Recomended Ft Lauderdale Hotels

[Paulinda]

We are probably going to do a Caribbean cruise with HAL next April. Does anybody know what Hotels the personal cruise consultant would set us up with if we asked. We would be there one day earlier and one day later. It would be nice to be close to the docks if that is an option.

 

Or should we simply book on our own?

[Globaliser]

I've always booked on my own. You may find some recommendations on the Florida Departures forum.

[Snooksi]

I have always booked my own to have more control over my reservation. We always stay at the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina. Nice, clean hotel with gorgeous views of the waterway from the balconies, great restaurants and bars and we have always had great service and stays. We're staying there again this December before our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise. I loved waking up in the morning and being able to see the ship...just brought about even more excitement!!

 

I have also known a lot of fellow cruisers to stay at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 or the Embassy Suites (free breakfast and happy hour but no balconies). I have heard rave reviews from all three of these hotels and they are all within a couple of miles from the port; Embassy being the furthest but still really close.

[Roz]

The airport, hotels, and port are all in close proximity to each other. Head on over to the Florida Departure board for ideas. My favorite is the Embassy Suites on 17th St. A lot of people like the nearby Hyatt, and there's a Holiday Inn Express on the same street.

 

I'm guessing HAL will charge you a lot more than you can book on your own.

 

Roz

[Paulinda]

Thanks for the suggestions. I know that HAL will charge much more than if I went to priceline/expedia etc. and was going to book on by own. I was just wondering what hotels they suggest.

 

Thanks again.

[ski ww]

We also stay at the Embassy on 17th St. Free breakfast they have free happy hour every evening, it's close to the port. The shuttle to the port you have to pay for, I believe it's $18. There is a shopping center right behind the hotel for any last minute items. At the center is also a hop on / off bus $3 pp to see the sights. We asked about the HAL pre / post cruise hotel, it was way expensive. Better & cheaper to book your own.

Allan

[DaveOKC]

To answer the OP's question (from HAL website) - neither are close to the port:

 

HARBOR BEACH MARRIOTT RESORT (Deluxe)

 

The Harbor Beach Marriott Resort is just minutes from Las Olas Boulevard, the Beach Promenade and Sawgrass Mills Mall. Offering 16 acres of private beachfront, a luxurious spa and an oceanfront ballroom, this Fort Lauderdale resort is the perfect beachfront retreat. Available with transfers from either Fort Lauderdale or Miami Airports.

 

WESTIN FORT LAUDERDALE (Value)

 

Enjoy an afternoon in the warm Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach sun overlooking the hotel’s beautiful 3-acre lagoon. Or explore nearby local attractions, including the Palm Aire Golf and Country Club, pristine Fort Lauderdale beaches, or the Isle of Capri Pompano Casino. Available with transfers from either Fort Lauderdale or Miami Airports. Please note that this property is located outside of the city center and is not recommended for multiple night stays.

Edited September 16, 2016 by DaveOKC

[Paulinda]

Thanks Dave OKC. My wife is looking for the beaches.

[StartrainDD]

Thanks Dave OKC. My wife is looking for the beaches.

 

If you are looking to stay at/on the beach the prior suggestions do not work. The Bahia Mar (a Doubletree property) may be the most affordable beach option. I've stayed there and it is 4 out of 5.

 

The Hilton beachfront will be $$$$, as will the Sheraton.

 

The other alternative is the Hilton Marina which offers a limited "Free shuttle" to the beach, but I do not know if you will be there the right hours to take advantage of this.

 

Good luck and enjoy Ft. Lauderdale!

[Cruising-along]

I will never stay at Embassy Suites again. Our room had bugs crawling all over the sheers, the bathroom was moldy and dirty, and fixtures literally falling off the wall. :( Overpriced and dated.

 

I was shocked, since so many on this board seem to love that hotel. Yes the breakfast was good (except for the stale pastries) but having to stand in line for an hour to get it just wasn't worth the trouble.

[durangoscots]

I will never stay at Embassy Suites again. Our room had bugs crawling all over the sheers, the bathroom was moldy and dirty, and fixtures literally falling off the wall. :( Overpriced and dated.

 

I was shocked, since so many on this board seem to love that hotel. Yes the breakfast was good (except for the stale pastries) but having to stand in line for an hour to get it just wasn't worth the trouble.

 

When did you stay there? Recently?

 

Susan

[Cruising-along]

When did you stay there? Recently?

 

Susan

 

4 months ago

[Paulinda]

The airport, hotels, and port are all in close proximity to each other. Head on over to the Florida Departure board for ideas. My favorite is the Embassy Suites on 17th St. A lot of people like the nearby Hyatt, and there's a Holiday Inn Express on the same street.

 

I'm guessing HAL will charge you a lot more than you can book on your own.

 

Roz

 

Maybe I'm just not seeing it but where do I find the Florida Departure board on CC???

[kazu]

I have always booked my own to have more control over my reservation. We always stay at the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina. Nice, clean hotel with gorgeous views of the waterway from the balconies, great restaurants and bars and we have always had great service and stays. We're staying there again this December before our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise. I loved waking up in the morning and being able to see the ship...just brought about even more excitement!!

 

I have also known a lot of fellow cruisers to stay at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 or the Embassy Suites (free breakfast and happy hour but no balconies). I have heard rave reviews from all three of these hotels and they are all within a couple of miles from the port; Embassy being the furthest but still really close.

 

I will never stay at Embassy Suites again. Our room had bugs crawling all over the sheers, the bathroom was moldy and dirty, and fixtures literally falling off the wall. :( Overpriced and dated.

 

I was shocked, since so many on this board seem to love that hotel. Yes the breakfast was good (except for the stale pastries) but having to stand in line for an hour to get it just wasn't worth the trouble.

 

Bolding is mine Snooksi - Embassy Suites does have rooms with balconies -they are not large -but they do have balconies ;)

 

Cruising-along - I am so sorry and very surprised to hear this.

 

We have never waited any longer for a made to order breakfast than we do on HAL ;)

 

I am very surprised about the condition of your room even more. We haven't encountered this. Did you speak to the hotel manager and try to get moved?

 

Granted the hotel is not new but bugs? Fixtures falling? Dirty and moldy?? Totally unacceptable. :( .

 

Never encountered that and I had better not when we are there next year again. Our stays have been great and hoping it stays that way.

 

Kazu has no tolerance for bugs, mold or falling light fixtures:eek:

[DaveOKC]

Maybe I'm just not seeing it but where do I find the Florida Departure board on CC???

 

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

[Cruising-along]

Bolding is mine Snooksi - Embassy Suites does have rooms with balconies -they are not large -but they do have balconies ;)

 

Cruising-along - I am so sorry and very surprised to hear this.

 

We have never waited any longer for a made to order breakfast than we do on HAL ;)

 

It was packed when we were there, and nearly impossible to get a table. The line stretched all around the room. Probably a lot of ships in.

 

I am very surprised about the condition of your room even more. We haven't encountered this. Did you speak to the hotel manager and try to get moved?

 

This was our second room, the first one reeked of smoke. I'm fairly tolerant of smoke, but there was no way I could spend a night in that room. You could even smell it outside the door. So after moving once already, and having been traveling all day from the west coast, exhausted, we didn't say anything about the 2nd room. Just wasn't up to it. I did write a review on Trip Advisor, and just have decided to never stay there again.

 

Granted the hotel is not new but bugs? Fixtures falling? Dirty and moldy?? Totally unacceptable. :( .

 

I was shocked. The hook on the back of the bathroom door fell off when I touched it. The whole bathroom had that "ewww" feeling.

 

Never encountered that and I had better not when we are there next year again. Our stays have been great and hoping it stays that way.

 

Kazu has no tolerance for bugs, mold or falling light fixtures:eek:

 

Answers in red above. I have no tolerance for bugs etc. either. :) Not a light fixture, the hook on the door (which is easily fixed, but it seemed that nothing had been taken care of in that room). :( We may have just had bad luck, my friends have never encountered this either. But there are too many choices to give it another chance.

[kazu]

Answers in red above. I have no tolerance for bugs etc. either. :) Not a light fixture, the hook on the door (which is easily fixed, but it seemed that nothing had been taken care of in that room). :( We may have just had bad luck, my friends have never encountered this either. But there are too many choices to give it another chance.

 

I don't blame you one bit. I'm not good at giving second chances either.

 

So sorry this happened to you. Not a great way to start a cruise.

[iancal]

We have not stayed at the Embassy Suites for two years. On our last visit we found the rooms to be vey dated, very dark, and in need of a major refresh.

 

They were renovating the atrium but it was the rooms and the elevators that really needed the upgrade.

[ski ww]

We've stayed there three times & have never had those kind of problems. As for the line ups for breakfast never had those either. I do agree if we'd had those problems we would not be very happy either. We'll be there again in Dec.

Allan

[POA1]

I'd consider a couple of factors when choosing your hotel. First, how long are you going to be there pre-cruise? Do you have a whole day, or are you just going to fly in, have dinner, and go to bed? If it's the latter, I'd look for something more reasonably priced. On the day you're returning from your cruise, it sounds like you'll have a whole day, so you might want something closer to the beach or downtown near Las Olas Blvd. That'll give you a base of operations for doing some more touristy things.

[Cruising-along]

I don't blame you one bit. I'm not good at giving second chances either.

 

So sorry this happened to you. Not a great way to start a cruise.

 

Thank you, Kazu. :)

Sorry to derail this thread, off my soap box now. :D

[POA1]

Closest to the port are the Hyatt Pier 66 and the Hilton Marina. (There are several Hiltons, so consult a map.) If you want to watch the ships go in and out, a room on the upper floors facing south are what you want.

[dfish]

We bit the bullet and booked the Marriot Harbor Beach through HAL. If it was just sis and me, we'd stay at Motel 6 and make the best of it for one night, but with my dad with us, we wanted ease and comfort.

[dogo88]

Last time we cruised out of FLL, 10/2015, we stayed at the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center. They offered free shuttle service from the airport and had paid shuttle service to the ship for a couple of bucks each. Rooms were very large and clean, service was great and rate was reasonable. It close to restaurants where you can easily walk to.

 

We usually fly in the day before and don't look to spend a fortune on a room for one night especially since we're heading out on a cruise.

 

Dan

[POA1]

We bit the bullet and booked the Marriot Harbor Beach through HAL. If it was just sis and me, we'd stay at Motel 6 and make the best of it for one night, but with my dad with us, we wanted ease and comfort.

 

If you walk out onto the beach, you'll be able to see the ships going in and out. If you're feeling ambitious, you can walk all the way down the beach to the breakwater and you'll be right along the channel. It's 1.2 km or about 3/4 mile.