Pre cruise suggestions - Marriott North FL 10th April 11

[polkadot1]

Hi, we will be on our 1st cruise on Equinox 11th April. We fly into Miami on 10th and are staying at the Marriott North Fort Lauderdale and are cruising from Fort Lauderdale the following day.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do in the evening?

 

I really wish that we were staying in a hotel nearer the port, but this is the hotel that came as a part of the fly/cruise package from the UK and I believe that this hotel is in a commercial area. Would it be worth while taking a cab to the port and dinning there. I just think that this would be more exciting, especially if Equinox is already docked there.

 

Any sugggestions would be much appreciated.

[cruisestitch]

Equinox will not be docked at the port the night before your cruise -- it will arrive the morning of your embarkation. Ships generally arrive in the early morning, the passengers get off and the ship prepares for the new passengers in a matter of hours.

[hancock]

I looked to see where your hotel is located. It is nowhere near the port. It's very north Ft. Lauderdale. It is almost in Pompano. As I recall, there are a few restaurants nearby. It is fairly close to Pompano Park (a horse racing venue), which has a casino.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[teajak]

I looked to see where your hotel is located. It is nowhere near the port. It's very north Ft. Lauderdale. It is almost in Pompano. As I recall, there are a few restaurants nearby. It is fairly close to Pompano Park (a horse racing venue), which has a casino.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

Your hotel really is a long way from the port and would be an expensive cab ride for nothing. Do they provide transportation to the port the day of the cruise? We are also on that cruise and staying at the Plantation Residence Inn as we are driving from the Tampa area.Good luck.

[hcat]

Best bet is to relax & eat dinner near the hotel... or take a cab to a rec. place nearby... it is a ways from the port & even further from the Miami airport! The port area does not have restaurants..

[polkadot1]

Your hotel really is a long way from the port and would be an expensive cab ride for nothing. Do they provide transportation to the port the day of the cruise? We are also on that cruise and staying at the Plantation Residence Inn as we are driving from the Tampa area.Good luck.

 

As we have booked a fly/cruise package, all of our transfers are included. This also makes good sense to purchase the flight and cruise together, because not only do you get the flight, but also a night in a hotel pre-cruise, a day room when we get back to FL before our flight back to London and all transfers. This works out to be much cheaper than if you booked the cruise and flight separately.

 

See you on board.

[jtravel777]

Lauderdale by the Sea is fairly short cab ride from where you are staying (at Commercial and the beach). It has a number of restaurants such as Aruba Beach Cafe (right on the beach, fun active environment, entertainment), 101 Ocean (1 block from the beach) or Blue Moon Cafe is on the intracoastal if you are looking for the best seafood around.

[u2cruiser]

Hi, we will be on our 1st cruise on Equinox 11th April. We fly into Miami on 10th and are staying at the Marriott North Fort Lauderdale and are cruising from Fort Lauderdale the following day.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do in the evening?

 

I really wish that we were staying in a hotel nearer the port, but this is the hotel that came as a part of the fly/cruise package from the UK and I believe that this hotel is in a commercial area. Would it be worth while taking a cab to the port and dinning there. I just think that this would be more exciting, especially if Equinox is already docked there.

 

Any sugggestions would be much appreciated.

 

Hi polkadot1, we are on a fly cruise in May and have been allocated this same hotel. We have tried to change it, but have been informed that all the others are booked up. :( We're disappointed, but not much we can do about it.

 

How did you find out about the post cruise day hotel? Does it show in your personaliser? As we are doing the Transatlantic, we end up in Rome and I don't think there are day facilities included in Europe. No idea what will happen there :confused:.

[Lyann]

As we have booked a fly/cruise package, all of our transfers are included. This also makes good sense to purchase the flight and cruise together, because not only do you get the flight, but also a night in a hotel pre-cruise, a day room when we get back to FL before our flight back to London and all transfers. This works out to be much cheaper than if you booked the cruise and flight separately.

 

See you on board.

 

We are on the same cruise but fly on the 8th. What flight are you on? We do not get into Miami until 5.45. Having done these trips before tend to find not up for much before trying to get a good nights sleep. I have found that cruise lines are now using hotels near the airports which I think might be more convenient for them to transfer people from the airport.

 

Ann

[NYCDutchman]

Hi, we will be on our 1st cruise on Equinox 11th April. We fly into Miami on 10th and are staying at the Marriott North Fort Lauderdale and are cruising from Fort Lauderdale the following day.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do in the evening?

 

I really wish that we were staying in a hotel nearer the port, but this is the hotel that came as a part of the fly/cruise package from the UK and I believe that this hotel is in a commercial area. Would it be worth while taking a cab to the port and dinning there. I just think that this would be more exciting, especially if Equinox is already docked there.

 

Any sugggestions would be much appreciated.

 

No do not travel. The Marriott North is one of the most wonderful hotels we have ever stayed at. Make sure you visit both nature reserve areas, they are extra ordinary. You can eat very well in the hotel but there are restaurants five minutes walking from the hotel. If you like steak go to Longhorn, if you like salads go to Sweet Tomato, and there is also a very cute diner at the other end of the parking lot. You can enjoy a good meal for $15 to $30. Ask the folks at the reception to give you access to the hotels hospitality sweet. They serve you a complimentary executive continental breakfast, and in the late afternoon you can go there for coctails and very nice apetizers. There is a cinema around the corner from the hotel, and last but not least make sure to use the gym, the swimming pool and jacuzi on the fourth floor. You will enjoy it a lot!:)

[ZoeyVictoria]

I agree with NYCDutchman. We have stayed at that hotel three times in the last year. It is primarily business travelers, but is not in a commercial area. We enjoy it on Saturdays for a short weekend getaway because there are very few weekend guests, and wonderful weekend prices. You could try any of the restaurants Dutchman mentioned, or you could take a short taxi ride (a mile or so) to the Isle casino and have a meal there. The pool area on the fourth floor is nice - comfortable seating areas, some of them under a roof.

[polkadot1]

Hi polkadot1, we are on a fly cruise in May and have been allocated this same hotel. We have tried to change it, but have been informed that all the others are booked up. :( We're disappointed, but not much we can do about it.

 

How did you find out about the post cruise day hotel? Does it show in your personaliser? As we are doing the Transatlantic, we end up in Rome and I don't think there are day facilities included in Europe. No idea what will happen there :confused:.

Hi u2cruiser

 

We also tried to change our hotel and were advised that to do this there would be an additional charge, so we opted to stay with the Marriott. My post cruise hotel is the Sheraton Miami Airport, this was all a part of my fly/cruise package. We disembark from Equinox after breakfast and our flight home to UK is not untill 18.30, so at least this gives us somewhere to keep our luggage and freshen up etc.

[polkadot1]

We are on the same cruise but fly on the 8th. What flight are you on? We do not get into Miami until 5.45. Having done these trips before tend to find not up for much before trying to get a good nights sleep. I have found that cruise lines are now using hotels near the airports which I think might be more convenient for them to transfer people from the airport.

 

Ann

 

Hi Lyann

 

We are on flight DL261 and fly on 10th from Heathrow at 9.40am, which gets us into Miami at 15.05.

 

We had to change the dates of our cruise due to a family situation, orginally we were going on Equinox 28th Feb and our flights were with Virgin. For this trip the Virgin flights were fully booked and also our pre cruise hotel was the Hilton FL Marina, but sadly there was not availability for this trip, unless we were willing to pay around £100. We decided to stay with the Marriott as this is included in the fly/cruise package.

[Lyann]

We booked this cruise late as we were originally on Brilliance of the Seas Dubai to Barcelona. Just booked the day before the troubles started in Egypt. Anyway cancelled that and are now on Equinox. We are flying BA and staying at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach for 3 days pre-cruise. So looking forward to this after all the hassles we had with the RCCL cruise and cancelling etc.

 

See you on board.

Ann

[u2cruiser]

Hi u2cruiser

 

We also tried to change our hotel and were advised that to do this there would be an additional charge, so we opted to stay with the Marriott. My post cruise hotel is the Sheraton Miami Airport, this was all a part of my fly/cruise package. We disembark from Equinox after breakfast and our flight home to UK is not untill 18.30, so at least this gives us somewhere to keep our luggage and freshen up etc.

 

At least the Marriott sounds ok according to 2 kind posters on here, with facilities around the area. (Thanks NYCDutchman and ZoeyVictoria). I would have liked to be nearer the port though.

 

Have a fantastic cruise polkadot1 :D

[Spender Nui]

I've stayed at the Marriott North and although not my favorite in the area it is a fine hotel.

 

Someone mentioned the Blue Moon Fish Company restaurant. We've eaten there several times and have always enjoyed it. 2 for 1 lunches and great atmosphere. I don't know how convenient it might be.

[royalcruz]

It could cost you $40 each way to the port area and by 5:30 PM there will be no ships to see, as they will have all sailed out. Also, there aren't port views from any of the restaurants in the area. A taxi to the beach area at Lauderdale by the Sea would cost about $20 each way. It's quaint and fun there. You could just hang out around the hotel and eat at Cypress Creek Station where there is a movie theatre and a bunch of restaurants: Longhorn Steakhouse, Sweet Tomatoes, Champps, Hooters, Carlucci's, Moonlite Diner.

[Freecall]

I am really curious as to how you ended up in a hotel so far away. As it is a fly/cruise deal, are you saying that X booked you there or is it just a local TA?

 

.

[polkadot1]

I am really curious as to how you ended up in a hotel so far away. As it is a fly/cruise deal, are you saying that X booked you there or is it just a local TA?

 

.

 

Hi

 

This hotel was given to me by celebrity as being the only hotel now available at no additional charge as a part of the fly/cruise package. If I had wanted to stay at the Hilton FL for example then I would have to pay the extra for this.

From what I understand, X have only a limited availability for selected hotels near the port, because for my original booking for Feb, I was allocated the Hilton. When I had to change this date to the cruise in April, the situation was somewhat different.

Anyway, I am happy now that some of you tell me this is a great hotel and I think I will just relax and enjoy eating out in the evening. My flight does not get into Miami untill 15.00, so that does not leave a great deal of time for doing too much.

Can't wait for the cruise though and not too much longer to wait.

 

Thank you to all for your replies, they have been a great help.

[u2cruiser]

I am really curious as to how you ended up in a hotel so far away. As it is a fly/cruise deal, are you saying that X booked you there or is it just a local TA?

 

.

 

Hi Freecall,

 

Our booking is part of the X package too. X allocate the hotels not the TA. We were told that the port hotels were fully booked (I wonder if they have so many rooms at each hotel?) and we weren't offered a move with an extra fee. Last time we sailed from FLL with Princess and they used the Intercontinental in Miami for overnight stays. Transfers from the airport and to the port are included.

 

It doesn't really matter as it's just a short time and we'll be tired, but we have a very large, active roll call and I suspect they will be meeting up the night before, which we won't be able to attend without a large taxi fee.

 

In Miami, we hitched a lift on Intercontinental's shuttle bus to Hooters for a meal and it was great fun. :)