Question for the Floridians on CC

[emen822]

I'm taking a cruise next March that leaves out of Miami. My in-laws live in Venice and we were thinking of driving there after the cruise ends. Mapquest says it would take about 3 hours. Does that sound right? I need to book my airfare and if we decide to do this, we would fly back out of Fort Myers or Sarasota. Please let me know if this sounds doable without a major headache. ;) Thanks.

 

[P.S. I also posted this in the East Coast Departures forum but have a feeling I will get more of a response here.]

[teajak]

The three hours is about right. Alligator Alley from Miami is 70 miles straight across,Getting from the port to AA is about an hour and a half depending on traffic. Ft.Meyers has a new airport with a lot of flights out of there. Sarasota not as many and costs more. Hope this helps.

[jdh]

You should be fine with those plans. Parking runs around $12 per day at the port. But, if you don't want to drive, you can get bus transportation through RCCL. We live in Orlando and have done both ways. Decided to do the bus again when we go Dec 10th on Explorer. Buses are full of cruisers and it's quite lively. I just reserved ours and it's $60 per person roundtrip. They are pciking us up at 8 AM. However you get to the port-have a terrific cruise.

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

You should be fine with those plans. Parking runs around $12 per day at the port. But, if you don't want to drive, you can get bus transportation through RCCL. We live in Orlando and have done both ways. Decided to do the bus again when we go Dec 10th on Explorer. Buses are full of cruisers and it's quite lively. I just reserved ours and it's $60 per person roundtrip. They are pciking us up at 8 AM. However you get to the port-have a terrific cruise.

 

Hi, Where in Orlando do they pick you up from, OIA ??, also any idea if they do a ONE way transfer just to the Airport. Thanks

[Maxiecat3]

You might also want to look into flying back out of Tampa. I only live 15 miles from the the Ft. Myers airport but flew out of Tampa to BWI on Southwest for our summer vacation because for the 3 of us it was about $200.00 cheaper. It really depends on what airline you want to book.

[masterbaker]

It's an easy drive, I'd allow a little longer than 3 hours. You might want to stop along the way on Alligator Alley to view wildlife you see along the drive across the state. Flights out of Sarasota are usually more expensive than Ft. Myers or Tampa. Tampa would be the closest major airport.

[sdear]

I live in Sarasota and I fly ALOT . I find lately, I get better deals out of Sarasota on alot of my travels. Not sure what airline you are looking at , but definately check out all the airports mentioned. With prices of gas these days, Venice to Sarasota rather than Tampa or Ft. Myers might be worth a little extra in airfare, not to mention the convenience and time saved. . SRQ is a breeze to get in and out of. I can't speak for Ft. Myers, but I am sure it is simple too. Not sure if Airtran will work for you, but they have some GREAT prices out of Sarasota. I flew round trip to Chicago a few weeks ago , NON STOP, for 164.00.

 

You will love Venice if you have never been there before ! A bit of paradise ....and make sure you get up and see Siesta Beach in Sarasota, one of the greatest in the world !

 

and oh..have a great cruise !

 

Sue

[mimikens]

I have to agree with sdear. I just recently moved from Tampa, and a lot of my friends flew in and out of Sarasota since the price difference was generally negligible. Tampa can be a nightmare to get in and out of since it is located at the junction of 275 and Veteran's Expressway. I had to pick up my brother from there during rush hour, and it took me an hour and a half to travel 2 miles.

[emen822]

I'm glad to hear that the ride won't be torture. :eek:

We are flying from NY and we usually would fly Continental to Sarasota because they were the only airline (at the time) that flew direct. Now JetBlue does the same so I will have to check that out.

We have flown in and out of Tampa before but it was because of huge savings in airfares.

 

Thanks again for your input. Now my in-laws will be thrilled that they can spend Easter with their grandchildren from NY. ;)