Ft. Lauderdale Q&A/FAQ

[caro1998]

Oh I know! I just figured it would be better to be as specific as possible. :)

 

Hi, we are on the Florida Forum:)

[phabric]

With out going through and reading all 200+ pages of posts, I hope my question is not too redundant.

myself, Dh, son (10) and daughter (9) will be cruising out of FT Lauderdale. We would like to arrive in town 2-3 nights pre cruise.

Since we are looking for more than a pre cruise 1 night stay, what hotel would you recommend?

A good pool is a must, beach front would be nice, but not required. A view of the cruise ships coming and going is not important. Acessability to restaurants, shops, things to do would be of importance.

If we arrive 3 days prior we may get a rental and go to a gator farm, if 2 days we will just stay in/around the hotel enjoying the pool (beach?) and adjusting to the time zone

 

We stayed at the Sheraton Beach hotel. It is on the beach with free chairs and umbrellas with a couple of pools, water taxi and restaurants close by. They charge for parking.

 

The Bahnia Mar hotel is across from the beach. There have a walkway across the road to get to the beach. This hotel is a short walking distance from the Sheraton Beach hotel.

 

Both hotels do not have shuttles to/from airport and port.

Edited June 24, 2013 by phabric

[esper10]

Bus 11 goes from the hotel to the beach and then turns north and goes all the way up A1A to Pompano Beach, then to the Pompano Citi Centre (an outdoor mall with Sears, Pennys, Macys, Ross, Big Lots, and a few restaurants). If you get off just after you get to A1A, you can connect to the 40 bus which runs to 17th St (south) and Galleria Mall (north). If you have any desire to ride on US 1, you can connect to the 10 bus by taking 11 west to the terminal (which is in the rougher inner city area). The Sun Trolley also connects Las Olas to the beach.

 

Thanks Sharon you are the BEST !!!!!!!!:-)

[royalcruz]

Thanks Sharon you are the BEST !!!!!!!!:-)

 

You are welcome...have a great trip! Really, you can see the best of Fort Lauderdale without ever getting on the public buses. You can explore downtown by foot on Las Olas and SE 2nd St. from the hotel. You can go everywhere else worth seeing on the SunTrolley.

[cruisecookie]

royalcruz - We will be in Fort Lauderdale for two nights (Friday and Saturday) prior to our January 2014 cruise on the Allure. We will not have a car. We do want to shop for some soda and bottled water to take onboard the ship. We want to be in an area where it is safe to walk at night to dinner. We are looking for a nice, clean room in a newer or modernized hotel. We'd like to use the swimming pool at the hotel. It's just 2 of us. We usually stay at the 4-star level. Being near the sun trolley or water taxi route would be convenient. What do you recommend? If you recommend a certain hotel, please tell us if there is a specific part of the hotel (like the tower or the north building) we should request. Thank you.

[Gramjude]

We will be staying at Sleep Inn in Dania FL. Is there public transportation to get around and is there very many restaurants within walking distance

[Canadian Tyler]

There's three restaurants across the street. Aside from that and a pharmacy there's not much around. Stayed there twice and enjoyed it though. Not sure about transit.

 

Sent from my Q10 using Tapatalk 2

[royalcruz]

We will be staying at Sleep Inn in Dania FL. Is there public transportation to get around and is there very many restaurants within walking distance

You can take the public bus to the beach.

[royalcruz]

royalcruz - We will be in Fort Lauderdale for two nights (Friday and Saturday) prior to our January 2014 cruise on the Allure. We will not have a car. We do want to shop for some soda and bottled water to take onboard the ship. We want to be in an area where it is safe to walk at night to dinner. We are looking for a nice, clean room in a newer or modernized hotel. We'd like to use the swimming pool at the hotel. It's just 2 of us. We usually stay at the 4-star level. Being near the sun trolley or water taxi route would be convenient. What do you recommend? If you recommend a certain hotel, please tell us if there is a specific part of the hotel (like the tower or the north building) we should request. Thank you.

You should look at Gallery One Doubletree. There is a Publix and nice indoor shopping mall a block away, it's on the suntrolley route, and the water taxi stops there. The hotel is older but very nicely modernized. It's good to be next to the mall in January in case it is too cold to be at the pool. Otherwise, any of the 3*-4* hotels with pools in the SE 17th St area should be fine: Hilton Marina (tower rooms are modernized, water taxi stops there), Renaissance, Embassy Suites, Hyatt Place, in that order of preference. Hyatt Pier 66 is further to walk to shopping/dining so I left that one out.

Edited June 25, 2013 by royalcruz

[Cocomichelle]

Hello. We are staying at comfort suites post cruise. How is it? We will not have a car. How far will be be from eating and shopping? Also how far will the water taxi be from us? Thanks in advance.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[royalcruz]

Hello. We are staying at comfort suites post cruise. How is it? We will not have a car. How far will be be from eating and shopping? Also how far will the water taxi be from us? Thanks in advance.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

The Comfort Suites is by fast food (Taco Bell, Pollo Tropical, and Burger King) and CVS, and you can walk a few blocks to the stores and table-service restaurants on SE 17th St. The water taxi is about a mile away.

[Cocomichelle]

The Comfort Suites is by fast food (Taco Bell, Pollo Tropical, and Burger King) and CVS, and you can walk a few blocks to the stores and table-service restaurants on SE 17th St. The water taxi is about a mile away.

 

Thanks. I ended up going on Priceline and got the Riverside Hotel for 59$.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[cjnix29]

I noticed the Cambria has been mentioned. Found a great rate on this hotel with a free shuttle from the airport. We don't fly in until around 7, so don't need to spend the money on a beach resort. We'll do that on the way back (cruise in Sunday morning, not flying out til Monday). Will I be able to use SAS with this hotel for shuttle to the port of Miami? And is there anything around this hotel? We will need dinner that night. Thanks!

[Lois R]

Thanks. I ended up going on Priceline and got the Riverside Hotel for 59$.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

OMG....you got the Riverside for 59 bucks!!!!:D:):D You got a STEAL!!!

I have stayed there several times over the years.......LOVE IT!:)

[royalcruz]

I noticed the Cambria has been mentioned. Found a great rate on this hotel with a free shuttle from the airport. We don't fly in until around 7, so don't need to spend the money on a beach resort. We'll do that on the way back (cruise in Sunday morning, not flying out til Monday). Will I be able to use SAS with this hotel for shuttle to the port of Miami? And is there anything around this hotel? We will need dinner that night. Thanks!

You can walk to Las Vegas Cuban restaurant or if you don't mind crossing under I95 you can walk to the restaurants at Oakwood Plaza. SAS usually is able to pick up from hotels in that area but you need to contact them in advance to find out.

[topaz123]

OK...to narrow it down. Are there any hotels that offer free shuttle from FLL airport to hotel? We need shuttle to cruise port too....just looking to cut some expenses. These cab fares add up.

[capriccio]

OK...to narrow it down. Are there any hotels that offer free shuttle from FLL airport to hotel? We need shuttle to cruise port too....just looking to cut some expenses. These cab fares add up.

 

The Fort Lauderdale Tourism Department has an excellent website that includes a list of hotels noting whether they have shuttles: http://www.sunny.org/travel-trade/pr...otel-shuttles/. I would start there and make inquiries directly to the hotels listed. There is lots of other useful information on that site.

[Cocomichelle]

OMG....you got the Riverside for 59 bucks!!!!:D:):D You got a STEAL!!!

I have stayed there several times over the years.......LOVE IT!:)

 

Thanks first time I ever used Priceline so I was a tad but nervous.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[esper10]

Thanks. I ended up going on Priceline and got the Riverside Hotel for 59$.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

When are you going? We booked the Riverside for Feb. 2014 for a total of $400.00 for the 2 nights for a room in the old part of the hotel. So expensive. Can you tell me what information did you put in Priceline to get this hotel?I'm so scared that I will end up with a far away hotel.Thanks

[topaz123]

The Fort Lauderdale Tourism Department has an excellent website that includes a list of hotels noting whether they have shuttles: http://www.sunny.org/travel-trade/pr...otel-shuttles/. I would start there and make inquiries directly to the hotels listed. There is lots of other useful information on that site.

This is great information...you saved my fingers from getting blisters, trying to type all the possibilities on google. Thank you....now to glean that list, and pick a candidate!!!

[Cocomichelle]

When are you going? We booked the Riverside for Feb. 2014 for a total of $400.00 for the 2 nights for a room in the old part of the hotel. So expensive. Can you tell me what information did you put in Priceline to get this hotel?I'm so scared that I will end up with a far away hotel.Thanks

 

We are going July 6-7. I put on downtown Fort Lauderdale and 4 star rating I think. It was either 4 star or 3 1/2. Im sorry. Then I clicked on the express deal, read the description of the hotel room which said vintage decor and googled hotels in Fort Lauderdale with that description and square footage of the room....and the Riverside popped up with that description so I kind of had an idea of what I was getting. Hope this helps.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Cocomichelle]

When are you going? We booked the Riverside for Feb. 2014 for a total of $400.00 for the 2 nights for a room in the old part of the hotel. So expensive. Can you tell me what information did you put in Priceline to get this hotel?I'm so scared that I will end up with a far away hotel.Thanks

 

And you won't get far away because you choose the area. After reading this board I saw that the downtown hotels are pretty close to port and airport.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[capriccio]

We are going July 6-7.

 

That explains the price difference - July is the low, low season; January is the high season. The prices for Fort Lauderdale (and all south Florida) hotels vary widely according to the season and boat show week (end of October).

[royalcruz]

We are going July 6-7. I put on downtown Fort Lauderdale and 4 star rating I think. It was either 4 star or 3 1/2. Im sorry. Then I clicked on the express deal, read the description of the hotel room which said vintage decor and googled hotels in Fort Lauderdale with that description and square footage of the room....and the Riverside popped up with that description so I kind of had an idea of what I was getting. Hope this helps.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Are you sure about that? Riverside was a 3* downtown hotel on Priceline when my friends booked it and still is according to BetterBidding (along with Hyatt Place Convention Center).....Oh, I just looked on Priceline and see that Riverside is now listed as 3.5* on the "list view".

Edited June 28, 2013 by royalcruz

[esper10]

Unless I don't know what I'm exactly doing when I go to price line express booking the Riverside come up as $171.00 per night for the Feb. 1st and second. Can any one of you check it and let me know please if this is also what you get? So I will know I'm doing the right thing. Thanks so much