Fort Lauderdale & Hollywood FL questions

Hi everyone,

Me and a friend of mine are considering an Amtrak trip next year to Florida, probably Fort Lauderdale and maybe Hollywood. We will be departing from NY Penn station,and would be taking either the Silver Meteor or the Silver Star. Our plan is to spend a few days in each area.

I'd like to know about the Amtrak stations at both places. Is it easy to get a taxi at each location?

Also, we we trying to see if we could take Amtrak for just one stop, from Fort Lauderdale to Hollywood, but when I try to search this on Amtrak

I get the message that says:

Problem Finding Service: We cannot find train service matching your request; please try alternate stations. Learn more about routes, stations and where we can take you in the 'Destinations' section.

[Error ID: 108A]

Will Amtrak not let us take the train for just on stop? The schedule clearly says that the train stops at Fort Lauderdale then Hollywood.

Also. any other advice or tips regarding these two locations (hotels, transportation, etc.) would be greatly appreciated, as we have never been to Florida before.

Thanks in advance!

Dave

Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale are very close to each other so I don't see why you would differentiate them too much. Taxis are available easily so don't worry about that. Concerning travel from FTL to HOL is there is a commuter service called Tri Rail which runs from the Miami Airport to West Palm Beach. It's cheaper, more frequent and more reliable than Amtrak to travel between those points if you wish.

Southbound, Ft. Lauderdale is a discharge-only stop for Amtrak trains, meaning trains stop there only to let passengers off. No one can board Amtrak trains at Ft. Lauderdale heading south.

They are not much more than 10 miles apart, and the bus up/down US 1 is $3.75 (unless it went up) Florida is a relatively reasonable rent a car state if you drive. I'm not sure about the idea of spending a few days at each location, they are only 15-20 minutes apart, if you get a good deal at a convenient hotel you might not want to move. Look into who offers pickup/shuttle to from the train, and free local area shuttle. Sometimes $5-10 a night can save way more in taxis.

As said, you can not ride Amtrak between the two stations but they are both served by Tri-Rail (the regional commuter railroad).

I have lived in Florida all my life (but never in Broward County, where FTL and HOL are located).

I have taken Amtrak to both stations in the past and have found taxi cabs waiting for the train. I am not familiar with hotels near the stations, but I recall staying at a hotel near downtown Hollywood many years ago, but I had a car at my disposal that trip. I recall not being impressed with the hotel. However, I enjoyed walking around downtown and walking along the beach.

I recently spent some time in Deerfield Beach, which is in the same county as Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale, but a little north of those cities. There are 2 Hilton properties that are walking distance from the Amtrak (and TriRail) station. The Doubletree has a shuttle that will pick up guests at the train station, the Hampton Inn does not. Last time I was in town (in off season), both hotels were about the same very reasonable price. The Doubletree shuttle will also take guests to the beach a couple of miles away.

As mentioned previously, you can easily take TriRail between the stations.

Also, at Coco Beach (just north of Ft Lauderdale and just south of Deerfield Beach), there is an Embassy Suites across from the TriRail station. They also have a shuttle to the station.

the_traveler said:

Also, at Coco Beach (just north of Ft Lauderdale and just south of Deerfield Beach), there is an Embassy Suites across from the TriRail station. They also have a shuttle to the station.

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I am not sure about that. Cocoa Beach is in another county and is not on the TriRail route. My guess is that you were thinking about another Beach (possibly Pompano Beach)

Cocoa Beach is where the astronauts lived in "I Dream of Jeannie", Brevard not Broward County. Pompano would be more likely, it sits between Ft Lauderdale and Deerfield. Is the Doubletree the one at Hillsboro and 95 on the border of Boca? I think I stayed there when it was a Hilton visiting my Aunt in Deerfield, and Roger Nielson when he coached the Panthers. (back then they practiced at a place called Gold Coast on Federal Hwy in Pompano, long time ago!)

PVD said:

Is the Doubletree the one at Hillsboro and 95 on the border of Boca?

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yes

Thanks, it has been a while.....

PVD said:

Thanks, it has been a while.....

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Technically, it is just off Hillsboro.

My apologies! I meant Boca Raton.

Thanks everyone for all your info!

I think we will probably stay in Hollywood and take taxis or shuttles into Fort Lauderdale.

pennyk said:

the_traveler said:

Also, at Coco Beach (just north of Ft Lauderdale and just south of Deerfield Beach), there is an Embassy Suites across from the TriRail station. They also have a shuttle to the station.

Click to expand...

I am not sure about that. Cocoa Beach is in another county and is not on the TriRail route. My guess is that you were thinking about another Beach (possibly Pompano Beach)

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Right. Cocoa Beach is not on any railroad route and is highly unlikely that it will ever be.

Even in the highly unlikely case that TriRail ever extends that far, it will get to Cocoa and not Cocoa Beach