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My family (husband, 11 yr old & in-laws) and I are boarding Pride of America next Saturday. We have our excursions planned and are boiling over with excitement. Any last minute ship tips?

 

 

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If you arrive in Honolulu early and have a rental car, head to the port about lunch time, check-in, drop your bags and go back out to see the City or Pearl Harbor since the ship doesn't leave until 7:00 PM. Everything is very laid back and casual at the "port" and there is a small parking lot where you can park next to the simple chain link fence gate leading to the ship.

When we were there, a guy directing traffic told me, "Park over there in that lot and don't bother to put any money in the meter because no one ever checks them."

Before you leave the Mainland, reserve a rental car in every port, do a little homework and create your own excursions.

Maui or Kauai would be a good place to go to an evening Luau. Consult Trip Adviser and Google to choose one.

From what I looked up, 997 is not a new road. However it may be a good way to not be on 95.

Old SR 997 was completely replaced with New SR 997 between US 27 and US 41 (Miccosukee Resort) and is now a brand-spanking new, divided highway lined with street lights. It's a very calming, peaceful drive compared to the white-knuckle drive through the "spaghetti bowl" on I-95 via I-595.

Thanks for the help, everyone. Not the most pleasant drive and I wished at one point that we were sailing out of Port Everglades rather than Miami lol, but we made it. Great info !

 

 

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Did you even read my post informing you of the new highway in which you can avoid Ft Lauderdale and most of Miami?

I have to totally disagree with you on a couple of things: I do not find the cabins any smaller on NCL: both lines, like most others do not encourage us to stay in our cabin, this they are all pretty small. Maybe the balconies are larger on Princess, but not the cabins. BTW I am not talking a few feet, I am talking overall. NCL has better bathrooms we think. As for nickel and diming, yes, we hear that a lot, but I don't see much difference. There is nothing one needs to spend money on when sailing unless they choose to. As for food: we all know food is very subjective but I prefer the food on NCL, more choices and I think better taste. I don't know when you last sailed NCL, maybe it was a few years ago. Again food is subjective.

Well, I would disagree with you...I'm Elite on Princess and Platinum Plus on NCL. I'm an Inside and occasional OV (only if I get a free upgrade) kind of guy and Princess cabins are without question larger with a much better layout.

Tried Carnival, HAL,RCL and Princess. Settled with Princess years ago. We are pretty seasoned cruisers and love Princess. We have found a great trip we would love to take with NCL. Can anyone tell me what I will find different on NCL over Princess.Its a Transatlantic so we plan on spending a few day on board. Will we be happy?

 

Brownie9

 

Diane

First and foremost: Transatlantic cruises are totally different than regular closed loop, roundtrip cruises, mostly because there are fewer children which is the main difference between the two cruise lines. NCL's target market is families with children while Princess' target market is "empty nest" couples.

I was on a Princess Cruise last year when I saw a whiny, 10 or 11 year old boy following his mother around whining about how boring the cruise was and there was nothing to do because there was no rock climbing wall and no water slide, wah, wah, wah. I wanted to tell him, "Good! Now go home and don't come back!"

One other major difference is entertainment and shows, which Princess absolutely sucks at, while NCL has incredible Broadway productions.

Our cruise starts 1/2 and since we are driving to port we decided that it would be a good idea to extend our pre-cruise hotel stay to include 12/31. Was hoping to see fireworks and enjoy easy New Year's Eve on beach but the only thing I can find is a street party.

 

Any budget conscious recommendations?

 

Thanks

A budget conscious hotel on New Year's Eve is an oxymoron. Finding one on the beach is an impossibility. Ft Lauderdale is not a city where they have one big central event, especially with fireworks.

A question for the Miami locals...

 

What about taking US 27 S. from Andytown to SR 997 S. to US 41 at Miccosukee Resort to 836?

I was on 997 (all new highway) and 27 last week and it was a nice, peaceful trip to get around Miami and traffic coming back from Key West (I didn't want to take the Turnpike). I just don't know what 41 and 836 are like from Miccosukee.

OK...

How about any of your Miccosukee Everglades locals?

997 from 27 to the resort was a brand new divided highway running through the Everglades with no stoplights or traffic. It was a really nice way to completely avoid Miami. It looks like a straight shot east on 41 and/or 836 from there.

A question for the Miami locals...

What about taking US 27 S. from Andytown to SR 997 S. to US 41 at Miccosukee Resort to 836?

I was on 997 (all new highway) and 27 last week and it was a nice, peaceful trip to get around Miami and traffic coming back from Key West (I didn't want to take the Turnpike). I just don't know what 41 and 836 are like from Miccosukee.

So this is the first time we've booked SW, now there didn't seem to be a seat selection option for getaway fares. Is this a SW policy, if so will I get a chance to select our seats, or did I just miss something, and if so how do I select seats retroactively?

Seat selection?

I started to ask where have you been for the last 40 years, but then I saw you've been in Ontario while Southwest was revolutionizing air travel and discount air fares, not just in the US, but worldwide with no seat selection in advance.

Southwest doesn't fool around...They can drop a plane into an airport, deplane arriving passenger, board next leg passengers, turn the plane around and have it back in the air in 25 minutes.

On Southwest, you select your seat when you board the plane.

We're getting off the Allure tomorrow and our flight is not until 4:30. We plan to stay on ship as long as we can ... but will still have a few hours to kill before our flight.

 

Any recommendations? We will have 9 and 7 year old with us.

 

Thanks!

The reality is you don't have that much time to do much of anything other than a post cruise excursion. Your flight is at 4:30 so you need to be at the airport checking your bags no later than 3:30, which means you need to leave wherever and whatever you're doing by 2:30-3:00.

In the morning after figuring out what to do with your luggage, you're not going to have that much time. I think the Water Taxi is not a good idea for such a short period of time, especially for the expense of an entire family. The value in the Water Taxi is as an all day/all night hop on-hop off which you don't have the time to do.

Sawgrass Mall would be a 30 minute drive if you have a rental car. Taxi fare would be at least $60 each way (Uber less), but is it really worth that much trouble and money to go to shopping mall to go to the same stores you can go to at your malls at home?

I think a post cruise excursion will be your best option.

NCL Baltic Sea cruise. Can we presume that on the ship the primary language will still be English? We begin the cruise in Copenhagen and will likely arrive early to see the sites. Again, we have little experience in the area and I wondered if our limitation to English might cause us problems. Thoughts?? Thanks.

Just speak slower, louder and waive your arms while you speak.

Good point on purchasing two, one way tickets, especially on SW with its generous exchange/cancel policy. That way if one leg drops price (and the other is higher) you can get the savings.

When flying Southwest, I always book one way tickets so that the outbound or return is easier to change.

Wow, that's great! Every once in a while you snag a good fare like that.

 

Roz

Doing it again in June.

Senior moment! We will be flying from Sacramento to FLL.

Flights from SFO to FLL on Southwest look fairly reasonable right now. You can always change them later if you get a better deal out of SAC.

Also, how do you feel about a side-trip to Vegas? I'm seeing fares as low as $110 from LAS to FLL.

I've paid $300 for round trip Nashville - FLL during peak season, so $140 one way doesn't seem crazy at all to me.

 

Roz

I'll be flying from BNA to FLL this coming Tuesday for $57.

Senior moment! We will be flying from Sacramento to FLL.

There's no rhyme or reason to the rise and fall of airfares, especially at Southwest. If another airline like Virgin decide to run a sale from CA to Florida, Southwest will react and drop their fares. Then when the sale is over they will go back up again. The only thing you can do is check them several times per week and book them when they seem reasonable.

Continue to monitor them, though. If they drop again you can rebook at the lower fare and save the difference as a credit for future flights. Also, a little flexibility on travel dates, such as a day earlier on the outbound and/or a day later on return could get you a lot lower fare.

Thanks so much!

See my edit.

I forgot you were asking about Miami, but if you are flying into FLL then I would stay in Ft. Lauderdale, especially since the rates look pretty good at this property for June, 2018.

Sorry Starwood Preferred Guest. So like Sheraton's and other Starwood properties.

What is now called the Fort Lauderdale Airport/Cruise Port Inn (formerly Comfort Suites) located at the corner of Federal Highway and SE 17th Street is being re-branded as a Sheraton Four Points on July 6, 2017.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?language=en_US&propertyID=4278

Oh, wait...That hotel is in Ft Lauderdale and you need Miami. Unless, of course, you are flying into FLL

Just a heads up - the bridge on Anglers towards Rustic Inn has been closed forever it seems. Cannot walk there as a result. And the 0.4 mile walk along Griffin Road towards the steakhouse seems sketchy after dark.

All those hotels have shuttle vans that would be more than happy to drive them over via the detour.

I'm just an ignernt boy from the Bootheel of Missouri, so...

What is SPG?

Is it worth renting a car? My husband has never been to Miami and we talked about driving down to MIA for a little while and coming back up to Fort Lauderdale. I am also thinking about getting around to go various places while we are there. Walking isn't a problem but how close are the areas to walk and carry stuff. Comparing it to have to get a taxi or lyft/uber to go to a store and come right back out.

 

Also who do you rent cars with? Who doesn't require a large hold. Large being $300 or more.

Most rental car companies do a $200 deposit, plus the cost of the rental which drops off (except for the cost of the rental) when you return the car. Beware Sixt, though. The will place a $999 hold if you are given a "free" upgrade to a BMW.

My personal opinion...There's a lot more to do in Ft Lauderdale than there is Miami.

Thanks Everyone for your tips and suggestions. As far as BEST. I was thinking more along the lines of location, food and where to get adult beverages.

That sounds like Downtown Ft Lauderdale and Las Olas Blvd to me, so that means Riverside Hotel.

But then, how many restaurants and bars do you actually need with only a few hours in one night?

There are four hotels in the area at Griffin Road/I-95 and Ravenswood Rd/Anglers Avenue: Homewood Suites, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn and Courtyard which are all a short walk to Rustic Inn Crabhouse, Tropical Acres Steakhouse and Islamorada Fish Company (next to Bass Pro Shop) as well as Wendy's, Dunkin' Donuts, Subway and a Mexican restaurant and Irish pub/restaurant.

Hi Everyone,

 

I am looking to book my hotel for the night before my cruise in September. I am wondering the best places to stay at. We won't be renting a car and will be walking to places close by or rideshare.

What time does your flight arrive? Are there any kids? What is your hotel budget? Do you want to be on or close to the beach?

My idea of "the best place" would be the Ritz Carlton or the Marriot Harbor Beach Resort, but both of those properties are over $300 per night even in September. If you flight arrives at 6:00, 7:00 or even later then I think that would be a waste of money unless you've got money to burn.

Flying into Ft. Lauderdale but leaving for cruise in Miami. Where should we stay overnight at that's safe and hotel choice?

One size does not fit all...Need more info...

What are your travel dates? What time does your flight arrive? What is your hotel budget? Any kids?

Hello,

 

We will be sailing March 17, 2018 out of FLL port for an 8 night cruise. I am reviewing several options and trying to seek some advice from others.

 

We (2 Adults/2 kids)live in Orlando area so will be driving to port. I am contemplating driving up on the 16th for one night. I have begun my search and realize this is peak season so rates are higher.

 

1. I am undecided if I should park at port (never been to this one so not familiar). I hear it can be confusing.

 

2. Find a hotel that offers parking and shuttle to and from port.

 

3. Stay a little farther out and find better hotel rate and then use Park N Go.

 

I have found some options such as Springfield suites in Dania beach that offers a package for parking up to 14 days, free shuttle for ONLY 2 to port. The rate was $330 with tax. But I'd still pay $10 each for kids to port and then $40 on way back to hotel after cruise. I figure an Uber would be similiar cost, maybe cheaper. Plus during peak season and waiting for a shuttle may not fit into my patience scale...ha ha.

 

I see the Westin on Corporate drive is more reasonable price wise at $179 plus tax. Not sure how far away it is from port or if this is a good spot.

 

I'm not to worried about needing a lot around hotel for dinner or breakfast since we have a car.

 

I have looked at closer options and price is $300 plus. This isn't my first preference to spend so much for one night, but it is what it is.

 

The hotels I mentioned were just examples, not necessarily my first choices. I would just like some insight from more experienced with the area and possibly been in similar situation.

 

Thanks for any help

Scott

A taxi to PE from SpringHill Suites would be about $20 (Uber less), so the free shuttle for two and paying for two is a wash. Then you will have to taxi back to the hotel to pick up your car, so now you're up to about $40 + $330 for the hotel to get "free" parking. I think you should consider two, one way car rentals or driving the morning of and use discount parking with shuttle for four at US1.

http://www.simpleairportparking.com/port-everglades-cruise-parking---us1-airport-parking-109-airport-parking-vendor.html

Also, the Westin is pretty far north (13 miles) and charges guests for parking. You should check the La Quinta Inn-FLL Airport which allows up to 14 days free parking. I'm getting a AAA rate of $170.10 for March 16, 2018. They don't have a port shuttle so add the $40 for round trip taxi fare.