brunello22

We are booked for 1-night next week at Moda Hotel.  We got a super deal on Hotwire.

1 hour ago, Earthtones said:

@brunello22 I must have counted sailings incorrectly. We'll be on the 9/1 sailing, which should be very similar to yours (Juneau to Vancouver). Have a fabulous trip and please post any tips you might encounter for Seabourn newbies!

Will do!  Enjoy your cruise!

Check flights into PBI (West Palm Beach).  If you're flying from MSP (Minneapolis), I believe there are non-stop options.  Then you can take either the BrightLine or Tri-Rail to Miami (shuttles to either station).

On 8/6/2023 at 11:11 AM, Earthtones said:

Thanks! I'll be on the southbound portion of the sailing following yours and will be avidly following your posts! 

I'm a Seabourn newbie, and, in fact, this is my first return to any cruise since I swore I was not a cruise person almost 20 years ago--but currently unable to think about anything else because I'm so excited!

We will be on this sailing as well (August 18).  Long time cruiser, but first time on Seabourn.  Can't wait!

The South Beach Wine and Food Festival is February 22 - 25.  The event brings thousands of visitors;  there are events all around south Florida (not just on South Beach).

12 minutes ago, islandgirlejfan said:

I have Solely Jane's.  The convertible shoes make it nice to add without adding a lot to the weight of your bag and allow you to achieve a few more looks!
https://trysolelyjane.com/collections/all-products

Those look super comfy!  Thanks for sharing!

On 7/31/2023 at 8:59 PM, Urban trekker said:

Vancouver native here - where to start.

First of all - welcome to Vancouver - your choice of your hotel on Georgia St is smack in the middle of the downtown core.

You have our largest downtown Mall - Pacific Center a little over a block away. While Nordstrom's is now closed there are many well known American retailers located there.

There is also a food court located there.

As for best places to eat I will leave that topic to my friend MartinCath.

A couple of unique eating and shopping area would be Yaletown and Gastown.

Granville Island Public Market is one of the most popular visited places in the city.

There are free shuttles to both the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain which you can board either at the cruise port or around the corner behind the Hyatt Hotel which is across the street from your hotel.

You are about a dozen blocks to the entrance of Stanley Park - rated one of the best urban parks in North America.

You haven't indicated what time of the year you will be cruising.

Hope this gets you started and I am sure that some more of us locales will be along with more suggestions.

Dennis

 

Thanks for the suggestions!  I used to spend a lot of summers in Vancouver for work, but it has been more than 5 years since I have really spent any time there.  All your suggestions are a wonderful reminder of just what a great city it is!  I will be there in 2-1/2 weeks for a full day / overnight, after getting off Seabourn Odyssey.  There will be another couple traveling with us, and we are really looking forward to going back.  We are staying at Moda Hotel (Downtown).

Ladies, thanks for sharing all the helpful travel packing tips! 

Has anyone worn shoes by Pashion Footwear?  They convert from flat sandals to either stiletto heels (3" or 4") or block (1.5", 3", or 4").  Today I ordered two pairs, one in black and one in taupe.  Essentially, I can pack both pairs with the convertible heel pieces in one shoe bag.

https://pashionfootwear.com/collections/last-chance

A nice in-between area is Hollywood Beach.  There is the Marriott or Margaritaville located right on the Hollywood Broadwalk, if you are looking for a larger chain hotel, but there are also a number of little independent mom and pop motels.  There is not much there for shopping (depending on what you are looking for), but Aventura Mall for high-end shopping is an Uber ride away.  Along the Broadwalk, there are plenty of restaurants and alsoacross Ocean Blvd along the Intracoastal Waterway.  The Broadwalk is a 2.5 mile paved, pedestrian / bike only, pathway.  

https://www.visitlauderdale.com/listing/hollywood-oceanfront-broadwalk/2457/

Check Brightline from Downtown WPB to Miami (Central station).  It takes 1 hour and the fares for groups of 4 or more are generally discounted.  There is usually a free shuttle from the Miami station to the port.

https://www.gobrightline.com/

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We board the Quest next week.  They gave us a boarding time about 2 weeks before embarkation and have already changed that time (via e-mail).  On our prior SB cruise (Ovation) our boarding time was changed 3 times in the 10 days prior to the cruise :).  In all cases we ignored the times and went to the port when it was convenient (for us).  No problem boarding.  I should add that we have cruised several other lines in the past 2 years, they all gave us boarding times, and they all completely ignored those boarding times.

 

Hank

Thanks, Hank!  We do not sail until late evening, so our plan is to head to the port after we check out of the hotel, drop off our bags, and then do some sightseeing around Juneau before going back onboard late afternoon. 

Great hotel!  It is right on the Intracoastal and there is a Water Taxi stop there.  Also, it is walking distance to Fort Lauderdale Beach and Galleria Mall (good shopping and upscale dining).

Everglades Holiday Park and Sawgrass Recreation Park are the two closest to the Fort Lauderdale area, approximately 30 minutes away.  Check online their websites for coupons as well as Groupon.

Brightline (as mentioned above), or for $5, get on the Tri-Rail from MIA to one of the two Fort Lauderdale stations (the first one is at Griffin Road <airport station> and the other is at Broward Blvd), then just Uber from the station to the hotel. 

Tri-Rail takes just under 1 hour from the airport to the Fort Lauderdale station(s), and runs every hour on a weekday (weekend schedule is a little different).  Brightline times vary, and is 30-35 minutes from the Miami station to the Fort Lauderdale station + factor in the transit time from the Metrorail to Brightline Miami.

On 7/8/2023 at 6:44 PM, trbarton said:

Have you booked with Hotwire where you get one of 3 locations but you don’t know which one until you make a booking?  I’ve looked but the downside is the rate is non refundable. 
 

Tom😀

Yes, that is how Hotwire works, it will show you 3 possible hotels that it could be that you will get.  You will also see a photo at the top of the page of the hotel room of the possible hotel, and you can figure out which hotel you will get if you go to each website of the 3 hotels listed, and look at the pictures.  As I mentioned previously, the rate is non-refundable, so it is the chance you take.

How far in advance before the sail date does Seabourn advise of your boarding time?  We are boarding Odyssey in Juneau on August 18.  Thanks!

7 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’ll see if I can contact the web site as it’s not the hotels. I’ll post whatever I find out. 
 

Tom😀

I have never seen a Destination Fee applied before, and I use Hotwire quire frequently.  It could possibly be a resort fee charged by the hotel, but usually that resort fee is paid to the hotel directly upon check in.  Please report back what you find out.

By the way, what hotel did you get?  Riverside is not on the Intracoastal, so I am curious which one that is.  I wonder if it is the Kimpton boutique hotel in the North Beach area of Fort Lauderdale Beach, which is on the Intracoastal.

11 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’m traveling in December 6th of this year. 
 

Tom😀

I am traveling back to FL that week / weekend as well.  I got the Riverside Hotel for 3 nights on Hotwire for $129/night + tax.  Look up 3.5* in Downtown/Las Olas area.  Hotwire shows 3 possible hotels you may get, but you can pretty much figure out which hotel it is by the picture shown on Hotwire, and then confirming that on the hotel's website itself (prior to booking on Hotwire; booking through Riverside directly was something like $190/night + tax).  The caveat is you pay upfront to get that rate, but trip insurance is usually recommended in the event you need to cancel.

4 hours ago, abpplh said:

We have reservations at the Riverside for December.  Any tips for 2 adults and our 13 yr old daughter?  Staying 1 night prior to cruise however we get in to FL very early.

There is a Water Taxi stop right behind the hotel.  Fort Lauderdale is best seen by water (weather permitting).  You can hop on / off at various stops or stay onboard for the entire journey on the New River and Intracoastal.  It is beautiful to board around sunset and do a nighttime cruise, as many of the waterfront homes are beautifully decorated and lit for the holidays.  You can also do the Jungle Queen or Carrie B water tours as well.

Plan B, if the weather is not kind, is the Museum of Discovery and Science.  There are many exhibits and an IMAX theater.

There is a CVS Pharmacy a few blocks from the port on SE 3 Ave.

18 hours ago, cfgrandma said:

I am looking at the Element FT Lauderdale, 299 North Federal Hwy.  

 

Has anyone stayed there?

 

Carolyn

Element is a fairly new hotel in a good area and there are lots of restaurants nearby:  The Katherine, Sapido, Foxy Brown, Doc B's, Tacocraft, Batch New Southern Kitchen, Bodega Santiago, Morton's, Rhythm and Vine (outdoor beer / drinks garden).  Dal Mar (hotel) has The Terrace restaurant, which is good for drinks and has a nice view.  Element is also walking distance to Las Olas (3-4 blocks).

Hampton Inn (Andrews Ave - Downtown), or Tru By Hilton (NW 4th St - Flagler Village).  There are some very good restaurants within walking distance (local spots).

If you need transportation to Miami, the BrightLine station is close-by, so check the schedule.  While Tru is walking distance to the station, the Uber to / from the stations is free (might not want to walk the 2 blocks to the station with luggage in the heat).

Thanks for sharing.  I could not get the link to work on Chrome, but it worked on Safari.

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is February 22 - 25, but there are also scheduled events in and around the Fort Lauderdale area, which draws a lot of people to the area.

Spring Break usually begins the end of February / first week of March.

When I lived in Fort Lauderdale, I took the Tri-Rail all the time, if I had to fly from MIA.

You can take a short Uber ride to the FLL Tri-Rail station (Griffin Road & I-95) and then take the Tri-Rail all the way to MIA; it takes less than 1 hour, and the Tri-Rail ticket is $5 (or less) for a one-way fare.  Sometimes the Uber ride is free, as they partner with Tri-Rail, but do not quote me on this.  When you get off the Tri-Rail, you take the monorail into the terminal (AA is the first terminal).

https://www.tri-rail.com/pages/view/fare-information-calculating-your-fare