tonyfsu21

Adding to the conspiracy, it’s possible @Matt is an undercover agent for Royal Caribbean planting information on his blog to manipulate the cruising industrial complex……

If I recall correctly the casino is open while ported in Aruba & Curaçao. It’s been awhile though but heading back on Odyssey for Thanksgiving this year!

Not a bad location at all and some great spots are a 5 minute Uber ride (see pic). Rustic Inn garlic crabs are THE BEST! Also, Dania Pointe is on Sterling Road about 5 minutes in the other direction which has many dining options all in one place.

I would say “no go”. There are better options in closer proximity to the port & amenities then this place. It’s not a dump but I would rate it maybe 1/2 a point higher then a dump. Focus the search in Dania Beach where there are lots of newer and still decent priced options.

Embassy Suites on 17th street (walking distance to Publix, Total Wine, restaurants) Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton Inn on Sterling Road & I-95 (close to Dania point for dinner exc) These options cheaper and still only 10 min from the port. If you have loyalty to a brand or certain preferences regarding amenities I can narrow it down. 99% of the hotels in the greater Fort Lauderdale area have a shuttle service option to the port so that’s not really an issue. It’s easier to dial in a choice based on hotel brand loyalty, dining preferences exc.

Unless you have an excessive amount of luggage it’s easier to just Uber to POM.

I agree with you, there has to be a more efficient way for a server to access a bar for quicker table service. One would think the engineers who design these billion dollar ships could solve this issue if they actually considered it an issue.

This is the perfect area for either port as it’s close to the airport and quick access to the highway.

I can help you decide but the time of year dictates the price of the hotel. During season (Oct - March) that dump of a Red Carpet Inn referenced above can cost a significant amount of money per night and the hotels on the beach get $1000+/night.

I have to disagree re: dumpy hotels in FL. In Fort Lauderdale we have everything from the dump you stayed in above to the 5 star Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale beach resort. It all boils down to what you are willing to pay. As a local, I would have advised you to stay away from this hotel at all costs as it’s certainly a dump.

Guys Burger Joint for the win!

Complimentary Guys Burgers is a major win for CCL that’s for sure! My hope would be RC outbidding Carnival for the Guys Burger Joint poolside when the contract ends and Mr Flavortown becomes a free agent.

This ^^^^^^^

We have been cruisers since I was a kid in the 1980’s in Fort Lauderdale. I am well traveled and have yet to find a land based vacation that was a better experience then a cruise vacation. The all inclusive (not referring to cost just amenities) aspect of the Oasis class ships is my families favorite vacation. Taking it one step further, Deck 17 makes cruising even that much better! The pool, the food & drinks, the balcony, the casino, the shows, the activities makes for an endless list of fun for everyone in my family. Can’t wait to get back on another ship very soon!

FYI- Just a reminder:

It’s been raining all day in Fort Lauderdale. You can tell (at least I can after 40+ years in this city) that a storm is brewing! If you are leaving tomorrow out of any FL port, you should probably plan to not sit by the pool. Sunday should be back to normal though.

Yes they will, but it’s still gonna be wet & windy while ported in Miami/Fort Lauderdale.

It’s going to be windy & wet. Hopefully once you head out into the Caribbean it will be business as usual with sun & fun!

It might last longer then one would think. I would imagine filling the service employee roll is a never ending revolving door in Indonesia and India. The issue will be experience. Families will still happily cruise.

Beer, boardwalk dog house & then a walk through the casino to find the machine that’s going to pay me money that evening!

I would say the earlier you can be onboard drinking a beverage poolside the better off you will be…..

There’s the pre-Covid cruise vacation experience and now the “post” Covid experience. Unfortunately for the customer it’s just a shade of what it was. Given the massive demand for cruise vacations the corporation can settle for less regarding staffing and experience and families will still cruise. Personally, deck 17 on Oasis with my family sounds really great right about now!

Here you go:

In South Florida the last thing we listen to is the weather forecast. Do not let this impact your trip in any way. It literally rains here for 15 minutes and the sun comes back out.

Marina mile is only a 5 minute drive from 17th street.