Port Canaveral to TPA

[Aisling]

I found a great airfare out of Tampa to JFK, $69, and I want to make a quick decision if I should book it. This is for NYE, a 2 pm flight on Song. I'm not happy with the fares/times out of MCO for this date (Dec. 31st), and my gut tells me the mid-day fares will not come down as we get closer to Dec. Song has $104 from MCO, but it leaves at around 4 pm, and I want to get home a couple of hours before that...big NYE party plans

I can get a Budget rental after my cruise for $63, to drop off at TPA. This is a lot lower than DCL transportation or a towncar/limo. So money-wise, Tampa is best.

I've never driven from Port Canaveral to Tampa before, and I know it takes about 2 hours. Does anyone have any experience to share driving to, and flying out of, Tampa Airport?

I'm going to post this on the cruise board, as well. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Kitster]

If you are arriving back into Port Canaveral from your cruise that morning, are you sure you could even MAKE the 2pm flight out of Tampa? Other than arriving ~ 2 hours earlier, I see no benefit $$ wise to catching the earlier flight out of Tampa. Whatever you save in the airfare, you will be spending on car rental, gas and tolls. Plus, you will be at the mercy of traffic on a holiday weekend at one of the busiest times of the year for Central Fl.

Just my 2¢

 

[Aisling]

If you are arriving back into Port Canaveral from your cruise that morning, are you sure you could even MAKE the 2pm flight out of Tampa? Other than arriving ~ 2 hours earlier, I see no benefit $$ wise to catching the earlier flight out of Tampa. Whatever you save in the airfare, you will be spending on car rental, gas and tolls. Plus, you will be at the mercy of traffic on a holiday weekend at one of the busiest times of the year for Central Fl.

Just my 2¢

Wow, this wasn't what I was hoping to hear! But thank you for the info.

 

[ducklite]

Port Canaveral to TPA is more then two hours. It's probably closer to three with traffic and the ongoing Route 4 construction.
You'd need to be pulling into the rental car return area by noon--so you'd have to plan on being on your way (not getting off the ship) by 9:00am.

Plan on minimum half an hour to get off the ship and get to the car rental place and complete the paperwork, and that could be very aggressive, so you'd have to be off by 8:30 at the latest.

What would your contingency be if the ship was late, the rental car line was long, your luggage wasn't where it was supposed to be, there was an accident (certainly not unheard of to be held up in traffic for an hour or more on Central FL roadways due to accidents lately), etc.?

And sometime between getting off the ship and getting on the plane you're going to need to eat...

Sounds like you're cutting it really close and hoping you don't have any problems. Not sure I'd take the chance.

Anne