MomofTheBoy

Looks like this is one of those vacation plan places. May have to listen to a presentation.

I made a round trip in july of this year.

 

Went to Joliet for a drag race.

 

Pulling a 24' trailer I kept the cruise control at 65 MPH.

 

Total behind the wheel time was 23 hours.

 

I went Fl Turnpike, I-75,I-65, I-80.

 

Also stopped between three and five hours for gas.

 

If possible, time the trip to avoid Atlanta, Nashville and Chattanoga during Am and PM rush hour.

 

The bottlenecks were Atlanta, Chattanoga, Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis and I-80.

I know exactly where you were going! Need to take The Boy to see a race. That's like a good hour from my house. I love cruise control. I will going a bit faster than 65 (not enough to grab the attention of law enforcement though and of course safely):D. I'm praying for the best but will have a contingency for the worse. What I'm not gonna do is miss that boat!!! Indianapolis is an easy drive (done it several times and takes me 2 hours. Those bottleneck places are the areas where I plan to stop near for bathroom/stretch/potty breaks! Thank you much!!

Have you thought about cruising out of Galveston? It would be a much easier drive than going to South Florida.

 

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Cruise is already paid for and this cruise was chosen specifically for one of the ports. We stop in Ochi. He wants to spend his actual birthday with his dad who happens to be in Jamaica so switching is not an option.

We are going this for our cruise in 2 weeks (Port Canaveral though) with an extra stop to see my mom. Our basic plan (and wouldn't change much if we weren't doing an overnight along the way) is to drive to McDonough, GA to avoid Atlanta traffic in the morning (weekday) the first day and finish the drive on day 2. We're leaving by 10 AM to start the drive, so we will miss rush hour in Indy and Louisville, but might hit Nashville at rush hour. Normally, we would drive to Port Canaveral the next day, but we're stopping to spend a day with my mom. The most important thing to me though is avoiding Atlanta at rush hour. We've done similar trips several times - and once detoured through Alabama to attempt missing Atlanta and mountains but I don't recommend that.

Ok so don't go through Alabama. I just looked at the map and it looks like going through Alabama would add so much time. Stopping at 6pm works great for me. That way I can get a full nights rest and I won't have to necessarily drive through mountains in the dark LOL Since I'm leaving on a Saturday I hope I don't hit as much rush hour traffic. Hopefully people won't start traveling for the holidays until I'm already on the boat.

Don't try to come through Atlanta during rush hour. I live north of the city and commute in every day on I75. 34 miles, and it takes me 1.5-2 hours every morning. Not fun. For Florida, I recommend getting a Sunpass sticker for your car and putting some money on it. That will let you go through the Sunpass lanes on the toll road, and save you some time and hassle. Order it here: https://www.sunpass.com/index

Was gonna have my friend to send it to me but just used this site to order it! Thanks!

We drive to Florida from Lafayette, Indiana taking I65 to Montgomery, Alabama, 231 through Dothan, Alabama to I10 to I75 to wherever we are going in Florida. We usually go to Bradenton and it takes two days.

 

We like to avoid Atlanta if at all possible. Sometimes we get to Birmingham during rush hour but it's a lot better than Atlanta.

 

Two of us take turns driving and we stop about every two or so hours.

 

Safe travels.

Does this add to your time? I've never done a drive like this. Longest I've ever driven was to Arkansas.

There is no train between Chicago and Florida, unfortunately. There used to be, years ago, but no more.

This would have made my life so much easier!!! The route they have now is not for me!

Thank you all soooo much. The plan is to leave Saturday (the cruise leaves Monday). However on the return trip it is a MUST I get back home Sunday night. The cruise gets back on Saturday morning. Taking 3 and 4 days is just not feasible and as much as I already hate road trips, prolonging it will just make things worse.

Going I want to leave at the tail crack of morning so as to maximize my son's sleeping time. The plan is 10/11 hours one day and finishing it up the next day. I have a friend in Florida that is sending me a sun pass so that will be taken care of regarding Florida tolls.

For my son I will be packing his favorite snacks, things to make sandwiches, coloring and activity books and of course his trust tablet. The backseat will be his play domain. I figure I can go at least 3 hours before I need to stretch it out. Same for my mom. I'm just trying to take the best path there.

I looked into Amtrak and that's a no go! I would have to ride almost 20 hours to DC and then another almost 20 to Miami. That's not gonna work for me LOL. If it was a direct route then yes I would have been all for it as my son would have LOOOOOVED that.

Sooo my mother is joining The Boy and I for our Thanksgiving/birthday cruise. Since she can't fly (health reasons) we have to make the very long drive from Chicago to Miami.

Have any of you ever taken a similar drive? Any tips and all of that you can give me?

Will not be driving straight through at all. Plan to stop and stay the night in Atlanta then continue the next day.

Thanks!

I'm still here! I just figured that request for short term disability to finish your review was denied.

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The water was beautiful, but the vendors were ridiculous! I would definitely recommend an excursion or just stay on the ship. And you're right, I shoulda grabbed a rum punch. That's the very first drink I had at our very first port ever, Montego Bay. It was so good! :hearteyes:

Staying on the ship is not an option for us. My son loooooves Jamaica and no way we can be there on his birthday no less and not go and do stuff. Plus we have family there so as soon as I get off the boat there will be food , fam, and a beach waiting on us. I love Jamaica: the way she feels and smells. I've also learned to ignore the vendors.

Awwwww poo you didnt like Ochi. Thats one of our stops my next cruise. My vacays to Jamaica are usually land vacays. They have awesome food and even better drinks!!! You should have gotten you a rum punch for the walk back to the bar....er ship.

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We are doing Ocho Rios and Cayman in November. My son will turn 7 on that cruise. Please post what you find to do in Cayman. I need ideas

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*cue the music, pop the fireworks, and bust out the champagne"

Congratulations on reaching that goal of 15!!!!

The Sensation just got Alchemy so I will have to try a few of those concoctions. I cant get Cheers since it will just be me and my son. The Road to 15 is in my future though!!

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I think the Sensation is smaller than Victory. Im doing the 5 night to Ochi and Grand Cayman on the Sensation in November. Ive said the others in the Fantasy class and I like this class of ship.

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Doing things that are a sin in 14 different religions.......LIFE GOALS!!!!! LOL

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Tapatalk be can be so weird. However, I have direct access to Florida Departures. I do subscribe to it.

 

Nexus 9 on Tapatalk Pro

I just was able to subscribe it following the directions of the previous poster!

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I can see them if I go in thru East Coast Departures and then go into the sub-forum but not if I go right into Florida

Thank you much. That worked for me.

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Went there and I cant post nor do I see any posts besides the stickies. Can I only see it going through Cruise Critic directly? Not showing up using Taptalk.

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When your kid wants pizza each and every Friday, trust me the thrill is totally gone LOL

 

We are from Chicago so this is definitely a pizza city.

 

My son is an only child so he is going to Camp Ocean at least twice. Hopefully he enjoys and many new friends to play on the waterslides with.

 

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Yummm! The original Pizzaria Unos in Chicago is my fav! Don't tell my east coast friends/family that though :evilsmile:. I seriously could eat pizza at least twice per week for dinner, no kidding. Since my kids won't eat it, I go for pizza for lunch with coworkers at least that often.

 

If your son likes Camp Ocean then I am sure he will go at least twice. On NCL I had to MAKE my son leave the ship with us for ports! He went every day for a bit and if it were up to him, he would have stayed ALL day! He would cry when I told him that I wanted him to come with us for a family day off of the ship. My older daughter also would probably prefer to stay on the ship in the club but she is old enough to understand that its not gonna happen so she doesn't even ask. Spoiled kids live at the beach and go to St Maarten for a few weeks each winter so they are not tempted by beaches lol. In addition to working hard to feed my kids on a cruise I also have to plan excursions in port that are not too "beachy". Ugh

Oh he is going to Camp Ocean for at least an hour on sea days whether he likes it or not. Its just he and I and I love him with all my breaths and all of yours too, BUT I am gonna need a bit of time to just sit and lay and close my eyes in the sun with a cold adult beverage!

 

All port excursions have to include water time as my kid swears he can swim better than Olympians (he can't). I like doing tons of other stuff. We really have two different vacation ideas lol.

 

Chicago pizza is deeelish! Just hate it every week

 

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You are creating this situation by giving in to his whims. Do what your mother did. Parents seem to have forgotten who runs the household. But I'm meddling...

I'm not giving in to his whims most things I can get him to eat (allergy items excluded of course) however eating should be good and tasty and enjoyable not feel like punishment.

I remember sitting at the table for hours upon hours as my mother forced me to eat beans. To this day I do NOT eat any kind of bean, not even string. My son has thrown up eating foods that texturally do not agree with him.

I tried it my moms way and it was torture for both of us. Im not a fan of torture lol

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[quote name=Thrilled2012;52669286

You are not an anomaly! LOL' date=' there are many of us! You didn't mention that you were travelling single in your initial post. Now I totally understand your concern about the menu (not that I wouldn't have understood it if you were not travelling single with him....just makes even more sense now). It is a blessing for us to spend this time on a vacation with our kids....but its not easy. I am always sure to research things like menus ahead of time....as it can have a major effect on our day/evening (its not like we have another adult to assist with our kids if our initial plan doesn't work). You will be just fine I'm sure. Yours is older than mine so he can probably wait a bit after MDR for other food if necessary....but I hope that is not needed!! I wish you guys a fantastic cruise!!![/quote]

Yes its just The Boy and I. He is a big snacker so im prepared for that. Our firstbcruuse he had justbturned 4. We ate in the MDR but he was able to get fruit and fried chicken and rice. He HATED the kids club. This time he turns 7 on the boat but his palate has gotten pickier. Textures, snells, and feels just sends him over.

When did kids get like this? When I was a kid my mom cooked and you ate. Thats it, thats all LOL

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Lol, gotta love kids and their picky eating habits! I hope your son (and mine) love Camp Ocean too! Looks like a nice program. You are so lucky that he likes pizza. I'm a"jersey girl" and it's like enjoying pizza is in my blood. But neither of my kids will eat it. Makes me so sad because I would LOVE to do pizza nights with my kids a couple of times per month (cheap, easy and yummy!). Oh well...maybe someday :p

When your kid wants pizza each and every Friday, trust me the thrill is totally gone LOL

We are from Chicago so this is definitely a pizza city.

My son is an only child so he is going to Camp Ocean at least twice. Hopefully he enjoys and many new friends to play on the waterslides with.

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Ummmm, I'm guessing that this is in response to my post? If not I'm sorry! I guarantee you that my plan is the best plan for HIM. Now I would never have done this for my daughter and it's not the best plan for many kids....but for mine, it's the best choice. We do restaurants 3 nights per week and home dinners 4 nights (and rarely go to the chain restaurants that serve nothing but junk, unadventurous food). I also tried to expand both of my childrens' palettes as babies by never giving them store bought baby food (I always puréed the meals that we were eating and fed them that). This worked for my oldest as she now loves things such as escargot, sashimi, ceviche, lamb, veggies, etc (just need to be prepared the way she likes them). But my son, on the other hand, still is extremely picky and would literally not eat a thing if he didn't like it (yes I bring Ensure cans when on vacation for him). I have been vigilantly looking at the menus for our upcoming cruise and I can guarantee you that he will not eat in the MDR no matter what I do. You say take him to the lido deck "AFTER" the MDR. I am single traveling with my 2 kids....my son is Only 4 (you want me to take him to the MDR for an hour or more of waiting through a meal where I know he won't eat anything there?).....he does not do well sitting and waiting in restaurants so he will be disturbing other guests....he loves kids camps and would prefer to eat quickly and go do something that he considers to be fun....you suggest that I feed him "after the MDR"? As I said earlier, that is the plan for my 11 year old if she needs more food but there is not a snowball's chance in hell that I'm gonna make my little 4 year old wait that long to eat every night. We have family dinners together all throughout the year at home or at restaurants....what exactly is wrong with feeding him at Lido first so that he can eat what he wants and the rest of the PAX and my daughter and I can have some peace while eating at the MDR?

Another mom traveling by herself with kids. I thought I was an anomoly!!!!

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Sounds like a perfect kids menu to me! My little one is super picky and although she is even picky with mac and cheese and pasta, I know that she'll eat something! Pasta no sauce, no butter, no oil, no parsley....just plain noodles. She'll be happy. I'm sure they are used to picky eaters! Thank you for posting that menu!

Pasta no sauce??????? Your baby pickier than mine lol

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