Get a hotel, or drive over morning of?

[steve20832]

What does it cost to park at the port? 60.00? What does it cost for a hotel with parking option? 120.00? For an extra 60 bucks you have piece of mind and you don't have to get up early.

 

Port parking at the Cape is $17 per night

[SNJCruisers]

So you're saying if people don't waste an extra vacation day and don't spend $27 MORE, they are stupid?? :rolleyes:

You're not wasting a vacation day if you arrive the evening before and drive after you're done working. And 27.00 is nothing compared to the 1000+ that you're spending on your vacation. If you want to pocket that 27, get up at the crack of dawn and battle morning rush hour traffic to get to the port, that's your choice.

People are set in their ways and just like some fly in the morning of, many drive in the morning of as well. Something could happen though and 27.00 is a small price to pay for piece of mind and a good night's sleep, IMHO. But I am inferring you feel differently.

[Computer Nerd]

You're not wasting a vacation day if you arrive the evening before and drive after you're done working. And 27.00 is nothing compared to the 1000+ that you're spending on your vacation. If you want to pocket that 27, get up at the crack of dawn and battle morning rush hour traffic to get to the port, that's your choice.

People are set in their ways and just like some fly in the morning of, many drive in the morning of as well. Something could happen though and 27.00 is a small price to pay for piece of mind and a good night's sleep, IMHO. But I am inferring you feel differently.

 

What crack of dawn? If I leave my house at 0900 and I'm in PC by 1030. Even if I'm going to Miami I leave the house at 0600 and I'm there at 1000. Multiple routes to take if there is a problem along the way. Not to mention I'm up at 0445 EVERY morning (even on my cruises) so it's nothing to me to be heading out the door (either to work or a cruise) at 0600. BTW, not everyone live in Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami and have no rush hour traffic and even in the big cities there is no rush hour traffic at 0600. Has nothing to do with being set in my way (and what ticks me off is your high and mighty haughtiness that if others don't waste their money as you do then they have some kind of problem). I just think it's foolish that you are trying to protect yourself from a 0.01% chance of some catastrophic failure of the entire Florida road system (like I-95 and I-4 are the only way to get somewhere). And truthfully, I never sleep better than in my own bed, so that's where I will be getting my good night's sleep while saving money. But if you want to waste your money, you earned it so go right ahead.

[SNJCruisers]

What crack of dawn? If I leave my house at 0900 and I'm in PC by 1030. Even if I'm going to Miami I leave the house at 0600 and I'm there at 1000. Multiple routes to take if there is a problem along the way. Not to mention I'm up at 0445 EVERY morning (even on my cruises) so it's nothing to me to be heading out the door (either to work or a cruise) at 0600. BTW, not everyone live in Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami and have no rush hour traffic and even in the big cities there is no rush hour traffic at 0600. Has nothing to do with being set in my way (and what ticks me off is your high and mighty haughtiness that if others don't waste their money as you do then they have some kind of problem). I just think it's foolish that you are trying to protect yourself from a 0.01% chance of some catastrophic failure of the entire Florida road system (like I-95 and I-4 are the only way to get somewhere). And truthfully, I never sleep better than in my own bed, so that's where I will be getting my good night's sleep while saving money. But if you want to waste your money, you earned it so go right ahead.

I don't have a horse in this race since I don't live in FLA and can drive to 5 different embarkation ports. I cruise on the new ships out of Miami or FLL and I fly in the day before for piece of mind and also because of possible snow flying out of the Northeast while cruising in January or February. The debate on this thread is similar to the fly in day before or day of argument. People are set in their ways and will do what they do. You get up at 445 AM each day, most days when I am working I don't go to bed until that time and I am certainly not up at 445 AM when I am on a cruise.

Also, regarding my crack of dawn statement, that's where we differ. Leaving your house to go to Miami at 600 am is routine for you since you get up at 445 each day. If I was to leave my theoretical house in FLA at 600, getting up to shower and get dressed @ 530, is the crack of dawn to ME. Just because your daily schedule, including vacation starts at 445 AM each day, never assume that everyone else is on the same schedule. Anytime before 700 is the crack of dawn if you don't get to sleep till 200 AM or much later. Obviously your crack of dawn would be 330.

Finally, since when is 27.00 for piece of mind wasting money. Some people spend upwards of 99 now for Faster To The Fun on Carnival because it gives them piece of mind. I would never pay for it if it was an option before I earned Platinum status many years ago, but I certainly don't go onto the FTTF threads and berate people for spending that money for something that they feel gives them value.

[Computer Nerd]

I don't have a horse in this race since I don't live in FLA and can drive to 5 different embarkation ports. I cruise on the new ships out of Miami or FLL and I fly in the day before for piece of mind and also because of possible snow flying out of the Northeast while cruising in January or February. The debate on this thread is similar to the fly in day before or day of argument. People are set in their ways and will do what they do. You get up at 445 AM each day, most days when I am working I don't go to bed until that time and I am certainly not up at 445 AM when I am on a cruise.

Also, regarding my crack of dawn statement, that's where we differ. Leaving your house to go to Miami at 600 am is routine for you since you get up at 445 each day. If I was to leave my theoretical house in FLA at 600, getting up to shower and get dressed @ 530, is the crack of dawn to ME. Just because your daily schedule, including vacation starts at 445 AM each day, never assume that everyone else is on the same schedule. Anytime before 700 is the crack of dawn if you don't get to sleep till 200 AM or much later. Obviously your crack of dawn would be 330.

Finally, since when is 27.00 for piece of mind wasting money. Some people spend upwards of 99 now for Faster To The Fun on Carnival because it gives them piece of mind. I would never pay for it if it was an option before I earned Platinum status many years ago, but I certainly don't go onto the FTTF threads and berate people for spending that money for something that they feel gives them value.

 

 

When flying to a port it should be considered almost mandatory to fly the day before and spend the night at port. When the drive is 4 or fewer hours,it's just a waste of money. Of course, people can waste their money all day long if they want but there is almost 0% chance of not making a cruise when driving such a short distance (unless someone is dumb enough to leave at 1500 for a 1600 cruise).

 

Spending $27 when one doesn't need to constitutes a waste of money. If someone need piece of mind because they think they can't complete a 2.5 hour drive (Tampa to PC is all the OP is talking about) in 9 hours of available time, then I would say there are other issues at hand (not that I am saying the OP is a nervous nelly but you seem to be implying that a lot of folks are).

[teknoge3k]

I'm up at 0445 EVERY morning (even on my cruises)

 

My dad is like that. He would be waking up as I was getting ready for bed. I honestly thought he was the only person on the planet who woke up that early. :D

[SNJCruisers]

When flying to a port it should be considered almost mandatory to fly the day before and spend the night at port. When the drive is 4 or fewer hours,it's just a waste of money...Spending $27 when one doesn't need to constitutes a waste of money.

Once again, the time factor comes in. If I lived in FLA and had to get up at 530 in the morning to be on the road by 600 to get to the ship by 1000, I would spend the extra 27 and do the drive the night before. For me, that 27 is well spent since I would not be getting up at 530 and breaking my normal routine. For you, it's a waste of money since you get up at 445 each day, so leaving your house at 600 is later than normal, so you're accustomed to it and thus the 27 would be a waste to you because your routine would not be different, but mine would be. So that 27 is value spent funds to me.

Can you now understand where I am coming from versus where you are coming from? And this is being typed at 1:05 AM EST. Four hours from now you'll be in the shower or sipping your first cup of coffee, while I may be up for a middle of the night bathroom break.

[bobandsherry]

So that 27 is value spent funds to me.

I'm not the person you were replying to, but just for fully transparency, it's $27 (and probably tax) as well as additional meal(s). For me it would also be additional day for dog sitter as well. For 2.5 hour drive I'm ok with getting up at 8, getting ready, loading car, dropping off our canine buddy and getting to port at 11:30. I also just walk out of the port after the cruise and on the road in only a few minutes compared to waiting for shuttle to hotel to get car.

 

But I get your point, everyone weighs their own cost/benefit.

 

 

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[cruise_mojo]

on our early cruises we always flew and my wife is an airline employee so we always flew a day early ( nearly every time ) but since we were space available it always made sense

 

then when we had kids going and her job gave her better computer access she had much better flite info and we pretty much knew what flights we'd make we still flew in early!

 

but everybody's got their comfort zone and now with homeport cruising ( anyone remember that advertising scheme? ) or is it close to home? we just drive and head down a day or even 2 or 3 early!

 

heck this time we're not sailing till the 14th of april so we hit Miami on the 9th,, rent a car and say in Miami then drive to key west for 3 at the Hilton garden inn then back to Miami a day before cruising

 

so call it super panicky:o

[tropicqueen]

Hey Meg,

When we leave from Canaveral we drive from

our house near Disney.

It is a easy drive and have

never had any traffic issues.

Although, if there is a bad

wreck on 4 that could be a

Problem.

We have always parked at the Radisson. It is run very

afficently.

You drive in drop your bags,

I stay with them, Hubby parks. You get on the shuttle, 10 minutes to the

ship.

When you get back you just

go to where you were dropped off to get back to the Radisson.

It has gone up to $8 from the $5 when they first started.

Make sure you have your bags tagged that will be delivered to your cabin.

So, I would figure in the parking cost as opposed to

staying the night before.

There is some cute stores

around the area, also seafood restaurants.

There is even a cannal or

Cove really close by where

Manatees hang out.

Would have to check the time of year for when they

are there.

There are other cheaper long term parking lots a little further away.

The Radisson is the closes.

So, up this helps.

Tropicqueen

 

 

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