Logistical Challenge: What would you do?

On our previous cruises, we left port on Monday so we always drove down at our leisure on Sunday and paid for the Park and Cruise package at the Radisson Resort at the Port in Port Canaveral. Our Carnival Dream cruise in 50 days leaves port on a Saturday. Here is where the logistical challenge starts because I can only get off a half a day on the Friday before and my wife cannot get off until at least 4 PM so she would not be home until at least 4:30 PM.

We live in Southwest GA and we are driving to port. It’s about a 5-6 hour drive from our house with little to no stops. Please keep in mind that we have Vacation Protection through Carnival, we carry passports, and we have Faster to the Fun. Here are the two main options that I have been thinking about:

A) Leave ASAP on Friday Evening – My thought here is that my wife could have all her stuff packed before leaving for work on Friday morning and I could pack everything up after I get off from work and we could be ready to leave as soon as she gets home from work +/- 30 minutes. I would purchase the Park and Cruise Package from the Radisson Resort at the Port. It’s currently $155 for the night. If we leave by 6 PM we would be there around midnight. Catch 5-6 hours of sleep get some breakfast and off we go on the 10:30 shuttle to the ship.

· Pros:

o Provides Maximum time to get to Port

o Hotel and Parking that I have had previous success with

o Good location for quick and cheap breakfast options

· Cons:

o I don’t particularly like to drive at night. Especially on the Interstate.

o Lots of areas that would not be a great place to break down at night.

B) Leave at Midnight or Later on Saturday Morning – My thought here is that my wife could have all her stuff packed before leaving for work on Friday morning and I could pack everything up after I get off from work, then get an early dinner, and then get some sleep so that we could leave between midnight and 4 AM. This would put us at the terminal or shuttle no later than 10 AM. Pre-Paid Parking at the Port is $120, but I am sure that I could find some off-site parking cheaper.

· Pros:

o I would rather drive the Interstate in the early morning than later in the evening.

· Cons:

o Provides a minimal time to get to Port

o Find reasonable parking or pay for parking at the Port

Right now, I am leaning toward Option A. What would be your game plan on when to leave for the port? Would you choose one of these options or do something completely different?

I would definitly go for A, alot more wiggle room if needed!! You can get a couple hours of shut eye and not be dead tired the first day of your vacation! Also with fttf you wont need to be on the first shuttle over.

I vote for option A. I envy you for only having about a 6 hour drive to the port. We drive 24 hours. UGH!

I would go with A. Whether you leave late on Friday night, or very early Saturday morning, you'll still be driving in the dark, so that really negates your con about driving at night. I'd rather have the less stressful option of a longer window of travel time, than racing to get there by leaving in the morning.

I would say "A" because I would actually get some sleep the night before the cruise. If it were me and I tried to do the "B" option I would just lay in bed thinking about everything and telling myself "you need to go to sleep" and still be awake when the alarm went off. Then I would be really tired and miserable that first day. Have a great trip.

Option A, for sure. I would be nervous about unforeseen traffic problems.

I would also vote for A. You're still going to be driving in the dark on the interstate either way, unfortunately, but option A (like the posted above said) gives you some more wiggle room.

HAVE FUN!

A for sure to get most of the driving out of the way and than park at an offsite parking place near ship.

I would get off half day...

Have everything ready/packed

Go to bed til 11p( traffic will /shouldn't be heavy that time of night)

Leave by midnight, get in about 6 am ( spouse can sleep/nap during this time )

Have a nice breakfast with spouse

Find parking close to port

Enjoy cruise

Plan A.

Definitely plan A. I don't know about you, but I don't want to start the first day of my cruise drowsy and sleepy from extensive driving and lack of sleep.

Another vote for option A.

Definitely plan A. I don't know about you, but I don't want to start the first day of my cruise drowsy and sleepy from extensive driving and lack of sleep.

Or be a nervous wreck because traffic was horrible, or I overslept and cut the time close, or all the other problems my imagination can conjure up ;)

Or be a nervous wreck because traffic was horrible, or I overslept and cut the time close, or all the other problems my imagination can conjure up ;)

Don't forget mechanical problems such as a dead battery or flat tire, human errors such as leaving travel documents at home, or excessive trips to the toilet due to butterflies in your stomach from excitement (don't laught, happened to me on my Alaska cruise).

We live in Atlanta. We've driven to Pt. Canaveral on the morning of the cruise and we almost missed the ship (we grossly miscalculated how long it would take us to get there once we included potty breaks, food breaks, etc). NEVER again. Definitely leave on Friday.

One option would be to drive some of it on Friday night (maybe 3-4 hours) and leave the last 2 for the morning. That would be my choice with your time frame.

Go with option A. Don't wait to pack right before it's time to go. Do it a little more ahead of time so you can have that stress off of you. Get a strong cup of whatever caffeine you need and drive in the night before. Planning to get to port on the day of a cruise, by any method, is not a good idea. And even with your planning, you're pushing it close.

Option A. Just take your time. Enjoy your cruise!

We live in Atlanta. We've driven to Pt. Canaveral on the morning of the cruise and we almost missed the ship (we grossly miscalculated how long it would take us to get there once we included potty breaks, food breaks, etc). NEVER again. Definitely leave on Friday.

 

One option would be to drive some of it on Friday night (maybe 3-4 hours) and leave the last 2 for the morning. That would be my choice with your time frame.

This is what I would do.......drive for 3 or 4 hours and then the rest the morning of. You would still get a good nights rest and be able to get a good start on Saturday morning.

Another for plan A. If you went with Plan B and broke down then what?

Always want some just in case time. Never know what can happen on the roads you will travel.

We live in Atlanta. We've driven to Pt. Canaveral on the morning of the cruise and we almost missed the ship (we grossly miscalculated how long it would take us to get there once we included potty breaks, food breaks, etc). NEVER again. Definitely leave on Friday.

 

One option would be to drive some of it on Friday night (maybe 3-4 hours) and leave the last 2 for the morning. That would be my choice with your time frame.

This is what I would do.......drive for 3 or 4 hours and then the rest the morning of. You would still get a good nights rest and be able to get a good start on Saturday morning.

I also think this is a good idea! Chances are you can get a super cheap hotel off the hwy, sometimes those coupon books at the rest stops have great deals.

But, if you want to drive straight through, I vote for A.

I'd go with option A as well. We always arrive at least a day ahead "just in case".

We normally drive to port (22 hrs to Canaveral), but are breaking tradition and flying to Tampa next month for our next cruises. Leaving here the 3rd just in case the weather should turn bad and cancel the flight, I would still have time to drive it, should that become necessary.

It's your choice: Any idea that people on this board can make that decision for you is ridiculous.

That being said, I'd choose Option A with a modification of the wife sharing the driving duties. There's no reason why you should have to shoulder all the responsibilities for traveling.

I would definitely do Option A but if you want to get on the road and not drive 5 or 6 hours straight, I would drive Friday night, leaving once the car is packed (everyone finishes packing Thursday night), Friday when you get home you just toss in the last minute packing stuff, shut the house down and leave.

Drive a couple of hours and spend the night at a hotel that provides free breakfast. Next morning, wake up refreshed, have breakfast, then drive to the port and board the ship.

Option A for sure, I would never be able to sleep anyway.

I also vote for the Option C - drive part way Friday night (I also don't do well driving at night), find a hotel along the way and finish the drive in the morning.

In fact, I've done that multiple times when I lived up in the mountains of NC. Of course, I had a longer drive, but I always split it (usually stopped in S Georgia or N Fla for the night).

You'd better check the off-site parking options, though, since you'll have to add transportation time into the calculation. I'm sure someone on the FL Departures board can help with that.