Miami vs Fort Lauderdale for pre cruise

[mg17uk]

I shall have a one night pre cruise stay in early Jan 05 before taking the Millennium on a 7 day cruise. I will be arriving at Fort Lauderdale (actually disembarking from the QM2 - my first time on her, so how exciting is that!) and then plan to spend a night in a hotel. I've been to Fort L'dale before and it seemed a bit dull whereas I've never been to Miami before (yes, I know that must seem strange but we Brits don't see much of the world anymore) and I'm toying with the idea of staying in Miami. I'd be grateful for advice on:

 

(1) FLL vs Miami

(2) good hotels in Miami for a newbie visitor (in particular any with check in at about midday)

(3) how to get between Miami and FLL cruise terminal

(4) good hotels in FLL

(5) ideas of what to do in FLL

 

All advice gratefully received.

 

mg17uk

 

QE2 2002, 2003, 2004

Caronia 2003, 2004

Marco Polo 2003, 2004

Statendam 2004

[captseaton]

If you didn't know already, Port Everglades is the world's finest cruise port and I guarantee you will have a much better experience flying through FLL then MIA and a much more efficient departure experience leaving from Port Everglades.

 

Hotels:

1st choice - The Pillars at New River Sound

www.pillarshotel.com

 

You can stay at a Sheraton or Hilton anytime, anywhere, this is your chance to relax in the lap of luxury in a small hotel setting. Listed with SLH, it is one of only 5 hotels in the whole state with this prestigious designation.

 

I also like the Mariott BeachPlace and the Riverside Hotel downtown. Any of these hotels let you walk around and enjoy the hospitality and somewhat small town atmosphere of Fort Lauderdale. Stay at the InterContinental in Miami and they will tell you not to walk through the park at night if you value your life and your possessions. South Beach has a few nice hotels, but again, watch where you walk at night. Miami is a big city and comes with all the ups and downs associated with a big city. If you stay for a few days in Fort Lauderdale, South Beach is a short 30 minute drive away for a quick lunch at News Cafe, see the sights and leave is the best way to do that town.

 

Most everything in Fort Lauderdale is within a close distance with a cab fare from the airport to city center usually costing less than 10 dollars. I highly recommend strolling down Las Olas for its unique world-class shopping experience and you must take tour on the Carrie B www.carriebcruises.com which docks downtown off Las Olas Blvd. You can't possibly see the city and the cruise port in an hour and a half any other way. Asking guests off a cruise ship to come and take a boat ride right before their plane leaves is a hard sell, we routinely pull in passengers from all major cruise lines with the promise it will be the best tour they have ever taken.

 

It's totally up to you, I will pick Fort Lauderdale over Miami anyday and I hope you will too!