driving from md/dc to port canaveral

[natxie]

We have 7 peolple, first thought of flying to mco, after considering all the cost of flight, shuttle and parking, which is too much. Now we are kicking the idea of driving there, plus it's probably the easiest.

Anyone has experience in driving to pc from md/dc area? We are thinking leave around 7am, drive until around 7pm, which should get us to Jacksonvill, FL, stay at a hotel one night, then drive the next day to pc. Dose this plan sound good?
Thanks!

 

[dcassetta]

You might Want to consider using the Amtrak auto train
https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train

 

[SnowWhite2]

We've done it several times from Maryland. We usually leave by 6 or 7 am on Weekends or earlier on weekdays. We usually stop in Pooler GA at the Embassy Suites for the evening. It is about 3-4 hours from there in the morning. On the way back, we drive straight through and get home around midnight. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[CM Dad]

You might Want to consider using the Amtrak auto train
https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train

I think when I looked at the autotrain one time, it would have been cheaper to fly.

 

[CM Dad]

We have driven from Northern VA several times. we usually leave 7-8 PM and drive through the night and arrive in FL the morning before the cruise. Haven't stayed in Jacksonville, but we have stayed at the Radisson near the port, as well as Disney's Vero Beach (Vero Beach was actually after a WDW vacation with other family members, then my wife and I had a couple of days before our cruise).

 

[dcassetta]

I think when I looked at the autotrain one time, it would have been cheaper to fly.

I think it depends on how many people are going. I did a quick check with assuming 4 adults, 3 kids and 1 minivan with a saver fare and the round trip was about $1500, which would include meals. I am not sure you could fly 7 people for that. You could drive it cheaper, but the train would be more relaxing.

 

[RafikiTiki21]

Also consider what time of year you are traveling, since up here in DC/MD/NOVA you can get bad snow that would be very stressful to drive through for many hours vs flying out. (Of course, trip insurance no matter what option is recommended by all.)

The auto train is NOT very comfortable, if sleeping is your thing. It can also add several hours to the trip with the time you need to arrive to load the car and how long you must wait for it to unload in FL.

We always fly from this area but there are only 3 of us, so I understand wanting to price it all out and weigh the options. Seems to be a lot of luggage on a cruise, are you taking one large vehicle for 7 people?

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Tulip2796]

We drove from NY to NE Florida once and honestly the absolute worst part was getting through DC and Richmond, VA. After that it was long but easy driving, 2 lane highways, limited traffic. From Jax to Port Canaveral is about 2.5 hrs, but again, an easy drive. Do as much as you can that 1st day. When you start to get tired start looking for a hotel, book it on a smart phone, and drive there. We would pick one that was still 30-45 minutes away just to push ourselves a bit more. (with kids though that meant stopping before 7.) Driving has it's advantages in that you don't have to worry about what you pack due to flight restrictions (like liquids in a carry on, etc). And with the price of gas now, driving can be cheap, at least when you consider airfare for 7! Good luck!

 

[CM Dad]

I think it depends on how many people are going. I did a quick check wiming 4 adults, 3 kids and 1 minivan with a saver fare and the round trip was about $1500, which would include meals. I am not sure you could fly 7 people for that. You could drive it cheaper, but the train would be more relaxing.

I just did a quick check on southwest.com for some random dates in December. 7 people could fly round trip from DCA to MCO direct for 1558. No meals, but for a roughly 2 hour flight, do you need one? My wife, adult daughters and some grandkids did take the autotrain on one trip I could not make. Based on the experience traveling to Sanford, they upgraded to some kind of room, so it was more than the basic coach fare.

 

[natxie]

Our cruise is on August 13. We have a minivan. Thanks!

 

[Ajabill2016]

We have 7 peolple, first thought of flying to mco, after considering all the cost of flight, shuttle and parking, which is too much. Now we are kicking the idea of driving there, plus it's probably the easiest.

Anyone has experience in driving to pc from md/dc area? We are thinking leave around 7am, drive until around 7pm, which should get us to Jacksonvill, FL, stay at a hotel one night, then drive the next day to pc. Dose this plan sound good?
Thanks!

I moved from SE PA to Orlando some time ago and make this trip a lot driving with the kids - flying just too much $$!

My recommendation, leave late at night and get below Richmond - Rocky Mount is always a good place to break up the drive. Day 2 either to Jacksonville or Port Canaveral and cruise on Day 3. I know I'm saying leave a day early and at night, however down here (in the south) they have and do close the roads (i95) due to bad accidents from time to time. I recall one trip that had us on rural roads in SC for some time that added 2-3 hours to our trip because of an accident. Would hate for that to interrupt the trip..

Drive time from Jax to Port Canaveral is 3 hours with kids (potty anyone?) and you'll likely pay significantly less for a hotel in jax vs PC.

 

[Churchladychurchlady]

We've done it several times from Maryland. We usually leave by 6 or 7 am on Weekends or earlier on weekdays. We usually stop in Pooler GA at the Embassy Suites for the evening. It is about 3-4 hours from there in the morning. On the way back, we drive straight through and get home around midnight. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Will also be driving down from Merryland, what time do you wind up pulling into Pooler?

 

[condorthb]

We have driven from Northern VA several times. we usually leave 7-8 PM and drive through the night and arrive in FL the morning before the cruise. Haven't stayed in Jacksonville, but we have stayed at the Radisson near the port, as well as Disney's Vero Beach (Vero Beach was actually after a WDW vacation with other family members, then my wife and I had a couple of days before our cruise).

My grandparents used to do this from D.C.

 

[RMaas1]

I did this last back in 2012. Left from just north of Baltimore around 12:00 pm. We always stop in Savannah, made it there around 10:00pm or so.

 

[lisadam]

I've done it from the NY/NJ area - 3 times. Twice we drove straight through aiming to arrive at Port Canaveral in time to board the ship. Exhausting but we've driven to Florida so many times we've got it down to a science.

The last time (this past August) We drove straight through to Port Canaveral planning to arrive anywhere from 10pm - 2am the night before the cruise. We got in at Midnight and stayed at a hotel that gave us a 40% off coupon for parking at the port. I found it on a Port Canaveral website... it was one of the Marriott chain hotels - there were several. It was a good deal. It was so nice getting to sleep in a bed before boarding the ship - I enjoyed the first day much more having slept rather than driving through the night. I'd do it again.