Feb 26: Cruise View: 8 Hours

So you're cruising into or out of Fort Lauderdale. You have just eight hours to see this place. What do you do? That's our mission today, cruiselovers. Earlier this week, I promised a series of blogs about pre or post cruise visits to our lovely community. Actually, though, today's blog also works if we're a stop on your cruise itinerary, where you might typically arrive early in the morning and leave late in the afternoon. That usually gives you the same eight hours I'll be talking about here. Or maybe you've got a long stretch between arriving at the airport and leaving from Port Everglades, or vice versa. Whatever. If I had just eight hours here for a first visit, how would I use my time? As a nearly 20 year resident and experienced travel writer (and veteran of many cruises), these are my thoughts:

• Take a taxi immediately to the Fort Lauderdale beach. If you see nothing else, you should see this. Get off at Las Olas and A1A - shouldn't cost more than maybe $10 from the port, a little more from the airport. Now just wander. If it's early, find a café for breakfast. If it's later, grab a smoothie or ice cream cone and save your appetite for lunch. There's some good shopping at Beach Place, a short walk north.
  
• I wouldn't rush the beach experience. Take in the people as well as the gorgeous ocean views. Get a feel for the way we dress, talk, behave. We have our own vibe here. But there's something else you should do for sure. Get on the water. Fort Lauderdale's most photogenic side is best seen from this angle.
  
• Any hotel along the beach can direct you to a Water Taxi. It doesn't cost much ($13 for an all day pass) and will take you up and down the Intracoastal and New River, floating you past mansions, megayachts, sailboats, drawbridges. All the things that help make Fort Lauderdale what it is.
  
• This should take you maybe two hours. By now it's probably mid-afternoon. You don't have much time left if you're going to make that 5 p.m. departure. So leave the water taxi at the downtown Las Olas stop. Now head a couple blocks north to our famous shopping street, Las Olas Boulevard, including cafes and restaurants for that lunch. Pick a spot, have a lovely meal and a glass or two of wine - hey, you're not driving. If you didn't buy ice cream earlier, go to Kilwin's for the best in town. Now flag down one of the many taxis and book it to your ship or plane.

Like all such brief visits anywhere, you're seeing only some of the many highlights. But you really can get a genuine feeling for what we're all about - enough to make you want to return and stay a while. Next week, I'll offer my suggestions for making the most of an overnight cruise stay in Fort Lauderdale. Til then, bon voyage.