Rodeway Inn & Suites – Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port, a budget-friendly, full-service Fort Lauderdale cruise hotel, near Port Everglades cruise port and the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL), provided all guests sailing with the Holland America MS Oosterdam free extended hotel stay, parking and transportation when the cruise ship was late due to being involved in a search and rescue operation in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Monday, January 18th, the MS Oosterdam, a Holland America cruise ship, was due back in Port Everglades at 7:00 a.m. EST. In the early hours of January 18th, while crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the cruise ship received a distress call. With no other ship in the area, the Oosterdam was called upon to participate in a search and rescue operation until the U.S. Coast Guard could arrive. Due to the rescue effort, the Oosterdam was nearly six hours late getting into port, significantly delaying the timetable for disembarking passengers, clean-up, and boarding passengers for the next voyage.
Upon being notified that the Oosterdam would not be arriving until 11 a.m. and would not be taking on new passengers until 1:30 p.m., Rodeway Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port took steps to accommodate the delayed Holland America passengers staying at the Fort Lauderdale hotel. The usual checkout time of 11:00 a.m. was extended to 1:00 p.m. for all Oosterdam passengers free of charge. When the ship was ready to take on passengers, The Fort Lauderdale cruise hotel provided free transportation via their own, in-house Shuttle Service.
Passengers disembarking from the delayed Oosterdam who parked their vehicles at the Rodeway’s dedicated cruise parking lot were not charged any additional fees for the extra hours. For those passengers who missed their flight home due to the delay, the Fort Lauderdale hotel provided day rooms, and accommodations for the night.
“Once we heard about the delay, it was an easy call for us,” stated Izzy Fintz, Hospitality Manager at Rodeway Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port. “More Port Everglades passengers stay with us than any other cruise port hotel in the area. While others forced their guests to wait at the port for hours, and charged an extra day for parking, we made sure that all passengers of the Oosterdam were taken care of, and the delay was minimally-invasive to their cruise vacation.”
Holland America is a British-American cruise line. Holland America’s MS Oosterdam is a 1,916-passenger cruise ship currently sailing out of Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
About Rodeway Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Port Everglades Cruise Port
Rodeway Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port is a budget-friendly, full-service Fort Lauderdale hotel in close proximity to popular South Florida tourist destinations such as Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale Beach, Broward Convention Center, Port Everglades Cruiseport and the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Decorated in a warm, retro-beach style, Rodeway Inn is a top hotel for cruise vacationers, providing cruiseport and airport shuttle services, long-term cruise parking as well as Day Rooms for disembarking guests. Amenities include complimentary breakfast, heated outdoor pool, whirlpool tub suites, tour packages, beach picture opportunity garden, computer workstations, Wi-Fi, a full-service Forgot Something gift shop and fine dining courtesy of the Marina 84 Sports Bar & Grill. For more information on Rodeway Inn & Suites, visit http://www.hotelftlauderdale.net or follow the hotel on Facebook. Rodeway Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale is a member of Choice Hotels International, Inc.® (NYSE: CHH).