Attention royalcruz & bequia ! !

[Table 6 UK]

Hi Guys

Can you give a helping hand to two cruisers from the UK who will be flying into Miami International the day before our Transatlantic cruise on the Independence April 11th?

I have trawled the posts on the Florida departures board and have come up with so much good information – I am now a bit confused!

What I need – from someone who lives in and knows the area like the back of their hand (just like you royalcruz and Bequia!) are real straight forward answers to these questions please:-

 

1)Is the Super Shuttle from Miami International (which I see from their website cannot be booked in advance) the best cost effective way to get to Fort Lauderdale.?

We have used them before from other locations in the US, but this time I would like to have reservations in place before we leave the UK, just for peace of mind.

 

2)OK – please give me the definitive answer to this so I know exactly the best place – were is the best beach front hotel to stay pre cruise? Preferably with a shuttle to the cruise port – but not a major factor if there is not one.

 

Thank you so much

 

Kev & Ali

[royalcruz]

Because I live here and have a car and friends with cars, I have never used a shuttle, so I can't help you with that. There is a lot of info on the boards about different transportation options.

 

I don't know of any beachfront hotels that have shuttles. If you want to stay in a nice resort but don't care about being able to walk to anything (they have restaurants on the properties), both the Harbor Beach Marriott and the Lago Mar are very nice. The Sheraton Yankee Clipper has some rooms on the beach and some across from the beach, and you can walk to lots of shops/bars/restaurants just under a mile away. It is not a fancy hotel but offers some moderately priced rooms. It has mixed reviews, but a lot of people like it.

 

The other beach hotels are right across the street from the beach. Some moderately priced ones are Courtyard Marriott and Bahia Mar. The Courtyard is in a central location and has a great pool deck, although the pool isn't large. You can pay more for the Hilton or Marriott Beach Place, or even more for the Ritz Carlton or the Atlantic. The W, Trump, and Westin are being built as I type.

[Table 6 UK]

Royalcruz

 

Many thanks for your reply - I will check out all your hotel suggestions.

 

Would you recommend using Priceline? - - -

 

Or could we end up being disapionted?

 

Thanks again

 

Kev

[BlueHerons]

Royalcruz

 

Many thanks for your reply - I will check out all your hotel suggestions.

 

Would you recommend using Priceline? - - -

 

Or could we end up being disapionted?

 

Thanks again

 

Kev

 

It depends. Will you be okay if it isn't the hotel you want?

 

My personal opinion is that the Westin Diplomat cannot be beat. http://www.diplomatresort.com/

[royalcruz]

Royalcruz

 

Many thanks for your reply - I will check out all your hotel suggestions.

 

Would you recommend using Priceline? - - -

 

Or could we end up being disapionted?

 

Thanks again

 

Kev

 

It depends on how important being on the beach is to you. Here are the recent wins according to BetterBidding.com for Fort Lauderdale Beach area. Hyatt Pier 66 is not walking distance to the beach. Il Lugano Suites and Doubletree Gallery One are a few blocks from the beach. I don't know anything about the 1 and 2 star motels.

 

Fort Lauderdale (Beach)

Resort Marriott Harbor Beach Resort REVIEW / tripadvisor review

4* Hyatt Pier 66 tripadvisor review

4* Il Lugano Suites

3* Bahia Mar Beach Resort REVIEW / tripadvisor review

3* Courtyard Ft Lauderdale Beach Oceanfront Hotel (previously Doubletree Oceanfront) tripadvisor review

3* Doubletree Suites Gallery One tripadvisor review

3* Sheraton Yankee Clipper REVIEW / tripadvisor review

3* Sheraton Yankee Trader REVIEW / tripadvisor review

2* Avalon Waterfront Inn

2* Sunrise Beach Inn-- 3* Holiday Inn on the Beach (probably name change again after renovations) tripadvisor review

1* Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort

[Table 6 UK]

Thanks for all your help.

 

Out of all the possibilities we like the Courtyard.

 

If we were to bid on Priceline, what would you think would be a resonable bid?

Would it be best to bid now for Aprill 11th or wait untill nearer the date?

 

I realise it is all a bit of a lottery - but we can hope for the best.

 

Thanks again

 

KEV

[royalcruz]

Thanks for all your help.

 

Out of all the possibilities we like the Courtyard.

 

If we were to bid on Priceline, what would you think would be a resonable bid?

Would it be best to bid now for Aprill 11th or wait untill nearer the date?

 

I realise it is all a bit of a lottery - but we can hope for the best.

 

Thanks again

 

KEV

 

Courtyard is a good choice, but I hope that you realize that you may get any of the 3 star hotels on the list. Some people got the Yankee Clipper lately. I'm not sure about pricing; I think anything around $100 would be a great deal there, but you might get it for less. April 11th is less than a month away, so I would start bidding now. This will give you enough time to put in daily bidding increases in case your bid is not accepted.

[royalcruz]

The Courtyard is selling at $199 and up and the Sheraton Yankee Clipper is selling at $179 and up for your date, if you book through the hotel. Bahia Mar is really close to the Courtyard and is selling for $110 and up; it is getting really good reviews and is a great deal, so it might be a good choice instead of risking the priceline lottery.