Grand Rapids, Michigan: DoubleTree by Hilton GRR airport

February and March 2019, Weekend, 1-night each, Executive king guestroom #322 and #156

I have stayed at this property several times from 2010 to the present. I stayed when it was a Hilton, when it was transitioning from Hilton to DoubleTree, and since it has fully changed to DoubleTree. You can find previous posts with additional hotel and room details (guestrooms 114, 300, 356, and 411) by using the search bar above, or by clicking on labels at the end of this post.

Copy of text conversation with hotel during February stay

Diamond perks and check-in

In February, I chose king guestroom 449 on the app when I checked in before arrival. We had had a guestroom in this hotel with a fridge before; however, none of the information on the app told me if the rooms had a fridge, so I asked about this when I received a welcome text before my arrival. At that time, I was told I had been upgraded to an executive king guestroom. When I arrived at the hotel, my room had not been assigned, and the agent said something about two queen beds. My February reservation was for one king bed, so I did not understand why she said that. I mentioned the text from the day before, which said I had been assigned an executive king room. The agent looked like she did not know anything about the text conversation. She assigned me guestroom 322. I received two beverage coupons, and would have also received breakfast, except we were leaving early in the morning.

In March, my reservation had been made for two queen beds. When I tried to check-in online, the only choices showing were that room type, even though I tried to apply other filters. I did not complete check-in, and I did not receive a welcome text before my arrival. The agent assigned me a king executive guestroom on the bottom floor when I arrived. We arrived after the 4:00 PM check-in time, and she told me that was the only king executive room currently available. In addition to the beverage coupons, I was able to enjoy breakfast the morning after my March stay.

Guestroom 322 at DoubleTree GRR

King executive guestrooms 322 and 156

Both of these guestrooms have a small fridge, and there were two bottles of water in the room. Neither of these rooms had been assigned to me before my arrival, so water must be standard in the executive guestrooms. The window from both rooms faces the courtyard.

View from guestroom 156 at DoubleTree

Carnival Conquest Cruise: 6-day Eastern Caribbean from Port Everglades

February - March 2019, balcony cabin 7405 

Carnival Conquest from Half Moon Cay beach.
Click on photo to enlarge and see tender boat on left

More photos from this cruise and ports of call can be found in the Carnival Conquest Facebook album.

Pre-cruise

We booked this cruise last minute, because we initially thought we would stay in Florida on the beach for a week. After I discovered that all of the lodging choices we liked were well over $200 a night, we decided it made more sense to book this cruise instead. The cruise cost was about the same per night, and food and entertainment is included on the cruise. We initially booked interior cabin 1011, and received a call from Carnival offering an upgrade to the balcony cabin for $350 more. The online pricing between these two cabins was about $500 difference, so this was a bit of a savings. We try to book balcony cabins on 7-day or longer cruises, and decided to take this offer!

This was our first time on Carnival Conquest; however, we have previously sailed on the following same class ships: Glory aft extended balcony cabin 7442, Liberty large balcony cabin 7439, and Freedom inside cabin 1021. I imagine cabin 1011 would have been similar to cabin 1021 on Carnival Freedom. You can find reviews for Carnival Glory and Carnival Freedom in previous posts in this blog from 2010 and 2011.

Arrival and check-in ~ Port Everglades

We had not departed from Port Everglades since 2012, and our VIP check-in experience that time did not flow as it should have, so I paid closer attention when we arrived this time. I am glad I did, because our experience this time was similar. We arrived around 11 AM, and were though security very quickly. We were then directed to the waiting area for Faster to the Fun guests (ahead on the left, across from the check-in counters). Since I did not see a VIP sign, I looked around for another representative, and asked again. The VIP waiting area is around to the right, beyond the check-in counter and Faster to the Fun, and then upstairs. The VIP sign is visible after walking past the Faster to the Fun seating area. Other than a wedding party, not many guests were in the VIP waiting area. There had been many more guests waiting in the Faster to the Fun area. There is a bathroom in the VIP room, and water and cookies were provided while we waited.

The wedding party boarded first, then less than five diamond guests, and then platinum guests. We were on board before noon.

Carnival Conquest balcony cabin 7405.

Balcony cabin 7405, category 8C

This is a basic balcony stateroom near the center of the ship. If we had initially booked a balcony cabin, we would have chosen one of the larger balcony cabins, like 7434 or 7439. For the reduced cost, however, we felt the upgrade/upsell was worth it.

Carnival Conquest balcony cabin 7405.

Fort Lauderdale/Dania Beach, Florida: Hotel Morrison FLL airport Ascend Hotel Collection

March 2019, Weekend, 1-night, 2-queen guestroom 219

Sunset from pool area at Hotel Morrison

Arrival and check-in

We arrived at this hotel in the morning after disembarking a cruise at Port Everglades. The hotel was extremely busy, and sold out for the night of our stay. After we checked our bags at the front desk, I inquired about accessing the pool area to wait. The agent provided a key, which quit working at noon, before we had been assigned a guestroom. We were able to check-in just after 1:45 PM. Several guests who arrived after we did, were able to check in sooner, because king guestrooms were cleaned first. We did not need a guestroom with two beds; however, the front desk agent told us he could not switch our room type since the hotel was sold out.

Hotel Morrison guestroom 219

Guestroom 219

The guestroom contained two queen size beds with plush bedding, a nightstand, flatscreen TV on an armoire, table with two chairs, a soft chair, a suitcase bench, small fridge, safe, ice bucket, and coffeemaker with supplies. Only one regular coffee had been provided, and we were able to get another from the housekeeper in the hall. 

Hotel Morrison guestroom 219

The guestroom was comfortable and clean. The large window overlooking the pool area was well soundproofed. We were very happy with the overall quality and amenities in the guestroom.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Crowne Plaza Airport/Cruise

February 2019, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom #1019*

Sunset from pool area at FLL Crowne Plaza air and cruise port

The last time we stayed in this hotel, in 2012, I received an upgrade to the Presidential Suite! Although that did not happen this time, our guestroom was still very nice and comfortable. 

Airport shuttle, arrival, platinum perks

Getting here from the airport was almost as chaotic as arriving at the Miami airport. When I called for the shuttle, the person answering the telephone barely took the time to say, "We are very busy, so it might be 35 minutes," before he hung up. He did not ask how many guests, what airline, if we had our luggage, or anything. The shuttle bus driver must have been in the airport when I called, because he drove by with several guests about 10 minutes later. He apparently did not plan on stopping though. My husband waved when he drove by, and then the driver kept inching forward, as we walked alongside the van. We thought he was driving forward as far as he could, and that he would then stop. Instead, he started to drive away when he got to the end. I ran up to knock on the passenger window when he started to leave. He rolled down the window, and told us we were supposed to wave. Before I had a chance to respond, he turned to the passengers, and said, "Did you see anyone wave?" I looked at him incredulously, thinking, "Wow, really?!" Instead, I merely told him that we had thought he was inching forward to stop behind the first vehicle. We ended up getting on the bus, although our arrival experience was not starting out very well.

Uber Experiences and Tips

We have had our share of Uber snafus, and I am writing this post to share some tips for others.

Screen shot for Uber fare estimates

• I always check fare estimates online before traveling to determine what mode of transportation we will use. Here is a link to the Uber estimator, which I use, and then compare to other local transportation options. I have heard that Uber costs are outrageous in New York City, so I checked estimates between the exact same locations for Uber and local cabs, and found this to be true. The cab fare estimate from LGA airport to Midtown area of New York City showed cab fare as $10 less than the Uber fare.
• If you are planning to use Uber, watch for Uber signs in airports, as you walk toward baggage claim/ground transportation. I have been in some airports that have signs saying, "Call Uber now."
• Do not tip or rate drivers until the trip is 100% over. Our last trip was going smoothly, and we were almost to our destination, so I completed everything on the app, including tip. Our driver then passed the turn (it was easily visible on the Uber map on my phone, and I could see the hotel logo/sign down the road he missed). He went to the next street, turned down it toward a different building, and then appeared lost or confused. Initially, I had thought maybe he knew a back way in, so I did not say anything when he first passed the road. After he looked confused, I told him he had passed the turn, and explained where I had seen the hotel. After some hesitation and excuse from him, he turned back, and sure enough the hotel was exactly where I had seen it. After we got our luggage and entered the hotel, I received an updated receipt from Uber for $2 more! Not much of an increase; however, the extra route and time was entirely his fault.

Northern Michigan Road Trip ~ Breweries, Wineries, Dining, Casino

January - February 2019, Weekday and weekend visits

Winter in Michigan!
Location: Charlevoix county.

We had a Michigan Brewvine Passport with several unused discounts, which had some bearing on the places we chose to visit this trip.

Four Leaf Brewing Sampler

Clare, Michigan: Four Leaf Brewing

This was our first visit to Four Leaf Brewing, and we only learned about the brewery because of their participation in Michigan Brewvine Passport. We liked all their discounts, and chose to use the coupon for 50% off a flight with our order. My personal favorite was Tiramisu Stout. The service was excellent, and we hope to visit again soon. Pere Marquette Rail Trail runs very close behind this brewery, on the west side of Pine Street.

View behind bar at Dead Bear; photo taken during 2016 visit

Grayling, Michigan: Dead Bear Brewing Co.   

We have previously enjoyed good food and brews at Dead Bear Brewing Co., although our experience was a tad disappointing this time. We split the Rueben appetizer, which we had had before, and really liked. The appetizer had been more like an egg roll last time, and this time it was greasier. You can see a photo of this appetizer in my 2015 Grayling post. Initially, we had planned to just split a pint at Dead Bear with their $2 off coupon, and then dine at Paddle Hard Brewing; however, the morning of our departure, we learned Paddle Hard Brewing would be closed.

Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery

Petoskey, Michigan: Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery, Odawa Casino 

Mackinaw Trail is one of our favorite places to visit in Petoskey! We enjoy visiting their locations in Mackinaw City and Manistique, as well. We love their brews and wines, along with the service and atmosphere. We used their discounted tasting coupon from the Michigan Brewvine Passport, and could not leave without making at least one purchase. My husband and I both liked Hop-toskey IPA and the Imperial Stout best--both delicious! 

Cadillac, Michigan / Hampton Inn

February 2019, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom 427

Diamond perks and check-in

This hotel was very busy the night of our stay, and there was only one front desk agent working when we arrived. We waited about 5 minutes to check in, and then our check-in process was very quick. The agent recognized my status, and she offered a bottle of water and snack.

Guestroom 427

This guestroom is on the top floor on the north side of the building. If you complete online check in and choose your guestroom, I suggest this side of the building, as the view is scenic; whereas, the southern view looks over the main parking lot and businesses. 

Guestroom 427