Road Trippers: How Much Leeway Do You Give to Arrive?

Sorry if this is in the wrong category, I didn't see a general category to use and as a new cruiser thought it worth asking here :)

My family and I will be taking our first cruise out of Port Canaveral (FL) in August. I love a good roadtrip with the family, and we're planning on driving down from Pennsylvania (overnight) to arrive the morning we sail out.

For others who drive down I-95 and the other assorted east coast roads, how much leeway do you give yourself compared to the estimated time to arrive? Its normally about a 14-16 hour drive (including assorted meal / bathroom breaks, etc.), and we planned to get there around 9-10am.

I was thinking about 4 hours buffer in case there's an accident, greater traffic, etc. Between that and that the ship doesn't leave until 4 that gives me (I think) 10 hours of buffer before we are left behind.

And yes, I'm overthinking it, but I'm excited for my first cruise (and I'm a planner anyway) so its all good! Thanks in advance!

What is your specific scheduled board time? 12-12:30? 1:00 - 2:00? What have you selected or been assigned? That would determine, I think, what time you arrive at port. Where are you going to park and how far will you have to 'lug' your luggage? That could be a hassle.

A 10 hour buffer 'seems' to be ample. But I don't know the roadways of the east coats. Not anymore at least. Been 25 years since I've lived there.

Have you checked webcams throughout your route? Road construction? Have you checked mapquest for your route? I just looked at mapquest for generic PA to FL and it was 17 hours without any gas stops, pp breaks, food, etc.

Just some thoughts. Hope you have a great cruise. You never forget the first one.

I think it's doable, but would I? Nope. Sounds like you'll be driving straight through the night...and that's not much fun, IMO! You already know how bad I-95 can be....especially from Baltimore through Fredericksburg....and then there are some major cities in NC , SC and GA that have horrible traffic.

We have done the trip from Fredericksburg, Va to Jacksonville Fl. in 1 day...we leave at 6am or o...and it's every bit of 11 1/2 hours if traffic flows. I hate long trips in the car!

What is your specific scheduled board time? 12-12:30? 1:00 - 2:00? What have you selected or been assigned? That would determine, I think, what time you arrive at port. Where are you going to park and how far will you have to 'lug' your luggage? That could be a hassle.

 

A 10 hour buffer 'seems' to be ample. But I don't know the roadways of the east coats. Not anymore at least. Been 25 years since I've lived there.

 

Have you checked webcams throughout your route? Road construction? Have you checked mapquest for your route? I just looked at mapquest for generic PA to FL and it was 17 hours without any gas stops, pp breaks, food, etc.

 

Just some thoughts. Hope you have a great cruise. You never forget the first one.

I use Google Maps for the trip to avoid traffic, and I've done the Disney trip multiple times. As we drive overnight its usually not too bad.

I plan on using the terminal's parking lot, so I don't think we've gone too far. I haven't been assigned a boarding time yet; Its on RC's Oasis of the Seas.

Yes, it can be done - leave Philadelphia (or somewhere in southern PA) at 6:00 PM and drive through the night - getting you there about 10:00 AM --- but where is the 10 hour buffer are you talking about? If the ship leaves at 4:00, you must be out of your car and checking in by 2:30 PM - LATEST. That is a 4 1/2 hour "buffer". I have regularly driven I-95 - most recently two weeks ago, when my 4 1/2 hour drive from CT to Bethesda, MD took over 6 1/2 hours.

But Philadelphia (about as far south in PA as you can get) to Port Canaveral is just about 1,000 miles - or 16 hours averaging 62 mph. If you are figuring on "assorted meal/bathroom breaks, etc" , you will be flirting with the highway patrol - so crank in some time for being pulled over.

Sure, you probably could make it - and start your cruise drained and wrung out. There is no way I would try it.

Sorry if this is in the wrong category, I didn't see a general category to use and as a new cruiser thought it worth asking here :)

 

My family and I will be taking our first cruise out of Port Canaveral (FL) in August. I love a good roadtrip with the family, and we're planning on driving down from Pennsylvania (overnight) to arrive the morning we sail out.

 

For others who drive down I-95 and the other assorted east coast roads, how much leeway do you give yourself compared to the estimated time to arrive? Its normally about a 14-16 hour drive (including assorted meal / bathroom breaks, etc.), and we planned to get there around 9-10am.

 

I was thinking about 4 hours buffer in case there's an accident, greater traffic, etc. Between that and that the ship doesn't leave until 4 that gives me (I think) 10 hours of buffer before we are left behind.

 

And yes, I'm overthinking it, but I'm excited for my first cruise (and I'm a planner anyway) so its all good! Thanks in advance!

I gave us an extra week in the Florida Key's before our cruise. :evilsmile: :cool:

Yes, it can be done - leave Philadelphia (or somewhere in southern PA) at 6:00 PM and drive through the night - getting you there about 10:00 AM --- but where is the 10 hour buffer are you talking about? If the ship leaves at 4:00, you must be out of your car and checking in by 2:30 PM - LATEST. That is a 4 1/2 hour "buffer". I have regularly driven I-95 - most recently two weeks ago, when my 4 1/2 hour drive from CT to Bethesda, MD took over 6 1/2 hours.

 

I figured I'd leave 4 hours earlier, plus the 6 hours between boarding at 10 (assuming that) and the ship leaving - Which you are correct is less (given I need to board by 2:30 at latest, wasn't aware of that).

Besides the fact I like the drive, we're also stuck as my wife can't get off Friday night (she's an RN for a local hospital), so we're also stuck - Or stuck paying an extra $1,500 for flights due to the dates / times.

I would plan to arrive the day before, in fact the first thing I did after booking our cruise was book the hotel in Port Canaveral for the night before.

Most people are trying to park their cars at the terminal by 9-10am. Your current plan allows for you to arrive right at that time. Any delay is cutting into the 5-6 hours you have before boarding is closed. That's really cutting it too close imo.

What time does your wife get off work? Can she sleep in the car while you drive, then take over?

Sorry if this is in the wrong category, I didn't see a general category to use and as a new cruiser thought it worth asking here :)

 

My family and I will be taking our first cruise out of Port Canaveral (FL) in August. I love a good roadtrip with the family, and we're planning on driving down from Pennsylvania (overnight) to arrive the morning we sail out.

 

For others who drive down I-95 and the other assorted east coast roads, how much leeway do you give yourself compared to the estimated time to arrive? Its normally about a 14-16 hour drive (including assorted meal / bathroom breaks, etc.), and we planned to get there around 9-10am.

 

I was thinking about 4 hours buffer in case there's an accident, greater traffic, etc. Between that and that the ship doesn't leave until 4 that gives me (I think) 10 hours of buffer before we are left behind.

 

And yes, I'm overthinking it, but I'm excited for my first cruise (and I'm a planner anyway) so its all good! Thanks in advance!

If you leave by 6pm you should be OK and get there around 10am but that only give you a 4.5 hour buffer until they cut off boarding at 2:30pm. If you can, try to leave by 4pm on the Friday to give yourself a little more buffer. I used to drive overnights and loved it. :D Mrs. Dawg and the boys slept and I cruised along for hours on end. But advancing age, eye surgery, bad knees and a bad back has dulled that love affair. :(

If the ship sails at 4pm you need to be checked in about 2-2:30 PM

so factor that in

When we drive down (usually winter though) we arrive the night before & get as close to the cruise port city as possible

you never know what accidents or construction delays will slow you down

JMO

Sorry if this is in the wrong category, I didn't see a general category to use and as a new cruiser thought it worth asking here :)

 

My family and I will be taking our first cruise out of Port Canaveral (FL) in August. I love a good roadtrip with the family, and we're planning on driving down from Pennsylvania (overnight) to arrive the morning we sail out.

 

For others who drive down I-95 and the other assorted east coast roads, how much leeway do you give yourself compared to the estimated time to arrive? Its normally about a 14-16 hour drive (including assorted meal / bathroom breaks, etc.), and we planned to get there around 9-10am.

 

I was thinking about 4 hours buffer in case there's an accident, greater traffic, etc. Between that and that the ship doesn't leave until 4 that gives me (I think) 10 hours of buffer before we are left behind.

 

And yes, I'm overthinking it, but I'm excited for my first cruise (and I'm a planner anyway) so its all good! Thanks in advance!

I sure hope that you guys have insurance that covers missing the cruise because of car problems or really major traffic problems.

DON

I sure hope that you guys have insurance that covers missing the cruise because of car problems or really major traffic problems.

 

DON

My thoughts exactly. When we drive, we always aim to arrive the evening before embarkation at the latest.

Summer may not have the same weather concerns as winter. But summer weekend traffic on I 95? Some areas can be a parking lot. Road construction can be bad enough. Throw in a wreck or two up ahead, or your vehicle breaks down, and your buffer goes out the window. Along with your cruise.

I'd recommend you pick up your wife from work on the way out of town. And have everyone pray real hard before they fall asleep.

Sorry if this is in the wrong category, I didn't see a general category to use and as a new cruiser thought it worth asking here :)

 

My family and I will be taking our first cruise out of Port Canaveral (FL) in August. I love a good roadtrip with the family, and we're planning on driving down from Pennsylvania (overnight) to arrive the morning we sail out.

 

For others who drive down I-95 and the other assorted east coast roads, how much leeway do you give yourself compared to the estimated time to arrive? Its normally about a 14-16 hour drive (including assorted meal / bathroom breaks, etc.), and we planned to get there around 9-10am.

 

I was thinking about 4 hours buffer in case there's an accident, greater traffic, etc. Between that and that the ship doesn't leave until 4 that gives me (I think) 10 hours of buffer before we are left behind.

 

And yes, I'm overthinking it, but I'm excited for my first cruise (and I'm a planner anyway) so its all good! Thanks in advance!

A few days ago all the lanes on I15 through Denver because a fuel truck had a blowout, ran along the media divider and burst into flame. The fire was so bad that it melted the top layer of pavement on the road.

Check out some of the traffic jams that people experienced on this site - https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-longest-traffic-jam-or-flight-delay-you-have-experienced

There goes your cushion.

DON

Summer may not have the same weather concerns as winter. But summer weekend traffic on I 95? Some areas can be a parking lot. Road construction can be bad enough. Throw in a wreck or two up ahead, or your vehicle breaks down, and your buffer goes out the window. Along with your cruise.

 

I'd recommend you pick up your wife from work on the way out of town. And have everyone pray real hard before they fall asleep.

I have to agree. When driving, especially on a multi-hour trip with a time factor (boarding time) that you have no control over, one must hope all goes extremely well with no hitches or snags anywhere along the way, but plan for plenty of extra time just in case there are hitches or snags. I don't think 4 hours is much of a buffer when you consider the potential for things that could slow you down or bring traffic to a complete halt.

Another thought ... why doesn't your wife with talk to her fellow RNs on her shift at work and see if she can switch days with one of them, so she can have Friday night off. I'm a retired RN, and at the hospital I worked at, one could almost always find someone who would be willing to switch days off when someone had a special need.

Personally I would make sure I am settled in a hotel within an hour of the port the night before. My experiences getting to ships in Florida both by air and by car have not been smooth. We had one trip where we had 2 vehicles heading down for a cruise with extended family. We were coming from MI to Tampa. We spent the first night in TN and after stopping for breakfast discovered a fuse had blown in DM car causing her to be unable to open her trunk which held all their luggage and my step dads wheel chair. We spent about 3 hours at a dealership in Atlanta trying to get it fixed. That same trip as we were heading into Tampa to the port a cooler flew out of the back of a truck in front of us on the highway. It flew over our mini van and smashed into the front windshield of my Moms car on the drivers side. Luckily we were close enough to the port that DH took over driving her car and we slowly went the rest of the way. The people at the Tampa port parking lot were wonderful. They worked with my Mom and her insurance company to get someone in to fix it while we were on our cruise.

This was our third cruise. On our second cruise we had an emergency landing in TN on a direct flight from MI to MCO. Both times we had planned on getting to the port area the day before our cruise. Both were lessons to us to always do that whether we are flying or driving.

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I don't live on the east coast, so I have no idea about the roads there, but we live in southeast Missouri and we drive to New Orleans or Mobile for our cruise. That's only about an 8 hour drive for us and we always leave the day before. We just don't want to risk something happening and possibly missing the cruise and that way we get a good night's sleep before the cruise.

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We now live on the NC coast and now always drive to ports. It takes us 2 1/2 hours to get to 95 then we take that all the way to where ever. We always leave the day before our cruises, leaving around 6-6:30am and stay in a hotel, with free shuttle to and from the ship, that night.

It takes us about 10 hours to get to Port Canaveral. We usually stay at a hotel in Cocoa the night before all our cruises. We have met the same couple twice at 'our' hotel in Cocoa. They live in Tampa and drive to the hotel the morning of the cruise. They then pay $30 to park their car and take the shuttle to the ship! Some hotels will let you just park and take their shuttle to the port.

If not going cruising out of Port Canaveral we get up and leave around 9 and head to Lauderdale or Miami. If we drive straight home from either, it is a 12-14 hour drive. But now we are older we are going to stop probably in SC so we don't have such a long drive home.

Our favorite port is Charleston, SC ! It is a 4-4 1/2 drive for us and when we get off the ship, we are home in time for lunch! Drawback is Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival's next to oldest ship, is only ship home ported there. We do go from there when the Sunshine is there before she heads to NY for the summer though.

when we lived in the same city, we planned it so that we arrived( after a nice breakfast at our favorite Mom and Pop join) as check in began.

we currently live 5 hours away and we will drive in the night before and will find a hotel that offers a park and cruise package, unless the cost of parking at the terminal is less.

You will do just fine.

I would suggest that your navigator become familiar with Google Maps on a smartphone. Especially the feature that displays traffic conditions in realtime.

We actually saved about 45 minutes going thru Jacksonville one year by seeing a major traffic problem on the phone and using surface streets to go around it.

You will do just fine.

 

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REALLY???

Optimism is a helpful characteristic - but seriously: how do you know for sure that they will not hit serious highway congestion, speed traps, flat tire or other breakdown?

I figured I'd leave 4 hours earlier, plus the 6 hours between boarding at 10 (assuming that) and the ship leaving - Which you are correct is less (given I need to board by 2:30 at latest, wasn't aware of that).

 

 

 

Besides the fact I like the drive, we're also stuck as my wife can't get off Friday night (she's an RN for a local hospital), so we're also stuck - Or stuck paying an extra $1,500 for flights due to the dates / times.

"Pennywise and pound foolish"

Your wife can probably trade shifts or call in for a "personal day."

At a conservative per diem government reimbursement rate of .54/mile (which includes the cost of wear and tear as well as fuel/maintenance), that approx 2000 mile round trip drive will cost you more than $1000 in the long run. And unless you are flying out tomorrow morning, you can surely find round trip airfare for two at far less than $1500. Check out "ita matrix" for best tix costs.

Driving AND/OR flying to a port on the same day is never a good plan.

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In addition, my brother is recovering from an accident on 95 caused by someone "driving all night" that fell asleep at the wheel. So very dangerous. Find a way to leave on Friday.

I figured I'd leave 4 hours earlier, plus the 6 hours between boarding at 10 (assuming that) and the ship leaving - Which you are correct is less (given I need to board by 2:30 at latest, wasn't aware of that).

 

Besides the fact I like the drive, we're also stuck as my wife can't get off Friday night (she's an RN for a local hospital), so we're also stuck - Or stuck paying an extra $1,500 for flights due to the dates / times.

Why didn't you think about that before you booked the cruise? Didn't you know that you had to be on board 1 1/2 hours before the ship leaves? I just can't figure some people.

DON

"Pennywise and pound foolish"

Your wife can probably trade shifts or call in for a "personal day."

At a conservative per diem government reimbursement rate of .54/mile (which includes the cost of wear and tear as well as fuel/maintenance), that approx 2000 mile round trip drive will cost you more than $1000 in the long run. And unless you are flying out tomorrow morning, you can surely find round trip airfare for two at far less than $1500. Check out "ita matrix" for best tix costs.

Driving AND/OR flying to a port on the same day is never a good plan.

 

 

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Very good additional point. Too many people figure their car is "free" because they already have it. That $.54 per mile might be a bit high, but the fact is that 2000 miles is likely 2% of the life of the car - a $20,000 car loses $400 in value; at 30 mpg, gas at $2.25 would cost at least $150; 5% wear on a set of 50k tires would come to $40; shorter oil change time probably $20. - that's over $600 at least driving cost --- plus ruining the first evening/night of a cruise (which might be missed anyway) because you feel like a zombie . Add it all up.