Post-cruise day in Fort Lauderdale

[Xguy]

Hello all,

 

We will have 6-8 hours to kill in Fort Lauderdale before our flight home, and rather than wait it out at the airport we would prefer to do something interesting in the area. We looked into some of the excursions offered through the ship but we're not interested in seeing the Everglades. The only one that sounded interesting is the excursion to the Hard Rock casino, but I think that costs $45 pp, and doesn't seem to include much more than transport. Plus, we may not be too keen on spending the day at a casino.

 

We will have quite a bit of luggage with us, so here's our question: Is there someplace the four of us can go, SAFELY leave our luggage, and spend the day? The water taxi idea sounds great, and the idea of simply walking around and exploring the beach area would be good too. We were thinking one of the beach hotels might be kind enough to store our luggage in a room, but thought it might be unlikely if we weren't guests.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[TrentS]

RENT A CAR... That's your best bet, lock the luggage in the trunk, then you can do whatever you want.

[Xguy]

RENT A CAR... That's your best bet, lock the luggage in the trunk, then you can do whatever you want.

 

 

While we appreciate the suggestion, I don't think that's going to work for us, given the amount of luggage and number of people, plus the slight bother of renting and droping off. Would prefer something that involved a taxi van instead.

 

Any other ideas?

[TrentS]

Well you didn't say how many people are involved, but if you don't want to rent a car or van, or take an excursion then you might want to look into hiring a limo or mini-bus for the day... There simply isn't anywhere to store your luggage safely, and keeping a taxi all day would cost a fortune.

 

A day room at a hotel would be another option, but you don't say what time of year we're talking about. Day rooms are rather hard to come by during the "season" but in the off-peak times are easier to get.

[Bequia]

6-8 hours, either rent a van or a couple of cars. Taxi will cost more then the cruise.

[trcori]

we have done it post-cruise for three cruises out of FLL so far. most of the major rent-a-car companies send nice convenient shuttle vans to pick up folks right at the pier ... their offices are close by since the airport is practically next to the port ... and once you bring the car back, they'll shuttle you the short distance to the airport. We have explored a variety of areas around FLL -- including going out to the Sawgrass Hills Mall (where the famous Ron-Jon Surf Shop has a branch, plus there's a Hard Rock Cafe, not the casino of which you speak, unless that's a recent expansion!), also driving south to see a bit of Miami (we detoured to a lovely open beach between the hotels), and north to see some of the fancy waterfront homes, as well as the wildlife center that's right on the highway (Gumbo Limbo) ... so much to see! And the rent-a-car prices are usually low.

[Bequia]

-- including going out to the Sawgrass Hills Mall (where the famous Ron-Jon Surf Shop has a branch, plus there's a Hard Rock Cafe, not the casino of which you speak, unless that's a recent expansion .

 

The Sawgrass Mills Hardrock Cafe has since shutdown as the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino opened nearby in Hollywood. The Hard Rock Cafe at Bayside in Miami remains.

All of the major car rental agencies are now located in a central location under one roof at the Ft Lauderdale Airport. They share a common building. Similiar set up as the San Francisco airport. ;)

[Xguy]

Thanks to all who replied, we didn't expect to receive so many helpful hints this early! And to TrentS, you're right, thought I had mentioned that there will be four of us, and somewhere between six and eight suitcases, plus carry ons. So I think that rules out a standard car, but a minivan would probably be perfect, and the price is pretty low, so that's a good thing.

 

Other than what has been mentioned, if anyone has any other "must sees" in FLL, please let us know!

[smoothdancer]

Here is a thought..... I may be partial but my absolutely favorite hotel in FLL is the Lago Mar. They have just done major renovations, even thought I did not think necessary. Now they have a full day spa... Maybe you can do a day trip there. They are not too far from the pier.

 

I have a short picture review of this hotel on my website. Click the Florida button to see.. http://WWW.JustEatin.com

 

Lago Mars site is http://WWW.Lagomar.com