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Fort Lauderdale Hotels--Newbie here


tanyam76

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Hi, I am just in the process of booking my first cruise with RCL for my daughter and I during her March Break in 2018 (Canadian).  I have cruised with Disney previously but my daughter is getting older and princess things are really not of any interest to her.  I have two questions.  First can anyone recommend a good hotel near Port Everglades and is there things to do with/for 10 year olds?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Tanya

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I can't help with hotels but am curious to see the responses.  We are going in January and we are flying in and out of Orlando and driving a rental car back and forth.  We have DVC so our stay is covered in Orlando.  My sister, who is also going, is looking at going in and out of Ft. Lauderdale and the hotel pricing is very high IMO.  

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I don't have experience with hotels in FLL but having just taken a quick look on Trivago I have to agree with WhiteSoxFan that the pricing seems very high. Are you set on a particular itinerary out of Fort Lauderdale? Perhaps consider one out of Orlando/Port Canaveral, where hotel rates seem to be a lot more reasonable (from my very brief search). It might also provide an opportunity to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios if that's of interest (certainly is for my daughter).

 

I am also planning a cruise in March 2018 with my daughter who is 10 now but will be 12 then. We have done several RCCL cruises with her over the past few years, and she loves it and always has plenty of things to do that she finds interesting. If I were to ask her, I think the list of top things would be:

  • Going to the Adventure Ocean and hanging out with other kids her age
  • The pool
  • Flowrider
  • Climbing wall
  • Mini-golf
  • Shore excursions, especially when they include snorkelling
  • Cupcake decorating class
  • Bingo
  • Going to the evening and ice shows
  • Shrimp cocktail appetizer in the main dining room
  • Lobster dinner in the main dining room

In general, the newer ships have more things to offer kids this age -- especially the Quantum, Oasis, and Freedom class ships -- but to be honest, for the her the main thing is the pool and Adventure Ocean, and everything else is just icing on the cake with some ships having more icing than others.

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I must say we have stayed at the Renaissance on 17th street that is quite literally across the street from the entrance from Port Everglades.  I have stayed here at least 5 times.  They are fairly priced, the hotel is immaculate, and they offer a nominally priced shuttle service to the different terminals, though I would suggest an Uber.  I also can give kudos to the Hyatt Marina that is relatively adjacent to the Renaissance.  Another selling point to the Renaissance, its across the street from Walgreens!  :-D 

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Hi, I am just in the process of booking my first cruise with RCL for my daughter and I during her March Break in 2018 (Canadian).  I have cruised with Disney previously but my daughter is getting older and princess things are really not of any interest to her.  I have two questions.  First can anyone recommend a good hotel near Port Everglades and is there things to do with/for 10 year olds?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Tanya

How many nights prior to the cruise will you be staying? odd question ,  I know, but if you are staying multiple nights I HIGHLY recommend Lago Mar! it is a beautiful resort on the beach. it has a nice pool,  out door play area, life size chess board, soda shop, restaurant, large private beach area, and it's two properties down from the entrance to pier so you can walk down and watch the ships sail out on Saturday. the staff is fantastic & the price for a room with 2 doubles was less than I am paying at embassy suites this coming april. the only down side is that it not convenient to local restaurants and stores so we had to uber a lot if we needed to get something from the grocery or wanted to eat somewhere other than the on site restaurant (which was great by the way). 

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I live in Fort Lauderdale, ask away....

 

First things first, March is Spring Break and the pricing anywhere near the beach including the 17th street corridor is going to be abnormally high. If you can stomach the price I recommend the convienence of the Embassy Suites or Hilton Marina (both located minutes from the port as well as dining and Fort Lauderdale Beach).

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Thanks all for your suggestions.  Donolog, my daughter would definitely be interested in most of those activities.  We may do the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but it would be after the cruise.

 

FloatMe that hotel looks amazing however for me to book it for one night it would cost me $600+ with the exchange rate (Canadian) so that would be completely out but at some point I would love to.  I know I am going to pay more because it's March/spring break.

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Thanks all for your suggestions.  Donolog, my daughter would definitely be interested in most of those activities.  We may do the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but it would be after the cruise.

 

FloatMe that hotel looks amazing however for me to book it for one night it would cost me $600+ with the exchange rate (Canadian) so that would be completely out but at some point I would love to.  I know I am going to pay more because it's March/spring break.

Wow, spring break makes a huge difference! Random day of March 18th was $365 for the same room we paid $195 in October. Oddly embassy suites is $335 for the same date which is any higher than their normal rate.

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FLL can be very expensive...much like Miami......doesn't seem to matter what time of year.

 

even with the multiple hotel sites I use and member of various rewards programs its the most expensive places I have ever stayed at. And I am not talking for a 5 star resort.

 

Maybe I have been spoiled everywhere else I have stayed over the years, but its a tough pill to swallow when one night in a hotel can cost as much as my cruise!

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I booked my hotel for FLL nearly a year in advance for this coming New Year's weekend and have just seen the nightly rates increase since then. One option is to stay in any airport area hotel like Dania Beach. You could also try over of the hotel discount sites to see if there's a deal to be had.

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We recently sailed out of Fort Lauderdale and booked an overnight at The Extended Stay America on 17th near the port.  The hotel is geared toward long term/weekly customers, so on weekends they often have vacancies.  The room was large and clean. Includes a kitchenette. It is located near shopping and dining.  We paid less than $100 during Thanksgiving Week.

 

Westiepapa

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Yes my cruise is booked for 2018 but I like to be organized and I like to have everything paid well in advance.  I honestly assume the hotel would be more around any holiday so I half expect it but since I have not yet been to Fort Lauderdale I was looking more for peoples personal reviews which is great that I got a few.  I was thinking of staying in Orlando so my daughter and I can do the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but we will see because the exchange rate is terrible!! lol  Great for you guys if you come over.  Ahh the days of it being at par.

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we found the prices really high! we're gonna be staying at Disney world the night before and driving down in the morning. We did that last year and it worked out great.

The prices around Fort Lauderdale can be high.  The closest spot for cheaper hotels (somewhere that is still nice) would be Port St. Lucie area.  It's about an hour away by car, but I've found the prices to be near half of Fort Lauderdale.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How close is the Hampton Inn Ft. Lauderdale/Downtown Las Olas Area to the cruise terminal?

Found address of 250 North Andrews Avenue, but can't find address of cruise terminal?

 

I can get a $94 rate, but will have to pay Uber from Airport and hotel to cruise ship. We are arriving at 11:30 pm the night before cruise so we are basically just needing a clean place to stay for sleep.

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How close is the Hampton Inn Ft. Lauderdale/Downtown Las Olas Area to the cruise terminal?

Found address of 250 North Andrews Avenue, but can't find address of cruise terminal?

 

I can get a $94 rate, but will have to pay Uber from Airport and hotel to cruise ship. We are arriving at 11:30 pm the night before cruise so we are basically just needing a clean place to stay for sleep.

According to Google maps, it's 4.3 miles or about a 13 minute drive to Terminal 18. SE 19th Avenue is the address listed.

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We recently stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th. Nice place if a little dated. 

 

They offered and Stay and Cruise  package of a hotel on each end of the cruise for one night and transportation to and from the port. We paid about $300/night in October. Seems high but the lack of concern about airline delays and such was useful to us. We could just concentrate on vacationing.

 

We are planning the same in Miami in February. Arrive a day early and stay a day after. Less stress and more fun. Worth the money to us.

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Love Embassy Suites, but $300 out of my price range. Hoping to find something that has shuttle service in $100-$150 range if possible.

The shuttle will likely only safe you about $20 and you'll end up being on their schedule than yours. My suggestion would be to look for a hotel with an airport shuttle, but plan on trying a taxi or Uber to the ship. I'm a fan of Cambria Suites and they do offer an airport shuttle, but they're at the high end of your price range.

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The shuttle will likely only safe you about $20 and you'll end up being on their schedule than yours. My suggestion would be to look for a hotel with an airport shuttle, but plan on trying a taxi or Uber to the ship. I'm a fan of Cambria Suites and they do offer an airport shuttle, but they're at the high end of your price range

I agree about the schedule.  In the past when I have stayed at hotels with shuttles they don't leave the hotel until 11:00AM or 12:00PM.  I'm usually checked in and waiting to board by then.  I just took a taxi. (Pre-Uber days)

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  • 2 weeks later...

How close is the Hampton Inn Ft. Lauderdale/Downtown Las Olas Area to the cruise terminal?

Found address of 250 North Andrews Avenue, but can't find address of cruise terminal?

I can get a $94 rate, but will have to pay Uber from Airport and hotel to cruise ship. We are arriving at 11:30 pm the night before cruise so we are basically just needing a clean place to stay for sleep.

Booked this hotel. They do have airport shuttle but will use Uber to cruise terminal.

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  • 2 months later...

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