Pre and post Fort Lauderdale

[Narita]

WE get to Fort Lauderdale 4 days before we cruise on the 18th of February. We arive at midnight and need a suggestion for a close hotel for a short nights sleep. anyone have a suggestion? Then we will rent a car and drive north to visit friends and on the 18th we return to cruise. The day we disembark we do not fly out till 3:30 in the afternoon. Id like to make use of that day to see some sights or browse the 17th street I read mentioned. How would I handle luggage? Is it feasible to to to the airport check in with luggage-then cab to the areas to visit? I could not find Bequia thread and he seems to know For Lauderdale well. Any help would be appreciated.

[Jim B]

I recommend you go to East Coast depatures

and ask Bequine this same question.

[Narita]

I dont know where East coast departures is? Where do I go to find it? Is it a separate web site? that is why I didnt ask Bequie in the first place. He seems a weath of knowledge.

[Jim B]

I'm sorry. How rude of me.

I should have explained.

 

At the top of the page you will see cruise critic message boards.

then look down the list for East coast departure.

 

 

look for ?? for Bequia and ask them your questions.

Bequia lives there and is wonderful at giving comments.

 

I have been trying to post on ?? for Bequia asking them to check over here but for some reason I can't seem to get through.

 

Oh I just looked and my message to Bequia did go through.

You might wait and see.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You may not have much luck leaving your luggage at the airport. We flew back from FLL in December, and got to the airport fairly early, but our flight wasn't until 2 p.m. We were told we could not check in. We ended up getting on an earlier flight, luckily, but apparently security only serves flight departures with a limited time window. I've been told there are no longer any left-luggage areas in US airports either. One alternative would be to hire a driver for the duration, from ship to airport, and the luggage can just stay in the car while you shop and wander.

[Bequia]

Sorry for not responding sooner, I just returned from a cruise myself this morning.

 

Nearby hotels any one of these will do the trick:

 

SE 17th Street hotels (closest to Port Everglades and FLL)...

 

Renaissance... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/FLLBR

 

Embassy Suites... http://www.embassysuites.com/en/es/h...tyhocn=FLLSOES

 

Ft Lauderdale Grande... http://www.fortlauderdalegrande.com/

Holiday Inn Express "Convention Center"... http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hd/fllcc

 

Extended Stay America... http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/h...er-marina.html

 

AmeriSuites... http://amerisuites.com/reservations/...asp?facid=3929

Regarding luggage, you may be able to check in and drop off your luggage. Our cruiseline (NCL) offered a service for $15 where at the end of the cruise, you check in your luggage right at the cruiseport with your airline and you wouldn't see it again until you landed at home. Four airlines were participating, Delta, American, Continental and I'm sorry I forgot the fourth one. Call your cruiseline and see if they offer the same service.

[Narita]

thanks so much for taking time to help me. We are booked and have a car and our tickets to and from--and are happy to be leaving this windblown, icy, cold, snowy , rainy country!!!

[fizzy]

We will be traveling out of FLL on the Mariner in April. I notice that Regent offers a couple of choices for hotels for people who may want to come in a day early however I cannot seem to figure out where to find out what the Regent guest rate would be. Would anybody be able to aim me in the right direction? Thank you.

[AtA]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express last year and wouldn't recommend it. It wasn't that clean, and it was a bit too spartan for my tastes...yes, even for one night. I felt the Embassy Suites was fine for what you're looking for.

[OrpingtonT]

thanks so much for taking time to help me. We are booked and have a car and our tickets to and from--and are happy to be leaving this windblown, icy, cold, snowy , rainy country!!!

 

What windblown, icy, cold, snowy, rainy country are you talking about?

[theswimmer]

I just checked the website for the Embassy Suites because we are going to need a hotel room for one night pre-cruise in December and I also don't want to spend too much. My TA had mentioned both Embassy Suites and Holiday Inn. I was surprised to see that Embassy Suites is significantly more expensive than the Wyndham which looks like a nicer hotel to me (probably 4 stars vs. 3 stars?) but I can't speak to location, perhaps Embassy Suites is better for location. According to Wyndham's website, their hotel is near the airport and port. It is about $75 cheaper per night. Check that one out, it may be better value for your money.

 

Are there special rates offered to Regent passengers at the hotels mentioned on the Regent website? I also was not able to discern how to find out about these rates other than booking through your TA.

[Pam]

With Ft. Lauderdale hotels, it's location, location, location. Embassy Suites has location preference hands-down over Wyndham.

 

The hotel packages through Regent are drastically overpriced. They seem to be so reasonable on just about everything else (shore excursions, etc) but not their hotel packages.

[AtA]

Pam is correct. There is nothing near the Wyndham plus the Embassy Suites is closer to the pier. There are good restaurants and shopping walking distance from the Embassy Suites.

 

Don't book through Regent. It's not worth it. Book your room directly through Embassy Suites. A taxi from the airport I believe is $25 and all you do is walk out to the taxi stand. From the hotel to the airport is $15 and the hotel will call one for you.

[JoAnne B]

I stayed at the Wyndam before the spring crossing and was relatively pleased. It either was previously, or is converting to, a Hilton (don't remember which) so some systems were in flux. The room was pleasant and as a member of their frequent stay club I had free wifi and a welcome drink delivered to the room. As I recall, their restaurant closed earlier than indicated in the room brochure, but I managed a passable snack in the bar. They gave me an incorrect rate for a shuttle to the ship, but it was still dirt cheap. The hotel is isolated and there is nothing within walking distance, but for a pre-or-post night, I would stay there again. In fact, I will probably check them out for the spring crossing. Like you I found their rate very reasonable.

 

JoAnne,

Houston

[theswimmer]

I just purchased a hotel on hotwire and got a great deal. You can specify the # of stars and the location but they do not tell you which hotel it is until after you purchase it- once you purchase it, you cannot make changes or cancel) For this uncertainty, you get a great price. For the downtown/las olas/port everglades area of Ft. Lauderdale, there were two choices for the date I wanted. The hotel I got was $119 USD for a four star property that was going for $299 USD elsewhere. And the location looks great - it is the Renaissance.