Pre & Post Cruise Questions

[DCpow]

We are taking our first Holland America cruise on the Eurodam in October out of Ft. Lauderdale. What are your favorite pre & post cruise hotels in the Ft. Lauderdale area?

 

Also, we will have 2 days post cruise. What is fun to do & see in the Ft. Lauderdale area?

 

Thanks!! :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

For many, many years we have stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th Street both pre and post cruise. It is within walking distance of the Harbor Shops -- Publix in case you forget anything -- Total Wine if you want to buy wine to take on the ship -- other shops and restaurants. There are also a couple of other small strip malls within walking distance.

You can do the Everglades boat ride, visit Saw Grass Mall, take the Jungle Queen boat ride through the Intercoastal waterway. There is a trolley -- hop on -- hop off and see various places.

[Typhoon1]

Another vote for Embassy Suites.

[cb at sea]

I would NEVER spend time "post cruise"...a suitcase of dirty clothes...yuck. Pre-cruise is cool...starts the vacation right!

 

There's no real reason to hang around after your cruise. You can hit the plane and head on home.

[Banditswife]

I would NEVER spend time "post cruise"...a suitcase of dirty clothes...yuck. Pre-cruise is cool...starts the vacation right!

 

There's no real reason to hang around after your cruise. You can hit the plane and head on home.

This is a matter of opinion. We have often stayed a few days post cruise & had wonderful times.

[kazu]

This is a matter of opinion. We have often stayed a few days post cruise & had wonderful times.

 

ditto :) nothing wrong with a day or two before we hit the cold weather back home. Plus it eliminates some rush and waiting. Much easier to tackle it the next day or two if time is on your side.

[AncientWanderer]

We, too, really enjoyed the Jungle Cruise boat ride through the intercoastal waters. I had no idea what was there in Ft. Lauderdale until we did this -- and now have great respect for that city. A very memorable experience.

[Hlitner]

Post cruise we will sometimes rent a car and drive down to Key West for a few days. This is one case where the drive is half the fun. This kind of post cruise extension makes the end of the cruise less traumatic as we are looking forward to the next part of the journey.

 

Hank

[RMLincoln]

Check out the Homeports forum for a lot of ideas.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

Edited July 15, 2015 by RMLincoln

[cruz chic]

I would NEVER spend time "post cruise"...a suitcase of dirty clothes...yuck. Pre-cruise is cool...starts the vacation right!

 

There's no real reason to hang around after your cruise. You can hit the plane and head on home.

 

I don't recall the op asking for opinions on this. The Fort Lauderdale airport is an absolute zoo on Saturdays and Sunday's. It is wall to wall people. I do anything I can to avoid flying home those days.

 

To the op - I've tried a number of hotels and pretty much every one of them has been better then the embassy suites. That said, I really like the location. I like the Hyatt pier 66 and the Marriott harbor beach resort.

[POA1]

If you are flying out of FLL on a weekend, you'll find that the early morning flights are your best bet. If you leave before 8 AM, it's relatively uncrowded. Once the cruise ship passengers show up - around 9-ish - things tend to back up. If your flight leaves before 7 am, it's downright serene.

[cruiseJMO]

This might be my first time disagreeing with you, but I disagree big time.

 

Life gets busy; I'm used to dirty laundry.

Work schedules are a huge part of if we have time pre or post cruise.

Mentally, I'd rather the extra time after my cruise. I have so much anxiety making sure I'm prepared for the cruise. Doing extra after the cruise isn't adding any additional risks for my flustered mind.

[cruiseJMO]

Post cruise we will sometimes rent a car and drive down to Key West for a few days. This is one case where the drive is half the fun. This kind of post cruise extension makes the end of the cruise less traumatic as we are looking forward to the next part of the journey.

 

Hank

Good point (less trauma).

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

Tried to find a roll call for dec5, Westerdam sailing...no luck and I don't know how to start one. Looking for shuttle from MIA to port Everglades and return. Does HAL have transfers? Could only find excursions on disembarkation day, but flight is too early. Most shuttle services require a U.S. Cell phone and being a Canadian this is not possible for us....any ideas?

[kazu]

Tried to find a roll call for dec5, Westerdam sailing...no luck and I don't know how to start one. Looking for shuttle from MIA to port Everglades and return. Does HAL have transfers? Could only find excursions on disembarkation day, but flight is too early. Most shuttle services require a U.S. Cell phone and being a Canadian this is not possible for us....any ideas?

 

 

 

If you get a roll call going you might be able to share a private transfer (which I prefer as you have more control).

 

I've had no problem booking those and I am Canadian too. They were happy with my cell phone number.

 

I looked and I don't see a roll call either so, just go here (which I think you found) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=323

 

and click where it says new thread and you will be starting your roll call :)

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

If you get a roll call going you might be able to share a private transfer (which I prefer as you have more control).

 

I've had no problem booking those and I am Canadian too. They were happy with my cell phone number.

 

I looked and I don't see a roll call either so, just go here (which I think you found) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=323

 

and click where it says new thread and you will be starting your roll call :)

 

Hi fellow Maritimer. Started a new thread as you said. How does it become a rollcall? Went to rollcall tool and it was not there.

[kazu]

Hi fellow Maritimer. Started a new thread as you said. How does it become a rollcall? Went to rollcall tool and it was not there.

 

hello back

 

I looked and it is there so it is now a roll call.

 

Ignore the roll call tour and just stick to the roll call on the Westerdam roll call page. If your subscriptions are in place you will be able to check it for updates.

 

You can also elect to get an email notification when someone posts on it (which is what I do on my roll calls).

 

hope this helps :)

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

Thanks for the assistance. Looks like you are very organized and get to enjoy fab cruises!

[kazu]

Thanks for the assistance. Looks like you are very organized and get to enjoy fab cruises!

 

ha! ha! I am NOT as organized as people think. Especially on certain days.

 

Glad to help :)

[MacThespian]

Tried to find a roll call for dec5, Westerdam sailing...no luck and I don't know how to start one. Looking for shuttle from MIA to port Everglades and return. Does HAL have transfers? Could only find excursions on disembarkation day, but flight is too early. Most shuttle services require a U.S. Cell phone and being a Canadian this is not possible for us....any ideas?

I just started a roll call for the December 5th sailing; you should be able to find it online now.

We're going to fly into FLL, not Miami, so I don't know about shuttles. (I had done a little research on this, and I don't think HAL has a shuttle--but I'm not sure.)

[take us away]

Back to the original question about what to do in FLL. pre and post cruise.

 

An airboat ride thru the Everglades is unique and some find it wonderful. Another vote from me for the Jungle boat thru the intercoastal. Have a friend who stays an extra day to go charter fishing so the fish is fresh when he ships it home.

[cruiseJMO]

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk. Many places to rent different types of bikes (tandem, carriages, electric...).