Do You Fly or Drive to the Port?

[Ems2]

We are fortunate enough to live 30 minutes drive from the Southampton terminal and recently had our very first cruise. This proved to be such easy travelling for us that our next cruise is booked, again on the Eclipse, to the Baltic's.

 

DH is looking at cruises for 2013 and fancies Alaska. There are so many places we want to visit that we will have to fly sometimes, but will avoid flying whenever we can.

 

My DH and I have been truly bitten by the cruise bug!

[C 2 C]

I live in Ft Lauderdale I am 3 miles from the port I could walk it if I had to :D

 

Do you have a garage to rent out? I'll even pull your suitcase to the ship. It's only about 1500 miles for us and our car is seeking safe storage while we cruise....;)

 

Once we go to the trouble of getting to the port we tend to stay on board our Celebrity Condo. To be able to get on a ship at any time without having to plan for extended periods away from the house, packing nearly everything except the traditional kitchen sink, seems like a wonderful alternative.

[mac_tlc]

Living in CT, we have done both. Have driven to Bayonne, NYC, Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral. For us, it really depends on the time of year. If its a big vacation week (Feb, Apr, etc.) the airfare can be crazy --- $500 - $700 per person. With three of four, that is alot of $$. The drive is 1200 miles to Port Canaveral, 1400 to FLL one-way. We do one overnight stop -- usually about $100 + or -. It usually adds one more day on each end of the vacation, which usually equates to one day more of vacation from work or from school.

 

The flexibility of driving is a real plus -- no baggage restrictions, no strict time constraints. For our last drive to Tampa in February, it cost about $350 in gas, $45 in tolls, $175 in hotels, $70 to park at the pier, another $100 in meals. Airfare would have been at least $1500 for three that week, + transfers + parking at the airport.

 

I don't mind the drive -- in fact I look forward to it if I have not done it in a while.

 

Having said that, we fly down to FLA on Wednesday for our Oasis cruise next Saturday.

 

mac_tlc

[bellybutton530]

Living in CT, we have done both. Have driven to Bayonne, NYC, Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral. For us, it really depends on the time of year. If its a big vacation week (Feb, Apr, etc.) the airfare can be crazy --- $500 - $700 per person. With three of four, that is alot of $$. The drive is 1200 miles to Port Canaveral, 1400 to FLL one-way. We do one overnight stop -- usually about $100 + or -. It usually adds one more day on each end of the vacation, which usually equates to one day more of vacation from work or from school.

 

The flexibility of driving is a real plus -- no baggage restrictions, no strict time constraints. For our last drive to Tampa in February, it cost about $350 in gas, $45 in tolls, $175 in hotels, $70 to park at the pier, another $100 in meals. Airfare would have been at least $1500 for three that week, + transfers + parking at the airport.

 

I don't mind the drive -- in fact I look forward to it if I have not done it in a while.

 

Having said that, we fly down to FLA on Wednesday for our Oasis cruise next Saturday.

 

mac_tlc

 

Good morning Mac: I'm with you.... My SUV knows the way, and as long as I have 6 Andrea Bocelli CDs loaded, I'm good to go.

 

Besides that, I like to bring champagne with me; and bring liquor home from the cruise. Thanks to the good old TSA, I can no longer do that on a flight. And I learned from these boards that I could select a hotel in FLL that offered free parking for the duration of the cruise; WHO KNEW?? Not me; I paid to park at the port for many many years....

[Glendakayself]

I went back and looked; you can change the hotel costs; and there is a place to put parking costs under the flying option

 

I agree that food costs aren't included, but I bet they could be added in to the hotel costs for perhaps a more accurate comparison.

 

To me, this surely beats trying to do it manually.... but that's just me.

 

Yes, the calculator is very handy, and I will use it to calculate costs of future destinations and for road trips. You do have to change the costs to more realistic estimates, and check out the flight costs before you use the calculator. I went back and entered a more realistic road hotel price, estimated cost of parking at port, more realistic shuttle price to/from DFW airport, lowered the luggage price because we only check one bag between us, and used current air prices on AA which were cheaper than the calculator's estimate, and added in the price of pre-cruise hotel. (I had to add some of that manually to the final total.) The result was that flying beat driving by over $250, and I didn't include the cost of food on the road. If I add a pre-cruise hotel to get the free parking to the drive instead of the port parking, it comes out about the same since hotels are really costly the night before our next cruise with 8 ships in port.

 

Thanks for the calculator. It will certainly come in handy, but each trip will have its own special costs added or deducted. Thanks again!

[carlyshenk]

Hi Cheryl, I think the calculator is great. Thanks for sharing!

 

Carol

[Who knew?]

Check out the discount motel guides for the Interstate. They're magazine-like books with coupons for accommodations all up and down the highway. Stop at the welcome center after you enter a state and pick them up for that state. They're usually in newspaper-vending-style boxes along the sidewalks, or in racks inside the main building. There are 3 or 4 different publishers.

 

You won't find the Clarion or Crowne Plaza in these -- but Best Western, Holiday, Comfort, Hampton, Days Inn, Fairfield, etc., as well as Super8, Best Value and Travelodge, etc. Check out the room if you want before you stay, but these are legitimate offers and we've gotten really good value from them.

 

Linda:)

[Muushka]

For the drive option, where are the parking fees at the port? That is a huge part of the cost for us.

[Parrot57]

We have done both but we usually try to drive. Every time I fly it seems my baggage goes on a side trip for 1-2 days (once 3 days). They never seem to lose DH's though. This means we fly out about 2 days early and pay for a hotel. There is also the inconvenience of schlepping a cpap and carry on through large airports, worrying about weight restrictions, etc.

 

We have not had much luck with either the cruise line or hotel shuttles. Once the company contracted by NCL refused to take the luggage, saying another bus would come by. Long story short, we were forced to get a cab and go back to the hotel and get our luggage (all 10 passengers luggage still on street, several hours later) and barely made it back to the ship in time.

 

We have family in several diffferent states and when we drive we try to visit on our way to or from the ship. Breaks up long drives a little.

[CruiseAwayWithMe]

Flying, always! I wish I had the patience to drive, maybe I will one day? Who knows?! LOL!

 

I seriously did meet couples who drove from Ohio straight down to Fort Lauderdale and didn't stop. I met another couple that drove from Canada :eek: They stayed at the casino in Detroit on the way down. I don't know how they do it. It is very stressful, especially if you are driving in the Winter when there might be a blizzard or bad weather.

[Who knew?]

For the drive option, where are the parking fees at the port? That is a huge part of the cost for us.

 

Google parking with the port location. E.g., "parking FLL port". You'll see options for long-term parking at rates far under the port rate.

 

One I've used has a special through October for $5.99 per day. (After that $6.99.) My sister & I parked there in April for $75 w/tax for 10 days. Courtesy shuttle to/from the ship. (There was some confusion and congestion finding the shuttle back at the end, but it all worked out.)

 

My hubby and I fly out of FLL in October for a Panama Canal cruise from California. I'm pre-booked for 18 days parking for $120.00 w/tax. Shuttle to airport, back from port at end. Compare to $15/d+ tax at the port.:D

 

There are others that advertise even less, but I don't have personal knowledge of them.

 

Also, as others have mentioned, there are hotels that give you free parking during your cruise when you stay there the night before (or after). The last time I looked, one of them let you stay up to 30 days.

 

Linda;)

[fleckle]

For those who live within Florida and drive to the port, have you checked out the cost of a one-day rental car in each direction?

 

Even if the rental car costs a little more than parking, we prefer to drive a rental car from a major company on such trips. If a rental car breaks down or develops a problem, you simply call the 800 number, they bring you out another car from their closest location, and you continue on your trip.

 

If your own car should develop a problem, it is your problem and you are stuck with it.

 

The time we most appreciated having a rental car was when we rented a car at the Las Vegas airport one summer and the air conditioner conked out shortly after crossing the Utah border. We called the 800 number and they asked where we were. We gave them the address of the restaurant along the highway where we had stopped for lunch. They delivered another car to us an hour later, we transferred our bags to the new car, finished our lunch and continued on our way without interruption.

[petrakae]

SIGH!!!! If I could drive, take a train or a bus I would. I HATE flying. There are no bridges out of Australia:D:D:D Not to mention the additional $2,500 p/p additional cost to the cruise. I think I was born in the wrong Hemisphere:rolleyes:

[C 2 C]

For those who live within Florida and drive to the port, have you checked out the cost of a one-day rental car in each direction?

 

We used to rent a car at Detroit airport for the drive to Florida or Bayonne. At one time rental fees were between $50and $75 per day. A one day rental is now $250 to EWR and to Florida in January $700 for a two day rental.

[fleckle]

We used to rent a car at Detroit airport for the drive to Florida or Bayonne. At one time rental fees were between $50and $75 per day. A one day rental is now $250 to EWR and to Florida in January $700 for a two day rental.

Out of state one-way rentals usually tend to incur hefty drop off charges.

 

I was considering the tradeoffs of renting a car to get to the port for those who are already in Florida vs. driving one's own car and parking it for the duration of the cruise or flying. For example, looking for a one-way rental from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale for next Friday, there are Hertz and Avis cars showing for about $50 total including taxes.

 

In Hawaii, we found a one-way rental on the Big Island to be quite reasonable too when we picked up a rental car in Hilo and drove it around for sightseeing, dropping it off at Kona on the other side of the island.

[Ask4Jay]

We have no choice. Most of our cruises are one-way repos to or from Europe. Can't afford to stay in Europe until the ship comes back in the fall, so have to fly back. We used to love flying but not anymore. So, to get to our ship from Philly to Miami, we will try Amtrak. But coming back from Europe we'll have to fly. But in two weeks, mid-August, we'll go the DeLuxe route. We take our grandson on a 1-week cruise for his 13th birthday, and his dad (our son) will drive us from Philly to NYC - and back. Now that's livin'.

[MELDA]

:)We always fly to Fort Lauderdale, Miami or San Juan, seeing as we live in Ohio and its just too far. We do stay overnight in Detroit before our flight and get a park and fly package, works for us

[Iamcruzin]

It's less expensive and less time for us to fly to Fort Lauderdale from New York than to drive. I did't even add in the cost to park the car at the port.

[CruisingChick]

It's less expensive and less time for us to fly to Fort Lauderdale from New York than to drive. I did't even add in the cost to park the car at the port.

 

I guess it depends when you are flying. I tried to book flights for an April 2009 cruise from NYC to FLL and they wanted $400 per person, then you have to add in the cost of getting to and from the airport in NYC or parking at the airport for 12 nights and baggage fees. It was cheaper for us to drive. I kept track of all our spending and it cost us $426.48 to drive.

[bellybutton530]

A lot of folks seem to think that a 1000-mile drive is a difficult one. To me, it isn't. I'm excited about getting to the port when going; and I'm excited about getting home to see my cats and play with my STUFF on the return trip.

 

While it is nice to make this drive with others in the vehicle, I have actually made the trip alone on several occasions; no problem.

 

I am thankful to these boards for alerting me to the fact that some FLL hotels offer free parking for the duration of the cruise with an overnight stay. THAT little fact has saved me over $200; that's equivalent to a pair of new sparkly shoes....:p

[Iamcruzin]

I guess it depends when you are flying. I tried to book flights for an April 2009 cruise from NYC to FLL and they wanted $400 per person, then you have to add in the cost of getting to and from the airport in NYC or parking at the airport for 12 nights and baggage fees. It was cheaper for us to drive. I kept track of all our spending and it cost us $426.48 to drive.

 

I was looking at November which would be less expensive than a peak travel month like April. Also we can either get a ride to the airport or at the very least hop on the Long Island Railroad to the airtrain which would be considerably less than parking for a week at the airport.

[C 2 C]

One of the real bonuses of driving is the transition to a holiday mood. In the winter time, as we leave the cold behind, we watch as the temperature climbs a degree for every 100 miles traveled and peel off the layers as we reach more comfortable climes.

However the greatest experience is the wonderful scenery provided by the highways in New york and Pennsylvania as we cross the border at Niagara Falls on the way to Bayonne in the Fall. Our route would be the envy of shipboard excursions for those seeking a colourful landscape.

[Lois R]

A lot of folks seem to think that a 1000-mile drive is a difficult one. To me, it isn't. I'm excited about getting to the port when going; and I'm excited about getting home to see my cats and play with my STUFF on the return trip.

 

While it is nice to make this drive with others in the vehicle, I have actually made the trip alone on several occasions; no problem.

 

I am thankful to these boards for alerting me to the fact that some FLL hotels offer free parking for the duration of the cruise with an overnight stay. THAT little fact has saved me over $200; that's equivalent to a pair of new sparkly shoes....:p

 

Hi Cheryl,:) that is why these boards are great and we are all

different. Glad you enjoy the long drive. It might not be difficult at

all and that is a good thing. Just one I don't have the time or inclination

to do;)