Disney Cruise Hotel Review: Fort Lauderdale
Disney Cruise Hotel Review: Fort Lauderdale
Disney Cruise Line has officially added another Florida port to its home roster, and cruises from this Sunshine State staple are proving to be popular already. Opening in late 2023, Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades is going to be a year-round home port for DCL. With this new port comes so many questions from Disney Cruisers, including the big one of “What’s the best hotel to stay at for a Disney Cruise from Fort Lauderdale?”
I get asked for hotel recommendations daily for Disney Cruise Line’s various ports around the world (which your travel agent can also help you choose!), but with Fort Lauderdale being a brand new port for Disney, there weren’t many reviews for families or adult-only parties who need a place to stay a few days before or after their cruise. Recently, I stayed at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina and had a magical experience. Below I talk through everything from location, transfers, food, pool, and all the big things that Disney Cruisers are asking about when choosing which hotel to stay at in Fort Lauderdale before or after their cruise.
For those who just want the overview: Yes, I would recommend this hotel and would stay there again. It is so close to the port, airport, necessary shopping, the beach, great food, has connecting rooms for families, and I could literally see the Disney Cruise ship from my balcony! If you want the specifics, keep reading!
Disney Cruise Fort Lauderdale Hotel Review FAQs:
Where is it located?
Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina is in such a great location for anyone looking to sail on a Disney Cruise (or any cruise really!). Not only is it close to both the airport (we flew into FLL) and the Brightline Station (which will bring you right from Orlando after a Walt Disney World vacation), but it’s also beyond close to the port at Port Everglades and everything else you could need. There’s so much to do nearby!
Things to do:
This waterfront hotel is a quick ride to Fort Lauderdale’s famous beaches. The hotel’s resort fee actually includes round-trip transportation to and from the beach which I wish we had time to do! It is near downtown, the Museum of Discovery & Science, Broward Center for Performing Arts, Amerant Bank Arena, Hard Rock Stadium, Galleria Mall, snorkeling/diving, golf courses and much more (including nail salons if you don’t have time for a pedicure before you sail like me!). We wished we had spent two days in Fort Lauderdale before our Disney Cruise to really enjoy it! Next time we do a Disney Cruise from Fort Lauderdale, we are definitely coming in earlier or staying after to enjoy everything the city has to offer!
There is a gift shop at the hotel, and we were walking distance to Walgreens for some miscellaneous items we forgot to pack. We were a $5 Uber/Lyft ride to Publix and Total Wine (if you want to carry on beer or wine per Disney’s alcohol policy, these are great options).!
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina is one of the stops for the Water Taxi (how cool?!)! This taxi has stops up and down Fort Lauderdale that allow you to really explore from the beauty of the water. It runs from 10 AM – 10 PM, and you can buy tickets here.
Do you or someone in your family love to fish? You can book a pre-cruise deep-sea fishing excursion located at the Hilton! The deep sea fishing excursion on Castaway Cay was booked for our cruise. We have a big fisher in the family, so this was a great backup if our Nassau private excursion fell through (would a review of that be helpful?).
Start your vacation early or erase the post-cruise-blues by staying in Florida a bit longer with beach transportation and beach towels included in every stay for Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina guests. Which reminds me – unless you have some super specific need, leave your beach towels at home. Disney has PLENTY onboard, at Castaway, and for excursions. Save the room in your luggage for souvenirs!
Let’s talk timing and transportation budget – when we landed at FLL and got our luggage, we hopped in a rideshare and were at the hotel in 15 minutes ($17).
Getting from the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel to our Disney Cruise was so easy! With traffic, it took us less than 7 minutes (I timed it!). The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina has a shuttle that leaves specifically for the cruise port every 15 minutes for only $8 per person – amazing! There was plenty of room for the whole family, plus other families, and all our luggage and strollers. There were a few families all decked out in matching T-shirts and Mickey/Minnie ears waiting in the lobby to head to the port with us. There’s NOTHING like embarkation day happiness!
Pro Tip: Always fly in at least one day before your cruise at the minimum. Crazy weather, mechanical issues, crew delays, you name it can prevent your flight from getting in on time. Instead of spending the first day of your vacation stressing, budget for at least a 1-night stay in Fort Lauderdale or any city you’re taking a Disney Cruise from.
How was the stay?
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina was renovated in 2023, so it was very nice! I’m a Hilton Honors member (free to sign up), so we were greeted with bottled water when we checked in. We arrived a bit early, so we dropped our luggage off with the Concierge near the front door and then took time to explore. We got a double queen, connecting room. I love connecting rooms for families so that everyone isn’t crammed on top of each other trying to get ready or go to bed all at the same time. The rooms are a nice size and felt modern; had plenty of outlets for everyone’s phones, watches, DisneyBand+, etc., and WiFi was included. Everything worked properly and was clean; and I could not get over the views from all sides of the hotel. We got a balcony room facing the cruise port (I’ll give you a guess as to why, LOL). The extra space was wonderful to watch the sunrise as the cruise ships were pulling into the port. The views from every direction are spectacular, but if you stay here, try to get a room on the port side so you can see the Disney Cruise ship from your hotel room.
Amenities:
Pool: The pool was definitely one of, if not the, largest hotel pools I’ve seen. It’s heated, but it was the perfect temp at the end of May. Lots of seating around the edges of the pool along with tables to order food and drinks. There were kids splashing as well as adults mingling. The pool also has a wheelchair lift if you have accessibility needs.
Gym: The gym is open to guests and has everything you need for a workout to get you ready for your Disney Cruise vacation. With treadmills, dumbbells, a cable machine, boxes, kettlebells, a Peloton, and more – we were excited to get in a little movement before we embarked.
Parking: There is on-site parking for the cruise that you can pay for daily, but if you’re driving (especially if you have car seats or lots of a luggage) I would probably park at the port.
Ballroom: The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina has plenty of event space for things like conventions, business conferences, weddings, you name it. The ballroom had a large event going on that overlooked the Intracoastal Waterway. All I could think about was having a wedding there with all your loved ones and then hopping on your Disney Cruise honeymoon the next day while your guests enjoy Fort Lauderdale! Our cruise had so many honeymooners on it which made fighting for spots on Match Your Mate so entertaining!
Check-Out: If your Port Arrival Time (PAT) isn’t in the first few groups, we really enjoyed the fact that you don’t have to check out of your room until 11 AM. This gives you plenty of time to get ready, maybe work out, eat a little something, pack up, and head to the port without stress. The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina also has some really great indoor and outdoor seating areas if you have a later boarding time. Our PAT was around 11 AM, but they didn’t actually start boarding people until after 12 noon. Remember that your PAT time and boarding group number are not the same thing and nothing to stress about. Disney’s boarding process, especially at Fort Lauderdale, is a well-oiled machine!
Pro tip: When you’re packing, put everything you need for your hotel stay (toiletries, embarkation day outfits, laundry bag, etc.) in one suitcase. This way, you’re not having to dig through EVERYBODY’s suitcases to find a few items and you can put all the main suitcases off to the side.
Food options:
The lobby has Dockside Provisions, a quick bites offering with breakfast items like muffins, pastries, yogurt, fruit, croissants, etc.; lunch items like sandwiches, salads, wraps, tons of snacks including ice cream, etc.; and beverages like coffee, teas, soda/pop, beer, wine, and liquor.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina also has a pool bar with dining options including items like chicken tenders, fish tacos, and sandwiches. We ate a DELICIOUS chicken quesadilla while drinking some margaritas as we waited for our room to be ready.
This hotel also had an AMAZING restaurant called Olive & Sea that was sooooo good! We travel with some picky eaters and even they were raving about the food here. You can’t beat the waterfront views at this Mediterranean restaurant watching the drawbridge open at sunset to allow boats to come in and out of the marina – so dreamy! Some of our favorite things we ordered were the goat cheese and fig pizza (O.M.G. GOOD!), grilled gulf snapper, shawarma spiced beef skewers, charred octopus, and the bread. We didn’t notice a ton of kids here (as they probably wanted to be swimming!), but they do have menu items like cheese pizza and roasted chicken. This has got to be one of the best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale. My mouth is watering just thinking about the warm, fresh pita bread again.
Service:
Coming from a Disney Cruiser, my standards when it comes to service on vacations are very high. The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel team didn’t disappoint. The valet team was beyond nice; the dining staff was so friendly; the housekeeping member on our floor was sweet as pie. If you see Gregory walking around, you have to say hi! He was SO nice and made us feel like family from the second we got checked in.
Final Thoughts:
As you can see, the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina was a great hotel for us before our Disney Cruise. Between the amazing location, that goat cheese and fig pizza at Olive & Sea, and the waterfront, balcony room, we can’t wait to spend more time here before our next Disney Cruise from Fort Lauderdale. If you’re interested in learning more about this hotel or are ready to book, visit their website to book online or speak to your travel agent. I’ll be sure to share more pictures, videos, and tips from our stay here and our Fort Lauderdale Disney Cruise over on the DCL Community Instagram page (follow along here)!
A big shoutout to the amazing team at Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina for sponsoring this review. As always, I would never recommend something that I wouldn’t use myself and all the opinions and information in here are based on my personal experience. I was so happy to get to stay here and be able to share with Disney Cruisers from around the world before they book a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale.
