where to stay when driving in to Ft Lauderdale

[Kristen7]

We are cruising on Allure on June 2 and this is our first time and I am LOST! We are driving in on Saturday the 1st-where should we stay? car parking? excursions?? St Kitts-Nausau-San Juan

 

any help appreciated!!!

[tonyfsu21]

I can help you but I need more information. Cruise leaves Sunday? Where do you want to stay (beach, port area,exc)? Budget conscious? Are you looking to experience Fort Lauderdale or is it just a stop? Some hotels allow you to park and take shuttle. Parking at Port is pricy but very very easy. 

[Zacharius]

Yeah I think we need more info on what you want out of your stop in Ft Lauderdale. If you have a car (as we do, we always rent one for the day/night when we fly in), you're not limited to any area. We tend to stay 20-30 minutes from port, because hotels are often cheaper and quieter. And since we don't need a shuttle to the port, we don't care where we are. That also opens up a world of hotels if you want to be on the beach, near a mall, near restaurants, whatever.

[ShelliP]

We just returned from our Allure cruise.   We stayed one night at the Holiday Inn  Express and left the car in their garage for $5 a night after the first night.    

We did a beach excursion on St. Kitts this round, but have done the tour of the area which included the plantation house.    San Juan was change from St. Thomas routing so we opted to just walk around Old San Juan and around the forts.   Nice walk and very close to the port.    Bahamas, we did the Blue Lagoon Deluxe Beach excursion.   I'd recommend it and plan to go again.  The walk from the ship to the ferry launch was very congested but once there it was awesome.

 

[Matt]

The Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale 17th Street is highly recommended.

Park at Port Everglades for the convenience factor.

[ZsOverseas]

Totally agree.  We just did this in April and were very pleased with both the Embassy Suites as well as the $15 per day parking at the port. Added suggestion, go to Southport Raw Bar for excellent seafood at reasonable prices within walking distance from Embassy Suites. 

[TheHobbys]

5 hours ago, Matt said:

The Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale 17th Street is highly recommended.

Park at Port Everglades for the convenience factor.

We usually there also.  They have some type of happy hour with a few drinks / snacks - if you're lucky, you can 'snack' for supper for free - lol  and it's close to the port.  

[mbk999]

I can tell you where I wouldn't stay:  Homewood Suites off Of Griffin Rd nor the Hampton Inn off of Stirling.Both are the "least" good of that chain that I've stayed in.   Next time we sail and we just need a place for the night before, I'd choose the Embassy Suites.

[spiralqueen]

I have heard great things about the Embassy Suites on 17th Street, but if you are looking for a slightly more affordable option in the same area, I recommend the Holiday Inn Express Cruise/Airport which is only a couple of doors down from it. Still highly walkable but was much less expensive when I priced it. You can see pictures here: 

 

I actually had that exact same itinerary for my sailing so you may find it helpful to read through my liveblog I linked to. Assuming you are sailing on Allure, I also sent Matt my cruise compasses if you want to have an idea as to what activities will be available to you. 

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, spiralqueen said:

I have heard great things about the Embassy Suites on 17th Street, but if you are looking for a slightly more affordable option in the same area, I recommend the Holiday Inn Express Cruise/Airport which is only a couple of doors down from it. Still highly walkable but was much less expensive when I priced it. You can see pictures here:

+1 on the Holiday Inn Express on 17th St.  While Embassy Suites is highly popular with cruise guests, IMO, the rooms are a bit dated.  The Holiday Inn Express just had a brand new addition put it so it feels more "fresh".  If you look in my Indy blog, I also have pics from the older section (which was still fine for a pre-cruise stay) and in my Harmony blog, I have pics of the rooms in the new section.

[tonyfsu21]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

+1 on the Holiday Inn Express on 17th St.  While Embassy Suites is highly popular with cruise guests, IMO, the rooms are a bit dated.  The Holiday Inn Express just had a brand new addition put it so it feels more "fresh".  If you look in my Indy blog, I also have pics from the older section (which was still fine for a pre-cruise stay) and in my Harmony blog, I have pics of the rooms in the new section.

I just saw that the Embassy Suites on 17th is getting ready to start a complete makeover this Summer. This will certainly add a premium to the nightly rate once complete.

[wstephensi]

On 5/22/2019 at 9:31 AM, Matt said:

The Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale 17th Street is highly recommended.

Park at Port Everglades for the convenience factor.

I agree with Matt.  We did both in 2012

[Carlos A.]

What about the Hyatt Place - Fort Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center?

It used to be highly recommended too

I stayed there on 2016 and it was good. Is it still good?

[WAAAYTOOO]

7 minutes ago, carlosalonsor said:

What about the Hyatt Place - Fort Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center?

It used to be highly recommended too

I stayed there on 2016 and it was good. Is it still good?

Haven't been there in about 4 years but the time we stayed there we really enjoyed it.

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 hours ago, carlosalonsor said:

What about the Hyatt Place - Fort Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center?

It used to be highly recommended too

I stayed there on 2016 and it was good. Is it still good?

We like the Hyatt on 17th St.  However, the price has gone up there recently (or maybe it's because I have to travel over high season) and it is again a bit dated compared to the Holiday Inn Express (new section).  They are very close to one another.

[Carlos A.]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

We like the Hyatt on 17th St.  However, the price has gone up there recently (or maybe it's because I have to travel over high season) and it is again a bit dated compared to the Holiday Inn Express (new section).  They are very close to one another.

I stayed a year ago at the Holiday Inn Express but it was still on construction. I didn't like the old section at all. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

4 minutes ago, carlosalonsor said:

I stayed a year ago at the Holiday Inn Express but it was still on construction. I didn't like the old section at all. 

Neither did I but the new section is nice and perfect for a pre-cruise stay (especially with a family).

[DublinFC]

On ‎5‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 9:31 AM, Matt said:

The Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale 17th Street is highly recommended.

Park at Port Everglades for the convenience factor.

Saving that for later use, thanks!

[WannaCruise]

We liked Holiday Inn Express as well as it's a short walk to Harbor Shops and hotel was perfectly nice.  We got it for a pretty good price last December but we're finding that it's quite pricey for this Dec so we booked elsewhere (but still less than Embassy or Hyatt).  Too bad as we were happy with it.