Drive 6 hours to port morning of cruise?

[Aquahound]

Not a six hour trip but have a four hour from Clearwater area to Canaveral. Leave at 7 there before noon

 

I am from Key West. Before I moved away, I took approx 40 cruises wherein I drove 3 - 3.5 hours to the Port of Miami or Port Everglades. It became routine. We always left at 0700 and were at the port between 10-10:30. Darn, I miss those days. :(

[azjim66]

Not quite following you there regarding the stress of driving with no-one around. That sounds very relaxing to me. I found my stress levels were much higher when I was commuting every day around DC on 495 or getting back across the causeway from Malaysia to Singapore with everyone else after weekend jaunts.

 

I agree with you except if you have a mechanical/traffic issue...and...no ones around. In some remote areas there aren't many detour options if an accident happens and they shut down the freeway out in the desert. The drive itself isn't bad at all, we just prefer to get there a day early and gives you options if there are any issues etc.

[Bobbylah]

We rent a car locally in central Florida for 1 day @ $39 and drive to within an hour of Miami where rooms are cheaper and a decent room can be had for under $75. In the morning we turn in the car at a small Budget office near the ship and get their free shuttle. Easy. Our return trip from that same small Budget office was $189, so we took the free shuttled to MIA Budget where it was $43. TOTAL: Car and room : $157 VS Parking at port for $22 per day was $308 for our 14 day cruise, we saved $151, AND renting a car saved wear and tear on our car and left our car in our driveway so the house didn't look empty. AND renting the room let us board the ship rested so we could enjoy our first day and evening without turning in early because of a Long day.

 

You could look at this a whole bunch of ways, but assuming you did Parking Port Canaveral at $10.95 a day, your 14 days would have cost $153, so you actually broke even, assuming you did not pay to get to and from the local rental pick up and drop off point near your home.

[Bobbylah]

I agree with you except if you have a mechanical/traffic issue...and...no ones around. In some remote areas there aren't many detour options if an accident happens and they shut down the freeway out in the desert. The drive itself isn't bad at all, we just prefer to get there a day early and gives you options if there are any issues etc.

 

Gotcha. That does make sense. mechanical issues will always throw a wrench in the works (pun absolutely intended!). That's why we always get travel insurance to cover those eventualities. We can always just book another cruise with the payout. Not worth stressing about.

[jsglow]

Hi Tennessee neighbor!! I’m little over an hour from Nashville. Will be going to NOLA next march and will drive the day before. That sounds very stressful

 

Actually, it's my wife's entire family that lives around Nashville. We're up in Chicago. So for a family reunion summer week on the Emerald Coast we had to do Chicago to Nashville to Panama City area. Our daughter is a nurse so leaving Chicago before about 5p on Friday was impossible. And flying in there would have been prohibitively expensive. It was a brutal 24 hour window covering just under 1000 miles with about a 6 hour stopover sleep at the grandparents place in Franklin. They were up and out of their house at 6a on Saturday, appropriately. Seeing as we didn't get in until 2a, we caught a couple more hours of shut eye before the next (and much tougher) leg. The worst part was my sis in law texting us grief from the beach while I struggled bumper to bumper passing Montgomery. Never again.

Edited June 20, 2018 by jsglow

[Saint Greg]

I agree with you except if you have a mechanical/traffic issue...and...no ones around. In some remote areas there aren't many detour options if an accident happens and they shut down the freeway out in the desert. The drive itself isn't bad at all, we just prefer to get there a day early and gives you options if there are any issues etc.

 

It can happen. Just a year and a half ago I was stranded on the side of the road for like 5 hours. Fortunately I wasn't going to a cruise...I was coming back from a class...But it very well could've happened in that same spot on the way to the port. If I would've left at 7am to be at the port by noon, I would've arrived at 5pm and missed the cruise.

[schazzy]

2 hours to Charleston, no problem, any farther and I'm driving down the day before.

[ITeach2Cruise]

Interesting? Is this simply to avoid some rush hour issue in Houston mid morning on the day of the cruise. Because my sis in law uses that technique to get to the Emerald Coast from Nashville. The traffic is SO brutal that they'll drive into the night getting as far south as they can to beat the Saturday rush. Now admittedly that's a 8 hour run, even in perfect conditions.

It is most definitely to avoid traffic. When my sister lived in Galveston, and we would go visit her, the family would always leave at an obscure morning hour, and get to Galveston around 6am.

 

Leaving that late, we avoid San Antonio traffic, and Houston traffic. The fisrt time we made the drive at that time, it was purely an accident because we were going to leave around 4am, but we were packed and ready. My mom was also excited as it was her first cruise, so we ended up driving straight through to Galveston, and watched the ships come in in the morning. Now we usually stop in the same place right inside of Katy.

 

It works for us, and we enjoy driving at night with no traffic.

 

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[ParrotRob]

I am from Key West. Before I moved away, I took approx 40 cruises wherein I drove 3 - 3.5 hours to the Port of Miami or Port Everglades. It became routine. We always left at 0700 and were at the port between 10-10:30. Darn, I miss those days. :(

 

You're lucky. One wreck on the seven mile bridge and your cruise is ruined!

[Bobbylah]

You're lucky. One wreck on the seven mile bridge and your cruise is ruined!

 

Unless the first port of call is Key West! ;p

[jsglow]

It is most definitely to avoid traffic. When my sister lived in Galveston, and we would go visit her, the family would always leave at an obscure morning hour, and get to Galveston around 6am.

 

Leaving that late, we avoid San Antonio traffic, and Houston traffic. The fisrt time we made the drive at that time, it was purely an accident because we were going to leave around 4am, but we were packed and ready. My mom was also excited as it was her first cruise, so we ended up driving straight through to Galveston, and watched the ships come in in the morning. Now we usually stop in the same place right inside of Katy.

 

It works for us, and we enjoy driving at night with no traffic.

 

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Makes perfect sense. Sometimes it's WHEN you go, not HOW FAR. :)

[jsglow]

I know I'm off topic but in some ways we're blessed here in the midwest. Our primary concentration of traffic is Chicago, of course. One of the most common family vacation areas is what we call Up North, meaning the areas of northern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan dotted with thousands of glacial lakes. What's nice is that as you go any traffic gets more diffuse, not more concentrated, even though for us it's fully 6 hours. That's exactly the opposite of the Emerald coast where thousands upon thousands literally descend onto one beachfront road.

[glrounds]

Unless the first port of call is Key West! ;p

 

If you miss the sailaway at the original port, you can only board your ship at a FOREIGN port.

[Bobbylah]

If you miss the sailaway at the original port, you can only board your ship at a FOREIGN port.

 

Interesting. So can you board in San Juan, as that is still part of the USA, albeit unincorporated?

[Badfinger]

We drive from from San Antonio to Galveston at about 9pm the night before, stay the night in Katy, then do Katy to Galveston about 630am the day of. I would never feel comfortable leaving San Antonio the morning of the cruise, and it's less than 4 hours away. That's said, there are plenty of people who do.

 

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We always drive from San Antonio to Galveston the day of the cruise. A very easy 4 hours that includes two stops. Could easily account for a flat tire and interstate backup and still time to spare. I usually sleep in until 730, and hit the road by 8:00, on the ship eating lunch by 12:30.

 

Why not drive all the way to Galveston the day before?

[Aquahound]

You're lucky. One wreck on the seven mile bridge and your cruise is ruined!

 

Never happened. I guess I was lucky. Northbound US1 at 0700 was always a very open highway.

[ParrotRob]

Interesting. So can you board in San Juan, as that is still part of the USA, albeit unincorporated?

 

You can, but only because one way travel between San Juan and the continental US is exempt from the PVSA.

[ja_martin]

Yes, Buffalo to Baltimore. Left home about 3am and got there about 10ish.

 

No problems, but I generally like being in the home port city the night before. It's a bit more relaxing. Dinner out and a nice motel/hotel where we will leave our truck for the duration of the cruise.

 

My two biggest fears are weather and truck problems. An extra day always gives us time, if needed.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[JenniX]

We will be making the same drive, lol. We are in winter garden, sailing magic sept 30th. Can I ask what hotel you chose? We are consideringdriving up the day before, but prices I've found seem outrageous.

 

I've driven numerous times from Central Florida to Miami (about a 4 - 5 hour drive) and haven't had any problems, but I am always nervous that something is going to go wrong - having major car trouble in the middle of nowhere on SR 60, running into a bad accident, or worse getting into even a fender bender myself on the Turnpike. It can take forever to get law enforcement on the scene.

 

I will be sailing out of Miami in October and this time I got one of the stay and park hotels near the airport. It will basically cost the same as parking at the port, and will only have to add in the cost of a taxi (or uber) to and from the port. I just want to avoid the stress and be able to relax the night before the cruise. Looking forward to it.

[ParrotRob]

Yes, Buffalo to Baltimore. Left home about 3am and got there about 10ish.

 

No problems, but I generally like being in the home port city the night before. It's a bit more relaxing. Dinner out and a nice motel/hotel where we will leave our truck for the duration of the cruise.

 

My two biggest fears are weather and truck problems. An extra day always gives us time, if needed.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Your biggest fear should be spending a night in Baltimore ;)

[live.love.cruise]

Anyone drive 6 hours the A.M. of a cruise?

 

Yes, I did 10 years ago for my first cruise and never again. While driving to Mobile my car got a flat tire and we were in a small town outside of Auburn trying to find a tire shop. The shop didn’t have my tire size in stock so I had to leave my car and drove a rental to the port. We were the last to arrive to the port. Within a few months I had another experience of missing a same day flight getting to a port. So from those experiences I’ve learned to arrive the day before to prevent such stress.

[jimdalva]

You could look at this a whole bunch of ways, but assuming you did Parking Port Canaveral at $10.95 a day, your 14 days would have cost $153, so you actually broke even, assuming you did not pay to get to and from the local rental pick up and drop off point near your home.

 

Port Canaveral is only 2 hours away. A completely different story.

[The4Cruisers]

We drive from north of Charlotte NC for every cruise. I usually get home from work, eat dinner, pack my bag, and take a nap.

 

Then we drive from 12AM (it varies) timed out to reach the IHOP at Exit 3 in Georgia at 6 or 7AM. After a nice breakfast, we drive the rest of the way to the port.

 

This allows for time lost in traffic, breakdown, etc.

 

I am pretty much awake all day on the ship, but sleep like a baby on that first night!

[vacationlover16]

We’ve done a combination of all! Our first cruise we drove day of from TN to Mobile (about 6 hours). Being novices we didn’t really think anything about it or know any different. Have done two cruises from Miami & one from Jacksonville & flew in day before. Did another from Jacksonville and flew day of because my SIL didn’t want to spend an extra night away from her kids as it was her first time being away from them. Our upcoming cruise in October is out of Mobile again and we are going the day before. It will be my kids first cruise and being 4 & 6 I think it will make for a better embarkation day for me, my husband & the kids if we don’t travel the day of.

 

 

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[Saint Greg]

We drive from north of Charlotte NC for every cruise. I usually get home from work, eat dinner, pack my bag, and take a nap.

 

Then we drive from 12AM (it varies) timed out to reach the IHOP at Exit 3 in Georgia at 6 or 7AM. After a nice breakfast, we drive the rest of the way to the port.

 

This allows for time lost in traffic, breakdown, etc.

 

I am pretty much awake all day on the ship, but sleep like a baby on that first night!

 

That sounds horrible!

 

I’d pack the day before, skip the nap, leave after work, eat on the road...instead of leaving at midnight, check into a hotel at midnight. Get up at 6 or 7, eat breakfast and drive the rest of the way with a good night of sleep.

 

With the schedule you have I wouldn’t be able to enjoy embarkation day at all.