Hotel Review: Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina has been on my list for a long time to try for a pre-cruise stay. Situated directly across the street from Port Everglades it offers resort amenities along with beautiful views of the cruise port and the Fort Lauderdale Marina.
I hope this review will give you some information to help you decide if this is the right hotel for you.
Cost
Again I was able to book the hotel using points from my American Express Hilton Honors card. The hotel rate for this date ranges from $330 to $500 a night. The hotels in this area do tend to be very pricey as there is a surprisingly limited amount of inventory. This hotel is right at the marina and is in a prime location, so the price reflects that.
Transfer from the Fort Lauderdale Airport
Given my experience with the taxi service at the airport last time, I decided to give Uber another try. It is still a bit of a circus at the pickup area, but the ride was very nice. The cost of the Uber was about $25.
TIP: Have the Address Printed
If you do plan to take a taxi, I recommend printing the hotel name and address and bringing that with you as many hotel chains have multiple hotels in the area with similar names. Having the address printed makes things much easier for everybody. The image to the right is an example of what I do. It shows a picture of the hotel and the address and phone number along with a map.
Check-in and Lobby
The lobby of the hotel was a little smaller than I expected but also was not crowded when I arrived. It only took a few minutes to get checked in. There is a small store in the lobby that has a good selection of items on offer. I had a hotel credit, due to my hotel status, and was able to use it in the store. The elevators were never crowded and despite the hotel being full, it never felt crowded.
Room
The room was not large but was fine for the one night stay. One thing I would try and change for next time is to get a balcony room. This room (612) only had a small window in the corner of the room. The bath in the room was very nice. Plenty of light and a good shower. The room also had a luggage rack which very few hotels are putting in the rooms now.
Fitness Center
The fitness center has a nice selection of equipment and was clean and organized. I’m usually too busy on the day before the cruise to use the gym and this was no exception. If I were staying longer I would have enjoyed trying it out.
Pool
This hotel is almost a resort and as you would expect includes a large pool with ample seating. I was surprised to find it was pretty empty when I was there. (oh and notice the palm trees)
Restaurants
The Olive & Sea on the rooftop is an excellent restaurant that looks amazing and has excellent views of the marina and port area. It offers Eastern Mediterranean food and is open for breakfast.
There is also a pool bar and a lobby lounge.
Things Nearby
I always visit Publix before a cruise and usually get a sandwich there for lunch. The “pub sub” is a favorite with the locals. They have just about everything you might need or may have forgotten. The closest Publix to the hotel is about a mile way. I was able to walk it with no trouble. In the same plaza as the Publix is a large wine and spirits store, an LA Fitness gym and a TJ Max. That TJ Max almost always has something nice to buy to wear on the cruise. I’ve bought a lot my “cruise clothes” there.
Map of the walking area near the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel.
Transfer to Port Everglades Terminal 2
I really wanted to try walking from the hotel to the Princess Cruise Terminal 2 but there was heavy construction going on for the new hotel so I opted to just get an Uber. I find that pre-arranging for an Uber works best especially when there are a lot of people all wanting to get to the same place at the same time. Port Everglades always has a lot of ships all departing at about the same time so things can get busy. The ride from the hotel is very short, about five to ten minutes.
Would I stay here again?
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel is the best all around pre-cruise hotel for me. Since I’m using points to pay for the stay, it’s worth it to have the choice location and amenities that the hotel offers. If I was paying in cash, I think I would find another less expensive option. I plan to sail out of Port Everglades in 2026 and I will look to stay here again for that.
In January 2025 I’ll be sailing out of Port Canaveral for the first time in a long time and will be staying at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and Villas. I have stayed there before but I’ll be sure to let you know how I found that hotel to be as a pre-cruise hotel stay.
