We were traveling on the Enchantment of the Seas on
July 6 and decided to stay at the Embassy Suites for one
night prior to the cruise.

I emailed Mr Don Friedman, General Manager of the Embassy
Suites and stated that we needed an early check in for 4 rooms.
I told him that we were traveling for my mom's 70th birthday.

Well are rooms were not only ready but with the ocean view.
We enjoyed the manager's reception and the free breakfast.
The pool area is great.

Thank you for a wonderful start to a great vacation.

Pros: Wonderful stay for families. Staff was friendly, local restaurant (the E Spot) was good, reasonably priced - easier than going out. If you go out the back/side door- you are close enough to walk to shopping center without crossing main streets. CVS down the street - can buy beer, wine, snacks, soda there. refrig in room (enough for several sodas and beer). Drove to Frt Lauderdale beach to swim - great fun - only a few minutes away. Amble parking, but by meter ($1 an hour I believe - takes credit card or cash). Clean water. Shopping and eateries nearby - like a boardwalk. The lobby was open (beautiful!) and you could hear talking if you use the second room with pull-out couch - but not enough noise to keep anyone from sleeping. Morning noises with breakfast getting ready in lobby a little louder. Nearby: CVS 3 blocks away for beer, wine, soda; shopping center - Harbor Shops - out side door with no major roads to cross; Nice swimming pool for kids outside.
Cons: Extra costs: (1) valet parking $16 plus tips everytime you took car in/out. (otherwise $13 for self parking - all ground level around back - not hard to do. You can pull in, let out kids, drive around back. (2) Hi-speed internet costs extra - but three open computers in lobby (standing only) are easy enough to check email from.

I stayed at this hotel for one night with a friend the night before leaving on a cruise. It was very close to the airport and the cruise terminal. In fact, a shuttle was available for a small fee from the hotel to the ship. The room was spacious overall that included a living area, kitchenette (sink and refrigerator), bedroom, and bathroom. The hotel is a great set-up for families or people needing a lot of space. There was also a full breakfast included on departure day. One feature of the room I loved was the thermostat! It could be adjusted according to desired temperature level. This is quite a bit considering that many hotels are moving away from this and have set climates in rooms that can only be mildly adjusted.

Now for the bad news. My bathroom had not been cleaned and I realized it about the time I went to bed! The toilet had the seat up and looked as if it had not been flushed and the shower had used soap in it! EWWWW! Otherwise, the rest of the room was clean. In addition, the hotel was in an open atruim format that added a lot of noise. So, I wouldn't plan on putting small children near the door at bedtime. In addition, there were not enough blankets on the bed or available in the closet area of the room. While relaxing in bed, don't count on a nice selection of television channels.

If you are traveling alone or with one other person, you may want to find another hotel. There's no use paying more for space you won't use. I would stay there again, but prefer Springhill Suites or Hampton Inn chains.

I'll admit, we almost canceled our reservation at the Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale.

My wife and I were set to depart on our honeymoon cruise from Ft. Lauderdale and had booked at the Embassy Suites. Upon reading some of the reviews at that time here on Tripadvisor, I found that some were not very complimentary, and I was wary of staying here. In all fairness, I emailed the General Manager of the hotel (Don Friedman) to share my concerns and to seek his assurance that these reviews did not reflect the norm at his property.

Don quickly responded and said that, as General Manager of the hotel for 13 years, these reviews were not what we should expect. He assured me that we would enjoy our stay, and said he only wanted an opportunity to exceed our expectations. And he did.

We arrived after a short cab ride from the airport to a friendly front-desk clerk who quickly checked us in. Shortly after we got to our room, there was a knock at the door: we were sent chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne from the General Manager as a welcome and congratulations on our honeymoon! A very nice, very personal touch that we really appreciated.

The room was spacious and well-laid out. The room enters into a nice sized living room-esque sitting area with a large counter with sink/refridgerator along the wall between the bedroom and the living room. The room was very clean, and we had an *excellent* view of the cruise port from our bedroom.

The "open" concept of the hotel was a little different at first. The rooms are all on the perimeter of the hotel with the entire building open in the middle. Rooms all have a large "front window" that looks out into the middle of the hotel. As we walked around the floor, we walked past a few rooms with the curtains wide open and people lounging around inside.. was a little weird. I'm used to checking into a hotel room and not seeing anyone else until you go down to the lobby.

We walked literally 2 blocks to a bunch of shops including a wine/liquor store, and a grocery store (publix?) to pick up last-minute things for our cruise. For dinner, we walked across the street to a steakhouse and enjoyed sitting out on the patio. The server guessed correctly that we were from Canada, in our shorts/t-shirts in the 15oC (appx 60oF) weather. I can't remember the name of the place, but it service was prompt and good.

The manager's receiption and free buffet breakfast were both icing on the cake of a great stay. We took a shuttle (not free) to the cruise port and paid, I think, $5/apiece. Another couple that got on with us had an argument with the driver as they thought it was a free shuttle. My only comment would be to look into re-instating a free cruiseport shuttle.

Would I stay here again? You bet. Thank you for such a great, memorable stay, Don. It really was a nice start to a great vacation!!!