This is the Margaritaville Resort in Hollywood, Florida.
We're staying here for five days, prior to our Panama Canal cruise.
Hollywood is just south of Ft Lauderdale, making the Margaritaville resort a convenient location for anyone cruising out of either Fort Lauderdale or Miami.
Using Lyft or Uber, it's easy to get to either of those two cruise ports from here.
We've been having a fantastic time here at Margaritaville!
I love spending time in and around the pool during the day.
There are actually three swimming pools.
One has a waterfall and a waterslide, has music playing, and is a good spot for families and anyone looking for a fun atmosphere.
The second pool is quieter and more relaxing and tends to have more adults and not many kids.
Both of these two pools are at the ground level.
The third pool is actually up high on the 11th floor with a pretty great view!
Of course, there are bars at all of the pools and waiters roaming around to bring you drinks.
I liked that I could order a Diet Coke for about three dollars...
And they would bring me refills for free for the entire rest of the time that I set out by the pool.
Of course, I had more than a few margaritas during my five days at Margaritaville, too.
And Margaritaville is located right next to the beach.
Now I'm from California where the ocean water is about 50 degrees.
This Florida ocean water is so much nicer than that!
I loved being able to actually be in the ocean water without being cold.
As a hotel guest, you are entitled to a lounger on the beach with an umbrella...
And if you'd prefer a clam shell to provide even more shade and privacy, those are available for an additional charge.
Our room in the hotel is pretty great!
We actually booked a somewhat mid-priced room but got a nice surprise when we checked in...
A free upgrade to this beautiful suite.
We're on the 18th floor... the top floor of the hotel.
And we've got a big patio with an amazing view.
We can see both the intercoastal waterway and the ocean.
And way off in the distance is Ft Lauderdale.
With a pair of binoculars or a very long lens on the camera, you can see the cruise ships at Port Everglades.
Our suite has a very comfortable living room area and a separate bedroom.
Both rooms have big picture windows and sliding doors that open out to the balcony.
The bathroom is really great, too.
And I totally loved the walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead.
The Margaritaville restaurant offers excellent food and we ate most of our meals here during our five day stay...
But you also have many other restaurant and bar choices nearby.
There's a pedestrian walkway and bike path that runs all along the beach.
At first glance, you might think it's called the boardwalk, but...
They actually call it the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk.
I joked that it's the place you go to see all the broads walking.
It turns out that at night they dance, too!
It's lined with all sorts of shops and restaurants and bars and...
My personal favorite: several great places to get ice cream and frozen yogurt.
On most nights, there's a band that plays at the big band shell next to the beach...
And there is entertainment at many of the restaurants and bars on the resort property, too.
Getting to Florida from our home in California was a special experience for us this time around.
We got to fly on my favorite airplane: a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
And we were in First Class... with huge seats that can even recline flat if you want to sleep.
Even for those flying in coach, though, there are really nice seat back entertainment systems with free movies and TV shows.
But for those of us fortunate enough to be able to be up at the front in First Class it was even better...
With much larger seats, and a lot more room, free food, and I enjoy having them serve me rum and Cokes during the whole flight.
It's a whole lot nicer than flying in coach, that's for sure.
The best part about this particular flight... And you may find this hard to believe, but I swear it's true...
This flight from LAX to Fort Lauderdale cost me eleven dollars.
Yep, $11... And a hundred thousand United frequent flyer miles.
It's a fantastic perk for doing most of my flying with United...
And booking my cruises through their travel agency: Cruises.United.com
Back here to Margaritaville... My five days here is just flying by!
When I booked it, I wondered if five days was going to be too many... that I would get bored, but...
That simply has not been a problem.
I haven't even gotten around to taking a water taxi or the local shuttle bus to explore more of the surrounding area.
I'm enjoying myself too much right here.
We're in a severe drought in my part of California... So, there's no way I can have a swimming pool or even a Jacuzzi at my house.
So, I love spending time in the water here at Margaritaville and relaxing in the sun by the pool.
It's a mixture of adults and families staying here at Margaritaville...
And I got a real kick out of watching the kids play in the pool and go down the waterslide that they have here.
Take a look at my waterslide montage!
Once my five days at Margaritaville winds up...
I'll be boarding a brand-new cruise ship, The Norwegian Bliss, for a cruise through the Panama Canal.
Keep an eye on my YouTube channel for lots of videos from that trip.
I'm Jim Zim. Thanks for watching!
Subscribe, if you want to be sure to catch all my Norwegian Bliss videos from the Panama Canal cruise.