Pushback from sailing from Miami?

[firefly333]

8 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

New York and Boston are too far from most of the Caribbean for a seven day cruise.  Galveston is limited to the Western Caribbean unless you take a longer cruise.

Harmony is doing 6 months of 6 then 8 day next year then 7 and 7. Then dec 2024 back to 7/7/7/7.

 

6 to perfect cay. I'm currently booked oct 2024 to coco cay.

 

[shof515]

9 hours ago, twangster said:

Don't get me wrong, I love Port Canaveral in general terms but having a drawbridge that isolates half of the port, the lack of anything on the North side and parking have not held up to the growth of the port.

 

goood news, Florida DOT is in the process of replacing that bridge with a new taller bridge that does not need to open. still a long way for it to happen but it is in planning stage

[Oceansaway17]

8 hours ago, basenji56 said:

I hate the long trip from the Orlando airport to the port.  Miami or FLL is much easier to fly into.  More hotels too.  

Yes I agree but the luggage porters in Miami are aggressive and I won’t tip and I stand to the side to wait and watch to see luggage not shoved aside and forgotten.

[basenji56]

55 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Yes I agree but the luggage porters in Miami are aggressive and I won’t tip and I stand to the side to wait and watch to see luggage not shoved aside and forgotten.

Yes. You need to tip there or your bags will disappear. 

[Scoobydobe7]

9 hours ago, basenji56 said:

I hate the long trip from the Orlando airport to the port.  Miami or FLL is much easier to fly into.  More hotels too.  

FLL is my favorite..short easy trip to/from airport and you are correct, lots of hotels ..

[Oceansaway17]

37 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Yes. You need to tip there or your bags will disappear. 

Mine never did and I take them to porters closer to ship not just where bus drops off

[rolloman]

9 hours ago, orville99 said:

IMHO, the only thing Miami currently has going for it is the number of different cruise lines, demographic levels, and itineraries that it supports relative to PC. Adding Princess to PC may help a bit, but their PC itineraries are unimaginative at best and the reality is that Princess (since it was acquired by Carnival) is just another RCL/Carnival/MSC clone from an experience perspective. The only line out of PC that is showing any imagination right now is RCL with longer cruises sailing to Bermuda, the ABC islands and other ports that typically don't show up on PC itineraries. If PC really wants to keep its "title", it needs to attract more lines that elevate the cruise experience - not just replicate it, and show some imagination in where they sail. Celebrity would be a good start, and something like Silversea or Regent would be even better.

For starters PC just recently elevated to number 1 (it was a goal). The port is continuing to expand. New restaurants, terminals, aquarium are on the way. Unlike Miami you can actually walk to the beach or nearby restaurants. Ask any Floridian which Florida port they would prefer to drive to, and the response will overwhelmingly be PC. 

   The new ship builds are now coming to PC on a regular basis. These new builds are faster and more efficient which makes the Miami location a moot point. PC is one of the only ports with LNG, another huge plus. Multiple new hotels are being built in the general port area. Princess is an iconic line which sails around the world not just the Med or Caribbean. So, it is a BIG deal they will now sail out of PC.   I look for the new terminal on the south end to be assigned to Celebrity or similar.  Therefore, in reality there is little concern Miami will surpass PC anytime soon.  By the way, Carnival also sails from PC to every one of the locations you listed. 

[John&LaLa]

10 hours ago, orville99 said:

IMHO, the only thing Miami currently has going for it is the number of different cruise lines, demographic levels, and itineraries that it supports relative to PC. Adding Princess to PC may help a bit, but their PC itineraries are unimaginative at best and the reality is that Princess (since it was acquired by Carnival) is just another RCL/Carnival/MSC clone from an experience perspective. The only line out of PC that is showing any imagination right now is RCL with longer cruises sailing to Bermuda, the ABC islands and other ports that typically don't show up on PC itineraries. If PC really wants to keep its "title", it needs to attract more lines that elevate the cruise experience - not just replicate it, and show some imagination in where they sail. Celebrity would be a good start, and something like Silversea or Regent would be even better.

 

They need more big ships to keep the title, not boutique lines like Silversea or Regent.

 

It also helps, title wise, to place huge ships doing 3 and 4 day Bahamas runs. Passenger turnover is the metric used. Doing 8+ night voyages does little to boost annual passenger counts

 

And FWIW, they don't seem to have issues filling ships on boring itineraries. Not everyone is as jaded as we are😉

[WisconsinFan]

10 hours ago, voyager70 said:

The Miami sail away is the most beautiful in FL in my opinion. Sailing through Biscayne Bay and past South Beach can’t be beat. Nothing wrong with the other Florida ports but nothing special either. I’ve never had any major issues with MIA or the drive to the port, although I’ve never been the one driving 😁 

Really spectacular after dark with the city lights.

[PhillyFan33579]

This year I have cruised out of Port Miami 4 times, Port Canaveral 3 times and Port Everglades 1 time. By far the worst traffic and worst embarkation I have experienced is at Port Canaveral. It is a cluster f**k every time I cruise out of there. On the other hand, cruising out of Terminal A at Port Miami is always very smooth and fast from parking your car to boarding the ship. 

[jakeil7]

7 hours ago, alfaeric said:

Farther up the coast does limit how far you can go, but the airport location has no impact on that. 
 

Still, this thread sure makes it seem that some have no choice in departure ports. Nothing stopping you from flying to New York or Galveston.  And Boston is awesome to depart from. 

Because it isn’t a “premium” departure location due to the airport location and nearby population the itineraries are much more typical than they are creative. Miami and FLL provide the biggest variety in FL; the NYC ports also do well because of population - airport location not as great though 

[firefly333]

3 hours ago, rolloman said:

PC is one of the only ports with LNG, another huge plus. Multiple new hotels are being built in the general port area. Princess is an iconic line which sails around the world

The carnival mardi gras was the first of the 3 LNG ships. I think celebration is the name of the 2nd and went to calif. Galveston will get the 3rd LNG ship. Jubilee.

 

Carnival is also bringing in some italian ship. There is a expensive pay restaurant onboard, costs more than the regular carnival italian. Supposed to be some kind of more italian restaurant and people werent sure how it would do at the higher price pt. I forget the story, how it became a carnival ship rather suddenly ..though wasnt made originally for them. PC is where they choose to bring it.

 

Carnival Venezia

 

Carnival Venezia has received the new livery during dry dock, with a Costa-inspired look following the transfer from the Italian brand. While joining the Carnival fleet, the Venezia will have a style that honors her roots at Costa Cruises.Apr 28, 2023

[twangster]

5 hours ago, rolloman said:

The new ship builds are now coming to PC on a regular basis. These new builds are faster and more efficient which makes the Miami location a moot point.

 

Faster ships?  Can you elaborate?

[John&LaLa]

9 hours ago, jakeil7 said:

Because it isn’t a “premium” departure location due to the airport location and nearby population the itineraries are much more typical than they are creative. Miami and FLL provide the biggest variety in FL; the NYC ports also do well because of population - airport location not as great though 

 

Not sure why you think its not a premium departure point.  The draw of the theme parks an hour away is a big boon according to port officials. But I guess that's a downside to cruisers not participating. 

 

As far as drivability, don't care about airport, PC has almost twice the potential customer base as Miami/PE. Unsure about your comment on nearby population 🤔

 

500 miles is the max a lot of people care to drive in 1 day based on my unscientific observation

 

 

BTW, this is a fun tool. Here's the link

 

https://www.statsamerica.org/radius/big.aspx

 

[GlasgowCruiser01]

They're like chalk and cheese really, depends on where you come from and how you get there.

 

Miami is easier for me as a fly-in cruiser from abroad. Very near the city, fairly near the airport. Done Canaveral once and I got the impression it's the ideal port for those who are from the Southern states and can drive there. As someone from abroad, it wasn't really the right port for us, though I can see the appeal in people combining Orlando with a sailing from Canaveral.

Edited May 22, 2023 by GlasgowCruiser01

[twangster]

27 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Not sure why you think its not a premium departure point.  The draw of the theme parks an hour away is a big boon according to port officials. But I guess that's a downside to cruisers not participating. 

 

As far as drivability, don't care about airport, PC has almost twice the potential customer base as Miami/PE. Unsure about your comment on nearby population 🤔

 

500 miles is the max a lot of people care to drive in 1 day based on my unscientific observation

 

 

BTW, this is a fun tool. Here's the link

 

https://www.statsamerica.org/radius/big.aspx

 

 

Not to mention that the extra drive distance between Port Everglades and Miami feels like another 500 miles.  I don't know what it is about the extra stretch of road but it's like a scene out of Mad Max. 

[John&LaLa]

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Not to mention that the extra drive distance between Port Everglades and Miami feels like another 500 miles.  I don't know what it is about the extra stretch of road but it's like a scene out of Mad Max. 

 

I'm headed down tomorrow to see my dad.

Miami Springs, near the airport

Not looking forward to it. 

 

 

Taking Turnpike most of the way

Edited May 22, 2023 by John&LaLa

[John&LaLa]

Food for thought. Is 20+ minutes really that bad🤔

 

 

Personally I prefer driving 70+ vs stuck in bumper to bumper traffic

 

 

[ATG]

We live in South Carolina.  PC is an easy 7-8 hour drive.  When we sail out of PE or Miami we consider flying, but the nearest big airport is Atlanta- over two hours away. We end up driving.  When we pass the Cocoa Beach exit it’s depressing to know we have hours to go before we sleep.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 5/20/2023 at 10:27 PM, coaster said:

Port Canaveral seems to have gotten things right over the years. Friendly port workers and not stressed as much when boarding from my personal experience.

sailed from MIA several times, never had a problem. Uber is cheap as well.

 

Uber from MCO to the Port Canaveral cost us $120 to and $150 on the way back. That's is very expensive.

[John&LaLa]

11 minutes ago, ATG said:

We live in South Carolina.  PC is an easy 7-8 hour drive.  When we sail out of PE or Miami we consider flying, but the nearest big airport is Atlanta- over two hours away. We end up driving.  When we pass the Cocoa Beach exit it’s depressing to know we have hours to go before we sleep.

 

Used to love seeing the Ron Jon's signs headed to CB on 75 south when we lived in Atlanta

[John&LaLa]

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

sailed from MIA several times, never had a problem. Uber is cheap as well.

 

Uber from MCO to the Port Canaveral cost us $120 to and $150 on the way back. That's is very expensive.

 

@firefly333 shared her Miami cab story departing Oasis in March. It wasn't pretty

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

@firefly333 shared her Miami cab story departing Oasis in March. It wasn't pretty

I'll go find it and read it when I have time. We sailed on Oasis first week of April, and had no problem with an uber from the hotel to the port. We had a different problem with the shuttle from POM to FLL, but it had nothing to do with POM.

[firefly333]

20 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

@firefly333 shared her Miami cab story departing Oasis in March. It wasn't pretty

I shared a uber with ken and his wife. 3 of us some thought we needed a SUV size. Later he said there was a sign on the car saying 30% extra because it was larger. I didnt see the sign but ken was observant. I asked the driver about the cost and he never mentioned the extra. Just the price. Kinda sneaky I thought.  

 

I also saw a post by twangster who flew into Galveston and showed there were times of day uber charges extra for surge times. I wasnt aware of so many prices before. Twangster took lyft uber was so inflated when he wanted to go. 

 

We just jumped into the next uber in line at the miami port. 

[jakeil7]

@John&LaLa I think 500 miles might be a little wide of a net to draw, but as others have pointed out here it kind of depends how far you are from your airport and if it is decent so it might not be bad. 
 

I also did the same analysis on NYC - 85M but I would not want to drive that far in the NE. Also, love your meme - drove from Miami last year for a PC cruise. It is dead on. 🤣