Drive or Fly?

We live in NC...were planning to drive down to Port Canaveral...but wondering if after a hotel room, paying for parking and gas - if we should just fly. But then I saw that the MCO airport is 40 miles away...meaning we still have to pay for a long ride to port. Which is better!?

What do you veteran cruisers think? :-)

We live in NC...were planning to drive down to Port Canaveral...but wondering if after a hotel room, paying for parking and gas - if we should just fly. But then I saw that the MCO airport is 40 miles away...meaning we still have to pay for a long ride to port. Which is better!?

 

What do you veteran cruisers think? :-)

IMO, for 2 people...tough call, for more than 2, driving wins.

Note that for flying many experienced folks recommend arriving a day early which means an overnight expense. Especially true if wintertime travel is involved.

IMO, for 2 people...tough call, for more than 2, driving wins.

 

Note that for flying many experienced folks recommend arriving a day early which means an overnight expense. Especially true if wintertime travel is involved.

Just 2 - August cruise

I am one of those who could never arrive the day of sailing, whether driving or flying.

The port is 45-60min away from the airport. One wreck that shuts down that road for a few hours and you will miss your cruise!

How many hours does it take to drive? There are many hotels in the port area that have the park and cruise option and will shuttle you to the port....saving the cost of parking at the port.

We will be driving down in August to sail too.

We live in NC...were planning to drive down to Port Canaveral...but wondering if after a hotel room, paying for parking and gas - if we should just fly. But then I saw that the MCO airport is 40 miles away...meaning we still have to pay for a long ride to port. Which is better!?

 

What do you veteran cruisers think? :-)

Would you save anytime at all flying to Orlando and transferring to the port ( count on 1 hour for that) vs the 10 or so hours to drive from NC?

Would you save anytime at all flying to Orlando and tranfering to the port ( count on 1 hour for that) vs the 10 or so hours to drive from NC?

Really...it's my husband who would drive. He wants to drive through the night arriving Sunday early AM...I prefer to drive down Sat and spend the night - I'm really trying to save him the long drive. The fares aren't looking promising in terms of cost - $500+ to fly plus we have to pay for a shuttle.

Really...it's my husband who would drive. He wants to drive through the night arriving Sunday early AM...I prefer to drive down Sat and spend the night - I'm really trying to save him the long drive. The fares aren't looking promising in terms of cost - $500+ to fly plus we have to pay for a shuttle.

Your husband's plan looks to be the cheapest. Gas and port parking would add up to $200 or so (assuming you don't drive a Hummer :)) . Driving down the day before would still cost far less than flying.

We live in NC...were planning to drive down to Port Canaveral...but wondering if after a hotel room, paying for parking and gas - if we should just fly. But then I saw that the MCO airport is 40 miles away...meaning we still have to pay for a long ride to port. Which is better!?

 

What do you veteran cruisers think? :-)

That long ride would cost you $20pp on Cortrans.

Using your husband’s plan, he will be totally wiped out the first day/night of your cruise. I would go Saturday morning, stay overnight in a motel that will let you park free, have a relaxing evening and arrive at the ship ready to have fun the next morning.

Really...it's my husband who would drive. He wants to drive through the night arriving Sunday early AM...I prefer to drive down Sat and spend the night - I'm really trying to save him the long drive. The fares aren't looking promising in terms of cost - $500+ to fly plus we have to pay for a shuttle.

We have cruised out of Baltimore many times and it is a fairly nice 6-7 hour drive from our home in upstate NY.

We always drive down the day before the cruise and stay at a nice hotel and then after breakfast we do a short 20 minute drive to the port with a good night's sleep under our belts.

A flight to us involves TSA baggage restrictions, wasted hours spent in airports, worries about flight delays (no matter what time of year, they are common) and the added expense of flying, preferring to spend our money on board the ship.

My choice would be to drive down and plan on a hotel stay (depending on how far you limit your driving time) the night before and then finish the drive with a relatively short drive the morning of the cruise.

A drive of 8 hours the day before, with a stop or two for pit stops and a meal, then a 2 hour or so drive in the morning would get you to the ship well rested and ready for the cruise.

We find NOTHING relaxing or more of a PIA than flying to a port and although we have done it dozens of times it is no longer our choice if we have the option to drive.

bosco

Awesome! Gonna look for some cheaper hotel options about an hour away. That way we can get up morning of cruise and not be in a rush.

If you decide to fly definitely come in the day before. Lots of people will say you will be fine in August, but not always so. We were scheduled to land in Miami and flight was diverted to Orlando because of severe thunderstorms all over the Miami area. We were in a holing pattern over Miami and actually had to be diverted for weather and re-fueling. This was on a weekend and several people on board unfortunately missed Saturday sailings. So happy we were scheduled to spend the night in Miami and sail Sunday.

Regardless if you fly or drive remember you have to be on board usually two hours or so before actual sailing.

Driving would mean no worries about overweight bags. Also easier to take wine, etc. on board.

There are a bunch of hotels in the Cocoa Beach area (near Port Canaveral) with parking packages for cruises with shuttle to the port.

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Driving to Port Canaveral is not bad at all. We live in SC and have driven to both there and Port Everglades. Regardless of driving or flying we always try to get there the night before. I feel for a 6-7 hour drive you actually don’t save that much time flying once you factor in driving to airport, check in, security, waiting to board, flying, baggage claim, and driving to destination.

We have cruised out of Baltimore many times and it is a fairly nice 6-7 hour drive from our home in upstate NY.

 

We always drive down the day before the cruise and stay at a nice hotel and then after breakfast we do a short 20 minute drive to the port with a good night's sleep under our belts.

 

A flight to us involves TSA baggage restrictions, wasted hours spent in airports, worries about flight delays (no matter what time of year, they are common) and the added expense of flying, preferring to spend our money on board the ship.

 

My choice would be to drive down and plan on a hotel stay (depending on how far you limit your driving time) the night before and then finish the drive with a relatively short drive the morning of the cruise.

 

A drive of 8 hours the day before, with a stop or two for pit stops and a meal, then a 2 hour or so drive in the morning would get you to the ship well rested and ready for the cruise.

 

We find NOTHING relaxing or more of a PIA than flying to a port and although we have done it dozens of times it is no longer our choice if we have the option to drive.

 

bosco

This is a good plan! Drive to St Augustine the day before, get a hotel, have a nice dinner downtown (historic district), wake up the next morning and continue the 1.5-2 hr easy drive to the port!

Driving to Port Canaveral is not bad at all. We live in SC and have driven to both there and Port Everglades. Regardless of driving or flying we always try to get there the night before. I feel for a 6-7 hour drive you actually don’t save that much time flying once you factor in driving to airport, check in, security, waiting to board, flying, baggage claim, and driving to destination.

We also live in SC and are considering driving to Port Everglades and Port Canaveral. Have sailed out of both ports.Port Canaveral does not really concern me too much but Port Everglades is somewhat intimidating.We usually fly out of Myrtle Beach or Charleston which is kind of a pain. Not really bothered by the drive as we have plenty of time to get there and back. Wife and I are both retired. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

We also live in SC and are considering driving to Port Everglades and Port Canaveral. Have sailed out of both ports.Port Canaveral does not really concern me too much but Port Everglades is somewhat intimidating.We usually fly out of Myrtle Beach or Charleston which is kind of a pain. Not really bothered by the drive as we have plenty of time to get there and back. Wife and I are both retired. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

For Port Everglades we have flown once and driven once. The drive is not bad getting there with the excitement but feels much longer on the way way home. For that trip we left late afternoon and stopped for the night in St Augustine. Still had over four hours in the morning to drive. Unlike flying to Orlando, the airport in Ft Lauderdale is literally right next to the port.

We live in Boone and just made this drive to Port Canaveral earlier this month to sail on Oasis. I, too, was contemplating flying but after adding the cost of the flight, airport parking, overnight accommodations if we flew in one day prior, and transportation to and from the port, we decided to stick with our original plan of driving. From Boone it took us 10 hours including two brief stops (one for gas, a meal and a bathroom break, the other for a bathroom break). We did the drive all in one day, the day before sailing. I also found an awesome condo in Cape Canaveral where we stayed one night pre-cruise, located one mile from the Oasis cruise terminal, and the rental terms of the condo allowed us to keep our car parked there while we were on the cruise for no extra charge, in the gated condo complex. We took Uber to the ship on 4/8 ($10.50 plus tip) and a taxi from the ship to retrieve the car in the condo complex on 4/15 ($10 plus tip). Last Sunday when we disembarked, we took our own luggage off the ship when the doors opened at 6:40am, got through customs/immigration, got a taxi to the condo complex and were on the road back to NC before 7:00am, and got back to Boone at 5:00pm. Looking back now, I am glad we did it this way and decided to drive, we saved hundreds of dollars over flying from Charlotte. We ended up using a total of 3 1/2 tanks of gas for the trip from Boone to Cape Canaveral and back. This was our first time cruising from Port Canaveral and would definitely make the drive again.

We have also driven down to the Port of Miami for a cruise. For that drive, we left Boone after work, picked up friends in Winston-Salem and had dinner there, left Winston-Salem at 8:50pm and drove all through the night, arriving in Miami at 9:30am the next morning, which was embarkation day. Mind you this was all for a three-night cruise. I did all the driving (my choice) and was exhausted on embarkation day, requiring a nap later in the day. This was back in 2011; haven't done it again since and not sure I would ever do that again. I would do the drive all in one day - no problem. But not overnight, arriving on embarkation day. Lots can happen on the drive down (mechanical issue, hit a deer, etc.). If you decide to do it this way, make sure you have good trip insurance in case you don't make it to the ship on time, because you're not allowing much room for delays or problems.

I would only consider flying if it was a cheap airline like Frontier or Spirit. They get a bad rap, but they get the job done for cheaper.

I would drive, and get a one-night hotel. I actually planned to stay in Orlando two nights last year. Then it turned into 3. Then 4. It was a vacation on top of a vacation. So much fun!

DH hates the whole flying thing. He is uncomfortable in the seats and with an artificial hip he sets the alarm off.

So, we drove to Ft Lauderdale last cruise. I do the driving and it really wasn't bad. We are sailing from Miami in December and will drive again. We'll stop 2 nights to break up the trip and spend the night before the cruise in Miami. I think with meals it is probably more expensive but it works for us.

We prefer to drive so we can take what we want and stop when we want. :)

We prefer to drive so we can take what we want and stop when we want. :)

For sure. And you also don't have to limit your purchases on the trip because of having to get everything in luggage for flying, or trying to protect glass item purchases (souvenirs, alcohol) and have room for all that in luggage, getting it through airport security, etc. With driving you're really only limited by what you can physically carry and the space you have available in the car.

I would fly in the day before, get transportation to the Port Canaveral area, and stay in a hotel near the port.

We are from Cary NC (near Raleigh) and having driven to both Cape Canaveral and Port Everglades for cruises. Port Canaveral is easy to do in one day. We take 2 days to do Port Everglades, stopping overnight in Savannah. We always come in the day before for all the reasons stated above. We get a hotel reservation for a park and cruise package near the port, take the shuttle or uber to the port. Less headaches than flying and very relaxing. Enjoy your cruise!

I am one of those who could never arrive the day of sailing, whether driving or flying.

 

The port is 45-60min away from the airport. One wreck that shuts down that road for a few hours and you will miss your cruise!

 

How many hours does it take to drive? There are many hotels in the port area that have the park and cruise option and will shuttle you to the port....saving the cost of parking at the port.

I agree with this. We live near PC and the possibility of traffic problems is a very real factor.