i too, researched where to stay in jacksonville and we ended up staying at that holiday inn express on blount island. when making reservations ask for the cruise package it ends up being around $160.00 for one night with taxes. $160.00 gets you one night stay, free parking for the length of your cruise and free shuttle service to and from the terminal. the reason i picked holiday inn was because i wanted the closest place to the terminal, it is only about 1/2 mile away. my reasoning for wanting the closest place was because when we left the ship we had an 18 hour drive ahead and i didnt want to have to wait 20 or 30 minutes for each shuttle to go back and forth to the hotel. we carried our own luggage off the ship, so as soon as we were outside the shuttle (van) was there and we were back at the hotel within 5 minutes.when you first arrive at the hotel they have you sign up for a time when you want to be taken to the ship and they give you a yellow pass that is used for the ride back. we found out through talking with others and the fact that there is nothing around the holiday inn, (except wendys) that everyone staying at the hotel was there for the same cruise that we were. we had to drive about 15 minutes to get to a mall. so if your wanting stuff to do, you will have about a 15 minute drive to shopping and restuarants. we just got back from our cruise on july 30. and had a blast.