Virtopia

The beach is only about a mile away, but public beach access is a couple of miles (it's all condos and hotels before that). The water taxi will take you to the beach. The Beach Place stop is good because there are bathrooms and bars and restaurants across from the beach. You can also take the bus #40 or suntrolley, much less expensive than water taxi.

 

Thanks for all your help! I really appreciate it :D

It's a bit of a hike to anywhere from there, other than a few restaurants a long block away. For 3 nights I would much rather be at one of the beach area hotels, not just for the beach, but there are lots of bars, shops, and restaurants to walk to. The water taxi at the hotel is a bonus.

 

Thanks!! I wanted to get a beach front hotel, but they were all quite expensive. The Hilton was $130 cheaper than the Beachcombers, so that extra money will allow me to get around.

 

How far is it from the beach? Would the water taxi take me there? The 3 post cruise days, I'm really just looking to unwind and connect with family that lives in the area.

Any comments about the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina? I'm booked there 1 night pre cruise and 3 nights post cruise in late Sept/early Oct.

 

Anything to do in the area? I see it's one of the water taxi stops, so that's great. Allows me to get around at a decent cost.

What is around the hotel, and how much for taxi , from airport to hotel, hotel to cruise port.

 

I actually stayed in that hotel during my family reunion in August and I loved it. The rooms are nice and big and the open courtyard gives it a resort type feel. I was there for 6 nights and didn't want to leave.

Virtopia, I know what you mean...it seems it is much cheaper to cruise than to stay in a hotel sometimes. Have you looked at the Alhambra? It's close to the port, a half block from the beach, well priced, and gets very good reviews. It's also in a fun neighborhood, but enough off the beaten track to not be noisy. Casablanca Cafe is a few steps away and has a fun little piano bar. Maybe their $89 or $99 rooms will be available. http://www.alhambrabeachresort.com/

 

I'm going to look that up right now; I actually just cancelled the Beachcombers and booked the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina for $130 less. Granted, there's no free Internet or a shuttle service, but the extra $130 will cover that and I still get my balcony room with a water view.

 

Any thoughts on that hotel as I'm looking to book it for my 1 pre night as well.

 

Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks for the help!

 

This post cruise trip is already adding up; that $50 cab ride is not appealing to me at all. Good thing it's a refundable booking.

 

Funny thing is, it's cheaper to go on a 4 night Bahamas Cruise on the Majesty from Oct 1st - 5th alone than to stay in that hotel for 3 days ... I guess I have to work on getting Oct 4th and 5th off! LOL

Glad I found this thread! Got a few questions ...

I'm staying 1 night pre cruise and 3 nights post cruise for my upcoming Allure cruise. The Embassy seems to be a popular spot, so we will probably be booking there.

Now, post cruise, I'm currently booked at Beachcombers Resort and Villas in Pompano Beach.

1) How far is it to the pier? to the airport? From what I saw, they don't offer a free shuttle service, but I wouldn't mind paying a shuttle to get to the airport.

2) Any positives/negatives about the hotel I should be aware of? The 3 nights post cruise stay will actually just be me; my friend has to return home on the same day.

My last cruise was solo on the Explorer and I had a great time; it was my 2nd solo cruise and although I did get lonely at times because it was 9 nights (plus 2 nights pre cruise in New Jersey), I'm so glad I opted to go by myself.

 

I joined my Roll Call early and I'm glad I did; met great people from there and even joined an excursion with a few of them; I also loved having my own room and being able to do my own thing and not have to worry about anyone else. I was at a 8 top table and after the first night, I was highly questioning who made the seating arrangements, but it got better and now I miss my table companions. We had quite a few singles' events that were planned in the cruise compass, but I didn't attend any of them; just wasn't that interested to do so.

 

I recommend trying it; I'm already looking into my 3rd solo cruise for April 2013 and I can't wait to start all the planning all over again.

We aren't cruising until the end of May, but this really concerns me as it seems to be months that people have been complaining about this.

 

Where exactly it is affecting. We are staying in room 9570.

 

Thanks.

 

I just came off the Explorer and I was in 9581.

 

If they don't have it fixed by then, then something's wrong, but it was a horrendous smell and I started using the opposite hallway. Honestly, it smelled like death and people started bringing up their friends to smell it. I wanted to complain about it, but I figured once I closed my door, I couldn't smell a thing, so I left it alone.

 

It was extremely unpleasant though; most of the time, they had the door ajar and you could hear the fan going.

Thank you for the update, as I am on the sailing that is now leaving on Saturday. I'm lucky I was able to book an extra night at my hotel as I'm flying out tomorrow.

 

Hope all involved are okay!

This is a great thread!

 

I'm 29 years old, single and am embarking on my 2nd solo cruise on Friday!! My first one was for my 28th birthday on the Majesty and I really enjoyed it. This one is going to be double the amount of time though. It's a 10 night cruise, but my Roll Call has been great and I'm looking forward to it.

 

I have so much fun cruising on my own that I plan to make it a tradition to cruise solo once every 2 years.

What is this trivia all about? Never heard of it before, but sounds like something I'd enjoy watching or participating in.

 

Glad to see some younger folks on my sailing!! LOL

Thanks so much for this great review! It's really getting me excited for my cruise right when you depart.

 

A couple questions for you please.

1) How crowded is the gym that early in the morning? I'm aiming to be at the gym between 7:00 and 8:00 and would probably prefer that it has less people. I am interested in trying one of those stretch classes as well.

 

2) Is the MDR cold? I'm thinking if I will need to bring some type of shawl/sweater with me as most of my outfits are sleeveless.

 

3) I'm 29 and I'm wondering what percentage of people in my age category do you think are on your sailing? I'd like to meet some people around my age, but I'm thinking, a 10 night cruise in January makes it highly unlikely.

 

Thanks again for your great review!

Thanks for doing this as I will be boarding when you return and thank you SO much for the gym info! I'm trying to prepare my schedule now so I don't completely fall off track.

I'm also on this sailing and to be honest, I really haven't thought about the weather LOL I'm flying in the day before and I have a good feeling the weather will hold up.

Thank you both!!

 

Heading to find Radio's thread right now. I like that it closes at 11pm. Work out until close, shower and then a midnight room delivery (which will probably defeat the purpose of my workout) Ah, nothing like cruising.

I'll be boarding the Explorer on the 27th and just wondering if anyone can give me some info on the gym, like hours of operation and if any classes are offered. I figure, with as much as I'm going to be eating, I better be working it off at the same time.

 

Also, if anyone has any pictures of standard inside cabin, that would be greatly appreciated as well!

 

Thanks!

That is absolutely disgusting.

46 days until I cruise, but 45 days until I actually leave for my vacation and spend one night pre-cruise in New Jersey ... I can't wait!

It was nice to see a review from a solo female! My next cruise is a solo adventure as well and I'm looking forward to it. Also, all of your fashion choices were great!

Ah the end of the cruise!!

 

Quick question: My cruise in January will stop at St Maarten and St Thomas. As I'm traveling as a solo, is there any spots or areas you would recommend I stay away from? I like to explore, but I also don't want to venture into areas that may seem unsafe.

 

Thanks!

I also agree with your Nassau post ... my Allure cruise will hit there as the first port and it will be my 3rd time there. As much as I love Atlantis, I've already crossed it off my bucket list of places to visit, so I'm looking forward to staying onboard as well.

Even with the Diamond balcony discount, the interior rooms are still cheaper. I'm more of a quantity over quality type of cruiser. I would prefer to do 5-6 cruises a year in the lower category rooms than cruise less in balcony rooms or suites. We do occasionally get ocean views and balconies (and suites even less frequently), but only if its a tremendously good deal.

 

Thanks! I appreciate the answer :)

Just a curiosity question:

 

As a Diamond member, why did you choose an interior room? I guess it affords you the luxury to go on more cruises with interior pricing; It's just surprising to see. Most Diamond or Diamond+ posts I've read, you'd think an interior room was similar to staff accommodations.

Your pictures are really amazing; makes me very anxious for September to come so I can experience it.