Precruise hotel - Radisson, Hampton, Marriott, or?

[MelissaE1]

I want to book a hotel room for the night before our cruise (January 25th Eastern.) I noticed the Marriott, Radisson and Hampton Inn all offer those packages where you can park there while on the cruise and they transport you. Two questions:

1. Which hotel is nicer? On the phone, the nicest people were at the Hampton Inn, and we've had good luck with this chain, but I have seen a lot of people post about the Radisson, too. What about the Marriott Courtyard?

2. Is this really a better option, or can you do it cheaper by booking a decent room somewhere else and paying for parking at the port?

Thanks for any info!

 

[ncligs]

bump........

 

[Mjasp]

I don't know about the other 2 hotels, but we stayed at the Radisson and were very happy there. You can take their shuttle to the port and wah lah you're there, quick and easy. Hope that helps a little.


Joanna

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

The Courtyard by Marriott and the Hampton Inn are both wonderful properties. They're practically twin properties... they share the same parking lot, they're both about the same size and age, and I assume they're both owned by the same franchiser. The only differences between the two are the subtleties that differentiate the two chains. They're both a 1-3 minute walk from the beach.

The Radisson's not bad, but it's not on the beach, and unless you get one of those super-discounted $59 rates, it's overpriced for the area and for a property not on the beach. It does have a really nice resort-style pool though.

 

[MelissaE1]

Thanks for the info Dave... I guess you really do know everything. (grin) I think we might try the Hampton Inn, then.

Also thanks for your info Joanna, and thanks for the bump, ncligs!

Melissa

 

[Doctor P]

FWIW. We chose the Courtyard by Marriott because I really like the rooms and amenities at Courtyards for the price (plus I accumulate Marriott points!)

 

[MelissaE1]

Dr P, I forgot about Marriott Reward points... good point. We have an account with them, too. Back to indecision. (grin)

 

[Julie 363]

We are staying at the Hampton the night before our 10/27 cruise. The people I talked with were extremely nice and helpful also. It was more important to our girls to be able to go out by the ocean, they also have a continental breakfast.

 

[wovenwonder]

We enjoyed our stay at the Hampton Inn very much. The convenience and savings of having FREE breakfast on site in the morning was terrific. I have a pic of poolside at the Hampton here -
http://www.wovenwonder.com/before_the_Magic.html

 

[szulu]

We've had luck with other Hampton Inns and will be staying at the Cocoa Beach property in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it is..This one is good for HiltonHonors points.

 

[GoBlueGuy]

I've stayed at the Hapton on business many times. I agree that it's a very nice Hotel. The Marriott is newer. I think the Hapton is about 5 years old or so, and the Marriott is just coming up on two or so. I haven't stay at the Marriott, but they are owned (managed?) by the same company.

The HI Express is also worth looking into. Again, it's not on the beach. But neither is the Hampton nor Marriott, it's a short walk that doesn't cross any roads. But the HI express has decent rates and is only 4 years old or so, and isn't in a very busy part of the strip.

Just my $0.02 worth.

GBG

 

[Mjasp]

Jody....Your pics look nice. How much does the Hampton Inn charge per night? We stayed at the Radisson for $59 but breakfast wasn't included.


Thx
Joanna

 

[wovenwonder]

http://www.space-coast.com/moreinfo.php?ZID23=6234&page=wherestay&ClassID=1

 

[DisneyKids]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and liked it very much. We'll stay there again in 2 weeks! It's very convenient (right down the road from the Radisson for the Avis car drop), clean, has a continental breakfast, etc. Plus, I was able to use reward points and stay for free! It's not on the beach if that's what you would like. All in all, worth a look if you just want a nice place to stay before the cruise.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

GoBlueGuy -

Thanks for the info re: the age of some of the hotels. They all seem <i>relatively</i> new, so it's hard to tell the difference. I agree, the Holiday Inn Express (<i><b>not</b></i> to be confused with the Holiday Inn) also looks like a nice property. But I'm somewhat put off that you have to cross A1A <i>and</i> walk 2-3 blocks to get to the beach. While the Hampton and Courtyard are also not on the beach, the beach access is at least easier and is nicely landscaped.

 

[mickeymom629]

I am going on the 4 night cruise, Jan. 26. I called Hampton Inn and got a price of $129 for my family of 6 (Sat. night). Then I called Radisson and got 2 king bed suite (my husband is 6'9", so that's a plus) that sleeps 6 for $149, including free breakfast for 4 at the restaurant (that works out fine because I usually bring my own coffee and cereal from home and I guess we could pay for another). Anyway, I ended up cancelling the Hampton only because I didn't think we would appreciate the beach much, just arriving in the evening from our drive from MD and departing on the cruise the next day and it being January. So the bed size and the location in the month we are travelling made the decision for me. But it sounds like the Hampton Inn might be really nice and I am questioning my choice, but I'll probably stick with my Radisson reservation. (just thought I'd put in my thoughts . . . )

 

[MelissaE1]

Can you park your car at the Holiday Inn Express and take a shuttle? Or do you have to park at the port? What kind of pricing do they have there?

The beach access is nice but not mandatory as we live on the Panhandle a stone's throw from the beach. Kind of spoiled there.