whiteowlmtlca

I will be cruising on Regal Princess on November 5th from Fort Lauderdale. I'm looking to arrive the day before (Nov. 4th). I have been checking hotels near Port Everglades, I don't want to spend $500 for one night, $200 would be the maximum. For some reason all the hotels I found had no room available for that date. Any names of hotels that I could check that you have been to and were satisfied would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Lise

jacketwatch

I plugged in that date on trivago for Ft. L and found lots of hotels under $200.00.

I do see others were VERY high so maybe there is a big event like say a convention in town but if you are too choosy you will get something in your budget.

The distance from Port Everglades to FLL is like 5 km. No worries.

whiteowlmtlca

Thank you very much jacketwatch. I didn't think of looking on that site.

jacketwatch

Ok. Also some on booking.com too.

Cheers, Larry.

Eschew

I usually booked into Best Western. They have free shuttle from airport and free shuttle to cruise port and the rate was around 99 - 149 depending on season. The only bad thing is the hotel is walking distance to nowhere. They have a pool, a small c-store and a bar which is good enough for me for one night rest before going on board,

pennyfisher

Hi we have cruised with Princess Regal last year and hope to try Crown Princess on the Rome to Barlecona cruise option . We have been to Rome before but are waiting to arrive a day before cruise again .Where is the best place to stay and the cheapest transport to the Port as our exchange rate is not the best right now . 1 USA dollar = 15.50 for us ZAR )

jacketwatch

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...ome_Lazio.html

We stayed at the San Giorgio in Civitavecchia. It’s fine for a one night stay.

As you can see there are other less expensive options.

We took a limo but I think there are shared ride options available which would be cost effective.

Always a good idea to go in a day early.

pennyfisher

Great thank you ! Any suggestions on hotel in Barcelona cruise ends here and we have never been to Spain. Is 2 days/ nights enough to have a quick view of Barcelona ?

jacketwatch

Three is better but two is ok. There is a HOHO bus with two routes that hit the major attractions.

The area to stay in is called the Ramblas. That is where shops, restaurants etc. are.

I suppose you could go from the ship to the hotel. It’s most likely too early to check in but they should be able to watch your luggage while you get out.

I would go to a hotel booking site and see what you can get. Generally it’s more expensive in Barcelona.

Best of luck!

Larry. .

thursdaysd

Er, no. The public transport is fine, you don't need to pay over the odds for the HOHO.

The Ramblas is tourist central, do NOT stay there. I like the Eixample, which is also where some of the best architecture is to be found.

You need to book ahead online for the Gaudi sites. And there is far more to see than you can possibly cover in one day/two nights or even two days/three nights.

You would do better to ask about Barcelona on the Europe board.

jacketwatch

The reason I mentioned the HOHO was that its so convenient and for two days it may be a good option. I don't recall the price but it did not make me quiver so I think it was reasonable.

The line for the Sagrada Famila was by far the longest and is a must see. Unless things have changed and they could have we did nit need to pre book for any Gaudi sites, at least those on the bus route

Do you need to now? This was 2002 BTW when we went.

thursdaysd

Err, yes, things have definitely changed since 2002! (I was there in 2004 and 2015.) In fact, Barcelona is so overrun by tourists that the city is trying to REDUCE tourism. More cruise ships, and much bigger cruise ships, have made a big (bad) difference. The Ramblas, which I already thought touristy in 2004, is basically just given over to tourists these days.

https://www.economist.com/blogs/gull...rism-barcelona

http://www.france24.com/en/20170807-...s-italy-venice

Reservations are not mandatory for the Gaudi sites, but they are necessary if you don't want to stand in lines. Note that even Park Guell now requires tickets.

I did take the HOHO in 2004, and got locked on the bus going nowhere while the driver took a mandatory break. With HOHO there is a risk that the bus you want may already be full when it reaches your stop. Plus, I would rather share my transport with locals. If you have a smart phone using the buses is easy.

For my 2015 trip start here (links at the top of the page):

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...s-the-ramblas/

Or here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-9473525

jacketwatch

Hmmm. Well yes they have changed. When we were there which was late July so a high time for tourists the HOHO buses were never that crowded and Guell Park was not overly crowded and no tickets were required. Even the wait to see the SF was minimal.

Thank you!

jacketwatch

I read those articles BTW. I was surprised to see the local uproar about the tourist influx. What to do? Can you reduce port access to cruise ship? Bear in mind this is seasonal of course but you can’t limit land based tourists and then what do you do about lost revenue if you somehow limit cruise passengers which I don’t think you can do.

Honestly as Spain is having financial issues I would think you need that money.

thursdaysd

I thought Catalonia was not having financial problems and that was one reason for the move to independence. Anyway, you would have to see what percentage of the economy was based on tourism, and how much of that came from cruise ships. In general, cruise ships are not good business - the passengers sleep and eat on board, and clog up the city during the day.

And of course a city can put limits on the number of cruise ships - or any other ships for that matter. They need permission to dock.

jacketwatch

I don’t know really. Maybe they don’t generate as much income as land tourists but they do influence cabs, shopping, etc.

thursdaysd

Not in ways the locals appreciate, I would think. The Ramblas used to be a place for locals, now they've abandoned it and it's all tourist stuff, aside from the market which was just jammed last time I was there.

And if you sleep and eat on your ship, of course you're not generating as much revenue as people who sleep and eat on land.

jacketwatch

If the locals feel their way of life is being effected yes its a problem, at least for the cruise season. I recall being in a port in Alaska, Ketchican I think it was and a bus driver told me he could not wait or the season to end so things get back to a more quiet pace, "just the way we like it."

Cant blame him for that. I suppose most Alaskans feel that way.