would prevent you from getting to the port, so do not factor that in. I was going to say you can stay in Ft. Lauderdale, the Beach or Las Olas/Downtown area and have a great time. It is a fantastic area to check out for the day, lots of things to do, eat etc.. \

 

The other option is Coral Gables, not sure how the hotels are there as they are likely expensive as well. You could also try out places like Sunny Isles Beach or a hotel by the Aventura Mall area as well. 

 

Lastly, there are the airport hotels if you don't care about doing much/being in a walkable area. 

[capriccio]

On 9/19/2024 at 8:37 PM, KP@Sea said:

 We just scheduled our flights into FLL

arriving 3/28, so planning on spending 2 nights in Fort Lauderdale. Is there an area you recommend that is convenient to restaurants and hopefully shopping to p/u the last minute essentials? (I tried searching & reading but quickly became overwhelmed with the different areas 🤣)

 

Thank you!  

For all things Fort Lauderdale, including lodging, transportation, restaurants, etc. check out www.visitlauderdale.com if you haven't done so already.

 

Look on a map.  Dania Beach is south/southeast of the airport; the 17th Street area is directly north of Port Everglades; the Beach area is along the beach north of 17th Street up to Sunrise Blvd; and the Las Olas area is inland along that boulevard running west from the Beach area.

[KP@Sea]

11 hours ago, capriccio said:

For all things Fort Lauderdale, including lodging, transportation, restaurants, etc. check out www.visitlauderdale.com if you haven't done so already.

 

Look on a map.  Dania Beach is south/southeast of the airport; the 17th Street area is directly north of Port Everglades; the Beach area is along the beach north of 17th Street up to Sunrise Blvd; and the Las Olas area is inland along that boulevard running west from the Beach area.

Thank you! This makes it much easier to visualize the locations. ⚓️

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

If you're traveling to PortMiami from Fort Lauderdale, make sure you leave early enough so that you're at the port before 11AM. Trying to get through Miami any later will result in traffic chaos as so many will be headed that way for Ultra. In any event, use the tunnel to get to the port, not downtown local streets.

[NJLVW]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I think we are gonna try to find a hotel in Miami. I really do not want to stress out the morning of the cruise. Now any suggestions for a hotel? Seems as though most are triple the normal price or are sold out. I am not familiar with the Miami area. Not sure the areas near the airport. How far is that from the the port? What places would be good? We really just need a comfy bed for the night. No need for nightlife party as we will probably arrive later in the day and will just want to get dinner and sleep.

[Langoustine]

It's about 8 miles from the airport to the port.

[NJLVW]

Any hotel recommendations near Miami airport? 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

4 hours ago, NJLVW said:

Any hotel recommendations near Miami airport? 

Do what I do: go to hotels.com (other other similar sites) and enter Miami airport and then wait for the map to popup. It will then show each available hotel on the map and when you put your cursor on the hotel dot, it will show you the price for that night. Pick out a few contenders. I don't usually book on that website but instead go to the hotel chain website for each of them and get their price taking into account AAA or other discounts that might be offered. The chain website will also indicate if there is free airport transportation if you need that.

[Sand and Seas]

On 9/23/2024 at 2:16 PM, NJLVW said:

Any hotel recommendations near Miami airport? 

We have stayed at Hampton Inn Blue Lagoon several times.  They have a free shuttle from the airport and you can sign up for a shared shuttle to the port for your cruise.  When we stayed there a month ago, it was $14 per person to the port.  Ask at the front desk when you check in for the shuttle sign-up.

 

They also are across the street from a shopping center that has a Publix grocery store, a couple of restaurants, and a Burlington Factory Outlet.  You can find anything you forgot to pack at that shopping center😊