jacksonville hotels/jacksonville landing

[DONDONMA]

What hotels are in the area of Jacksonville cruise terminal? We will be taking the Celebration on August 27th for the 5 night cruise to Key West and Nassau.

We are driving from Massachusetts and are debating on staying in Savannah Georgia Friday nite and then driving to the dock on Saturday morning vs. spending Friday nite in Jacksonville. I would like to see the Jacksonville Landing area, saw some of it on the Super Bowl ( :cool: yes I am a Pats fan :cool: ) and it looked like it might be a fun place to check out.

 

Any suggestions?????????

 

Dondonma

[teamrlk]

Dondonma,

 

There is one hotel close to the pier, however there is nothing to do around the pier. The Landing is a good 10 miles or so from the pier.

 

As you said you are driving, I would suggest a hotel by the airport, which is north of the "city" itself. Some offer free parking (where the pier charges $10 per day). You can then drive to the Landing (which is downtown) or other areas before you board the ship.

 

FYI - Savannah is a good 2 hour drive from Jacksonville, but it is a beautiful city. The riverfront area has many more dining/entertainment options than the Landing.

 

I'd also suggest requesting vacation/travel planners from Savannah and Jacksonville to help you with your decision.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy your cruise and your visit to Jacksonville.

[DONDONMA]

Teamrlk:

 

 

Thanks For The Reply.

 

While In Savannah, We Plan To Go The The Lady And Sons Restaurant. Do You Ever Watch Paula Dean On The Food Network? This Is Her Restaurant And We Love Watching Her. So We Thought We Would Go There Friday Nite, Bunk Down For The Night, Get Up Early And Head Out For Jacksonville In The Morning.

 

Being That You Are From Jacksonville, What Is There To Do In The City? From What I Remember Watching The Super Bowl Pregame Coverage, Is That There Was Not Much To Do, People Had To Go Out The City To Find Things To Do.

 

Donna

[Crabpatti]

If you plan to go to The Lady and Sons...plan on waiting in line a good long time...we're talking 1 1/2 to 2 hours...as they do not accept reservations for less than 10 people...good food however...Patti

[DONDONMA]

would you suggest going for lunch instead of dinner?

 

would the wait be shorter?

 

what do you recommend for appetizers and entrees?

 

have you every tried the buffet? I would love to be able to try different dishes.

 

donna

[teamrlk]

Donna,

 

I went to Savannah with some guests last month. Mid-week. The lunch line at 1:30 was so long the host would not even take our names. He suggested getting back in line for dinner, that started at 5. I've never seen her show although one of my guests (who insisted on trying to go there for lunch) raved about how great the show was and how he wanted to try the food. I did look in the window and the buffet looked great. I just can't justify waiting that long for food, but that's me.

 

As far as what to do in Jax, it depends on your interests. I live at the beach, so I am partial to beach activities. The new Jacksonville Beach Pier is fantastic and a cheap escape at a buck per person. The beaches areas though are a bit of a drive from the pier area, probably about 10 miles.

 

If you are into history, there is the Kingsley Plantation and the Fort Caroline Monument that are reasonably close to the pier area. Downtown has the Cummer art museum and the Museum of Science and History (AKA MOSH). Shopping is always and option and the new mall, St Johns Town Center (or something like that) is a new, open air concept mall that also houses a Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Ted's Montana Buffalo and Maggiano's Little Italy, as some of the more 'upscale' dining. Again, the 'new' mall is not that far of a deviation from the pier area, and would not be too complicated for drivers unfamiliar with Jacksonville.

 

Everywhere you go in Jax there's a golf course, so if golf is your thing, you've reached nirvana. I'm not a big golf fan so I can't really help you there. And the World Golf Hall of Fame is just down the road in St Augustine, right off of 95.

 

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, post away. I'll keep checking back.

 

Lisa

[tONYpAL85]

Donna,

 

The landing really isn't as fun as it used to be back in the day. What you saw during the Super Bowl was a very rare occassion. It looked fun because almost the entire city of Jacksonville as well as tourists were jammed into downtown and into The Landing. I have heard that Savannah is a very fun place, so personally I would go there and then drive to Jax in the morning. If you want to drive past Jacksonville and goto St. Augustine, that is actually a fun little town to visit if you have never done so before. ALOT of history there, you can visit the Fort and there are numerous ghost tours at night. From central Jacksonville, I would say St. Augustine is about an extra 30 minute drive south. You can take 95 South, but I prefer taking Philips Highway (US 1). I think St. Augustine would be a better choice than The Landing and Jacksonville in general. But thats just my .02 cents.

Have fun

~Tony

[DONDONMA]

Tony:

 

 

Thanks for your .02 cents ! ! ! !

 

That's what I like about this board, you ask a question and get the good, :D the bad,:mad: and the indifferent. :confused: I'll take all this info and make a plan ! Whatever we do will be great.....cuz we are on vacation ! ! ! ! ! ! !:cool: :cool:

 

Thanks again,

 

Donna in MA

[purplehair]

Donna

I would agree with Tony. St. Augustine is beautiful and I'm a mountain lover, not a coastal person. There are numurous hotels there plus some really nice bed and breakfast. I stayed at the Casa de Suenos this past January. Very nice! There is so much history there and it is so quaint.

Jacksonville is nice but I would suggest starting your vacation in St. Augustine. It is only 30 minutes south of Jax. via 95 or U.S.1

Have fun!!!

Tami in Jacksonville.

 

P.S. It's true about Lady and Sons, very long waits. Great food in St. Augustine, the Columbia is nice.