Hotel Question

[FrsttimeCruiser]

Hi All,

 

New to the whole cruise experience, our 1st cruise will be March 5th on the conquest. My question is we are going down to Ft. Lauderdale FL on the 4th and spending the night, can anyone suggest a nice hotel that's not to crazy in price, preferably with a nice pool ( I have young boys :) ) that is maybe by the port? Also when searching for a hotel on line I want to pick one by the port, is there a name for the port where you dock the ship? Do these hotels usually have a shuttle service to the ships? Thanks for any help with this. Sorry im new to all this. :D

[KARTI1955]

Kristin, check out the Florida Departures section here on CC http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=672. There are some amazing folks there that always have the best suggestions for hotels. They have helped me a ton! Enjoy your first cruise! You will be hooked. :)

[GTO-Girl]

Winter months are high season for this area so you really need to lock in something ASAP!

 

The 17th street area is close to the port and very popular with cruisers. I know there is an Embassy Suites, Hyatt Place and Holiday Inn Express.

 

There are several nice local folks on these boards that will be able to give you a lot of info.

 

You also may want to post this on the Florida Departure board for a quicker response.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!!

[FrsttimeCruiser]

Awesome!! thanks so much. I will be booking very soon and thanks for the other board, I will check that out also. :)

[summersigh]

We like Comfort Inn and Suites on Federal Hwy near the port. Has an outdoor pool, breakfast. They have a shuttle to the port or will call a cab for you. If you ask for a room on a high floor with windows facing east and you can see the ships in the port from the room.

 

 

You might want to google "snooze and cruise Ft Lauderdale"

[FrsttimeCruiser]

Oh Awesome! Thanks Summersigh!

[stargate fan]

Hi All,

 

New to the whole cruise experience, our 1st cruise will be March 5th on the conquest. My question is we are going down to Ft. Lauderdale FL on the 4th and spending the night, can anyone suggest a nice hotel that's not to crazy in price, preferably with a nice pool ( I have young boys :) ) that is maybe by the port? Also when searching for a hotel on line I want to pick one by the port, is there a name for the port where you dock the ship? Do these hotels usually have a shuttle service to the ships? Thanks for any help with this. Sorry im new to all this. :D

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising! You will be sailing out of Port Everglades, the only cruise port in Fort Lauderdale.

 

We have stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th twice so far. I am partial to Embassy Suites anyway because all rooms are two-room suites. There is a fold-out couch (very comfy, I might add) and a tv in the living area and king or two doubles and a tv in the bedroom. There is a door that separates the two rooms. There is also a small fridge and microwave.

 

One of the best parts of the whole Embassy Suites chain is the breakfast. Made to order omelets, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, plus all the other "normal" hotel breakfast items. This is included in the price. When you look to price the Embassy Suites, take the breakfast into account. The buffet would easily cost $20 pp at a restaurant. Every evening there is a Manager's Reception with complimentary adult drinks, soda, and munchies.

 

The pool at the ES in Fort Lauderdale is beautiful. There is a koi pond that snakes around under a walking bridge. I bet your boys would get a kick out of that.

 

We always ask for a room on a high floor overlooking the port. It's fun to watch the ships as they come in at 5:00 am.

 

ES is a five minute taxi ride from the airport and a five minute taxi ride to the port.

 

Directly behind the ES is a shopping plaza. It's a quick five minute walk. There are restaurants and shops, including a supermarket, in the plaza. There is a yellow trolley that runs from the shopping plaza to Fort Lauderdale Beach. There are all kinds of shops and restaurants on the side of the street oppoite from the beach.

 

We sailed Conquest in February. We had a great cruise! Hope you do too.

Edited December 9, 2015 by stargate fan

[FrsttimeCruiser]

Oh wow! Thanks Stargate fan. I will definitely check out the Embassy suites. That would be awesome to see the ships coming in. :D Glad you enjoyed your cruise, we are very excited!!

[royalcruz]

These hotels are near the port and have nice pools:

Embassy Suites

Hyatt Pier 66

Hilton Marina

 

Hyatt Place Convention Center has an ok pool, nothing special. I'm not sure about the others in the area.

 

The port is really close to the beach too. You can often get good deals at Doubletree Bahia Mar at the beach. It's a bit dated, but the boys might enjoy the beach. :)

 

Some of the port hotels offer fee-based port shuttles, but for more than 2 people it costs less for a taxi, and it's much more convenient.

[capriccio]

For a list of hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc. in Fort Lauderdale, check out http://www.sunny.org. As others have said, it will be hard to find any bargains since it is the height of spring break season.

[royalcruz]

These hotels are near the port and have nice pools:

Embassy Suites

Hyatt Pier 66

Hilton Marina

 

Hyatt Place Convention Center has an ok pool, nothing special. I'm not sure about the others in the area.

 

The port is really close to the beach too. You can often get good deals at Doubletree Bahia Mar at the beach. It's a bit dated, but the boys might enjoy the beach. :)

 

Some of the port hotels offer fee-based port shuttles, but for more than 2 people it costs less for a taxi, and it's much more convenient.

 

Hotels are filling up fast. On the list I gave you, Embassy Suites, Hilton Marina, and Bahia Mar are coming up as unavailable tonight.

[kayehall]

welcome to the wonderful world of cruising! You will be sailing out of port everglades, the only cruise port in fort lauderdale.

 

We have stayed at the embassy suites on 17th twice so far. I am partial to embassy suites anyway because all rooms are two-room suites. There is a fold-out couch (very comfy, i might add) and a tv in the living area and king or two doubles and a tv in the bedroom. There is a door that separates the two rooms. There is also a small fridge and microwave.

 

One of the best parts of the whole embassy suites chain is the breakfast. Made to order omelets, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, plus all the other "normal" hotel breakfast items. This is included in the price. When you look to price the embassy suites, take the breakfast into account. The buffet would easily cost $20 pp at a restaurant. Every evening there is a manager's reception with complimentary adult drinks, soda, and munchies.

 

The pool at the es in fort lauderdale is beautiful. There is a koi pond that snakes around under a walking bridge. I bet your boys would get a kick out of that.

 

We always ask for a room on a high floor overlooking the port. It's fun to watch the ships as they come in at 5:00 am.

 

Es is a five minute taxi ride from the airport and a five minute taxi ride to the port.

 

Directly behind the es is a shopping plaza. It's a quick five minute walk. There are restaurants and shops, including a supermarket, in the plaza. There is a yellow trolley that runs from the shopping plaza to fort lauderdale beach. There are all kinds of shops and restaurants on the side of the street oppoite from the beach.

 

We sailed conquest in february. We had a great cruise! Hope you do too.

 

ditto!!!!!

[stargate fan]

Oh wow! Thanks Stargate fan. I will definitely check out the Embassy suites. That would be awesome to see the ships coming in. :D Glad you enjoyed your cruise, we are very excited!!

 

You are most welcome.

 

After all the cruises we've sailed, I still wake up super early, much to my husband's chagrin, and snap photo after photo of the ships coming in. The sight of them is breathtaking.

 

I'm so excited for you for your first cruise. What ports are you visiting?

[FrsttimeCruiser]

Thanks again everyone! I knew I could get lots of great info. Stargate fan - I bet the watching those ships come in is an awesome experience! I have actually never seen one in person, the only places we have been to so far are Disney World (9 times)and Las Vegas (5 times). So this is definitely new to us. We are going with a bunch of experienced cruisers, but we are going down Friday and they are all coming down Saturday morning. We are doing the 8 day Eastern Caribbean and visiting St. Martin, St Kitts, San Juan PR, and Grand Turk. So excited!! :D

[BlueHerons]

Hi All,

 

New to the whole cruise experience, our 1st cruise will be March 5th on the conquest. My question is we are going down to Ft. Lauderdale FL on the 4th and spending the night, can anyone suggest a nice hotel that's not to crazy in price, preferably with a nice pool ( I have young boys :) ) that is maybe by the port? Also when searching for a hotel on line I want to pick one by the port, is there a name for the port where you dock the ship? Do these hotels usually have a shuttle service to the ships? Thanks for any help with this. Sorry im new to all this. :D

 

Because you are sailing in peak season, IF the Embassy Suites still has rooms available, it will be close to $400 per night.

 

You need to define what "not too crazy in price" means.

 

At this late of a date, you will not be able to bargain hunt. Plan on at least $200.

[stargate fan]

Thanks again everyone! I knew I could get lots of great info. Stargate fan - I bet the watching those ships come in is an awesome experience! I have actually never seen one in person, the only places we have been to so far are Disney World (9 times)and Las Vegas (5 times). So this is definitely new to us. We are going with a bunch of experienced cruisers, but we are going down Friday and they are all coming down Saturday morning. We are doing the 8 day Eastern Caribbean and visiting St. Martin, St Kitts, San Juan PR, and Grand Turk. So excited!! :D

 

Ooh, nice ports for your first cruise.

 

May I be nosy :D and ask what excursions you've planned?