How far have you driven to a port?

[Houstoncruiser2007]

We live in Houston and have cruised the Conquest and the Ecstasy twice each. Being really close to Galveston is such a bonus, but we are thinking about driving to another port to take advantage of other ships or itineraries. We don't want to fly because that will add over $1200 to our vacation budget.

My question - what is farthest you've driven to a port and was it worth it? I can imagine getting to the port was fine since everyone is hyped up with anticipation of the cruise but I'm concerned about the returning home part.

New Orleans (Triumph) is 5.5 hours away and the closest port in Florida (I think Orlando and the Dream) is 16 hours. New Orleans is definitely doable but Orlando... I'm not so sure.

What have been your experiences?

Thanks!

[sistermerm]

Originally Posted by Houstoncruiser2007

We live in Houston and have cruised the Conquest and the Ecstasy twice each. Being really close to Galveston is such a bonus, but we are thinking about driving to another port to take advantage of other ships or itineraries. We don't want to fly because that will add over $1200 to our vacation budget.

My question - what is farthest you've driven to a port and was it worth it? I can imagine getting to the port was fine since everyone is hyped up with anticipation of the cruise but I'm concerned about the returning home part.

New Orleans (Triumph) is 5.5 hours away and the closest port in Florida (I think Orlando and the Dream) is 16 hours. New Orleans is definitely doable but Orlando... I'm not so sure.

What have been your experiences?

Thanks!

Shoot... go for the drive and new experiences... I've driven six hours to save $300pp on airfare... for three of us it was well worth the trip!

[Jacky4]

We've driven from Boston to Orlando many times non stop. It's about 24 hours in our mini van with 2 preteens. It saves us at least $500 over flying. We average $300 in gas r.t., $100 misc and plenty of dvds and snack food. We take out the extra seats and have an air mattress that we inflate to sleep on. You're correct the ride down is exciting and even though were exhausted we can't wait to get there. At the start of the ride home I am dreading it but then tell myself it's only 24 hours and we're home.

[bike1964]

We've driven 1100 miles from St Louis to Port Canaveral!! (each way!!!)

[Cruisin thru life]

We always drive. most of the time from Ill to different ports in FL, but we've also gone to ports of Mobile and New Orleans. Miami is about 23 hours, not counting stops.

[Houstoncruiser2007]

Wow! You guys make me feel like a whiner with 16.5 hours. I can't believe you all drive so far. We really would like to sail on the Dream and that means a road trip.

[Jeafl]

We drove from Chicago to Miami with my husband, 3 kids AND my parents in an extremely overpacked minivan. Never, EVER again.

[Houstoncruiser2007]

Originally Posted by Jeafl

We drove from Chicago to Miami with my husband, 3 kids AND my parents in an extremely overpacked minivan. Never, EVER again.

That IS a lot of folks!

I just did a search on Rand McNally and Houston/Orlando is 948 miles and 15.20 hours (not including stops).

[jayesouthworth]

We have driven 9 hours down I-5 in California--boring drive. We fly now, and is worth every penny. After getting off a relaxing cruise, who wants to hop in a car and drive 9 hours home. There's things that can go wrong driving as well as flying. Like we hit snow at the Grapevine and had to detour around it. We also hit fog 50% of the way. You take the chance of car trouble, and also stopping to eat and potty stops. Also, if you drive in the day before, you have the added expense of hotel and dining out, and the price of gas also plays a role in deciding whether it's better to drive or fly.

[Homosassa]

Orlando is in the middle of Florida so I doubt any of you are cruising from Orlando.

You might want to calculate tour mileages using either Tampa, Jacksonville, Cocoa Beach (closest town to Port Canaveral), Ft Lauderdale or Miami as end points.

[ScottsSweetie]

We've driven to Galveston twice from our home north of Atlanta - mapquest says its over 800 miles and right at 13 hours.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Farthest for us was driving to our last cruise, which was close to 1000 miles each way. We probably won't do that again for awhile.

If you are in Houston, don't forget about Mobile. According to MapQuest, Mobile is 7 hours 18 minutes / 468.02 miles, from Houston.

[Harrier1961]

Try Detroit, MI to Miami. Approx. 1422 miles each way. Twice!

Andy.

[Megnolia]

Unfortunately we're never able to get more than one weekend to the next off, so drives are kind of out of the question for now. However we are thrilled to have a 9 hour drive to Baltimore, and we'll manage it no problem. Every single time we've flown, we've ended up travelling for 12+ hours with getting to the airport, connections, delays and all the garbage that comes along with flying. I would rather have 9 hours in a car than a full day of hauling carryons around hanging around airports, flight delays, cramped seats, airplane washrooms. Plus of course, it's saving us a ton of money

[BIGA961]

Last fall for some reason airfare from Indianapolis to anywhere in FL was really expensive so I decided to drive. This seemed like a good idea until about Atlanta, or about halfway! This year we're flying and the tickets are already purchased! I'd rather not do that again.

[familycruzer]

We drove from Philadelphia to Miami for a cruise many years ago. It was pure H***. My kids were 6 and 10 at the time and I will never do it again. With the price of gas, food and hotels, I could have flown cheaper.

[barryn]

We drove from Long Island to New Orleans to board the Conquest in 2005 w/2 teenage daughters in a minivan. We stopped outside Atlanta for a quick visit w/my sister, and stopped for dinner in TN on the way home and met friends of my older daughter.

The kids' school vacation coincided w/Jazzfest in New Orleans, and airfare became prohibitive.

[GottaLuvCruising]

We have driven from Orlando to Miami for several cruises and it is four dreadful hours. I just don't like road trips. We have flown to FLL and MIA several times and it is a much nicer trip (but still takes as long).

A few years ago we combined stops in Virginia Beach, Atlantic City, New York City, visiting with family in Pennsylvania and Maine with a cruise out of Boston. We drove round-trip from Florida to Maine with lots of side stops and were gone the entire month of May. That was OK...a lot of driving and I wouldn't want to do it again, but we had a great time.

[LemurCat]

I've done Philadelphia to Miami and Philadelphia to Tampa. Whether or not you'll enjoy the ride is dependent on a couple of this ....

1. Can you sit still for that long? (Roadtripping is an acquired skill, and not everyone has the time or opportunity to acquire it. What's the longest you've ever gone? Were you stir crazy by the end? Or did the time fly?)

2. Can you sit in a vehicle with your company for that long without wanting to kill them? (Consider that annoying antics, clashing musical tastes, bad cell phone habits, and personal hygene issues will be magnified.)

3. How comfortable is your vehicle? (I hate my parents' Acura MDX -- it's seats screwed my back up for a good month, but I've driven all over the Midwest in a Chevy Cavalier no problem.)

4. Do you have/need a partner to switch off with? Can said partner sit in a moving vehicle without becoming ill/sleepy? (A surprisingly big deal when one person has been truckin' for 18 hours and the other one has been blithly sitting in the passenger seat but can't drive for whatever reason. Situations like that breed hostility.)

5. Is it really worth it if you can just fly? (Run the numbers. Figure in gas, hotel, snacks, and add another 20% just in case. Can your vehicle *make* that trip? Is it worth your time and aggravation?)

[sappygirl]

Originally Posted by Houstoncruiser2007

We live in Houston and have cruised the Conquest and the Ecstasy twice each. Being really close to Galveston is such a bonus, but we are thinking about driving to another port to take advantage of other ships or itineraries. We don't want to fly because that will add over $1200 to our vacation budget.

My question - what is farthest you've driven to a port and was it worth it? I can imagine getting to the port was fine since everyone is hyped up with anticipation of the cruise but I'm concerned about the returning home part.

New Orleans (Triumph) is 5.5 hours away and the closest port in Florida (I think Orlando and the Dream) is 16 hours. New Orleans is definitely doable but Orlando... I'm not so sure.

What have been your experiences?

Thanks!

So far we have only driven to port. We are in Lake Charles so it is convienent (sp) for us to go to Galveston or N.O. If we wanted to do a differant itinerary we would probably drive it. We have driven to Orlando several times in the past and would not hesitate to do it again. I would rather the long drive than have to put up with the airlines. If I am not mistaken I believe the Triumph will also do an Eastern cruise out of NOLA in the Fall so that will give you a differant and closer choice.