Long Drive to the Cruise

[knbcruisers]

This above is exactly why a lot of folks would rather pay the airfare.

On a related note:

For the last three years, we have taken our very young grandkid to Disneyland (the real one[emoji106]) in SoCal. Each time, we've driven the approx 850 mile round trip which, including S.F. & L.A. traffic easily takes 8 hours each way (including food/rest stops). She's been terrific on these long drives and it has been somewhat reminiscent of when we did the same thing with her mom years ago.

However, after the last drive down/back, we decided that riding on Ariel's Undersea Adventure five times in a row was not taking care of the Disney fix adults may need. So DW and I headed down there for a week on our own last month. When it came to transportation, we opted to fly instead (SFO-SNA). With pre-arranged car service at each end, the trip took less than 2 hours each way and that total transportation bill for 2 people was approx $600 (not including the cost of the Bloody Mary on the early morning plane ride [emoji41]).

Now you can argue my using the federal reimbursement rate of approx. 50 cents per mile (gas/wear/maintenance) for the comparison but, the drive would've cost us $400 plus food enroute plus parking for a week at the SoCal end.

Moral of the story: I'm pretty sure our grandkid will be taking her first airplane ride on the next annual trek to Disneyland (but no Bloody Mary for her!).

 

 

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Flatbush

I would fly if we could but we have to bring 4 dogs with us at Christmas because boarding is impossible for several reasons....and in the summer we bring the camper all that way for the GKs!

 

 

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[cruisedude29]

I'd prefer to stay home than drive across the country just for a vacation. That seems crazy to me! Who would think such a thing is fun?!

 

I generally avoid going to Europe to see family because of the 8 - 10 hour flight. I couldn't even imagine 20 hours in a car. Actually, I can, I made the drive to NYC from FLL once, NEVER again! Planes were invented long ago.

Thanks for your input, but can you quit calling people crazy and making fun of them for wanting to save some money. Some of us have to travel on a budget and need to save where ever we can. We drove from Indiana to Galveston this pass fall and loved it. My DW and I had great talks and our two year old loved watching movies and looking out the window. In fact, we like it so much, we are doing it again the end of April. Some of us just love seeing the country from the road, so if you have extra time and like to drive, I say go for it and poo-poo on what others think.

[tullers]

Hi

 

We live in Northern NJ (Bergen County) and our next cruise leaves out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

Originally we were planning to fly down the night before the cruise leaves, stay in a hotel that night in Fort Lauderdale, board the ship the next day and fly home at the end of the cruise.

 

I booked the flight home a while ago since the price was decent but have held off booking the flight down as it’s been more than we normally pay to fly to Florida.

 

My husband suggested driving down. We would need to rent a car since we have a flight back already booked. I reserved a rental car in case we decide to do the drive down. He thinks it will be a fun road trip.

 

We were thinking of leaving two days before the cruise and just drive through to Fort Lauderdale and still stay in our pre-cruise hotel the night before.

 

Any advice? Is this a crazy idea? Would you break it up more?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Have you looked into Amtrak? I do it up to NYC often as well as down to MIA & FLL

[lbjen]

Everyone had a different idea of what the temperature inside the car should be. Everyone needed wanted to go to the bathroom and the SIL griped every time we stopped. We wanted to stop and actually eat. SIL wanted to grab chips when we stopped for a bathroom break. One of my daughters swore that everyone had a more comfortable seat than her...even after we switched seats. Disagreeing on whose turn it was to drive. Poured rain, construction, traffic. SIL isn't afraid to fly. He's too CHEAP and wanted to drive straight through to the cruise and we ended up driving straight home to avoid a big argument...and these are just some of the highlights. On the cruise he cheaps out on everything. For YEARS, we paid the tips for his son on the cruises because he didn't see the "point in paying tips for a child" so we would get my daughter to get the envelope and we would put the tips for my Grandson in. We prefer to drive, get there without the hassles, and enjoy our time pre/post cruise, not trying to recover from the trip to get there or home from our cruise.

 

I hope he’s easier to live with than he sounds, for your daughter’s sake!

[KamiKake]

The drive is doable even with traffic considerations. We drive from central FL to MA every Christmas and again in June. However your departure time sets you up for traffic delays......is there anyway you can eliminate the Sat am appointments? Here is what I’d suggest. Work Friday, pack the car and nap until midnight or so. Leave CT by 2am with the goal of getting south of DC by middle of Saturday morning then get off the road before the traffic builds, maybe getting as far as Richmond VA. New England to DC is the worst part of the trip. Find a hotel relax and sleep. Leave Saturday midnight you’ll be in FLL by dinnertime Sunday. You can avoid the most southern part of I95 by moving over to the FL turnpike south of Vero Beach. EZ pass is critical!! It will allow you to use the express lanes in MD and northern VA if they are open. They are worth the extra tolls if traffic is heavy. Be prepared to use highway options. For example sometimes the Balt-Wash pkwy is better than 95, sometimes it’s the reverse. Use the various beltways to avoid downtown Richmond, Jacksonville. If 95 in South Carolina gets jammed get on US 17 south. You can take that into GA and get back on 95 then. Your biggest problem in SC is the Hilton Head exit.

 

 

 

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We live in the Norfolk area and I COMPLETELY agree with you. Leave in the middle of the night and get through the worst of 95 before people are up and about. I would add that personally I would extend the worst part south to Richmond. We live not far off 95 and avoid it going north at ALL costs! Once you get south of Richmond, it's always a risk, but we do the Norfolk to Jacksonville route fairly often and deal with the normal slow downs, but it's usually not too bad. The holiday weekend could change all of that though. It's a boring stretch of interstate, but it also goes by fairly quickly when traffic is moving. Set the cruise on 78 and just go. We have a cruise out of FLL in November and considered driving down (we love road trips!) but couldn't stomach the idea of having to drive back AFTER the cruise! lol

[mek]

Living in Cincinnati, we don't have many options except to fly, but we have driven to Norfolk with two grandkids and twice to Charleston. When we drive to Charleston we stay in the Smokies down and back and when we drove to Norfolk we included a stop in Williamsburg.

 

Those trips were fun, but I don't think I would ever drive to Florida for a cruise unless there was a last minute flight delay, weather, etc.

[cruisinfanatic]

Thanks for your input, but can you quit calling people crazy and making fun of them for wanting to save some money. Some of us have to travel on a budget and need to save where ever we can. We drove from Indiana to Galveston this pass fall and loved it. My DW and I had great talks and our two year old loved watching movies and looking out the window. In fact, we like it so much, we are doing it again the end of April. Some of us just love seeing the country from the road, so if you have extra time and like to drive, I say go for it and poo-poo on what others think.

They weren't calling anyone crazy or making fun of them. They were stating an opinion (which I mostly agree with) just like you did. Did anyone call you crazy or make fun of you?

[ElaineKeagy]

I agree with Kamikaze except for the Beltways around Richmond and Jax. I’ve driven the Fl -Boston route for decades and always used the beltways until I decided to do some experimentation. 95 thru Richmond is always faster even during evening rush hour. It’s always moving smoothly. During rush hour is Jax, the beltway slows down and backs up as badly as the straight thru so you’re saving time by not driving the extra miles. Just my opinion. The beltway around DC is unavoidable unless you’re driving to the Tampa port.

 

 

 

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[ElaineKeagy]

We drove from Atlanta to Galveston last year with a stop in New Orleans. We didn't want to drive but my son-in-law insisted. At the end of the trip, ALL of us said, NEVER AGAIN. We will be cruising again this summer. The son-in-law won't be going because we will be flying. There is no amount of money you could pay me to do a road trip again.

 

 

 

I wouldn’t even consider a trip from Atlanta to Galveston a road trip. Just a nice day’s drive!!! To be honest, I hate flying and love driving long distances, solo.

So, next year when I drive from Columbia to Alaska I need not stop by to pick you up for a road trip!!??!![emoji6]

 

 

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[meadowlander]

Hi

 

We live in Northern NJ (Bergen County) and our next cruise leaves out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

Originally we were planning to fly down the night before the cruise leaves, stay in a hotel that night in Fort Lauderdale, board the ship the next day and fly home at the end of the cruise.

 

I booked the flight home a while ago since the price was decent but have held off booking the flight down as it’s been more than we normally pay to fly to Florida.

 

My husband suggested driving down. We would need to rent a car since we have a flight back already booked. I reserved a rental car in case we decide to do the drive down. He thinks it will be a fun road trip.

 

We were thinking of leaving two days before the cruise and just drive through to Fort Lauderdale and still stay in our pre-cruise hotel the night before.

 

Any advice? Is this a crazy idea? Would you break it up more?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

I think it is very likely that SW will drop their prices despite your flying date being Easter Sunday. Just checked their non stops from EWR for each Sunday in March, prices ranged from $94 to $127. Booked a good price on my last SW flight and as the flight date approached, the price dropped further by $50, for which they issued credit.

 

If you do drive, an alternative route from our area would be 78 W to 81 S to 77 S to 26 E picking up 95 S in South Carolina. You avoid any issues on 95 in the metro DC area, the only toll should be $1.50 crossing into PA. It is a longer route by 2 hours minimum but less than 3 hours. If you are able to leave earlier on Saturday, stop after 7-8 hours, somewhere in VA, and drive the remaining distance Sunday.

 

Hold out for SW though.:)

[cruisinfanatic]

I think it is very likely that SW will drop their prices despite your flying date being Easter Sunday. Just checked their non stops from EWR for each Sunday in March, prices ranged from $94 to $127. Booked a good price on my last SW flight and as the flight date approached, the price dropped further by $50, for which they issued credit.

 

If you do drive, an alternative route from our area would be 78 W to 81 S to 77 S to 26 E picking up 95 S in South Carolina. You avoid any issues on 95 in the metro DC area, the only toll should be $1.50 crossing into PA. It is a longer route by 2 hours minimum but less than 3 hours. If you are able to leave earlier on Saturday, stop after 7-8 hours, somewhere in VA, and drive the remaining distance Sunday.

 

Hold out for SW though.:)

$143 now. No way is it going less this late

[knbcruisers]

I agree with Kamikaze except for the Beltways around Richmond and Jax. I’ve driven the Fl -Boston route for decades and always used the beltways until I decided to do some experimentation. 95 thru Richmond is always faster even during evening rush hour. It’s always moving smoothly. During rush hour is Jax, the beltway slows down and backs up as badly as the straight thru so you’re saving time by not driving the extra miles. Just my opinion. The beltway around DC is unavoidable unless you’re driving to the Tampa port.

 

 

 

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I would agree that the beltways add some additional miles over direct route. However the lousy I10-I95 interchange in Jax combined with the never ending construction make the beltway lower stress even in rush hour. Of course the OPs specific plan is weekend holiday travel so likely no weekday rush hour. The beltways also have less exits and I find that results in less crazy drivers merging on and off the highway. It all depends on variables like weather etc and truly “YMMV” [emoji16]

 

 

 

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[griffy116]

I hope he’s easier to live with than he sounds, for your daughter’s sake!

 

I have no idea what makes their marriage work. I've tried to figure that one out for 24 years. I can take him in short intervals, but in a car for that many hours? I'm ready to chew my leg off to escape.

[Noreen411]

Hi

 

OP here...

It’s not about the money.

My husband thinks a road trip will be a fun bonding time.

 

I booked the flight home and casually mentioned that flights down were higher than I expected so was going to wait a bit to book.

 

I didn’t expect him to want to drive.

 

I have learned my lesson for the next trip...just book the flights and don’t mention anything other than what time we need to be at the airport.

 

Now I am looking to my cruise critic friends for encouragement or tips for this crazy idea.

 

Thank you

 

 

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[thinfool]

 

Now I am looking to my cruise critic friends for encouragement or tips for this crazy idea.

 

Thank you

 

Be a good navigator. Use Google Maps, Waze or your GPS to help him avoid traffic tieups, wrecks, construction, etc.

 

My navigator (sweet wife) helped us save about 45 minutes going thru Jacksonville one year due to a wreck on I-95 in the middle of town.

[ValerieJo]

We've driven from Michigan to Miami a couple of times. We enjoy a good road trip. We did allow 3 days to drive down. We made the road trip part of the vacation making stops in Savannah and St. Augustine on the way. Take your time and enjoy the ride!

[mac_tlc]

We have done the trip from CT to FL over a dozen times. Traffic has certainly increased over those years, but we always do one overnight. Typically leave at 3-4 am, stop at about 5-6 pm, usually around Hardeeville SC.

 

When we stop, we gas up, grab food and visit the bathroom all at once. Saves stops [emoji3].

 

We have also done the auto train, which is nice, but expensive, and we still have to drive 6 hours to Northern VA.

 

This trip is very doable, but I would not go straight through.

 

Alternative to I-95? I-81 through Virginia to I-77 in NC, to I-26 in SC to I-95. A little longer but less traffic and stress.

 

Relax, enjoy the view, look forward to your cruise!

 

mac_tlc

 

 

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[shorti503]

We drove from northern Illinois to Vancouver, Canada to catch our cruise to Alaska. We took 4 days to get there. In our car was my husband, myself and 3 kids (ages 12, 10, and 7 months) we had a great time. I used the app roadtrippers and figured we would have to stop about every 3-4 hours with the baby so I found interesting, but quick, stops along the way. We stopped for lunch at a Place in South Dakota where you could feed the prairie dogs stopped at a play ground in Washington that was a giant radio flyer. The kids loved it. It really was enjoyable. However the ride home wasn't as fun since of course by then most of our fun money was gone and our vacation was over. But that wouldn't be as big of an issue for you since you are flying home. You can definitely make it enjoyable if you want.

[Arzeena]

Hi

 

We live in Northern NJ (Bergen County) and our next cruise leaves out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

Originally we were planning to fly down the night before the cruise leaves, stay in a hotel that night in Fort Lauderdale, board the ship the next day and fly home at the end of the cruise.

 

I booked the flight home a while ago since the price was decent but have held off booking the flight down as it’s been more than we normally pay to fly to Florida.

 

My husband suggested driving down. We would need to rent a car since we have a flight back already booked. I reserved a rental car in case we decide to do the drive down. He thinks it will be a fun road trip.

 

We were thinking of leaving two days before the cruise and just drive through to Fort Lauderdale and still stay in our pre-cruise hotel the night before.

 

Any advice? Is this a crazy idea? Would you break it up more?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

We do it ALL the time the other way around. It is a fun drive, we take two days, 2 stops. Sometimes we have done 3 stops...but that is because we do it after the cruise and do not have a ship to catch.

[Arzeena]

We do this several times a year from Monmouth County. We've been stopping in DC to visit our daughter for a night then Savannah, then Lauderdale. Savannah is beautiful if you've never been there.We're planning to do it again for April cruise, Flying would be cheaper, but we really dislike the whole airport/flying process.

Rental rates are usually very good when the agencies want to move cars in or out of Florida, we've gotten rates for springtime "drive-out" as low as $5 per day.

We've also gone via Amtrak several times, some plusses and minuses to that.

It can be very tiring. I think the return after the cruise may be worse, so if you do that maybe stretch it out a bit.

And, it's one way to see Pedro's hat at South of The Border!

 

We follow the same driving itinerary in reverse....Savannah then DC/Richmond area.

[Arzeena]

Hey Noreen,

When are you going to continue your Anthem review......don't let the road trip occupy you. LOL:D

[eem0924]

Wow this is certainly turning out to be a hot topic.

 

We have driven from Cincinnati to Disney a number of times on 1-75. We plan our trip to try and hit Atlanta at an off time. We often stop for the night on the way down and drive straight through on the way back.

 

We are driving to Port Canaveral in September. I have a daughter (25) who absolutely hates to fly. If we want her to go with us then we have to drive. It will be 14 hours and we're willing to do it to have her join us.

[katiel53]

I live Upstate NY, near Rochester, and my ideal is to fly. I usually do that, but when I travel with my son and his family, we drive to FL. My daughter-in-law hates flying and needs a tranquilizer to fly. She would drive anywhere that she could before flying.

 

We have a cruise booked for June and we will drive to FL. Our cruise leaves on Sunday and we are leaving NY at about 6am on Wednesday. We will drive to some place in SC and the balance of the first part of our trip will be on Thursday and we will arrive in Orlando in the early afternoon.

 

We will spend a couple of days there and then on Saturday finish our drive to Ft Lauderdale. We will be there overnight and then off to our cruise on Allure of the Seas.

 

After the cruise, I will fly home. I don't really like driving that long far and although flying isn't my favorite thing, so I will go to the airport while the others will drive home. My son and family enjoy the "family time" they have driving while I, on the other hand, think I develop some form of narcolepsy and I sleep most of the way to FL. The sad part for them is that I snore, but they just laugh about it. (Thank God.)

[twinmommy08]

We once drove from central Ohio to Disney. It wasn’t awful. We’ve also flown into Jacksonville Fl and drove to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise and ended up in a 5 hour jam on 95 [emoji15]

 

 

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[ThirstyCruiser]

I hope he’s easier to live with than he sounds, for your daughter’s sake!

Wonder what his side of the story is.