Ft. Lauderdale Q&A/FAQ

[sueb]

Thank you, royalcruz, For your help!

[ajaxup]

Any advice about getting back to FLL from Port Everglades after we return at 7 in the morning from our cruise. Our flight isn't until about 12:45 P.M. I won't have a car so would appreciate suggestions on whether to get a taxi at the port or some other transportation service. I've read so comments that the taxi situation at the Port can be chaotic. Thanks

[royalcruz]

I appreciate the feedback. I'll look into the other two hotels as well. Anything to say about getting to my ship on embarkation day? Is traffic a zoo at the port or should my shuttle/taxi ride be a fairly short time to get us to our ship? Thanks for being our expert!

 

We usually get a private ride to the port just before noon and get right in. There is a security gate to get into the port, and the lines are very short at the north entrance (Eisenhower Blvd off SE 17th St.). Traffic won't be a problem.

[royalcruz]

Any advice about getting back to FLL from Port Everglades after we return at 7 in the morning from our cruise. Our flight isn't until about 12:45 P.M. I won't have a car so would appreciate suggestions on whether to get a taxi at the port or some other transportation service. I've read so comments that the taxi situation at the Port can be chaotic. Thanks

 

You should have plenty of time to get to the airport. If you want to be sure, you can request a walk-off (take your own bags off and get off in the first group). Only recently have there been any issues getting taxis, perhaps since the Oasis came to the port, so I'm not sure how that is going. You will get a taxi, but the lines are longer than they used to be.

[ajaxup]

You should have plenty of time to get to the airport. If you want to be sure, you can request a walk-off (take your own bags off and get off in the first group). Only recently have there been any issues getting taxis, perhaps since the Oasis came to the port, so I'm not sure how that is going. You will get a taxi, but the lines are longer than they used to be.

 

Thanks. Fortunately it looks like the Oasis sails a day after us and gets back two days before. Maybe things won't be a total zoo.

[Berk987]

We like the Hyatt Place on 1851 SE 10th Avenue. There is a little shopping mall a few mins away (Harbor Shops on Cordova Road) and Publix so we can get last minute items and a big liquor store next to it (we've purchased our wine there for our cruise). Their complimentary breakfast is very good and lots of choices. Rooms are nice. We've been there Nov 08 and Nov 09. We travel with 2 toddlers and there is a servi bar for our milk. Hotwire in 08 was $75 and in 09 was $89.

 

Question: Do you know of any good restaurants nearby (walking distance) where we can take the toddlers? 08 we went to the Thai restaurant in the mall - Harbor Shops (not that great and pricey for what you get). 09 we went to a mexican restaurant down the main street. Not good at all and very bad service. Thoughts? I know Outback Steakhouse is next door but don't want to go there. We've done Five Guys in Harbor Shops both years and it is decent for lunch but we want a good place, mid-price for dinner. There is 8 of us travelling.

 

Plus do you know anything about that trolley that comes around? I've seen it in Harbor Shops. I was thinking of take the kids in Dec 10 and just ride around and around. Usually we just fly in, eat lunch, nap, find a place for dinner and sleep again. Would be nice to do something in FLL other than visit Publix and Payless Shoes. Thanks.

[cuted126]

RoyalCruz,I have another question

 

What about the Marriott Springhill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport,is this area pretty decent? We are looking to leave our rental parked and they have free parking.

 

And since we are coming in a day before our cruise departs,where is a good place to go to watch the Oasis sail out?

[royalcruz]

We like the Hyatt Place on 1851 SE 10th Avenue.

Question: Do you know of any good restaurants nearby (walking distance) where we can take the toddlers? 08 we went to the Thai restaurant in the mall - Harbor Shops (not that great and pricey for what you get). 09 we went to a mexican restaurant down the main street. Not good at all and very bad service. Thoughts? I know Outback Steakhouse is next door but don't want to go there. We've done Five Guys in Harbor Shops both years and it is decent for lunch but we want a good place, mid-price for dinner. There is 8 of us travelling.

 

Plus do you know anything about that trolley that comes around? I've seen it in Harbor Shops. I was thinking of take the kids in Dec 10 and just ride around and around. Usually we just fly in, eat lunch, nap, find a place for dinner and sleep again. Would be nice to do something in FLL other than visit Publix and Payless Shoes. Thanks.

There is an active thread right now about the trolley, so you should be able to get info there.

 

I guess you won't want to walk too far with toddlers. Fort Lauderdale is not much of a family spot. You might want to try Grumpy Gators in Harbor Shops; I haven't been there, but I understand that it is very casual. They have a website. Also, there is Chuck's Steakhouse across 17th St. It is not a personal favorite of mine because it is old-fashioned and not gourmet, but some people do like it and it is moderately priced. They have a salad bar, and I think they have a kid's menu, and they can easily accomodate all of you. If you don't eat meat, their salmon is really good. If the kids would like to watch belly dancers, it's a few blocks walk to Taza.

[royalcruz]

RoyalCruz,I have another question

 

What about the Marriott Springhill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport,is this area pretty decent? We are looking to leave our rental parked and they have free parking.

 

And since we are coming in a day before our cruise departs,where is a good place to go to watch the Oasis sail out?

 

The Marriott area is fine. The best place to watch the Oasis sail out is from the shore where the port meets the ocean, but it is residential, so I'm not sure exactly how to get there. If you search or start a thread on this you'll get some clearer advice. You make a right soon after the 17th St. bridge and then when you've gone as far straight as you can you would make a left.

[cruisingrightalong]

Okay I need some "votes"...favorite seafood restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale area...have a car to get there.

 

Lou

[royalcruz]

Okay I need some "votes"...favorite seafood restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale area...have a car to get there.

 

Lou

 

This depends on what kind of seafood are you looking for.

Some popular seafood restaurants:

15th St. Fisheries (near the port, waterfront, best bread service)

Sea Watch (on the ocean)

Kelly's Landing (New England style)

Rustic Inn (crab house)

Old FL Seafood House (old fashioned)

3030 at the Marriott Harbor Beach (upscale, at the beach)

Village Grill (not a seafood restaurant but has great Boston Baked Scrod)

Zuckerello's (lots of fish dishes and Italian food)

Southport Raw Bar

Tropical Acres (old fashioned)

[cuted126]

Thanks RoyalCruz for your help!!:)

[EdmondDantes]

Hello royalcruz,

 

I have an upcoming cruise of of Miami in July, and a flight that is coming into FLL the morning of the cruise. I see that others have used SAS transport to get to the port of miami. Are there any other options that are available?

 

Could you tell me how long it takes to get to POM from FLL by cab? What would that cost?

 

Are there any private services you would recommend?

 

Thanks

[can'tcatchup]

Will be returning from an Oasis sailing on a Saturday in April, and our Southwest flight isn't until 5:30 PM from FLL. Ship offers 2 interesting tours; one is an Everglades tour, and other is a pretty comprehensive Ft. Lauderdale tour including 90-minute cruise on New River & Intracoastal Waterway.

 

However, the tours are at 8:30 AM, and would bring us to the airport at 12:30 or 1 PM, still 5 hours before our flight (we'd have to have lunch at airport).... plus, we'd rather not debark as early as an 8:30 tour would require. So, am looking for other suggestions to see some of Ft. Lauderdale, and perhaps have a nice lunch and then cab to the airport mid-afternoon. I don't know how we'd get around ... cab? Have heard there's a water taxi. I can walk, but not more than 4-6 blocks.

 

Other option we have is that my friend knows someone who will be at the Sheraton, Ft. Lauderdale Beach that day/night, and they've invited us to come over to their room and "hang out" for the day, including possibly having lunch there or nearby. I'm not sure the idea of sitting around at some hotel for half the day is that appealing, or if there'd be something to do in that area. Wondering how far it is from the port to this Sheraton, approximate cab fare? Then approx. cab fare from there to airport? And is there anything to see/do or great lunch places in that area that don't involve a huge amount of walking? I've heard there are great places to eat on Las Olas, but not sure where that is in relation to the port and/or the Sheraton, FLL Beach.

 

Thanks for any and all tips/suggestions you can give. :)

[royalcruz]

Hello royalcruz,

 

I have an upcoming cruise of of Miami in July, and a flight that is coming into FLL the morning of the cruise. I see that others have used SAS transport to get to the port of miami. Are there any other options that are available?

 

Could you tell me how long it takes to get to POM from FLL by cab? What would that cost?

 

Are there any private services you would recommend?

 

Thanks

 

SAS seems to have the best rates (about $12 pp). I get private rides from friends. Some people use Larry's Limos, and I think there is another one called qualitylimo. There are also shuttles at the airport that you can request when you arrive (Super Shuttle?).The ride is mostly highway, so it is only 35-45 minutes on a weekend morning. Cab fare would be high, though, due to the distance, between $75 and $100.

[royalcruz]

Will be returning from an Oasis sailing on a Saturday in April' date=' and our Southwest flight isn't until 5:30 PM from FLL. Ship offers 2 interesting tours; one is an Everglades tour, and other is a pretty comprehensive Ft. Lauderdale tour including 90-minute cruise on New River & Intracoastal Waterway.

 

However, the tours are at 8:30 AM, and would bring us to the airport at 12:30 or 1 PM, still 5 hours before our flight (we'd have to have lunch at airport).... plus, we'd rather not debark as early as an 8:30 tour would require. [b']So, am looking for other suggestions to see some of Ft. Lauderdale, and perhaps have a nice lunch and then cab to the airport mid-afternoon. I don't know how we'd get around ... cab? Have heard there's a water taxi. I can walk, but not more than 4-6 blocks.[/b]

 

Other option we have is that my friend knows someone who will be at the Sheraton, Ft. Lauderdale Beach that day/night, and they've invited us to come over to their room and "hang out" for the day, including possibly having lunch there or nearby. I'm not sure the idea of sitting around at some hotel for half the day is that appealing, or if there'd be something to do in that area. Wondering how far it is from the port to this Sheraton, approximate cab fare? Then approx. cab fare from there to airport? And is there anything to see/do or great lunch places in that area that don't involve a huge amount of walking? I've heard there are great places to eat on Las Olas, but not sure where that is in relation to the port and/or the Sheraton, FLL Beach.

 

Thanks for any and all tips/suggestions you can give. :)

 

Perhaps you can purchase a luggage transfer from the ship to your airplane. Las Olas Blvd downtown area is about 8 blocks long, and there is more walking beyond it if you are up to it, along the riverwalk. Maybe you can walk more than 4-6 blocks if you rest in between. The Floridian is open for breakfast. Las Olas is about a $20 cab ride from the port, $25 to the airport. The Sheraton is only about $15-20 away from the port, $20-25 from the airport. It is about 2.5 miles from Las Olas downtown. If you can only walk a few blocks, you won't be able to walk to anything interesting from the Sheraton, but it might be a really nice place to spend the day if it is nice out. If it is a rainy day, you might want to go to the Galleria Mall, about a $25 cab ride from the port. The stores open at 10 and I think the food court opens around 9. You can get to the water taxi from the port at the stop at the Hilton Marina by 17th St. It's only about a $10 cab ride. You can buy an all day pass and get to the beach area (Bahia Mar or Sebastian St), Galleria Mall (Gallery One Hotel), Las Olas, or just ride the boat for a while and the driver will point out highlights.

Edited March 31, 2010 by royalcruz

[can'tcatchup]

Perhaps you can purchase a luggage transfer from the ship to your airplane. Las Olas Blvd downtown area is about 8 blocks long, and there is more walking beyond it if you are up to it, along the riverwalk. Maybe you can walk more than 4-6 blocks if you rest in between. The Floridian is open for breakfast. Las Olas is about a $20 cab ride from the port, $25 to the airport. The Sheraton is only about $15-20 away from the port, $20-25 from the airport. It is about 2.5 miles from Las Olas downtown. If you can only walk a few blocks, you won't be able to walk to anything interesting from the Sheraton, but it might be a really nice place to spend the day if it is nice out. If it is a rainy day, you might want to go to the Galleria Mall, about a $25 cab ride from the port. The stores open at 10 and I think the food court opens around 9. You can get to the water taxi from the port at the stop at the Hilton Marina by 17th St. It's only about a $10 cab ride. You can buy an all day pass and get to the beach area (Bahia Mar or Sebastian St), Galleria Mall (Gallery One Hotel), Las Olas, or just ride the boat for a while and the driver will point out highlights.

 

Thanks, royalcruz. You're right; I can walk more than 4-6 blocks if there are breaks in between like there probably would be exploring Las Olas Blvd. But from what you say, there is really nothing within my walking distance from the Sheraton FLL Beach.

 

What would really appeal to me is to spend some time riding the water taxi and also checking out Las Olas with perhaps lunch there included. If I'm understanding you correctly correctly, we'd take a tax from Port Everglades to the Hilton Marina and catch the water taxi there, right?

 

I've done some reading of other threads related to Ft. Lauderdale, and it sounds like the ship excursions (Everglades on and a comprehensive Ft. L. one) would carry our luggage and drop us and our luggage off at the FLL airport with tour and all about $55. But there is still the problem that we'd be at the airport by 1 PM and stuck eating lunch there. ;)

 

Thanks for giving me the various cab fare costs!

[can'tcatchup]

One more question: if we'd do the cab to the Hilton, then the water taxi, that would eliminate taking a cab to Las Olas, right? If I'm understanding correctly, there is a Las Olas stop on the water taxi. Is the stop at a good point on Las Olas?

[JSR]

We are thinking of coming to FLL a couple days prior to our next cruise. We are considering a resort stay for a couple of nights. Do you have any recommendations for a Resort on the water. We like the Loews in South Beach and would like to find an equivalent in the Ft. Lauderdale area. We open to any and all suggestions. We would like the resort to offer pools, ocean, restaurants as we may just hang there for a day or two. We would prefer not to rent a car so we would cab from the airport and then to the port.

Thanks for the help.

[royalcruz]

One more question: if we'd do the cab to the Hilton' date=' then the water taxi, that would eliminate taking a cab to Las Olas, right? If I'm understanding correctly, there is a Las Olas stop on the water taxi. Is the stop at a good point on Las Olas?[/quote']

 

Right, it would be more expensive to go by water taxi than by cab, but it will be more fun and will pass some time and you can see some sights. You can even go past the Las Olas stop and see a little bit more of the New River, then it will turn around and come back down, but check with the driver to make sure that it stops on the way up and back. You can get more info and maps on the water taxi website. The Las Olas stop is convenient, about a block south of the blvd, right in the middle of everything.

[royalcruz]

We are thinking of coming to FLL a couple days prior to our next cruise. We are considering a resort stay for a couple of nights. Do you have any recommendations for a Resort on the water. We like the Loews in South Beach and would like to find an equivalent in the Ft. Lauderdale area. We open to any and all suggestions. We would like the resort to offer pools, ocean, restaurants as we may just hang there for a day or two. We would prefer not to rent a car so we would cab from the airport and then to the port.

Thanks for the help.

 

In my opinion there is nothing like the Lowes in Fort Lauderdale. You might really enjoy the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, on the beach.

 

Also look up these hotels as they are all as nice like Lowes:

Lago Mar (the most resort-like, and on the beach)

Marriott Harbor Beach on the beach

Ritz Carlton across from the beach

W Hotel across from the beach

The last 2 are ideally located if you want to walk to restaurants and bars outside of the hotel.

 

You might also like the Boca Raton Resort. It is very large and has several restaurants and is a lovely property to relax by for a few days. The main hotel is a grand old hotel and they also have new villas and a new beachfront hotel. It's about 45 minutes north of FLL.

[can'tcatchup]

You can even go past the Las Olas stop and see a little bit more of the New River, then it will turn around and come back down, but check with the driver to make sure that it stops on the way up and back. You can get more info and maps on the water taxi website. The Las Olas stop is convenient, about a block south of the blvd, right in the middle of everything.

 

Thanks again! Would you be able to offer suggestions for a cafe on Las Olas for a nice little lunch? Can lunch be had there for under $20-$25 without alcoholic beverage? :)

[cruising2705]

We are staying at the Gallery one Double tree pre cruise then Manhatton Towers post cruise

Any ideas for breakfast and dinner?

For dinner would like some fun places with entertainment

 

Thanks

[royalcruz]

Thanks again! Would you be able to offer suggestions for a cafe on Las Olas for a nice little lunch? Can lunch be had there for under $20-$25 without alcoholic beverage? :)

 

Lunch is reasonable just about everywhere that is opened. Here are some popular moderate ones:

Cheesecake Factory

Big City Tavern

Mango's

Noodles Panini

Le Bonne Crepe

Smith & Jones

[royalcruz]

We are staying at the Gallery one Double tree pre cruise then Manhatton Towers post cruise

Any ideas for breakfast and dinner?

For dinner would like some fun places with entertainment

 

Thanks

 

By Gallery One, head to the Galleria mall...you might like Seasons 52, Capital Grill, or Truluck for dinner, then to Blue Martini for drinks and entertainment (there is a cover charge). For breakfast there is a Starbucks and a French Bakery across the street. There is a diner in the Galleria Bldg next to Borders, but I think it's only open M-F.

 

By Manhattan Towers, put on your walking shoes and walk almost a mile to the main beachfront where you will find lots of restaurants with live entertainment. The food is just ok at most places, but Casablanca Cafe has good food and a fun piano bar, and it is not a far walk. Spazio food is good. For breakfast, the Deck isn't too far.