Drive or Fly

[Richard Howren]

To me this is a pretty important trip. To trust the airline, weather, etc. weighs too much. We recently completed an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver. We decided to drive from Michigan to Seattle. 46 hours driving there with two stops, one for 2 hours and another for 4 1/2 hours. It only took us 41 hours to drive back following the same route with only one stop for 2 hours. We had way too much luggage (fish extender stuff). All total it was about 5000 miles round trip. We had a lot of money riding on this vacation for anything to mess it up. We have reservations for October 2017. Again, we are driving. But, keep in mind we had/have relatives in the area. So, we have some place to stay to save on costs.

 

[asamklove]

We drove from DE in 2013! We didn't have any issues, other than its a long drive.
We flew into Tampa last year & that was a pain, but we saved almost $1000 in airfare.
We are flying this year into MCO. It seems pretty painless to arrange the transportation from MCO to port.
Good luck - you'll have a great cruise vacation, regardless of how you arrive

 

[RedSox68]

To me this is a pretty important trip. To trust the airline, weather, etc. weighs too much. We recently completed an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver. We decided to drive from Michigan to Seattle. 46 hours driving there with two stops, one for 2 hours and another for 4 1/2 hours. It only took us 41 hours to drive back following the same route with only one stop for 2 hours. We had way too much luggage (fish extender stuff). All total it was about 5000 miles round trip. We had a lot of money riding on this vacation for anything to mess it up. We have reservations for October 2017. Again, we are driving. But, keep in mind we had/have relatives in the area. So, we have some place to stay to save on costs.

Good point. Airlines have become so undependable with their schedule delays and cancellations. It seems it would make things calmer to have control of your own time and travel.

 

[Mitura]

We always drive. (Our 5th cruise)

Save Money. (last year gas = $250 hotel+parking $215 = $465 total compared to $1000 for airfare).
The hotel shuttle gets us to the dock when we want and when we get off the ship we get to the hotel parking right away and then we are on our way back home.
We can bring as many bags to and from as possible. No extra charge for luggage and we can load the car with winter attire and leave it - not carry it on the ship.
We share the drive.
The drive lets us decompress, the airports are so hectic for us especially with the kids.
We drive from Northern Phila. suburbs, (~15 hours) take the western route (western MD, VA, etc) which may add 1 hour but it saves us the I-95 tensions and is a prettier drive.
The drive is the beginning of our great vacation, we make it part of the vacation - videos in the car, snacks, etc. Stop at McDonalds, etc.
We do budget 1 travel day before and 1 day after so we are not jammed with getting back/leaving in a hurry from work/school.
We do cruise around Thanksgiving.

And to put it into perspective we have always driven to vacations (we go yearly to Myrtle Beach - ~11 hours).

Hope this helps.
Joe

 

[phinz]

We always drive the 11 hours, but that's down I-75. If it was 11 hours on I-95 I would fly every time. As far as I'm concerned, 14 hours on I-95 is about 15 hours too long. I loathe that interstate almost as much as I loathe I-4 and I-5.

 

[RedSox68]

We always drive the 11 hours, but that's down I-75. If it was 11 hours on I-95 I would fly every time. As far as I'm concerned, 14 hours on I-95 is about 15 hours too long. I loathe that interstate almost as much as I loathe I-4 and I-5.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

For us, 14 hrs is not bad to drive. You can stop for a sit down meal midway. It would depend how much money driving saves you. Remember as well, if you fly you will have to figure out how to get to the port and back AND if you fly, stay in Orlando/Port Canaveral night before your cruise. Transfers to and from airport can be $200 + depending on the size of your family. The biggest advantage to driving for me is the packing. I don't have to worry about packing strategically for the airplane, care about how heavy my bags are, what's in my carry-on etc.
Parking at the port is about $130 for the week so it's not too bad. Get off your ship, head to your car and go! I agree with others that driving home after the cruise will suck, but believe me going home period will suck. I didn't feel any better about heading straight to the airport from the ship. You can always plan to stop at Disney Springs after the cruise to ease the drive home.
Don't get me wrong, overall I prefer to fly to Orlando (we have 18 hrs to drive) but there are certain advantages to driving so if we have to we make the best of it.
We drove to Orlando last year after having flown for a few years, and I was actually surprised. We were tired, but not any more tired than a day spent at the airport/security/line-ups, flight and then transfers. Even though our flight is only 2 hrs, it's pretty much a full day of travel.

 

[Trera]

I imagine the biggest buzzkill after a great cruise is a 14-hour drive...

I hate driving an hour home after the cruise.

 

[EvilDrPorkchop21]

We love driving, its quiet, air-conditioned to my liking, and 95 is pretty much just straight for 15 hours. We throw on Netflix and watch random TV shows to pass the time. Plus gas is so cheap, its roughly half the cost of flying for us now.

 

[Jennifer777]

For us, it's not even a question. Our vacation starts the second we get to the airport and get through security. We grab a drink (or coffee), some snacks and we play games with the kids and relax. For us the time spent sitting in an airport is not comparable to the time we would spend in a car messing with traffic. Plus, once you factor what you'll spend on gas and the wear and tear cost on your vehicle you may not even save anything by driving. We hire a private driver to take us to our hotel and the port so the transportation to and from PC is not an issue. It's so nice to not have to worry about driving or parking or even dealing with our luggage, the driver handles that. Yes, the airlines sometimes have issues that cause delays but overall it's a relatively small percent and you aren't avoiding potential delays by driving. Car trouble, an accident or even road construction can cause significant delays.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I'd like to chip in another potential advantage. Whatever you do and enjoy, your kids will do and likely learn to enjoy.

You see it on this very thread. Some people drive 10, 15, 40 hours, no problem. Some hate to drive even 1 hour. Not all of it has to do with their experiences as kids, but some of it might.

In my case, when I was young my dad would have to travel for business several times a year, and he would cash in the plane ticket (easier to do in those days) and the four of us would drive to wherever he had to go. My mother, sister and I would hang out at the pool at the hotel and he would go to work during the day and sight see with us in the evenings. We drove from NJ to Altanta, Denver, Chicago, Orlando, etc. We drove a lot for vacations too.

Consequently, when I grew up and went off to school in Indiana, the 14 hour drive home seemed like no big deal to me. I did it often. Likewise a 6 hour drive is like nothing, just getting warmed up. I now live 5 hours from my Mother, and neither one of us thinks that is too far to make the trip often.

So do what you think will be fun for you and your family, and think about what you want them to think of as "fun." It may come in handy for them their whole lives. (Full disclosure, we flew to Orlando for our recent cruise! Hey, that's fun too!)

 

[RedSox68]

I'd like to chip in another potential advantage. Whatever you do and enjoy, your kids will do and likely learn to enjoy.

You see it on this very thread. Some people drive 10, 15, 40 hours, no problem. Some hate to drive even 1 hour. Not all of it has to do with their experiences as kids, but some of it might.

In my case, when I was young my dad would have to travel for business several times a year, and he would cash in the plane ticket (easier to do in those days) and the four of us would drive to wherever he had to go. My mother, sister and I would hang out at the pool at the hotel and he would go to work during the day and sight see with us in the evenings. We drove from NJ to Altanta, Denver, Chicago, Orlando, etc. We drove a lot for vacations too.

Consequently, when I grew up and went off to school in Indiana, the 14 hour drive home seemed like no big deal to me. I did it often. Likewise a 6 hour drive is like nothing, just getting warmed up. I now live 5 hours from my Mother, and neither one of us thinks that is too far to make the trip often.

So do what you think will be fun for you and your family, and think about what you want them to think of as "fun." It may come in handy for them their whole lives. (Full disclosure, we flew to Orlando for our recent cruise! Hey, that's fun too!)

Boy, can I relate -- and what memories. When I was young we lived in Florida and would drive to Rhode Island to visit my grandparents once a year -- and this was before I95 was available for the whole length. My dad loved to drive and we drove all over New England and the south. When I got older and married, luckily my DH had the same travel bug and we have taken hundreds of road trips, including the RV trips out west to finish the 50 states. Now my daughter is 29 and she loves traveling and has the travel bug too. It's a great thing to pass down to your kids. I love road trips -- as long as there is no deadline and it can be a relaxing and sightseeing trip -- they are my favorite mode of travel until I am too old to do it anymore.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

We drove 16 hrs. from Ohio to Port Canaveral last year. Our kids were 3, 5, and 6. We drove our RV and stayed at campgrounds on the way there and back. It was a fairly easy trip both there and back! We are cruising again in 2018 and we were talking about flying there instead. Now I'm rethinking that decision because it would cost $1500 more for us to fly. I do think that we will drive the SUV this time instead since the girls can go to the bathroom less and ride longer. For me, cost is probably going to triumph over time.

 

[starrydominique]

We've driven multiple times from Houston to Port. 15 hours and we lose an hour going. I absolutely HATE flying (like legit terrified). My hubs and I swap off and we normally leave at 5AM central and arrive by 10PM eastern at the coast the day before. It's just two adults though so stops are few and far between. We also drive straight back the day of the disembark at 7AM once we are allowed off and arrive back in Houston around 10PM that night thanks to the time change. We always leave the option of stopping the night in New Orleans on the way home but we've never felt the need to do it.

We are making more of a road trip of it come this December, spending 4 days driving around the cruise making pit stops along the way to visit landmarks and such. It's under $300 gas to drive vs $1000-1200 to fly round trip for our December cruise. Even with the 4 days of extra hotel this trip it'll still be cheaper than flying and not seeing the landmarks.

It really isn't that bad for us and we enjoy the quiet time together. We might swap over to flying eventually if we just don't have the days to burn driving, but until then, we will stick with it.

 

[phinz]

We've driven multiple times from Houston to Port.

I can't count the number of times I've almost fallen asleep on I-10 going back and forth between Florida, Houston (my hometown) and Tennessee (my home). You're stronger stuff than me.

 

[starrydominique]

I can't count the number of times I've almost fallen asleep on I-10 going back and forth between Florida, Houston (my hometown) and Tennessee (my home). You're stronger stuff than me.

Hehe. I'm a road trip pro. My dad was a truck driver and refused to fly anywhere growing up, 20 hour road trips were a normal thing and pre-iPad. My husband has some issues with it and definitely needs his afternoon nap which is when I take over. I simply don't fall asleep when driving, period, ever, I'm wide awake the whole time. Maybe it's the truck driver genes in me.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

Just a suggestion, take a look at the AutoTrain between Sanford Florida and Lorton Virginia. https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train We used it to cut out roughly 800 miles of driving on our way back from WDW on our first trip. Driving down was fine for our kids as they had WDW to look forward to, but we weren't looking forward to the drive home and this reduced it from 2 1/2 days to just 1 day of driving. Financially, we probably didn't save a lot compared to flying; however, we had the use of our van during our vacation.