How far are you willing to drive?

[akupupule]

You get used to it after doing it often. if you get tired spend the nite in Ocala going down and Tallahassee going back home. Or you can change it up and make 1 leg I 95 / I-10. Spend a nite in ORMAND BEACH instead of I75 to the Turnpike.

[biker@sea]

We drove Boston Mass - Port Canaveral then 4 days in the Keys post cruise. :D

[beyer4]

Ok the wife and I are looking at the EPIC in late February or early March, has some great last minute prices. But the airfare is almost $500.00 person, so if we drive to Miami its 12 hours each way.... Would you do it???? :confused:

We have driven from Minnesota to Port Canaveral straight thru (26 hours) and in a couple weeks we will do the same thing to Tampa. Airfare has ranged anywhere from $500-$840/person. We can drive (gas, oil change, parking, food, and hotel the night before we cruise) for about $800. We have 6 people so its a no brainer for us.

[Jasalth]

I agree it depends on how many are going.

 

We have 4... so no way I am paying that much in airfare!

 

Our last drive was 17 hours to Tampa. We drove straight threw home, but won't be doing that ever again! I have back problems and that long in the car has pushed back surgery up about 9 months for me.

 

We will be driving to Miami for our next planned cruise right now (yeah.. 2 years :P) which will be about 19 hours. We are going to take 2 days down ,11 day cruise and 2 days back. My husband gets 80 hours of vacation time a year so we are lucky that way.

 

We used to drive from Pittsburgh to the Galveston area 2-3 times a year in 2 days to visit family in the past so that isn't even a long drive for us. The only thing I would be hesitant to drive is for a cruise out of California or an Alaskan cruise. Only because I would want to stop so many places on the way to see (Mt Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Old Faithful.. the list goes on and on!).

 

When we drove to Tampa in December, even with gas prices, including 2 hotel stays it cost us less than $500 in gas, food, hotels and car maintenance. It is really a no brainer IMO if you have the time and more than 2 people.

[Warmer Climes]

Us too, my last 2 drives to FL for cruises was just me and the kids because my husband had to work. We drove across Canada with the kids when they were 3, and drove to Panama City Beach with them every year until they were in school.

 

All that to say, we are probably at the more extreme end of willingness to drive. Maybe it's a Canuck thing? We love our road trips :)

 

Now my parents were Canadian so maybe that explains why we love our road trips, too! Tomorrow we leave from NH to Port Canaveral. This is the third time we'll be driving and we all prefer it to flying. Our longest trips would be Fort Worth to Los Angeles or Fort Worth to NH. I love to see the country and you don't see much of it from the air.

 

Barb

[che5904]

Now my parents were Canadian so maybe that explains why we love our road trips, too! Tomorrow we leave from NH to Port Canaveral. This is the third time we'll be driving and we all prefer it to flying. Our longest trips would be Fort Worth to Los Angeles or Fort Worth to NH. I love to see the country and you don't see much of it from the air.

 

Barb

 

I think that all depends on where you live and where you were brought up and whether you traveled lots as a child.

 

I grew up traveling 1 and 2 day driving trips to get to our vacation spots. I live in an area that if I wish to go to any city to shop it is just over 1/2 hr away. The major city closest with everything is an hour away. To me the 1 hour drive to the major city may be like driving a couple of blocks to someone else. My inlaws live 6 hours away so driving many times a year on a weekend as my children grew up was considered nothing. We'd drive to Atlantic city (9 1/2 hrs) for a long weekend. In order to fly anywhere in the U.S. we take our flights out of Syracuse N.Y. (2 1/2 hrs away), they are cheaper and better carriers and routes.

[Frick_&_Frack]

We've driven to Ft. Lauderdale several times from NY (since DH doesn't fly). It's worked out well for us. Though, if at all possible, we do like to take 2 days down and 2 back if possible so we can ease into vacation and ease back into reality. ;)

[4774Papa]

We live about 7 hours from FLL and will drive.

 

12 hours is long, but are you close to an airport that has Southwest airlines? Their fares are generally very low.

[djmess]

Ok the wife and I are looking at the EPIC in late February or early March, has some great last minute prices. But the airfare is almost $500.00 person, so if we drive to Miami its 12 hours each way.... Would you do it???? :confused:

 

I just did it. Got off the Epic on Feb 18. 12 hour drive each way. I travel with my 8 y/o son, so I'm the sole driver. He plugs in his DVD player or a handheld game system and I tend to listen to audio books and chat on the phone with friends and family.

 

I personally think it is worth it. Definitely cheaper than the $1000 airfare for 2, even with the higher gas prices. Did notice that gas prices posted off of Interstate 95 exits in SC, GA, and FL are at least 10-15 cents higher per gallon when you use a credit card versus paying the posted CASH price. Just something I noticed this trip.

[shelly11]

I would weigh the price of airline tickets to the price of gas for your trip. We found that a flight was cheaper than gas and parking!

[eeyoremum]

We did Southern Ontario to Miami last year for our New Years cruise. It was 24 + hours in the car plus an overnight coming and going. We drove because DH thought it would be cheaper (2 adults + 1 teen + 1 child) but it really wasn't once we did the pricing. Hotels, food, gas (we drive a truck), oil change once in Miami, parking, and extra days of animal care.

[MikeandAmy]

Forgot to mention, we also did the Epic in November, 2010. You will love the ship. Lots to do once onboard, that`s for sure!!:D

 

Thats the ship we are looking to book.... $849 for a balcony... Its hard to pass up! We even check airfare out of Atlanta, they are outrageous, I am sure spring break doesnt help...

[MikeandAmy]

We live about 7 hours from FLL and will drive.

 

12 hours is long, but are you close to an airport that has Southwest airlines? Their fares are generally very low.

 

Yeah Southwest flys out of BHM but they want 258.00 each way pp.... I remember when Southwest was cheap even last minute.... We will be making our decision tmrw.... I will let you all know... You guys have giving some great pros and cons, and advice! :)

[roger001]

I think the decision also has to do with how much time off you have..retired vs using valuable vacation time. We drive to NOLA and Port Canaveral from middle Tennessee, but of course fly to other ports that are farther. I am retired however so using the time doesn't bother us. I usually limit a day to about 400 miles, stop early and enjoy the evening. Otherwise, we use SouthWest. If you watch their sales closly and have the advantage of booking well into the future, you can catch some cheap fares still....at least for now. Three weeks ago we went Nashville non stop to San Diego and return for just $59 each way. That's an unusually low sale fare, but does happen still.

[luddite]

Twelve hours would be at our limit. The big problem on your trip would be dealing with the traffic volume in Florida.

 

Here's a note: last week, we met two ladies from Sweden who flew to NOLA a week early and rented a car. They took a road trip-an eight state jaunt. One of them mentinoed that driving in the US was pretty easy and since gas was so cheap here the trip was affordable.

[dwjoe]

There a number of variables here... your personal tolerance for driving as well as how much time you have.

 

I'd only drive if I could leave and get there the same day as the cruise... my limit would be about 6 hours, I guess.

 

I'm on the east coast and it's a relatively inexpensive flight to miami... I've never been tempted to drive instead. But others who don't mind driving and/or have more time available might.

[Nalagh]

Star trip to

Ok the wife and I are looking at the EPIC in late February or early March, has some great last minute prices. But the airfare is almost $500.00 person, so if we drive to Miami its 12 hours each way.... Would you do it???? :confused:

 

Maybe you could wait for the Epic until Jan 12, 2013 and sail with us. :p

Seriously, if you have the time, it is not a bad drive! I hope you guys can do it. Make sure to check out all the budget lines. Please say hi to Amy for me!!

[djd832001]

Yep and our drive is almost 26 hours and we are planning on driving in December. We are planning on driving 12 hours stop in Atlanta and then do the next 12 hours the next day. We found this to be our cheapest method plus we can bring all the luggage we need without paying extra.

[jdvmd]

I wouldn't do it but you have to do what is right for you. Yesterday, we paid nearly $4 a gallon for gas. By the time you add in parking, lodging, meals and any other expenses (not to mention your time), is the savings that great?

[newmexicoNita]

Ok the wife and I are looking at the EPIC in late February or early March, has some great last minute prices. But the airfare is almost $500.00 person, so if we drive to Miami its 12 hours each way.... Would you do it???? :confused:

 

not 12 hours, but I would do 8 or 9, stay in a nice but budget hotel and finish the drive the day of or day before sailing. We were going to do about the same had we not had to cancel our cruise next week. We would be leaving Thurs, drive 8 hours a day, stay in Cape Canaveral the night before the sailing. We did it last year when going out of NOLA.

[Cmdr Cody]

We drove to NYC for our last cruise, but we get free parking at my sisters in CT. Our next cruise we are taking the train. I work late the night before so I can relax on the train. Amtrak doesn't charge for 3 checked bags apiece. Cost is about $300 roundtrip for 2 including luggage. Airfare (just got back from weekend in NYC) is $500 for 2 with only carry on luggage. Bringing 2 bags each would have cost at least $100 more each way. So train is less than half price. It will be about 4 hours longer than driving ourself, but it should be worth it. We are also going to NOLA by train for our TA cruise next April.

[shelly11]

Yeah Southwest flys out of BHM but they want 258.00 each way pp.... I remember when Southwest was cheap even last minute.... We will be making our decision tmrw.... I will let you all know... You guys have giving some great pros and cons, and advice! :)

 

 

Airtran had Atlanta to FLL flights for $206 if that helps anyone.

[toyotaford]

Twelve hours would probably be my limit. And the drive going, with the cruise to look forward to, would be a lot more fun than the drive home I would think. You just have to weigh the actual cost of fuel, food, parking and lodging and see how they compare. You could probably drive straight through on the return but I assume you would have a night in a hotel pre cruise. We are booked out of NYC in September and I decided to check flights last night and found round trip for $230 pp from SW Louisiana into NYC on Continental. Needless to say, they are booked. Trusting you will have a wonderful cruise whether flying or driving.

[fiftyguy]

I'm not willing to drive more than 3 hours (Boston - NY).

 

I think I would hate the long drive back, after the cruise, the most. I'm all relaxed and now I have a 12 hour drive home - no thanks!

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[TEACRUISER]

I would if I felt between gas, parking, food/ drinks for the drive and a hotel (I would want to arrive day prior and have a nice relaxing sleep prior to boarding) would outweigh the cost of flying (plus depending on how many in the car vs plane tix).