Lucky People

[Ladysilver]

We live 20 minutes from Galveston and love it! Just wish we could cruise more often! :D

[PTAngel]

We are about 1 & a half hours from Baltimore & maybe 2 & a half hours from NYC. Most of our cruises have been out of Baltimore both Grandeur of the Seas & Carnival Pride. We decided to expand our horizons & I am flying to FLL for the Oasis & driving to Port Canaveral for Oasis (since DH doesn't fly). Then we'll try the Anthem out of Bayonne. Then back to Baltimore again. The only time I am flying is to FLL for the Oasis with a friend.

 

I wish there were more choices but you deal with what you are given. I would probably like to be able to cruise out of Florida but the ships here seem to be longer cruises. I just like to cruise!

[HRJ141]

We had always wondered about cruising when we lived in Colorado, but, for us at the time, the cost was just too prohibitive with the travel. We love now being in driving distance of lots of cruises and it's fast becoming our go-to vacation.

[Ocean Dancer]

We are about 1 & a half hours from Baltimore & maybe 2 & a half hours from NYC. Most of our cruises have been out of Baltimore both Grandeur of the Seas & Carnival Pride. We decided to expand our horizons & I am flying to FLL for the Oasis & driving to Port Canaveral for Oasis (since DH doesn't fly). Then we'll try the Anthem out of Bayonne. Then back to Baltimore again. The only time I am flying is to FLL for the Oasis with a friend.

 

I wish there were more choices but you deal with what you are given. I would probably like to be able to cruise out of Florida but the ships here seem to be longer cruises. I just like to cruise!

 

Howdy Neighbor, we are in Newark. :)

[PTAngel]

Howdy, Ocean Dancer! We are next to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I'll wave to anyone who crosses south into Delaware as we can see all the traffic from our front door.

[flczr]

We are:

 

90 minutes from Port Canaveral

 

4 Hours from For Lauderdale and a bit longer to the port of Miami

 

3 hours from Tampa

 

 

Life is good when you live in Florida and love bugs, snakes, and alligators.

Plus Florida residents get discounts on a lot of cruises.

[robtulipe]

We live about a seven hour drive from Bayonne, NJ or Baltimore, MD and find driving to either for cruising is easily doable for us when you consider how long it really takes to do the one hour or so flight to either port.

We love the flexibility of having our own vehicle for transportation to the port before and back home after our cruises. Also we can do side trips going or coming back from our cruises from these two ports.

We have to drive to the port the day before so that ensure we arrive for our cruises the day prior and can easily leave earlier if the weather forecast warrants it. Fuel for our Camry cost us about $20 each way last winter and extra tolls are minimum, $1.50, returning only from Bayonne with the route we take as we typically fly out of Buffalo so will have to pay the bridge toll back into Ontario either way.

We can get a hotel stay, park and cruise package that is cheaper than parking alone at either port. Last winter we used trinityreservations.com to book this at the Ramada Plaza Newark Airport, cost $202 total each time, for both of the 12 night Anthem cruises we did. Parking at Cape Liberty would have been $240 for each cruise. Also we have done similar stay & cruise packages in Baltimore.

We will likely be booking another Anthem 12 night cruise or two for this upcoming winter while on our Brilliance TA in October.

Edited August 16, 2016 by robtulipe

[Cruise_Christy]

When my husband asks where we want to retire I say Florida so we can be close to the cruises (he is American so we always planned to retire in the USA) :D We live in the UK right now and are only 90 minutes from Southampton but there are pretty much no short/cheap cruises out of the UK so we only do one big cruise every couple of years. It's still very nice when we do cruise to avoid flights and baggage worries.

[Just Jo]

Living in Tampa and yes, it's nice to be close to the ports. Would be better if RCI had more sailings out of Tampa but FLL and PC are not that far [emoji41]

 

We are a 4-5 hours from the Florida East Coast ports which is a bit of a pain, but usually painless when actually on our way to vacation. Our upcoming cruise is our first foray out of Tampa, which is only an hour away. Not having bigger and newer ships able to use this port is the reason we haven't used it yet, but hoping to set a new precedent because of the convenience.

[vistapat]

Living in So Calif also, our two closest ports are 2.5 hours away however, no RCCL ships and not much to choose from except, Mex, Hawaii, Coastal or Alaska, oh & South Pacific yet we have done these so now have to fly to all our cruises.

 

We also live close to two west coast ports - San Diego is about 30 miles, and Long Beach/Los Angeles about 200. But, as you say, nothing out of those ports on Royal is "going our way". Even on the other lines, nothing of much interest. We're just lucky our daughter lives in Houston, so we've started sailing out of Galveston more. But we do get tired of the Western Caribbean ports, too. We're doing a West Coast cruise next month, but having to fly to Seattle to board. Life in California can be great (except for earthquakes, cost of living, wildfires), but the cruising sure isn't!

 

Pat

[cruiser02]

We are @ 30 minutes from the Seattle piers and a few hours from Vancouver BC

Sure is nice to have breakfast - grab the suitcase - lock the door - arrive at the ship in short order. Well, there is Seattle traffic to factor in

Of course how many times can one go to Alaska? But there are many cruise lines to chose from

[Kew Gardens Cruiser]

I live in Queens, NY so I am close to the NYC and NJ ports.

I have done several cruises out of NYC. The major downside is whenever I seem to go we always seem to get sketchy weather

Also, in general the cruise fares out of NYC/ NJ usually seem to be higher than the Florida ports so it kind of cancels out not having to pay for a flight

Edited August 16, 2016 by Kew Gardens Cruiser

[peacefulOR]

I live in CA. I stared cruising too late to take advantage of living near a RCI cruise port. Since RCI abandoned us here in SoCal I have to fly to catch any Royal ship. :(

 

Why not join some of us Westcoasters that are tired of flying to Florida and take a RCI cruise from Seattle? Maybe San Francisco for 2 days doesn't appeal to you but the other ports are great too. Or Alaska? Happy sailing wherever you roam.

[Robinola]

So many gorgeous areas to live in! We make it work, don't we!?!?

[TBone2K]

I have met a few people who expressed the need to get off the ship ASAP on Monday since they have to drive straight to work. :rolleyes:

 

We are lucky enough that my parents spend the winter in New Smyrna (near Daytona), so we usually tie a visit with them in with a short cruise.

[BNBR]

It's nice when you get off the ship, too. We are home in 20 minutes after disembarkation and having a pool day.

 

Our goal is to definitely take more cruises next year, it's great to be local. Though I'm also used to it, so I don't think much of it.

[wilmingtech]

Sadly we lived in Orlando for over 10 years and never knew about cruising. We even lived in Wilmington, NC (8 hour drive to PC) for 7 years after that and never took a cruise once.

 

We have been traveling full time for the past 3+ years and thats when we discovered cruising. So we would still drive to the ports we just have to fit it into our traveling schedule and find a place to park the motor coach for a week. There are 6 of us and its not cheap flying 6 people anywhere.

 

Soon to be living 1.5 hours away from Seattle and 6 hours from Vancouver.

 

So unfortunately we wont get any steal of the deals that you all get in FL. And we will be relegated to Alaska, Hawaii and West coast cruises. Oh the horror.

 

-Sean

[NightOne]

Follow us on Instagram (pics of Bella, Sunrises, Rocket Launches, and Cocoa Beach, FL)

 

https://www.instagram.com/durlandjohn/

 

Love that dog!

 

I might actually have to install the Instagram app just to get Bella pics! :D

 

I am guessing you have someone that watches her when you are off cruising?

[poolreader]

I thought I would put in my two cents worth, because I often read how it is so much more advantages than flying to a port.

 

I live near west coast ports and if I drive I still have to pay for parking, which has been more at times than when I stayed in a hotel pre-cruise at a distant port. Yes there is the added cost of the flight, but the itinerary is limited at your local port.

 

Now, since the cost of living is much higher the chance of having enough money to cruise is less. So even if you can pick up a 4 day cruise for $400 plus tips and drinks you may need that money to pay rent. Plus, many of the ports you can reach by driving or boat for much less money, and be home that night.

[John&LaLa]

Love that dog!

 

I might actually have to install the Instagram app just to get Bella pics! :D

 

I am guessing you have someone that watches her when you are off cruising?

 

Thanks, I think you only need the app to post.

 

We bought a house for our son and his family on Merrit Island. They watch the dog and drop us off at the Terminal. We cab home.

 

Oh, and they do pay rent ;)

[BlueHerons]

One very early morning I made it to Port Everglades from my house in about 8 minutes. In regular traffic even though it is only about 2/12-3 miles it will take about 20 minutes.

 

Miami is about an hour away but we can take public transportation and Uber.

[mooseman52b]

Now, since the cost of living is much higher the chance of having enough money to cruise is less. So even if you can pick up a 4 day cruise for $400 plus tips and drinks you may need that money to pay rent. Plus, many of the ports you can reach by driving or boat for much less money, and be home that night.

 

By and large the cost of living in Florida is lower than many places in the U.S. We also have no state or local income taxes.

 

Even when we drive down to Miami and do a park and stay it's only about another $200-250 added to our vacation for the 2 of us. That's less than 1 round trip ticket airfare on almost any day of the year.

[BlueHerons]

By and large the cost of living in Florida is lower than many places in the U.S. We also have no state or local income taxes.

 

Even when we drive down to Miami and do a park and stay it's only about another $200-250 added to our vacation for the 2 of us. That's less than 1 round trip ticket airfare on almost any day of the year.

 

Central Florida has a low cost of living but South Florida has a very high cost of living.

[John&LaLa]

Central Florida has a low cost of living but South Florida has a very high cost of living.

 

It's really not that high. Nothing compared to North East or West Coast. :eek: And Central FL is not all that low. ;)

 

Ft Lauderdale - 115

Miami - 106

Orlando - 98

Jacksonville - 93

Tampa - 92

 

Manhattan - 216

Brooklyn - 181

Queens - 159

Boston - 132

Newark - 130

Philadelphia - 126

 

San Francisco - 164

San Jose - 156

Orange County - 156

LA - 136

San Diego - 132

 

http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html

Edited August 17, 2016 by John&LaLa

[rayness]

Live 15 minutes away from Tampa, 2 hours from PC and 3 1/2 from Fort Lauderdale,4 hours from Miami. Cruising out of PC in December and Tampa in February. Booked a California coastal for next year but now I'm moving out there so I'm going to cancel that one for now and rebook after I get settled. That is one of the things I will miss about living here. Being close to all the different cruise ports. Won't miss the alligators and tractor trailer sized bugs.