Miami Vs Fort Lauderdale

[bunnypug]

Help Florida cruise veterans!

 

We are booked on the Aug 28 (Sat) Caribbean Princess out of FT L and currently are booked at the Pier 66. But over the weekend, some friends visiting from Florida said to stay in Miami as its close and there so much more to see and do in Miami.

 

Facts: We arrive in Ft. L at noon on Friday. Never have been to Florida. I would love to hear thoughts pro and con for staying in either Miami or Ft L or perhaps staying in Ft L but cabbing, shutte, tour bus (?) to Miami.

 

Thanks!!!

[Toto2Kansas]

Love sailing from Fort Lauderdale. If you have the time you can jump on the water taxi for the day and see the beautiful waterway and all of the homes and all of the lovley yachts. Tons of great restaurants to choose from and once you pay for an all day water taxi pass you can come and go as you please.

 

Many hotels in the Fort Lauderdale area provide a shuttle to and from the airport and to and from the pier. There are many choices from inexpensive to very expensive. Some overlook the harbor and you can watch your ship pull in the morning of your cruise.

 

We much prefer sailing out of Fort Lauderdale to sailing out of Miami.

[howard6933]

If I were you, I would stay in Ft. Lauderdale. There are lots of nice

hotels and motels and some of them on the beach are terrific and I would

imagine not too expensive at this time of year. One thing to remember is

that since you're arriving on a friday, the traffic in and around Ft Lauderdale

and Miami is awful, to say the least. Why don't you consider getting a

place in Ft Lauderdale and asking your friends to drive up from Miami and

meet at your hotel? I would imagine that would be a lot easier especially

for you, since I imagine that your friends have a car at their disposal and you don't. Whatever you decide, enjoy your stay in Florida and on the cruise.

[PhillyCruiser]

We love both Miami Beach and Ft. Lauderdale for pre- or post-cruise stays. Why don't you rent a car? Then you can go back and forth as you please, and stay wherever you wish. And if you rent from a Ft. Lauderdale airport location, the rental car company will drop you off at the Port Everglades pier after you turn in your car.

 

Joan

[jerseygirl3]

I think Ft. Lauderdale is a much nicer town. For $5 pp, you can ride the water taxi unlimited all day. Take a ride down to the Las Olas Riverfront at night. There's some great restaurants there. Plus you get to cruise along the waterways and see all the millionaires homes. I'd pick Ft. Lauderdale over Miami any day of the week.

[melissa_bel]

Both places have their pros and cons. Fort Lauderdale has a lovely beach front, nice shopping, etc. and if I was taking a cruise, I would want to be as close as possible to the habour so I can be there early ;o). I'd suggest renting a car so you can drive, meet your friends and explore Miami and Miami Beach (I loooooooove South Beach). Miami is a great city and you would enjoy it. That's what we did after our cruise before taking the plave back to chicago, helps smooth the transition.;) But it could also be a great headstart to a great cruise.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Fort Lauderdale is much easier to get around in for a short stay. If you stay on the intercoastal, you will be close to the water taxi and a lot of good restaurants. I've lived in both cities, and prefer Fort Lauderdale if I don't have a car.

[CruiseFever]

Help Florida cruise veterans!

 

We are booked on the Aug 28 (Sat) Caribbean Princess out of FT L and currently are booked at the Pier 66. But over the weekend, some friends visiting from Florida said to stay in Miami as its close and there so much more to see and do in Miami.

 

Facts: We arrive in Ft. L at noon on Friday. Never have been to Florida. I would love to hear thoughts pro and con for staying in either Miami or Ft L or perhaps staying in Ft L but cabbing, shutte, tour bus (?) to Miami.

 

Thanks!!!

 

No matter where you choose you've got beach time in there for sure.

 

Here's are some scenarios that might work:

 

First Choice

Stay In Miami, Play in Miami

If you've never been to either place I'd cancel your FLL hotel reservation, rent a car and drive to South Beach. Park around 10th and Ocean and hit the beach for a while then walk around in front of all those buildings you've seen on TV and will see again when you get home so you can say "Hey, we were there!".

 

After that take your car to a hotel you booked in downtown Miami (use http://www.priceline.com for a good deal, bid 3 star/downtown Miami/$40 to start or go to http://www.biddingfun.com for more info) where you'll check in then go across the street to Bayside Marketplace and take a Harbor Cruise before dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co then stroll around the shops, maybe linger at the live entertainment area before returning to your hotel. In the morning drive to your rental car office in Fort Lauderdale, drop your car, and let them shuttle you to the Port.

 

Second Choice .

Stay in Fort Lauderdale, play in Fort Lauderdale

Keep your Fort Lauderdale reservation at the Hyatt and stay in Fort Lauderdale. The beach will be your big attraction during the day and you can get a head start on a tan. At night a trip down Las Olas Blvd is fun with a stop at Mangos...a South Beach staple that's close to where you are. If you've rented a car a slow drive down A1A is people watchers heaven and you'll get a real feel for the area. I'd plan on dinner at any one of the many great restaurants that look out at the ocean, where you'll be soon on your ship! In the morning, same procedure if you rented a car or a quick cab ride to the Port

 

Third Choice

Stay in Fort Lauderdale, visit Miami. That's what we're doing on our Star Princess pre-cruise and we get in town about the same time of day that you do. We love Miami (especially our Miami Heat) but have been sailing a lot out of Port Everglades so we have not had the occasion to visit lately. We'll rent a car ($30 from Budget at FLL airport for a day), drive down there to play in much the same way as noted above, then drive back, spend the night at our elcheapo priceline hotel (the Wyndam at the airport) then drop the car at budget and get shuttled to the port, probably about 9AM.

 

Those are three possibilities, there are more and many will make specific recommendations but for this kid, flying in from the midwest, I want to cram as much in to the pre-stay but still have time for a restful nights sleep in anticipation of the long Embarkation day that lies ahead

[taxatty]

If you like nightlife AT ALL, go with CruisingIsLife's Third Choice--visit South Beach and Bayside (I live in Miami) and stay elsewhere. Ft. Lauderdale is pretty and nice but has nothing with as much character or excitement for people-watching and general fun. It will be more expensive to stay in Miami unless you pick one of the cheapo hotels near the Miami port (nowhere I would personally recommend), and the Ft. Lauderdale cheapo hotels are generally nicer and within 15 minutes of the port there. Alternatively, you could stay on Miami Beach north of South Beach (and towards Ft. Lauderdale) on the water, and probably get some good summer rates.

 

Les

[joanne1]

I say don't rush your trip!! If you arrive in FLL and you already have a great hotel (we stayed there in March and loved it!!) Traffic on Friday and Saturday is going to be busy. Your holiday starts the minute you get on the plane. Take a cab ride to the hotel, check in, and go use the water taxi to explore some of FLL or lay by the pool at the hotel (which is absolutely gorgeous). In the morning you will be able to have a worry free breakfast without having to worry about getting to the pier, check out and off you go.

 

Why stress yourself out!! Relax and enjoy it from the start!!