Living the Suite Life
June 25-26. 2025
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
We love the Florida Beaches and Ft. Lauderdale did NOT disappoint!
Travel Day
It was a busy morning as we dropped off Rockefeller with our friend and then drove to Buffalo to meet up with my dad as Natalie and Luke would be staying with them during this time. My parents are retiring and will be packing up their home of 31 years to move to the Houston area near us. This allowed the kids to help them with the packing process but more importantly, have an additional time to spend at "Gigi and Poppy's House" one more time before they move.
I took a "backseat" for this trip to Buffalo... Natalie Grace drove us the whole way!
After we dropped the kids off in Buffalo, we made our way back home to grab our luggage and travel documents and head to Hobby Airport for our evening flight. As we suspected, the traffic was horrendous and it took nearly 2 hours to get to Hobby airport from our home in The Woodlands- it usually takes 1:15. Once at Hobby, we parked at our usual Parking Spot 2 location and got on the shuttle to the terminal. The airport was busy but not near as busy as our Memorial Day 2025 flight out of Hobby.
Hobby Airport Summer Evening
This was not too crowded... Hobby has so much to offer and is so much smaller than Bush Intercontinental!
We grabbed some dinner at GastroPub before our flight only to find out our Southwest Flight was delayed nearly an hour- gotta love Southwest! This dinner with drinks (and tip) cost $92. Once again, I need another job to pay for airport food. The flight was not full but we were able to get on an exit row and had 2 seats all to our selves with extra legroom and side room as well. The flight had some turbulence and the captain was trying to out run a storm so the stewardesses shut down service very early.
Loaded Fries at GastroPub- This was a WINNER!
Our plane finally arrived... Now we wait!
We normally fly with the kids so cannot sit in the exit row...
WOW, this is NICE!
We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:50PM local time and all of our luggage arrived as well so our trip was already a success. We walked around the outside of the terminal and got our Uber to the Gallery One Double Tree Hotel on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. This hotel offered some suites but when we checked in, we were given the President's Suite on the highest floor of the hotel (Floor 14). This room was so nice and offered a balcony with views of the city as well as a sky light. We settled in and then ordered Taco Bell via Door Dash- don't judge! It was a late night but we were excited for the next day exploring Ft. Lauderdale.
Welcome to Ft. Lauderdale!
The Gallery One by Double Tree Suite 1415
Why does Taco Bell actually taste better late at night??
Ft. Lauderdale Beach and Happy Hour Day
We woke up and got ready for the day around 9AM before going down to the Lobby to enjoy breakfast. Unfortunately, Double Tree does not offer FREE BREAKFAST so we opted to eat at the Vue Restaurant in the lobby. This was NOT CHEAP but was good. The total cost (with tip) was $48.
The Vue Breakfast Menu
After breakfast we made a run to CVS to get a few items we forgot and then we explored the Ft. Lauderdale Galleria which was next to our hotel. We then made our way to the Ft. Lauderdale Beach just 2 blocks from our hotel. The waters were beautiful and so peaceful. We should have gone back to change into our swim suits but we opted to go to a nearby bar to watch sports instead. McCorley's on the beach was not crowded and we enjoyed watching the College World Series recap in the AC. Our morning drinks (with tip) cost $32.
A view of the Ft. Lauderdale Galleria from our balcony.
This hotel was so "bougie" and we loved it!
Walking from the hotel to the beach (2 blocks) we crossed a drawbridge.
Another view of the hotel from the bridge.
Hello Atlantic Ocean... We've missed you!
We really enjoyed this beach and wish we would have swam!
We decided to get lunch nearby and opted for a Philadelphia transplanted Pizza joint right on the beach- Primanti Bros. This offered pizza by the slice, full pies and sandwiches at a crazy low (1990s) price point. The food was piping hot, the AC was blowing full blast and we were able to see the pizza being made from the dough to the oven to the table. We both tried their signature sandwich which had pastrami, coleslaw and fries INSIDE the sandwich. It was... interesting! But YOLO! The cost (with tip) for our lunch was $33- Be advised they ONLY accept CASH!
The Primanti Bros kitchen... Right there!
This was the MASSIVE pizza by the slice... This was HUGE!
The Famous Primanti Bros Sandwich... This was also MASSIVE!
The inside of the sandwich... Look at those fries (it was weird)!
The entrance to the restaurant right on the beach!
Their menu... WOW SO CHEAP!
Fresh made dough...Fresh made toppings... Fresh pizza!
This was SO GOOD!
After lunch we walked down to about 6 blocks south to the hotel district of Ft. Lauderdale and we had hoped to go into the Hilton Rooftop Bar but it had a "business casual" dress code and our shorts and t-shirts were not cutting it so we had to settle for the Hilton Lobby Bar Happy Hour but it did not disappoint! These drinks (with tip) cost $32. We enjoyed a few "fancy" drinks here and then made our way back to the Double Tree for our hotel's Happy Hour on the marina.
A $17 cocktail just tastes better in Florida!
We opted to take a nap since our hotel Happy Hour did not start until 5PM. This was a great idea as we were both so hot and tired. We slept until 5:30PM and then made our way downstairs to find out a massive crowd getting ready to board a company dinner cruise on a fancy yacht. The bartender was so sociable and we enjoyed talking to other customers, plus the view was INCREDIBLE. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel and would stay here again in a HEARTBEAT. Our Happy Hour drinks (with tip) was $82. TIP- This Happy Hour was not a traditional Happy Hour as it was only a 20% on your tab, so the $17 drinks were still very pricey.
The Vue Bar outside of the Gallery One Hotel!
I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel!
Shortly after 7:30PM we opted to walk back to the Galleria to eat at PF Changs. We have a PF Changs at our local mall and I usually encourage trying something new but we did not want to walk back towards the Ft. Lauderdale hotels or call an Uber so this worked out perfectly for us. This dinner (with tip) cost $86 but it was SO GOOD. I forgot how good this National chain really is!
Wow... PF Changs! This was SO GOOD!
We went back to the hotel and called it a night early as we were just really tired. We watched some Friends and ESPN before falling asleep before 10PM... Man, we're getting old!
It was a day spent exploring Ft. Lauderdale, the beach and more and we loved every minute of it but we were SO READY for this new cruise adventure- THE BACK TO BACK!
As much as we HATE flying... We loved this day in Ft. Lauderdale!
Stay Tuned for Embarkation Day on Cruise #1.
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
