Fort Lauderdale info

[GrammaJo128]

I already posted this last night but another poster recommened I change the title in the hopes of getting the attention of people very familar with the Fort Lauderdale area. Basically I'm becoming very overwhelmed with finding a place to stay for three nights pre-cruise. We have very little travel experience and this is our first cruise. I won't bore you with all the frustrated facts I originally posted! :D We are flying into FLL because airfare was cheaper, but we are leaving for the cruise from The Port of Miami. We just are looking for a nice, clean place on the beach and with a nice pool. We want to be near convenience store or tiny grocery, and some fast food type places. Mostly because we want to save most of our budget for the actual cruise! We are hoping to stay under $170.00 a night, and that is even higher than we'd prefer. :) Maybe I'm looking for the impossible. Also, to complicate it a little more, if anyone knows transportation estimates to get from Fort Lauderdale to the Port of Miami, I'd appreciate any info on that also. I can't thank the people on these boards enough! What an awesome thing to have for new cruisers!

[royalcruz]

Fort Lauderdale beach doesn't have grocery stores and fast food, but there is a CVS and convenience stores around. Bahia Mar and Alhambra are usually offered at the lowest prices and are somewhat convenient to places. For the lowest prices at Bahia Mar, use hiltonfamilymvp with a free hhonors number to sign in.

[AlFrank]

I already posted this last night but another poster recommened I change the title in the hopes of getting the attention of people very familar with the Fort Lauderdale area. Basically I'm becoming very overwhelmed with finding a place to stay for three nights pre-cruise. We have very little travel experience and this is our first cruise. I won't bore you with all the frustrated facts I originally posted! :D We are flying into FLL because airfare was cheaper, but we are leaving for the cruise from The Port of Miami. We just are looking for a nice, clean place on the beach and with a nice pool. We want to be near convenience store or tiny grocery, and some fast food type places. Mostly because we want to save most of our budget for the actual cruise! We are hoping to stay under $170.00 a night, and that is even higher than we'd prefer. :) Maybe I'm looking for the impossible. Also, to complicate it a little more, if anyone knows transportation estimates to get from Fort Lauderdale to the Port of Miami, I'd appreciate any info on that also. I can't thank the people on these boards enough! What an awesome thing to have for new cruisers!

You could check on hotwire.com for deals on hotels. Problem being you don't know which hotel you will get until you book and it hits your charge card immediately and no refunds. We are staying 1 nite pre-cruise chose the 4 star hotels and got the Westin Beach Resort for $101. + tax = 120. Also you can go for a 3 or 3 1/2 star for less. We will have a car so don't see getting around a problem. You can check different web sites, for the HOHO bus and water taxis, this may help you get around. We have used Priceline and Hotwire and have had no problems with either, this time didn't want to go thru the bidding process. Good luck.

[eandj]

Would be easier to point you somewhere if we knew the dates you are staying. Rates vary tremendously depending on exact date.

[Kelliegirl2u]

We are doing the same thing, flying in 2 days before cruise and staying 3 days post cruise. We booked a room at Ocean Sky Resort (Directly on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale) and recommended by my daughter in law and her family. We got a AAA rate of $130.00 per night for the end of Janauary.

[royalcruz]

We are doing the same thing, flying in 2 days before cruise and staying 3 days post cruise. We booked a room at Ocean Sky Resort (Directly on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale) and recommended by my daughter in law and her family. We got a AAA rate of $130.00 per night for the end of Janauary.

I forgot about that hotel...Actually, that hotel IS across from grocery store and McDonald's, as is Ocean Manor resort, but I don't tend to recommend those hotels because they get such mixed reviews and are a few miles further from Port Everglades than the other Fort Lauderdale beach hotels. The hotel is fine, right on the ocean...I have stayed there but not for a few years. It is probably perfect for the OP. There are a bunch of restaurants a few blocks away, including Nick's Italian and Pizza, and Subway, since the OP is looking for budget meals, but there are really good restaurants too, like Lucca, 33rd and Dine, and Greek Islands.

[GrammaJo128]

Thanks for your responses. We had actually considered the Ocean Sky Hotel but then someone said it would costs us about $100.00 for a taxi to the Port of Miami. Then, as one of you said, the reviews were all over the place! I may consider it though since it really does fit some of our needs and at least one of you got the recommendation from a family member. I just need to figure out the transport costs first. Oh, our dates are Oct 18 through Oct 21st. I didn't realize rates fluctuated that much in Florida. It always seems like it would be 'in season'. :)

[thepeach]

You can use this link for a shuttle from Ft. Lauderdale to POM and POM to Ft. Lauderdale Airport. It's $15 per person. We are doing this on Saturday for our Valor cruise: http://www.ridesas.com

[girlscruise2011]

Thanks for your responses. We had actually considered the Ocean Sky Hotel but then someone said it would costs us about $100.00 for a taxi to the Port of Miami. Then, as one of you said, the reviews were all over the place! I may consider it though since it really does fit some of our needs and at least one of you got the recommendation from a family member. I just need to figure out the transport costs first. Oh, our dates are Oct 18 through Oct 21st. I didn't realize rates fluctuated that much in Florida. It always seems like it would be 'in season'. :)

 

In addition to SAS there is QLS (www dot qualitylimoservice dot com). Depending how many you are, they charge as little as $12.50 pp (I'm 7 people) and start their shared shuttles at 10am. SAS starts their shared shuttles at 11am and I'd rather be at the port as soon as I can.

[Kelliegirl2u]

We found that renting a car was cheaper than shuttle for us. I got a great rate of 38.00 for a 24 hour rental from Budget. Cheaper than the shuttle and we wont be tied to a certain area. Worth checking into

[royalcruz]

Thanks for your responses. We had actually considered the Ocean Sky Hotel but then someone said it would costs us about $100.00 for a taxi to the Port of Miami. Then, as one of you said, the reviews were all over the place! I may consider it though since it really does fit some of our needs and at least one of you got the recommendation from a family member. I just need to figure out the transport costs first. Oh, our dates are Oct 18 through Oct 21st. I didn't realize rates fluctuated that much in Florida. It always seems like it would be 'in season'. :)

It will cost $75 to $100 for a cab from any part of Fort Lauderdale to Port of Miami. If SAS won't pick you up from this hotel (it might be too far north for them) then you can get a taxi to FLL for about $25-30 and get a ride from there from SAS. Season starts Oct 1 but since it's the beginning of season some hotel rates aren't outrageous yet.