Do you drive to your cruise?

[simplelife]

We generally drive, We live near enough to all of the eastern seaboard and gulf coast ports to make it feasible. We like the level of control that driving gives us. One hint I have for those who drive is to have a hotel bag separate from your cruise luggage.

[eliterror]

For me, I absolutely love the drive. It is part of the fun. I pack my cruise stuff and leave it in the car until I reach port, and use an overnight bag for the road trip part. I take a cooler of food and a thermos of coffee. My minicooper loves driving as many twistees as she can find. I will be going to Jacksonville in a couple of weeks, taking the 470 miles with one overnight. Because I work anywhere there is internet, I can do job tasks on the way. Back roads sweet. Thanks for this thread:)

[tetleytea]

What we need is to carpool.

[tip]

We have been on twenty-five cruises and with the exception of the three out of Boston, we have always flown.

 

This year we are driving to Florida in January. We plan on stopping for a few nights at our daughter's who lives in northeast Pennsylvania and then taking our time visiting places where we have never been such as Richmond, Virginia and St. Augustine, Florida.

 

Best of all, we are renting a condo in Hollywood Beach for a month after our cruise!:D There is no way that I want to spend another full winter in New England!

[kelkel2]

We have been on twenty-five cruises and with the exception of the three out of Boston, we have always flown.

 

This year we are driving to Florida in January. We plan on stopping for a few nights at our daughter's who lives in northeast Pennsylvania and then taking our time visiting places where we have never been such as Richmond, Virginia and St. Augustine, Florida.

 

Best of all, we are renting a condo in Hollywood Beach for a month after our cruise!:D There is no way that I want to spend another full winter in New England!

 

Oh, St. Augustine. I have such fond memories of vacationing there as a kid!!! I love that city. We drove there a few times when I was a kid for vacations. Enjoy your time there!

[ClintW]

What is the average cost to park while on a cruise? Are there parking lots near the ports?

[redfantum]

We live 1/2 hour from Port Miami. Dad drives us so we don't have to park. This includes a scenic trip twice around the port as Dad always gets lost once inside.

[lady_cruiser]

We don't fly but are lucky enough to live 3 hours from New Orleans and 3 1/2 miles from Galveston so its the same ports for us. But even if we do go to the same ports cruise after cruise we are just happy to be on a cruise ship.

[Viv0828]

We generally have to fly to cruise.

 

But once we drove to Long Beach CA and another time we took the Amtrak to San Diego. The four hour train trip was very relaxing.

[Utahrd]

You can almost walk from the San Diego airport to the cruise terminal. Once, I did walk to the cruise terminal from the Amtrak station.

 

But it was to go on the USS Midway, not to go on a cruise.

 

Long Beach should extend the blue line to the cruise terminal.

 

Next year, I think I am going to drive through Las Vegas to Long Beach. I can pick up some Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's on the way.

 

Clint, I think every port has different rates. I am looking into hotels near Long Beach that have a Park And Cruise rate. I will leave my car there, then they will drop me off at the cruise terminal.

 

Most ports have official websites and they will have a page with parking information.

[SadieN]

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Long Beach should extend the blue line to the cruise terminal.

 

 

 

 

 

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The free Passport Bus in Long Beach stops within a block of the Long Beach Transit Center ( the end of the Blue Line). Take the Passport to the parking lot of the Queen Mary. We've taken this many times for a cruise. Too bad it's difficult to get to San Pedro

Edited August 6, 2015 by SadieN

[kelkel2]

What is the average cost to park while on a cruise? Are there parking lots near the ports?

 

Port of Miami's secured parking garage is $20/night. I prefer the secured garage compared to offsite parking that can be cheaper because I know my car is secure. I'm a believer in you get what you pay for!