Pre-Cruise Fort Lauderdale

Early Morning Chicago to Fort Lauderdale

Vacations should not be stressful, so we recommend flying to your embarkation port a day early.  We took our own advice and stayed at Hampton Inn near O'Hare last night, so that we could get to the airport for our early morning flight without hassle.

Staybridge Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale around noon and headed to Staybridge Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport West.  Please be aware that there are two Staybridge Suites in Fort Lauderdale, so be sure to select this one if you are looking for a hotel near the airport and pier.  After checking in we arranged the shuttle to the pier for 10 AM and headed up to our room.

On Saturdays, the hotel serves breakfast only.  They have a pantry where you could by frozen foods to prepare in your room.  We decided to check what was near-by instead.

There was a brand-new Wendy's four blocks away and Happy Pappy's restaurant.  We picked up sub sandwiches and brought them back to the hotel for dinner and ate lunch at Wendy's.  This way we wouldn't have to go out again.

Also close by is the the brand new Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. We had an amazing view of it from our sixth floor hotel room window.

 Check out this video for an example of the Guitar Facade Light show

Tomorrow we will have breakfast at the hotel and then take the shuttle to the pier.   Be sure to follow us on our social media throughout the cruise.

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Stress Free Cruise Tips

Greetings From Miami

2019 Dare

Cruises Inc, CruiseOne, Dream Vacations

National Conference

When going on a cruise vacation there are a few ways that you can take some of the stress of traveling away. One of the easiest ways is to arrive at the embarkation port a day early.

Unless you live close to the port city, odds are that you plan to fly to your cruise destination. Flights can be delayed for many reasons: weather and mechanical problems probably being the most common. The last thing you want is to start your vacation worrying if the ship will be there when you arrive.

While checking in for our flight at O'Hare International Airport today, we had a conversation with

Sara who works for American Airlines. She and her family are avid cruisers and she struck up a conversation because of our cruise shirts. 

She asked when our cruise departed and we said Saturday.  She replied that it was good we were traveling a day early because she's seen many frantic passengers flying on the day of their cruise and facing delays due to weather or other factors.  Just recently a large family group missed their cruise due to bad weather at their destination.  You not only have to consider the forecast at your departure city, but also at the destination, and everywhere in between.

So, there you have it from another expert in their field.  Travel early to avoid stress and ruined vacations.  Of course we told her that we were travel agents on our way to our national conference and the conversation turned to how much she loves cruising.

As you might expect, I follow my own advice about arriving a day early.   I'm writing this post from our hotel room in Miami, Florida.   Our National Conference will be held on board Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas.   Tonight MSC Cruises hosted a cocktail party  at our conference hotel:  Hyatt Regency Miami.   We can't wait to get on board Symphony of the Seas.   We love that new ship smell.

When things go wrong, such as missed connection, unexpected illness, and flight delays, a little pre-planning can help with the stress and protect your vacation investment.  Our second tip for eliminating stress is purchase travel insurance.

TRAVEL PROTECTION 

Choose A Plan Now; Rest Easy Later. 

Common travel problems like flight delays, injuries and illness, unpredictable weather and lost or stolen luggage are why we recommend you travel with the LeisureCare Travel Protection plan. The LeisureCare Travel Protection Plan provides protection designed just for travelers. It can provide coverage for many of the things that can go wrong before and during your trip.

We will be posting highlights from Symphony of the Seas, so be sure to come back to visit again and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

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Stress Free Cruise Tips

Greetings From Long Beach

2018 Inspire

Cruises Inc, CruiseOne, Dream Vacations

National Conference

When going on a cruise vacation there are a few ways that you can take some of the stress of traveling away. One of the easiest ways is to arrive at the embarkation port a day early.

Unless you live close to the port city, odds are that you plan to fly to your cruise destination. Flights can be delayed for many reasons: weather and mechanical problems probably being the most common. The last thing you want is to start your vacation worrying if the ship will be there when you arrive.

As you might expect, I follow my own advice about arriving a day early.   I'm writing this post from our hotel room in Long Beach, California.   Our National Conference will be held on board Norwegian Bliss..   Tonight Norwegian Cruise Line hosted a cocktail party  at our conference hotel:  Westin Long Beach.   We can't wait to get on board Norwegian Bliss.   We love that new ship smell.

When things go wrong, such as missed connection, unexpected illness, and flight delays, a little pre-planning can help with the stress and protect your vacation investment.  Our second tip for eliminating stress is purchase travel insurance.

TRAVEL PROTECTION 

Choose A Plan Now; Rest Easy Later. 

Common travel problems like flight delays, injuries and illness, unpredictable weather and lost or stolen luggage are why we recommend you travel with the LeisureCare Travel Protection plan. The LeisureCare Travel Protection Plan provides protection designed just for travelers. It can provide coverage for many of the things that can go wrong before and during your trip.

We will be posting highlights from Norwegian Bliss, so be sure to come back to visit again.

 

National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Follow Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Stress Free Cruise Tips

Greetings From Ft. Lauderdale

2017 Achieve

Cruises Inc, CruiseOne, Dream Vacations

National Conference

When going on a cruise vacation there are a few ways that you can take some of the stress of traveling away. One of the easiest ways is to arrive at the embarkation port a day early.

 Unless you live close to the port city, odds are that you plan to fly to your cruise destination. Flights can be delayed for many reasons: weather and mechanical problems probably being the most common. The last thing you want is to start your vacation worrying if the ship will be there when you arrive.

As you might expect, I follow my own advice about arriving a day early.   I'm writing this post from our hotel room in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.   Our National Conference will be held on board Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas.   Tonight MSC Cruises hosted a cocktail party poolside at one of our two conference hotels:  Hilton Marina Fort Lauderdale.   They are celebrating their new ship MSC Seaside.   We love that new ship smell and can't wait for her to be put into service next year.

When things go wrong, such as missed connection, unexpected illness, and flight delays, a little pre-planning can help with the stress and protect your vacation investment.  Our second tip for eliminating stress is purchase travel insurance.

TRAVEL PROTECTION 

Choose A Plan Now; Rest Easy Later. 

Common travel problems like flight delays, injuries and illness, unpredictable weather and lost or stolen luggage are why we recommend you travel with the LeisureCare Travel Protection plan. The LeisureCare Travel Protection Plan provides protection designed just for travelers. It can provide coverage for many of the things that can go wrong before and during your trip.

We will be posting highlights from Harmony of the Seas, so be sure to come back to visit again.

 

National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

A Cruise Can Take You There (click for mini-series)

Follow Us On

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Where have you explored? 

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Join us every Wednesday evening at 8pm EST for lively conversation about food travel brought to you by @FoodTravelist It's a tasty world & we're dishing it up!