***Migrating to be close to the ports***

[Jamericannn]

We have to travel from CT/NY all the way to Florida to be on the ships we love so my wife and I decided that we will sell our house within the next five years and move to Florida. We understand that this is a big undertaking and there are risks involved. We just know we would be able to cruise more often if we lived in Florida. We are still young and far from retiring so getting a good job is very important.

 

Has anyone here moved just to be closer to the cruise ships? How was the transition?

 

Would you move to another state solely to be closer to the ships?

 

We don't like the crowd that ships from NY attracts.

[crunchymomma]

Relocated BACK to Florida but we were both from here originally. What type of work are you looking for?

 

 

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[Jamericannn]

Relocated BACK to Florida but we were both from here originally. What type of work are you looking for?

 

 

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Currently I am an administrator at a medical school but I have a masters in public administration. Ideally I want a state job with good benefits but I will take anything that pays a decent salary.

[Jamericannn]

Relocated BACK to Florida but we were both from here originally. What type of work are you looking for?

 

 

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Did you relocate just because you want to cruise more?

[tree.critter]

We moved to Florida from southern CA in 2010. Did not move to be close to the ports but admit it is a big side benefit for us and helped naked the move much less painful. Took awhile to get used to the summer heat and humidity but it's all good now. Depending on type of jobs there seems to be very good job market, wages aren't the highest but cost of living is reasonable and no state income tax is nice. Property taxes can be high depending on location. Being close enough to drive to at least 6 ports is priceless, port Canaveral is my favorite.

[crunchymomma]

Did you relocate just because you want to cruise more?

 

 

No it was just an added bonus. We lived all over the place for my husbands work and when he got out of that line of work, we picked home. Weather, cruising, closer to family, beaches. It was a no brainer. We have went out of every port in Florida. It's awesome to have choices. Depending on what area you want to be in, state jobs are there. Wages are comparable to other states we have lived in with the bonus of paying no state taxes so it's like getting a raise!

 

 

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[Jamericannn]

No it was just an added bonus. We lived all over the place for my husbands work and when he got out of that line of work, we picked home. Weather, cruising, closer to family, beaches. It was a no brainer. We have went out of every port in Florida. It's awesome to have choices. Depending on what area you want to be in, state jobs are there. Wages are comparable to other states we have lived in with the bonus of paying no state taxes so it's like getting a raise!

 

 

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Sounds great. I prefer cruising out of Miami but I would like to live in Ft. Lauderdale.

[Jamericannn]

We moved to Florida from southern CA in 2010. Did not move to be close to the ports but admit it is a big side benefit for us and helped naked the move much less painful. Took awhile to get used to the summer heat and humidity but it's all good now. Depending on type of jobs there seems to be very good job market, wages aren't the highest but cost of living is reasonable and no state income tax is nice. Property taxes can be high depending on location. Being close enough to drive to at least 6 ports is priceless, port Canaveral is my favorite.

 

I am so jealous right now. I will start checking out the job market there.

[Mikew0805]

We just moved to Florida 15 months ago, from Colorado. I wanted something different, but one of the biggest motivators was the ability to cruise. We are so happy down here, it was an excellent decision for us.

 

As of April on the Carnival Breeze (which happens to be out of Galveston... Black jack tournament winners, from the Splendor) we will have sailed 7 times in less than a year by the conclusion of that cruise. I am hoping for more years similar to this one. :D

 

Good luck with your move.

[kwazi07]

Currently I am an administrator at a medical school but I have a masters in public administration. Ideally I want a state job with good benefits but I will take anything that pays a decent salary.

If you still want to work at a med school, USF is in Tampa, UF is in Gainesville (2 hrs north of Tampa), FSU in Tallahassee (3hrs north of Tampa), UCF (45 mins for Port Canaveral and 2.5 hrs from Miami), and a U. Miami (private school).

 

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[Pyrate13]

:D We did just the opposite. We lived in central FL for 25 years then moved to NC a couple of years ago. Even though we love to cruise, being close to the ports wasn't enough to keep us there. To your question, no, we would not move just to be close to the cruise ports but that's just us. What another person would do is entirely their choice and I wouldn't presume to advise them either way. Good luck though. :)

[Kfoot]

I use to live in CT, and move to FL 15 yrs ago. Best move I ever made. I was tired of the winters there. I'm an islander. Same one you have in your name. It wasn't for the ports becuz I didn't start cruising yet. I live in central FL now and was blessed to start with the same salary I left CT with. Having so many ports to chose is an added bonus. Pt Canaveral (my fav)is only an hour away. Pt Everglades & Miami is only 3-3.5 hrs drive. The headache is which cruise, which port, which itineraries. Oh the hard choices :D

[plane2port]

This is one of the ideas that I like to toy around with, along with the idea of living on cruise ships. These are things that I like to think about, but not necessarily things I want to do.

 

But suppose you were going to move to Florida for the purpose of being close to cruise ports, which area would you choose? Would you pick a place equidistant from Tampa, Port Canaveral, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale? Or would you just pick an area in Florida that you like.

 

Be aware that many locations in Florida, particularly in the Panhandle are still a long way from any of the cruise ports.

 

OP, thanks for bringing up this discussion!

[Jamericannn]

This is one of the ideas that I like to toy around with, along with the idea of living on cruise ships. These are things that I like to think about, but not necessarily things I want to do.

 

But suppose you were going to move to Florida for the purpose of being close to cruise ports, which area would you choose? Would you pick a place equidistant from Tampa, Port Canaveral, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale? Or would you just pick an area in Florida that you like.

 

Be aware that many locations in Florida, particularly in the Panhandle are still a long way from any of the cruise ports.

 

OP, thanks for bringing up this discussion!

 

You are welcome. I like Ft. Lauderdale (the area). I am open to anywhere in South Florida though. I just have to complete my research to look at schools for the kids, crime rate etc.

[Jamericannn]

I use to live in CT, and move to FL 15 yrs ago. Best move I ever made. I was tired of the winters there. I'm an islander. Same one you have in your name. It wasn't for the ports becuz I didn't start cruising yet. I live in central FL now and was blessed to start with the same salary I left CT with. Having so many ports to chose is an added bonus. Pt Canaveral (my fav)is only an hour away. Pt Everglades & Miami is only 3-3.5 hrs drive. The headache is which cruise, which port, which itineraries. Oh the hard choices :D

 

 

Yuh haffi guh hook mi up.

[navybankerteacher]

Of course living close to a port makes cruising easier and more affordable - and if other factors: employment, satisfaction with life style, etc. work out - why not? But, how much time do you spend cruising - and how many cruises per year would you take? Relocating means giving up where you live: which you probably chose for a number of reasons - so hopefully you would have more than just one reason to move to Florida ---- which is really only good for Caribbean cruises - how about cruises to Alaska, the Pacific coast of Mexico, Hawaii, Canada/New England, the Mediterranean/Northern Europe, trans-Atlantics?

 

Once you had had enough of the Caribbean, you would still have to travel to cruise.

[biker@sea]

We have to travel from CT/NY all the way to Florida to be on the ships we love so my wife and I decided that we will sell our house within the next five years and move to Florida. We understand that this is a big undertaking and there are risks involved. We just know we would be able to cruise more often if we lived in Florida. We are still young and far from retiring so getting a good job is very important.

 

Has anyone here moved just to be closer to the cruise ships? How was the transition?

 

Would you move to another state solely to be closer to the ships?

 

We don't like the crowd that ships from NY attracts.

 

I have been looking @ Island Homes Down in the Florida Key's . :D

 

1 hr south of Miami.

 

P.S. We did cruise out of Tampa After a week in the keys once ,an Easy drive.

.

[Jamericannn]

Of course living close to a port makes cruising easier and more affordable - and if other factors: employment, satisfaction with life style, etc. work out - why not? But, how much time do you spend cruising - and how many cruises per year would you take? Relocating means giving up where you live: which you probably chose for a number of reasons - so hopefully you would have more than just one reason to move to Florida ---- which is really only good for Caribbean cruises - how about cruises to Alaska, the Pacific coast of Mexico, Hawaii, Canada/New England, the Mediterranean/Northern Europe, trans-Atlantics?

 

Once you had had enough of the Caribbean, you would still have to travel to cruise.

 

Good points. I would definitely mix in some other destinations as well but maybe once every two years or so. Cruising is a major part of the move but I am also tired of the winter. I'm originally from the Caribbean so I miss the sunshine year round. Most of my family live in Florida so I would actually be closer to them. Cruises can be used for any occasion. For example, this past anniversary we were struggling trying to find a hotel close to activities that were nearby so we could book. We ended up booking a hotel near the casinos but after we got tired of the machines there was not much around to do. The ship has many options so we could have booked a nice 3 days weekend cruise and still have everything right there.

[spookwife]

We have to travel from CT/NY all the way to Florida to be on the ships we love so my wife and I decided that we will sell our house within the next five years and move to Florida. We understand that this is a big undertaking and there are risks involved. We just know we would be able to cruise more often if we lived in Florida. We are still young and far from retiring so getting a good job is very important.

 

Has anyone here moved just to be closer to the cruise ships? How was the transition?

 

Would you move to another state solely to be closer to the ships? Never in a million years

 

We don't like the crowd that ships from NY attracts.

 

sorry but this seems beyond shortsighted. what happens when you cannot get a job, or cannot get one that lets you afford to be able to cruise?! and I do not mean simply financially.

 

before Mr Spook retired, his employer was very flexible about time off. as long as his command wasn't gearing up to deploy or had a major inspection coming up, he could take leave if he had it on the books.

 

now? not so much. one week out of every 5 is basically the only time he can take off now. he is the sole instructor three out of the other 4 weeks.

 

we live less than 8 hours from three ports and less than 10 from 4(FLL is tad bit further out) there is no way in heck we can even THINK about taking another cruise for at least another year due to his work commitments. if we wanted to do Tampa, FLL or NO, we'd have to get a hotel the day before just to be on the safe side. Mobile only has Carnival, so it is extremely low on our list of possibilities.

 

and no we did not move just to be able to cruise more.. it was the first company that offered him a job that wasn't insulting pay and responsibility wise.

 

 

what exactly are you qualified to do and is there a market for it down here?

[spookwife]

 

Be aware that many locations in Florida, particularly in the Panhandle are still a long way from any of the cruise ports.

 

 

Mobile is an hour away. too bad only one line sails out of there. heheheh. but yes. Orlando/PC/FLL is a good 8-9 hours away. Tampa we figure is 6-7. which does require that added hotel stay. we have looked at NO, but would get a hotel anyway just because we have never been there before and would want to see the city.

[navybankerteacher]

When not cruising, you have to put up with your local climate. I find South Florida pretty unpleasant from June through September, and the convenient cruises only go further south. In New England (where there is refreshing change of seasons) December through March are the months (also four) which call for escape - so those three hour flights allow that. Sure, I'd rather have an hour drive than a flight - but the rest of life should count for something -- so I'll stick with Connecticut - with three winter get-always; not limited to Caribbean cruises.

[Swampbabe]

State job and decent salary/benefits do not go together in this state.

[CineGraphic]

I lived in West Palm Beach for 8 years in the 80s, and the summers were brutal. However, when my wife retires in 8 years we plan on moving down and buying a small condo so we can cruise at the drop of a hat.

 

 

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[Jamericannn]

sorry but this seems beyond shortsighted. what happens when you cannot get a job, or cannot get one that lets you afford to be able to cruise?! and I do not mean simply financially.

 

before Mr Spook retired, his employer was very flexible about time off. as long as his command wasn't gearing up to deploy or had a major inspection coming up, he could take leave if he had it on the books.

 

now? not so much. one week out of every 5 is basically the only time he can take off now. he is the sole instructor three out of the other 4 weeks.

 

we live less than 8 hours from three ports and less than 10 from 4(FLL is tad bit further out) there is no way in heck we can even THINK about taking another cruise for at least another year due to his work commitments. if we wanted to do Tampa, FLL or NO, we'd have to get a hotel the day before just to be on the safe side. Mobile only has Carnival, so it is extremely low on our list of possibilities.

 

and no we did not move just to be able to cruise more.. it was the first company that offered him a job that wasn't insulting pay and responsibility wise.

 

 

what exactly are you qualified to do and is there a market for it down here?

 

 

I understand. I aware of the risks involved. I would not move until things are sorted out. I have to get a job first. Even if I don't get to cruise as often as I want, at least I will get to do some weekend getaways and won't have the hassle of flights to the ports

[navybankerteacher]

State job and decent salary/benefits do not go together in this state.

 

State jobs generally seem to pay less than private employment - but they tend to be more stable and offer better benefits/retirement plans - at least in the Northeast and Midwest; I can't speak for Florida, but would think the same applies.