drifter42 Posted May 23, 2017 #1 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Hello I will be taking my first cruise on the dream in October and the Fantasy next April. I was just wondering how others determine which port of departure you use? Is it a particular ship, proximity to where you live, destinations, etc. As for now for me it's proximity to where I live. NOLA and Mobile are the 2 closest ports to me followed by Charleston Sc., Jacksonville and Orlando. I'm not much into to flying although I have a few times. Just wondering how you ladies and gentlemen choose your cruises. Cheers! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted May 23, 2017 #2 Share Posted May 23, 2017 How close it is and how much it costs to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlami Posted May 23, 2017 #3 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I just pick a place or a ship and then start looking for deals. I have been out of several different ports. I either drive or fly depending on the destination. I went out of NY last year and my TA was great at booking my flight and shuttle transfer. The bus through downtown NY was pretty slow but the whole process of transferring was seamless. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beltane Posted May 23, 2017 #4 Share Posted May 23, 2017 For Hubs and I we choose purely on itinerary and dates. I have found that flights from Toronto to FLL and MCO are much less expensive than flying in to MIA... but for the right itinerary I will find a way to work it out. For example it is very easy to shuttle to the Miami cruiseport when flying in to FLL, and we often do that if the flight is much less expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlamorousGirl Posted May 23, 2017 #5 Share Posted May 23, 2017 My closest ports are Norfolk and Baltimore. Since they are so far from most destinations, and a lot of sea days and less port days, I am driving to Florida on most of my upcoming cruises. I prefer not to fly because of cost, luggage restrictions, and the security hassles. I will fly on some because I want to try a certain itinerary, but other than that trying to stick with Florida, and drive to the port with one or two hotel stops. Besides that, I enjoy Florida and spending a few days there along with the cruise makes it all the better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovethesparkles Posted May 23, 2017 #6 Share Posted May 23, 2017 We live 30 minutes or so from Galveston, so that is our first departure port choice. We have looked at sailings out of NOLA too, since it would only be a 4ish hour drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tef43 Posted May 23, 2017 #7 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Total price, nothing else matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnorris10 Posted May 23, 2017 #8 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I live in Florida so basically any port within the state of Florida is good but I prefer Port Canaveral as I live 15 minutes from there and its nice that I can have someone drop us off and pick us up and avoid leaving my vehicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare shof515 Posted May 23, 2017 #9 Share Posted May 23, 2017 im stuck with only embarkation port (NYC) so that limits my choices and i do not want to fly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A&Jfamily Posted May 23, 2017 #10 Share Posted May 23, 2017 1)where I want to go on my cruise and 2) can I afford the trip. We purposely are not doing trips leaving outside the US because it takes too much time and money to get our kids and us there. For now, our vacations are a week or less. We will save those longer adventures for trips where they are not going or when we are no longer working. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camijo Posted May 23, 2017 #11 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Where I live, Galveston is about an hour from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evandbob Posted May 23, 2017 #12 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Flights to MIA and FLL from NY LGA are run pretty much like a shuttle, with many choices and decent fares. Since the majority of my cruises are in the Caribbean, flying from NY to either port gives me lots of 7 day or longer itinerary choices. I also enjoy sailing out of NYC, going down the Hudson past the NYC skyline is awesome, and I get choked up going by the Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty. I prefer a 10 or 14 day cruise from NY, esp. in winter time, since the 1st and last days at sea probably aren't a pool day San Juan is another easy and economical port for me to get to, but it won't be for a Carnival cruise. In San Juan, I prefer Celebrity, but will try NCL this January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesKru Posted May 23, 2017 #13 Share Posted May 23, 2017 We look at everything that is leaving in the time window we are able to cruise. From there, we decide if we want to fly or not ( mostly not) and how much extra time it would take to drive. Mostly we go to Charleston SC, Jacksonville, or Port Canaveral since they are all reasonable drives... have also used Tampa, Miami, NYC, and soon New Orleans. My favorites were the 2 Trans-Atlantics we have done from Spain. That required flight, but was an outstanding experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthomaniac Posted May 23, 2017 #14 Share Posted May 23, 2017 We're in Iowa, so we have to fly no matter what, so we go by itinerary. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaMommyof3 Posted May 23, 2017 #15 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I live in Florida and have cruised out of Tampa, Pt. Canaveral and Ft. Lauderdale. Pt. Canaveral is my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bury me at sea Posted May 23, 2017 #16 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Proximity to port. I can drive to Galveston in half a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzeluver Posted May 23, 2017 #17 Share Posted May 23, 2017 We live in Charleston so cruises from here are easy. We just don't care for Fantasy class ships (once was plenty) but we have enjoyed two Sunshine cruises from here. Wish she was here more. We also really like Port Canaveral for convenience and ease of driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceman225 Posted May 23, 2017 #18 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Hello I will be taking my first cruise on the dream in October and the Fantasy next April. I was just wondering how others determine which port of departure you use? Is it a particular ship, proximity to where you live, destinations, etc. As for now for me it's proximity to where I live. NOLA and Mobile are the 2 closest ports to me followed by Charleston Sc., Jacksonville and Orlando. I'm not much into to flying although I have a few times. Just wondering how you ladies and gentlemen choose your cruises. Cheers! Sent from my iPhone using Forums You must be from my neck of the woods. We also go by driving distance - Jax, NOLA, and Mobile. We are in the Georgia/Tennessee/Alabama corner. Sent from my VS986 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tank's Mom Posted May 23, 2017 #19 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I live in Florida so any port in the state works. If I can get a good itinerary out of Tampa it's my first choice. I can uber for $15. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysticks1 Posted May 23, 2017 #20 Share Posted May 23, 2017 We don't fly to cruise normally so I pick a port that we can drive to in one day or approx. 8-9 hours drive. That limits me to Ports that are between Port Canaveral and Galveston. We figure out where we want to go then I research the different cruise lines that go there, check pricing and then the port of embarkation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Henderson Posted May 23, 2017 #21 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Lol the first port listed for day 1 is the departure port lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cganesh Posted May 23, 2017 #22 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Itinerary then total price (cruise, airfare,hotel). We live both New Orleans and Mobile but in winter time don't like the one say out and one day on return that are cold. In winter we fly to anywhere that's it's warm when we get off plane. Cherie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drifter42 Posted May 23, 2017 Author #23 Share Posted May 23, 2017 You must be from my neck of the woods. We also go by driving distance - Jax, NOLA, and Mobile. We are in the Georgia/Tennessee/Alabama corner. Sent from my VS986 using Forums mobile app West Tn here, a little town called Paris. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drifter42 Posted May 23, 2017 Author #24 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Lol the first port listed for day 1 is the departure port lol That works [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scurvy Seadog Posted May 23, 2017 #25 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Another Florida resident here, so I have 5 ports within a reasonable driving distance. Port Canaveral is now my preferred port, since I live 30 mins away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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