Charleston, SC Hotels

[CelticSpirit89]

Which hotels in Charleston, SC offer free parking and shuttles to the port? I have seen several which offer parking but there is a charge.

[waterbug123]

17 hours ago, CelticSpirit89 said:

Which hotels in Charleston, SC offer free parking and shuttles to the port? I have seen several which offer parking but there is a charge.

 

You probably won't find any offering free parking in downtown/historic Charleston, which is where the cruise port is.  Look either in Mt. Pleasant, which is immediately over the Cooper River to the east; quite a few hotels clustered near the base of the Ravenel Bridge on the MtP side, and relatively convenient to the port.  May or may not have shuttles, but it's a quick Uber ride.  Or look in the West Ashley/Savannah Hwy part of Charleston, across the Ashley River to the west of downtown.  You'll have to go pretty far down Savannah Hwy (Hwy 17) in this direction though, to get to where the hotels are. 

[couplelovestravel]

agree with above.  The cruise terminal in Charleston is in the historical district and hotels are expensive with limited parking.  Airport is off of Ashley Phosphate and somewhere there may offer.

[waterbug123]

13 hours ago, couplelovestravel said:

 Airport is off of Ashley Phosphate and somewhere there may offer.

 

No.  The airport is just off of I-526 near Montague Ave.   Ashley Phosphate Rd. is further west off of I-26.   I absolutely do NOT recommend staying anywhere off Ashley Phosphate, no matter the price.  It's a pretty nasty area.  There are hotels near the airport if you choose to stay there, but I'd make Mt. Pleasant your choice.

[navybankerteacher]

Historic Charleston is worth a visit - more than just a place to board a cruise ship.  There are a number of great hotels within easy walk, or cheap cab ride,  of cruise terminal. Perhaps you could find cheap parking a reasonable Uber ride away, and enjoy the beautiful city in addition to your cruise.  

[CelticSpirit89]

Our daughter used to live in Mt. Pleasant so we are a little familiar with the area. 

I've spent tons of time online trying to find an affordable hotel with shuttle service but the few which offer shuttle service in Mt. Pleasant and Daniel Island, are too expensive for us. I found reviews from three people (TripAdvisor) who had stayed at a hotel just off Ashley Phosphate and these people gave this particular hotel great reviews along with the shuttle service so we chose it. It's very far out and not near anything worth seeing but the price, $229 per night, was the cheapest we could find with shuttle service to and from the port.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

[waterbug123]

17 hours ago, CelticSpirit89 said:

I found reviews from three people (TripAdvisor) who had stayed at a hotel just off Ashley Phosphate and these people gave this particular hotel great reviews along with the shuttle service so we chose it. It's very far out and not near anything worth seeing but the price, $229 per night, was the cheapest we could find with shuttle service to and from the port.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

 

What hotel is it?  Just curious. 

[CelticSpirit89]

Holiday Inn Express,

7670 Northwoods Blvd.

North Charleston SC

 

1-843-553-1600 (front desk)

 

 

[TruckerDave]

On 8/25/2019 at 2:46 PM, CelticSpirit89 said:

Our daughter used to live in Mt. Pleasant so we are a little familiar with the area. 

I've spent tons of time online trying to find an affordable hotel with shuttle service but the few which offer shuttle service in Mt. Pleasant and Daniel Island, are too expensive for us. I found reviews from three people (TripAdvisor) who had stayed at a hotel just off Ashley Phosphate and these people gave this particular hotel great reviews along with the shuttle service so we chose it. It's very far out and not near anything worth seeing but the price, $229 per night, was the cheapest we could find with shuttle service to and from the port.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

Thats crazy money for a hotel that far away form downtown. (I saw your next post of what and where it is).  You can certainly stay closer and just grab an uber or taxi to the port. No need to have a hotel shuttle service.

[waterbug123]

On 8/26/2019 at 8:25 AM, CelticSpirit89 said:

Holiday Inn Express,

7670 Northwoods Blvd.

North Charleston SC

 

1-843-553-1600 (front desk)

 

 

 

Ok, so that's just off the end of Ashley Phosphate, near Northwoods Mall....Not a terribly bad area in and of itself, but also nothing to write home about.  Plenty of chain restaurants and places to pick up any last minute forgotten items.

 

11 hours ago, TruckerDave said:

Thats crazy money for a hotel that far away form downtown. (I saw your next post of what and where it is).  You can certainly stay closer and just grab an uber or taxi to the port. No need to have a hotel shuttle service.

 

I agree.  I would certainly check some places near the base of the Ravenel Bridge in Mt. Pleasant.  Even if they don't have a shuttle or advertise free parking during the cruise, I would ask about leaving your car and just Uber to the ship in the am.  And enjoy a nice meal in the Shem Creek area for dinner the night before.

[CelticSpirit89]

16 hours ago, TruckerDave said:

Thats crazy money for a hotel that far away form downtown. (I saw your next post of what and where it is).  You can certainly stay closer and just grab an uber or taxi to the port. No need to have a hotel shuttle service.

I agree with the "crazy money" because wherever I called to check on a room, once it was found out that we were sailing, the nightly rate shot way up. This room at the Holiday Inn Express is normally $156 per night but ended up costing us $229 per night because we wanted to leave our car and use the shuttle.

 

We got spoiled sailing out of Port Everglades last October. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in Plantation, outside of Ft. Lauderdale, which was near shopping and restaurants and that hotel offered an included shuttle which picked us up at the airport and took us to the port. The rate there didn't jump up once they found out we were sailing. 

 

The advantage of the shuttle is that it's waiting for us at the port when we arrive and we won't have to wait in either hot sun or rain for whenever it can get there, or so I read somewhere, like having a taxi or Uber.

 

We sailed on the Ecstasy out of Charleston back in 2011 and used a taxi service which was great going to the port but when we called him to pick us up after disembarking, it took him over 30 minutes to come get us and we had to wait out on  a curb in the hot sun. 

 

However, I think your advice, and the others I'm getting about staying somewhere else, is most helpful and I'm now looking for somewhere else, like the Holiday Inn Express in Mt. Pleasant (where we have stayed several times), and will cancel the Ashley Phosphate reservation.

[summersigh]

We stay at the Hampton Inn Mt Pleasant/Patriots Point just over the big bridge with a package that includes parking and shuttle.  Nice place - we stay there for whatever reason we visit Charleston even when not cruising.  Includes breakfast and Internet

 

[CelticSpirit89]

Thank you so much for this suggestion! I did not realize that this hotel had a shuttle. We stayed there many years ago and it was a nice place with an excellent location.

 

Have you been on the Sunshine cruise yet?

[biomedbob]

We've been staying in Orangeburg this time around.  It's only an hour and half from the port, but we will not be in a rush to get there because last time we had to kill 3 hours before we could park.  Having your own automobile available immediately after getting off the boat is a big plus.

[TruckerDave]

28 minutes ago, biomedbob said:

We've been staying in Orangeburg this time around.  It's only an hour and half from the port, but we will not be in a rush to get there because last time we had to kill 3 hours before we could park.  Having your own automobile available immediately after getting off the boat is a big plus.

You must be taking the scenic route if it is taking you 1.5 hrs to get from Orangeburg to downtown Charleston.  

[waterbug123]

19 hours ago, TruckerDave said:

You must be taking the scenic route if it is taking you 1.5 hrs to get from Orangeburg to downtown Charleston.  

 

Honestly, to get all the way downtown to the port, from Orangeburg, it probably isn't much less than 1.5 hours depending on traffic.

[biomedbob]

I'm totally confused by this conversation.  Maps Google says a hour and 33 minutes.  My experience on a Sunday is about the same.  This time around will be on a Monday so I expect a somewhat different experience.  Anyone?

[waterbug123]

15 hours ago, biomedbob said:

I'm totally confused by this conversation.  Maps Google says a hour and 33 minutes.  My experience on a Sunday is about the same.  This time around will be on a Monday so I expect a somewhat different experience.  Anyone?

 

I live in Charleston and have driven between here and Columbia, thus passing Orangeburg, plenty of times.  Based on map estimates and my own experience, plan on an hour and a half.  If there happens to be no traffic and you make it in less time, it won't be by much, so it's not like you'll have a ton of extra time to kill.

[summersigh]

On 9/15/2019 at 1:41 PM, CelticSpirit89 said:

Thank you so much for this suggestion! I did not realize that this hotel had a shuttle. We stayed there many years ago and it was a nice place with an excellent location.

 

Have you been on the Sunshine cruise yet?

We stay at the Hampton Inn Patriots Point every time we go to Charleston for any reason.  It's a quick jump to Shem Creek for dinner - lots of excellent seafood / low country restaurants.

 

The Sunshine is our favorite Carnival ship - not too big and not too small.  We like a deck 7 balcony near the aft elevators so go up and you are between the Havanna Bar with lots of tables for seating/eating and the Lido Buffet with the pool at it's far end.  Elevator down takes you to the MDRs on 2 and 3 or the 5th deck Ocean Plaza / Red Frog Pub / Alchemy Bar

Edited October 19, 2019 by summersigh

[CelticSpirit89]

What perfect advice! We sailed on the Sunshine 9/28 and had a forward cabin, port side on Deck 7 (suite). We felt a lot of movement the entire trip but that was not a problem for us since we have taken other cruises on other ships where there was rolling and pitching. However, we are thinking about trying to get a cabin where you had yours next time and see if the movement might be a bit less.  We fell in love with the Havana Bar and then, of course, the back part of the ship is where all of the dining is located as well so we were taking long walks from the front of the ship to those rear, or middle, elevators.

 

As to staying in Mt. Pleasant, our daughter had her wedding reception last year at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge in a building off the road going to the Harbor Resort so staying anywhere near that area brings back fond memories. Vickery's is our favorite restaurant at Shem Creek. We used to stay at the Shem Creek Inn until it got too expensive.

[waterbug123]

On 10/20/2019 at 12:28 PM, CelticSpirit89 said:

As to staying in Mt. Pleasant, our daughter had her wedding reception last year at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge in a building off the road going to the Harbor Resort so staying anywhere near that area brings back fond memories. Vickery's is our favorite restaurant at Shem Creek. We used to stay at the Shem Creek Inn until it got too expensive.

 

The Omar Shrine?

[CelticSpirit89]

Her wedding was at St. Luke's at MUSC and the reception was at Harborside East which is on the river. You turn after the Shrine Club to the right and go behind the tall condo building. Harborside has attorney offices upstairs and reception rooms on the left and right sides with a large porch on the back. You can see it from the Sunshine.

[waterbug123]

10 hours ago, CelticSpirit89 said:

Her wedding was at St. Luke's at MUSC and the reception was at Harborside East which is on the river. You turn after the Shrine Club to the right and go behind the tall condo building. Harborside has attorney offices upstairs and reception rooms on the left and right sides with a large porch on the back. You can see it from the Sunshine.

 

Ah, I just guessed at the Shrine place because it is used so often for receptions and other large events.  St. Luke's is lovely!