Fun things to do in Fort Lauderdale

Had it been a bit warmer, we probably would have bought a day ticket for the water taxi and explored some of the intercoastal waterway that runs through Fort Lauderdale but it was a cool windy day and I didn't think that being on the water would be all that pleasant.

From the website, it looks like an all day ticket with on/off privileges is $20, no option to buy a single ticket which I think is a little odd. If you stay on the boat for a round trip tour it takes about 3 hours, another 45 minutes if you do the Hollywood route. It's not a circular tour, rather there and back between Oakland Park Boulevard and Southeast 17th Street along the Intracoastal waterway, then west along the New River into downtown Fort Lauderdale to the Las Olas Riverfront complex.

the fort lauderdale museum of art is located on the campus of nova southern university in downtown fort lauderdale. their exhibits focus on contemporary art and host traveling exhibits from museums from all over the country. for those interested in arts and culture the fort lauderdale museum of art is worth a visit when in fort lauderdale. see the attached web site for current exhibitions.

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The Solarium is where my wife and i prefer to relax during sea days on a cruise. Relaxing on a lounge chair with a drink while watching the waves is so calming. One of our favorite things is the drink of the day that the waiters start passing around around 10am...so yum.

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The Solarium is the area of the ship reserved for guests over sixteen years of age. This age restriction makes it a perfect escape from the screaming children of the main pool. The solarium has a pool, two huge hot tubs, pool bar and plenty of comfy lounge chairs.

The pool here is where my wife and I prefer to swim; far away from the noise of children. Yes, the pool is smaller but I can guarentee it is a more relaxing experience here than the main pool.

Wannado City is a SUPER place to take the kids if you are visiting Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. It's located in Sawgrass Mills Mall - a huge mall in Sunrise, FL - just west of Ft. Lauderdale. Shopping there is great - there are many bargains and also some relatively new outlet stores such as Coach, Burberrys, Sixty, etc.

Family members visiting loved it! It's great for kids from probably around 4 or 5 through pre-teen. The older kids can run around on their own and parents can accompany the younger ones.

It's hard to describe, but basically it's a place where "kids can do what they wannado" in terms of checking out various careers. They have locally sponsored areas such as Plantation General Hospital (kids can pretend to do surgery, visit the baby nursery, go into a "lab"), the Miami Herald where they can create a newspaper article and have it printed, and on and on.

It is, by far, the best thing for kids to do in South Florida besides the beach!

You won't be disappointed!!!

There is a map made by 'Dolph map company'. The map is variously called the Waterway map, Cap'n Jacks canal maps, the Gold Coast Waterway map, etc.

It was produced to show the canals in Fort Lauderdale, but it is by far the best street map of Down Town and the beaches.

NW,NE,SW and SE are clearly shown with the streets that devide them marked in green. Streets are very clear and you can easly see how to get from one place to the next.

Not only are bridges shown, but places where there are NO bridges also. Now that may seem simple, but it's not uncomon for locals to find tourists who are lost becuse they were trying to pass over a non-existant bridge. If your map does not show the water clearly then navigation on land will end at a canal.

If you walk or bike, and backtracking is a pain, then this map is a must!

You can probably get one at the marina or any boat store. (BahaMar marina is on the south end of the beach)

Second best, and with the advantage of being waterproof, is the Rand McNally Fort Lauderdale 'Easy Finder' . It's a plastic covered map that sells for the extrotion of $7. But it is plastic covered and says it wont won't tear.

Note: for all map users. 'South beach park' is not a park, it's a parking lot, with BBQ's on the beach.

For walkers a bus map is also useful.
For bus info try this link: http://www.broward.org/bct/fixed.htm

For a system wide bus map :http://www.broward.org/bct/sm_sys.pdf

For city shuttle between beach and down town at night 6PM to 1AM: http://citycruiser.org/schedule_las_olas.asp

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The Captain's Champagne is a big deal onboard the Emerald Princess. It begins with a a champagne presentation in the Atrium area. A large tower of champagne glasses is built perfectly by the staff and the champagne is poured on the top creating a champagne water fall. From there guests mingle to the reception with their champagne glasses and can meet the captain as well as some appetizers.

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The Lotus Spa is a great place to get a massage, facial or spa treatment on a sea day. It's best to book early since appointments do fill up fast. The Spa also has a salon for that haircut or special hairdo for formal night. The spa pool is very nice and is a great place to continue to relax after a nice massage.

I like that the Spa is out of the way and not lumped together with any other public area. It's quiet and relaxing from start to finish. We booked our massage as soon as we got aboard; we wanted a specific day and time (a sea day). The couples massage was in a nice dimly lit room and very relaxing. I drifted off the sleep several times during the massage. It was a great way to relax together. We hit the spa pool afterwards to just float and relax in the water.