HELP! Regarding first time driving to Mobile port

[smiles32617]

Hello all my cruise buddies!

 

I am going to be driving to the Mobile Alabama port from Missouri. My friends and I are very excited. However we don't know what to do. Is it best to drive to port and pay the 75 dollars or is it easier to just stay at a hotel and do the park and stay package?

Has anyone parked at the port and wish they had not due to high traffic trying to get out?

I was looking at the Ashbury Hotel and Suites. But they do not have a shuttle service. I wasn't sure if anyone knew ABOUT how much a cab would be for 4 people. Or any service just to get us to and from our car.

If this helps we are sailing out on December 18th, 2010. Going to stay at a hotel on the night of the 17th.

All my friends are new to the cruise thing so they said this choice is on me. OH BOY. ANY Advice would be GRAND! Thanks in advance & Happy Cruising to you all!!!!

[smiles32617]

We are also thinking about the Courtyard Marriott Spanish Fort or Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott Spanish Fort. If you have some info on those that's great too :) I am looking on http://www.mobile.org/packages.php So I know they have lots of info, just hard not knowing from a fellow cruiser what's best :)

[Mysticks1]

We are also thinking about the Courtyard Marriott Spanish Fort or Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott Spanish Fort. If you have some info on those that's great too :) I am looking on http://www.mobile.org/packages.php So I know they have lots of info, just hard not knowing from a fellow cruiser what's best :)

 

I am not sure how often they update that information so if you haven't already done so you might want to call the hotels or check their websites to verify the rates.

The Hampton Inn downtown on Royal St and the Renaissance Riverview (across the st from the Hampton) also offer Cruise Parking Packages. I know the Riverview offers a shuttle to the port but I am not sure about the Hampton. The Riverview will have rooms with a view of the port.

[maldenmusic]

My daughter and I cruised out of Mobile this summer but by the time we got around to trying to make a hotel reservation for a Park and Sail everything was booked. So we stayed at a hotel outside Mobile and did some touristy things-Botanical Gardens, USS Alabama, etc. We ended up parking at the Mobile civic Center for a little less than the pier costs. The shuttle bus picked us up right where we parked and drove us right into the pier. However, after cruising out of NOLA which was so easy, we found Mobile pier very congested and we waited in line for what seemed like forever. We swore we'd never sail out of Mobile again but since it is the closest port to my home in Missouri we will be doing it again in May.

[1123mrk]

We are also thinking about the Courtyard Marriott Spanish Fort or Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott Spanish Fort. If you have some info on those that's great too :) I am looking on http://www.mobile.org/packages.php So I know they have lots of info, just hard not knowing from a fellow cruiser what's best :)

We're sailing on December 18th also! We (there are 6 of us) are spending the night of the 17th at the Fairfield Inn in Spanish Fort. Last year we did the same cruise at the same time of year and stayed at the Renaissance Riverview. It was a wonderful hotel, but their rates increased significantly this year, so I looked for other options. All the reviews of the Fairfield Inn Spanish Fort look great, and their package includes free parking, round-trip shuttle, and breakfast. Let me know if you decide to stay there - we can plan to meet on the 17th!

[bumbles]

Hello all my cruise buddies!

 

I am going to be driving to the Mobile Alabama port from Missouri. My friends and I are very excited. However we don't know what to do. Is it best to drive to port and pay the 75 dollars or is it easier to just stay at a hotel and do the park and stay package?

Has anyone parked at the port and wish they had not due to high traffic trying to get out?

I was looking at the Ashbury Hotel and Suites. But they do not have a shuttle service. I wasn't sure if anyone knew ABOUT how much a cab would be for 4 people. Or any service just to get us to and from our car.

If this helps we are sailing out on December 18th, 2010. Going to stay at a hotel on the night of the 17th.

All my friends are new to the cruise thing so they said this choice is on me. OH BOY. ANY Advice would be GRAND! Thanks in advance & Happy Cruising to you all!!!!

 

We flew into Gulfport, MS and then drove over to Mobile. Because it was Mardi Gras week, we had a hard time finding a hotel downtown so had to stay on Airport Rd. (about 15 minutes from port). We parked at the port because it was very convenient. Had absolutely no trouble leaving the morning we disembarked (we had a very late zone since our flight didn't leave until the next day). The port is very close to the highway - so a couple of turns and everyone goes their separate ways. It was nice not having to wait on a taxi or shuttle to take us back to a hotel to pick up our car.

[vegasvic88]

We stayed at the Hampton downtown. It was about 4-5 blocks from the terminal. They have a stay and park package. We paid $169 (including taxes) for 2 queens room which included a hot breakfast and parking for the duration of the cruise (4 days). The parking lot is fenced and requires a key card to access. If you subtract the $60 for what parking would have been at the pier, the room was $100 which was $50 per couple. Shuttle to the terminal is provided by a 3rd party for $5 per person. We chose to use the service for embarkation due to not knowing for sure how far it really was and the fact our luggage was full of drinks. However, when we got back the other couple with us walked back to the hotel to get the car (10 minutes) and then drove to pick us up across the street. Maybe it was timing but we did not encounter any traffic coming or going. We did not experience any of the horror stories I read about on CC.

 

I highly recommend the Hampton. It's a nice hotel, friendly staff, convenient and not expensive.

 

Enjoy your cruise!! ;)

[realkee]

We are staying here with the park and cruise pkg $159 per night and allows us to leave our car and ride the shuttle roundtrip, and the hotel looks over the port and sure appears to be a beautiful place.

[Mysticks1]

We are staying here with the park and cruise pkg $159 per night and allows us to leave our car and ride the shuttle roundtrip, and the hotel looks over the port and sure appears to be a beautiful place.

 

I am not sure that the Battle House will have a view of the port. It has a view of the river but I am not sure you would be able to view the cruise terminal from there. The Renaissance Riverview is between the Battle House and the Terminal.

[CMOTO]

We have cruised out of Mobile two times... the first we parked our car in the terminal and all things went smoothly... the second time we stayed in Saraland and did the park and cruise, it is only a 10 min drive and it was great, i would absolutly do the hotel again and let them drive!!!!