Too Far To Drive?? Your thoughts??

[tiyana4]

To the OP, flights RT to FLL in mid-summer are running $159 pp on Delta. I haven't seen prices like that for S. FL in sometime. In this economy, I don't hesitate to fly whenever I can. Not only is it much faster and less of a hassle, but when I arrive at my destination I'm rested and ready to go.

Plus it's just me and DD so I don't have a back-up or second driver. The maximum drive time for me (pre-cruise anyway) is 3 hrs and only to catch a flight - never to the port.

 

I lost a client about 10 years ago because she got on the road without getting enough rest and pushed herself too much. She ended up falling asleep at the wheel and hit a tree at a high rate of speed. The crash killed her and her 8 yr-old son. Her drive time was only estimated to be 7.5 hrs from VA to New York. For anyone planning to do any major driving, please get plenty of rest!

[BIG_Steve]

We drove from New Jersey to Miami for our first cruise (7 nights), but since we had the time visited a friend in Florida on the way. But no stops till we hit Florida.

 

 

:eek::eek: You must have had some of those Astronaut diapers!

[ourturn]

Have you checked out Allegiant Airlines? They fly out of Bristol Va. and several other cities. I don't know if you are north or south in Virginia but I fly back & forth from Bristol to Ft Lauderdale, Miami or Tampa to visit my kids often. Airfare goes anywhere from $19 TO $49 EACH WAY. I just booked Bristol to Tampa for $72 round trip inc. all taxes & fees. Hope this is helpful.:)

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I'm not one that enjoys long car trips so to me it would be worth the cost of the air fare.

[shelby_36]

We go from Florida too. We drove once and flew the other 3 times. I don't mind to drive- with five of us I would rather save the money and have a numb butt. But my husband commutes 200 miles a DAY. He does NOT want to drive on vacation so I shut my mouth about the money.

[1barrel]

We are leaving out of Miami this August. Airfare was kinda high, so i decided I would drive. I then thought of Amtrak. I checked the price on the web site and found that it would not cost much more then the gas to drive down there and back. They have a dining car and a snack bar. Plus I can take a snooze if I want to!

[Happy ks]

The OP is the only person who can really know the correct answer, it's different for everyone.

 

Some people like the adventure (:confused:) of driving for long periods of time, I suppose to see the scenery from each states freeways.

 

For other it is pure torture to sit in a car more than 2 hours, let alone day(s). That would be me, I can't even stand a 2 hour drive. We prefer the shortest and most direct rout to anywhere, so be it if it costs a bit more than driving.

 

Either way you will be sitting in cramped seats for hours :p

 

Please add in all costs, if savings is a factor, not just gas, hotel and food but parking costs and wear and tear on your auto. You may not save nearly as much as you think you do.

[Happy ks]

This was still on my screen this morning, so I did some more checking. If you factor in just gas and parking, you can get flights for less. It does depend on your gas mileage of course and it would also depend on how many people are traveling.

 

For 2 people I think flying would definitely be cheaper. If 2 more were added, you may save a little bit of cash, it would also depend on if you needed to stop for the night for a rest. No way could I do this drive in one day each way.

 

The drive home would be dreadful :(

[blake1138]

We are cruising out of Jacksonville because I did not want to cruise out of Port Canaveral, much less Miami. I am in north Georgia. That would be such a long trip back.

[G'ma]

Don't know where in Virginia you reside....but if you are closer to Washington DC area, try flying Southwest Airlines from Dulles or Baltimore.....they have very good airfares and don't charge for luggage..... That might be cheaper than driving for you.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

if you drive get off at ftpierce and take the tole rd

[CRUISER85]

Personally I think anything over 6 or 7 hours is too far to drive unless I have a lot of time on my hands. On my one cruise experience I drove from Central NC to Jacksonville FL for a 4 day cruise on Carnival Celebration. It was cheaper in this case and we were able to drive down the night before after work. With a Priceline hotel we saved money and didn't have the stress of trying to travel the day of departure.

 

The drive home wasn't too bad and we had lots to talk about. If you add up all the time you spend in airports it was probably quicker. Since cruises end in the morning, we were home in late afternoon.

 

Va to Miami is more like 12-14 hours. That adds 2 full days of travel and the ride home would be tough. Plus it costs to park at the port. If you've got the time to stretch that out and maybe enjoy doing something on the way home, it could extend your vacation.

 

I don't think you'll save much money and if you don't have a lot of time, it could be pretty stressful if you get stuck on 95.

[w&k]

I guess it depends on your exact situation - personally, I love to drive, and hate to fly.

 

We are doing a repositioning this fall from Baltimore->Tampa, and our intention was to do 2 one-way car rentals. However, we can park our car in Tampa for 14 days & fly for less money than just the one-way rental from FL to BWI. Go figure...

 

It takes 6 hours for me to drive to Miami, and I wouldn't bother with that much of a road trip for a 5-day cruise. If you have limited time, the Carnival ship out of Jacksonville does 4 and 5 day routes for 7 hours less driving.

 

Have a great trip, wherever and whenever you go!

 

Wendy

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Depends on many factors. How much time do you have, both coming and going? What kind of gas mileage do you get? Do you have another driver who you can switch off with? How reliable is your car? What kind of a deal can you get for a flight?

 

I live in Wisconsin, and am considering a 25 hour drive to Miami. I formerly drove an 18-wheeler, so I'm used to driving 10 hours at a stretch, and in the middle of the night. We'd pack some food and beverages in an ice chest that can stay in the car, so we'd save on motel and meal costs. When we fly, we have to pay $6 a day parking at the airport, and fly down a day early to avoid weather delays, so have to spend about $100 for a room. Then there's transfers to/from the airport, baggage fees, meals.

 

However, there are other considerations. Traveling 3200 miles depreciates the value of the car, and it's now time for an oil change. Due to work schedules, we would not have much pad if we need to stop, so what if we have bad weather, car trouble or get in an accident? It typically costs $20 per day to park at the cruise line terminal, so parking comes to $100 more for a week's cruise versus the airport's parking fees. My wife doesn't like to ride nonstop in a car for that long, and is reluctant to drive that far away from home. After the cruise, a 25-hour marathon to get home will undo many of the effects of a nice, relaxing cruise.

 

For most people, I would recommend a maximum drive of eight hours with plenty of pad to allow for any problems.

[Grayce]

We have been looking at the costs to fly and one thing to look at is the cost of baggage. Some airlines don't charge but others charge $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second. So some of the prices for flights are even more when you add on cost for baggage.

[cruzin w chris]

we are drivers. family of 4 from buffalo to miami. NO PROBLEM as its all part of the journey.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

try southwest into ftl and take the shuttle