Do you care about which port you cruise out of?

[carlymaks]

I was planning on doing the Liberty Eastern Caribbean that leaves from Miami but it's way cheaper for us to fly to Tampa so I am also considering the 7 day Legend itinerary that does the Western Caribbean route. I was on the Valor a few years back and I LOVED the sail-away from Miami. It was so gorgeous. I have been to Tampa but it was when I was a kid so I don't remember too much about it but I just don't think it will be the same leaving from Miami. Tell me I am just being difficult and I will have an awesome time no matter where I sail out of!

[firefly333]

I would do Tampa and Legend in a heart beat. You are one of the first people who thought Miami was that special. Tampa the ship goes under the sky bridge and people think thats special.

 

The only reason to cruise out of Miami is if you find a huge bargain..... or its the panama canal cruise and it only goes out of Miami etc to me.

[KruznKel]

IThe only reason to cruise out of Miami is if you find a huge bargain..... or its the panama canal cruise and it only goes out of Miami etc to me.

 

Ummm no not the case.. it is usually for people flying in that it is much cheaper to fly to FLL or MIA then it is to the west coast.. Galveston .. or anywhere else...

[firefly333]

Ummm no not the case.. it is usually for people flying in that it is much cheaper to fly to FLL or MIA then it is to the west coast.. Galveston .. or anywhere else...

 

To me is it the only reason Id fly to Miami ...I flew there last fall ... I was expressing my opinion, of the only reasons Id fly to Miami.

 

Iv got two cruises and two flights to book out of Tampa next spring ...so I hope I find airfare is cheaper to Tampa too. Too far out yet to book.

[BeccaBecca1713]

Def do Legend outta Tampa. It's a great experience to sail under the Skyway Bridge!!! And the Legend is a great ship!!!

[deadmoney]

Another vote for the Legend. We went on her last May and are going again on5/8:D

[klfrodo]

Since I have to fly to any cruise I go on, the port city has to be a destination in and of itself. So yes, the port city is important to me.

South Florida,,,,Heck yes

Long Beach,,, heck yes

New Orleans,,, oh yea

Port Canaveral,,,, eh,, yep

Tampa,,,, OK

Galveston,,,,, hey I'm going on a cruise so OK

Mobile,,,, Don't think so

Charleston,,,,, been there done that,,,,not so much

San Juan,,,,, in a heartbeat

Northeast,,,no desire

[evandbob]

If you are only considering the visual, one of the best ports to cruise from is actually New York City. You leave from the west 50's, so you can enjoy the entire NYC skyline as you sail down the Hudson, past the Empire State Bldg., The World Trade Center site, The Statue of Liberty, and the Verrazano Bridge. Few, if any vistas can compare to these sights.

 

However, I realize that there are many other considerations.... price, ease of getting to the port, and itinerary are more important than what I will see on the sailaway. I like Miami because I can fly in that morning and be on the Lido deck enjoying lunch by noon.

[paper1122]

Since I live in FL we drive to the port. I've done two out of Tampa and love it. I avoid drivinig to Miami at all costs. Cruises are a bit more out of Tampa but it is worth it to not drive to Miami. FLL is a bit better but it is still a drive.

Going under the skyway is fantastic.

[firefly333]

Since I live in FL we drive to the port. I've done two out of Tampa and love it. I avoid drivinig to Miami at all costs. Cruises are a bit more out of Tampa but it is worth it to not drive to Miami. FLL is a bit better but it is still a drive.

Going under the skyway is fantastic.

 

I lived in Boca Raton until a few years ago when I moved back to where my folks lived. Over 13 years there. I am still friends with a lady I worked with who lives in Ft. Lauderdale and wouldnt drive by herself into Miami. lol

 

Its not like Im a stranger to Florida, especially S. FL. I would pick Legend because its a spirit class and because I like Tampa. We used to go to Treasure Island every xmas growing up near Tampa.

 

Sounds like a lot of us agree so far.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

I don't really care about which port we leave out of. We only take one vacation per year, which is a cruise so airfare is something we are wiling to splurge on. For example, we live in MA & usually sail out of Port Canarvel since its not super expensive. However, we plan on sailing the Magic out of Texas next summer. Though the airfare may be expensive, its worth it to us because we love sailing new ships & going to new ports. For Texas, we also plan on flying in the day before. We fly in the day of for Orlando since its only a 4.5 hour flight.

[BubMunkeyBles]

Since I live in FL we drive to the port. I've done two out of Tampa and love it. I avoid drivinig to Miami at all costs. Cruises are a bit more out of Tampa but it is worth it to not drive to Miami. FLL is a bit better but it is still a drive.

Going under the skyway is fantastic.

 

This is me! I much prefer Tampa and Port Canaveral, even Jacksonville for a shorter cruise. I hate the drive to Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and I'm truthfully not a fan of those cities. If I really wanted to do an Eastern itinerary I'd probably just book the one out of San Juan and fly. :)

[kbmeow]

I look at literary and flight cost.

[AberAlex]

I do care about my sail away port to an extent, however its not a deal breaker for me personally. We love sailing out of San Diego and wish we could be sailing out of there again when leave on the Splendor in May. While not my favorite, I have nothing but great things to say to you about Tampa. Attractive skyline. The Florida Aquarium is awesome and is right near the terminal. Sailing under the Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay is pretty cool too.

[jimbo5544]

Nice post and question. There are some really nice ports to cruise out of. Miami will always be associated with cruising. Leaving the chute is pretty special. South Beach and those wonderful condos.

Tampa is unique. Sailing under the Skyway bridge is a remarkable moment. New York is a one of a kind as well as a previous poster mentioned. At the top of the list is sailing out of Venice. Truly spectacular.

[cowboy cruisin]

DW and did our first cruise on the Valor out of Miami and our second cruise on Legend out of Tampa. We enjoyed leaving Miami as the ship passed by the beaches into the open sea and the city receded in the distance. But Tampa was a much more interesting port to leave. You wander through the bay for a while and then pass under the suspension bridge as you head out to sea. We have left from Miami twice and it wasn't as exciting the second time.

 

My wife and I have decided we like the experience offered by different ports as the ship heads to sea. We are looking to depart from New Orleans on our next trip so we can experience the Mississippi. It sounds like New York offers an interesting experience as well.

[Vanessa L]

Not the port per se, but DH and I avoid at most costs, Miami, simply because the airport is a royal PIA to get in and out of. Ft. Lauderdale is a much more pleasant experience and if I could find a cheap way to get to Miami from FLL I'd cruise out of there more often :p

[jetsfan]

We usually don't care where we cruise from as long as we can. So far we have been out of SJ and most Florida ports. This summer we are going out of NY in hopes our graduating college senior may be able to go with us last minute. I don't love the POC's but if we can all be together it would make up for it. I like San Juan because of the islands you can get too.

[rnvattes]

Yes because some ports are less expensive for us to fly to, and some are more convenient/easier to get to from the airport as well.

 

For instance, we ruled out a sailing on Dream for our 10yr because Port Canaveral is not super easy.

[Cuizer2]

I was planning on doing the Liberty Eastern Caribbean that leaves from Miami but it's way cheaper for us to fly to Tampa so I am also considering the 7 day Legend itinerary that does the Western Caribbean route. I was on the Valor a few years back and I LOVED the sail-away from Miami. It was so gorgeous. I have been to Tampa but it was when I was a kid so I don't remember too much about it but I just don't think it will be the same leaving from Miami. Tell me I am just being difficult and I will have an awesome time no matter where I sail out of!

 

You are just being difficult and you will have an awesome time no matter where you sail out of.

 

That said, the truth is, you will not really know until you try it. For example, Tampa has a bridge that hopefully the ship will fit under (it usually does). Miami does not have any bridges. There is always a loud cheer when the ship passes safely under the bridge when leaving New York. So, who is to say that you will not enjoy the sail away from Tampa better than the sail away from Miami?

 

It looks like this one made it ...

 

 

So did this one ...

 

 

This one - who knows ...

 

[cruisinbanddirectors]

I like this post...some really good points of view out there I hadn't considered.

 

For us, we've cruised out of Port Canaveral and San Juan and Tampa (twice). We will be cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale this summer...so that will be interesting to get the viewpoint of a larger port.

 

So far all 3 ports we've used have been pretty easy to deal with as far as the embarkation process...so no differences to speak of there. We drove to Port Canaveral so we didn't have to deal with things like ground transportation to and from the port in that case. Tampa is WAY easy to get to as far as shuttles, taxis, etc. and there are affordable hotel options out there.

 

San Juan was a great experience due to the sites we saw while we were there pre and post cruise. BUT the airfare down there is $$$$ from Nashville.

 

The port isn't generally a dealbreaker for us...just another factor to consider. I guess we just take in things like the cost of airfare to the port and activities available if we fly there early or stay after the cruise.

 

I highly recommend Tampa though. As mentioned before, sailing under the bridge is a unique thing. Not to be missed! And the Legend is thus far our favorite ship!

 

Happy cruising!

[sandy toes]

It is all about finding the best itinerary for me! I don't enjoy the Western ports and love Southern ports. Have to pay to fly no matter unless I want to spend hrs in a car (NO) or only sail from Baltimore (can only do the same ole' thing so many times). In life there are always trade offs and booking your cruise has its own share of them.

[Tapi]

The quick answer is: IT DEPENDS!

 

If we're looking for a quick, inexpensive, getaway, we will pick the port of embarkation based on what's cheapest. For example, we took a 5 night cruise on the Fascination in December mostly because Jacksonville is one of our closest "drive to" ports.

 

However, for our next two sailings, port of embarkation are not the number one priority. For one, our deciding factor was the actual ship, and for the other, the day of departure and itinerary.

 

Here is what we think of the ports we've sailed from:

 

• San Juan: WONDERFUL! The most beautiful sailaway of any Caribbean island, as well as a great port of call. Perfect place for a pre or post cruise stay. Airport can be chaotic, but it's well served by all major airlines, as well as most low cost airlines.
  
• Miami: CROWDED, Yes, the views of South Beach are nice, but from the moment we get off the airplane until the ship is actually sailing away, we feel chaos. The new Carnival terminal is very nice and definitely alleviates some of that feeling.
  
• Ft. Lauderdale: Nothing special. Not as crowded, the airport is right next door, (which makes it convenient), the views during sailaway are ho-hum.
  
• New York: The absolute WORST. This port made Miami look like a sleepy town. Not only was it chaotic, but the cruise line employees were the rudest and most inefficient we've ever encountered. Sailing past lower Manhattan, seeing the Statue of Liberty and sailing under the Verrazano Bridge, almost makes it worth the pain.
  
• Mobile: Coolest little departure point. The absolute friendliest cruise line employees! Very nice cruise terminal with covered parking attached to the terminal, modern and efficient facilities. Not the prettiest sailway, but we loved the ease and convenience. Watching the oil rig platforms all lit up as the ship sailed out was a pretty cool sight not normally experienced at other ports of call. We will miss Mobile...
  
• Los Angeles: It's been a while since we sailed from here so I don't recall much, but we loved visiting the Queen Mary, docked right next door.
  
• Port Canaveral: Friendly and courteous cruise line employees. Nice facilities, Easy access, although far from the Orlando Int'l Airport. Awesome point of departure to combine with a land vacation in Central Florida.
  
• Jacksonville: Simple convenience. One small (warehouse looking) terminal, one ship in port, one parking lot. Easy access. Doesn't get much easier than that. You do get to sail under the Dames Point Bridge which is somewhat similar than sailing under the bridge in Tampa, but on a smaller scale. Besides going under the bridge, the area is somewhat industrialized, so it's not the prettiest sailaway either.
  

We'll be experiencing Seattle in a few months!

[chachi]

Not the port per se, but DH and I avoid at most costs, Miami, simply because the airport is a royal PIA to get in and out of. Ft. Lauderdale is a much more pleasant experience and if I could find a cheap way to get to Miami from FLL I'd cruise out of there more often :p

 

I always stay at a hotel that offers a complimentary shuttle to the port in Miami. It is a great deal. I almost always fly in to Fort Lauderdale because it is so much cheaper. I usually sail out of Miami.

I really don't care where I sail out of though. Well I guess that is not true because I would never sail out of New York, Boston, or Baltimore. It is too far away from the destination. I prefer as few sea days as possible and tropical weather from the start of the cruise.

[WillieD13]

For us, at this point anyway, it is more a matter of the ease. It is a 2 hour drive to NY, and as soon as we get off the highway, we are at the pier. That being said, cruising down the Hudson, and seeing so many famous and important landmarks (Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, the NY skyline, the Staten Island Ferry) is pretty nifty. Heck, people pay good money for an hour or two cruise around the harbor to see that, we get it as a side benefit of cruising out of and into NY. I do however, want to try cruises out of Boston, Baltimore, and Charleston, for the same reason, so much history to see.