Driving south from Canada to Port of Miami

[lucywestie]

I had a few questions from Canadians about my drive south from Ontario to Miami last month so I thought I would post it over here as it was on the Royal forums.

 

We live east of Toronto so took the 401 to the Hill Island crossing east of Gananoque. Took I-81 all the way south around Harrisburg before cutting east towards Washington, south around Washington and then hop on the I-95 all the way south through NC, SC, GA and then Florida.

 

If you are driving this time of year then be prepared for some nasty lake effect snow north of Syracuse up to the border. We got hit both going north and south. Heading south it delayed us by close 2 hours which meant we hit Washington at rush hour. (the less said about that the better). We were aiming for Fayetteville NC in 14 hours but it took us nearly 19 hours due to the weather delays and traffic.

 

From there it was straight run down to Fort Lauderdale where we spent two nights prior to the cruise. Port of Miami is only about 30 minutes or less from Lauderdale and we parked at the port rather than off site. Its $20 a day but if you look at the Florida departures forum on CC you will see its highly recommended. Truck was safe and the premises are secure etc.

 

On the way back we stopped in Fayetteville again (roughly a 10 hour drive or so from POM) and then in Scranton PA, as we wanted to shop in Watertown NY before crossing the border the next day. We had to hole up in a hotel in Watertown the next day though as we got hit with more snow that dumped approximately 36 inches overnight.

 

If you are driving south there are plenty of hotels along the way. We used Hilton brand all the way north and south and probably paid on average $105 (US) a night.

 

We probably had an average speed of 75 mph the whole way down. Speed limits didnt vary that much and most of it was 65 to 70 mph on I-95. I-81 tended to hover around 55-65 mph depending on where you were. Didnt see a lot of state troopers either which was strange. Maybe one every 500 km's or so though thats not to say they arent out there.

 

I think Google puts it at approximately 24 hours to get from Ontario to Miami. Their mapping does try to direct you west from Toronto then down through Buffalo but that made no sense to us living east of the city and not wanting to fight the early morning rush hour. The Hill Island crossing is a much easier crossing point and nowhere near as busy as the Niagara border.

 

Hope this helps with those thinking of driving down

Pete

[Ken at the beach]

Great info thanks.

 

We are not as far East of Toronto as you are so we end up usually going the Buffalo route. We did the Hill Island crossing one year and found that it took a couple of extra hours as opposed to the Buffalo route however it is always nice to have options in case of severe storms.

 

This year we ended up doing through Detroit and I75 all the way to FLL as they were calling for bad weather between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Google maps showed this to be an hour and a half longer but we ended up doing the trip in the same amount of time (25 hours). I actually found the drive through Detroit to be an easier drive as you are hitting the mountains further south and overall we were able to maintain a higher speed as the roads were not nearly as steep and windy as they are on the Buffalo route.we ended up coming back this way as well. Whichever route we choose we use the 407 to oasis the traffic on the 401 through Toronto. Well worth the $30-$40.

[BillOh]

Great info thanks.

 

We are not as far East of Toronto as you are so we end up usually going the Buffalo route.

 

If I went that route, I'd have to stop at the Anchor bar for lunch, or dinner both ways! :) I just completed a road trip cruise of 1000 miles from Columbus to Canaveral and it can be an enjoyable trip to add to a cruise if you have the time. Having grown up on Lake Erie and spent a lot of time in your area, I probably wouldn't attempt the drive outside of May to October :D

[Ken at the beach]

If I went that route, I'd have to stop at the Anchor bar for lunch, or dinner both ways! :) I just completed a road trip cruise of 1000 miles from Columbus to Canaveral and it can be an enjoyable trip to add to a cruise if you have the time. Having grown up on Lake Erie and spent a lot of time in your area, I probably wouldn't attempt the drive outside of May to October :D

 

Pretty much the only thing I stop for is gas and bathrooms, maybe a quick stop at a fast food outlet. As we drive straight through I don't want to waste a whole lot of time at a restaurant and then after a large meal all I want to do is nap.:)

 

We did the Buffalo route for 12 years at March and 4 of the last 5 at Christmas. We've certainly run into our fair share of weather by Erie. Definitely going to stick with Detroit in the future.

[lucywestie]

Yup. We are east of Durham so even though the I-81 route is probably 50-100km longer for us we made up time we would have lost if we had to cross Toronto at 430am.

 

It is very hilly once you get south of Syracuse and into the PA area but traffic wasnt to bad for us apart from the dreaded Washington area. On the way back we came through there at about 11 a.m. and it was a totally different story to the trip down. If we were to drive it again and knew we were going to hit D.C. at rush hour I might go further west and avoid it altogether.

 

We are the same though. Dont take any long stops while going south. Just gas up and head out again. The drive is long enough without adding restaurant breaks etc.

Edited January 13, 2017 by lucywestie

[BNBR]

I don't mean this in a snarky way - I'm just genuinely curious why anyone would make sure a long drive for a cruise? What's wrong with flying?

[moopetguy]

Thank you for this information. I am still researching/debating how to get down to PoM for my cruise later this year.

 

At first, I thought about driving as I've previously driven as far as Ft. Lauderdale and Galveston. But parking at PoM for 14 nights will be $280 USD :eek: (on top of the other expenses associated with driving down such as food and accommodations). And Nov into Dec means potential winter weather issues (with all-season tires on the vehicle - I'm not driving on winter tires down to Florida ;)).

 

I've also looked into the Amtrak auto train but at the moment my dates don't have the "skip I-95 for $95" promotion or any other fares cheaper than "flexible" so it's crazy expensive (>$1,800 USD). It would be cheaper and faster to fly.

 

So my family might actually end up flying down.

[BillOh]

Yup. We are east of Durham so even though the I-81 route is probably 50-100km longer for us we made up time we would have lost if we had to cross Toronto at 430am.

 

It is very hilly once you get south of Syracuse and into the PA area but traffic wasnt to bad for us apart from the dreaded Washington area. On the way back we came through there at about 11 a.m. and it was a totally different story to the trip down. If we were to drive it again and knew we were going to hit D.C. at rush hour I might go further west and avoid it altogether.

 

We are the same though. Dont take any long stops while going south. Just gas up and head out again. The drive is long enough without adding restaurant breaks etc.

 

We are usually the same, but I don't think I could pass the Anchor Bar without stopping. Its my Mecca. The worst part of our trip was driving home, we hit the hills of West Virginia about 9pm after 12 hours of driving and it was raining hard. When done I told my wife I felt like I wrestled a bear.

[Fouremco]

Although we've always flown down for cruises, we are thinking of driving down next year and adding a week or more after our cruise. Thanks for the routing ideas. :)

[moopetguy]

I don't mean this in a snarky way - I'm just genuinely curious why anyone would make sure a long drive for a cruise? What's wrong with flying?

 

For my family, cost is a big factor. For example, my recent Liberty cruise would have required flying around U.S. Thanksgiving. The flight prices out of all the Canadian and U.S. airports near to me were very high (no surprise, a peak travel time along with Christmas week). All our expenses associated with driving (including hotels, parking, and vehicle wear) were less than half of what it would have cost my family to fly plus transfers.

 

My upcoming Navigator cruise will also require travel around U.S. Thanksgiving but I did a quick check of flight prices on ChoiceAir last week. Flying might be a reasonable proposition this time especially due to the PoM parking cost.

 

I'm definitely willing to pay a little more for the conveniences of flying, just not 2-3 times more than the cost of driving.

[BillOh]

I don't mean this in a snarky way - I'm just genuinely curious why anyone would make sure a long drive for a cruise? What's wrong with flying?

 

There trip was about 500 miles longer than mine which was about 14 hours and 1000 miles. We have flown to 11 out of 13 cruises. In this last case, we had already taken our annual spring cruise and all during the summer my wife and I have virtually no alone time as we spent the summer helping out our daughter's family.

 

Another factor was I was contacted on Facebook by a cousin I didn't know existed till she contacted me on Facebook. Can you imagine discovering a new family member you didn't know existed at age 56? Our route went through there and we made our overnight at her town and met her family.

 

I know your question wasn't directed at me, but we just felt up for a road trip.

[d9704011]

Although we've always flown down for cruises, we are thinking of driving down next year and adding a week or more after our cruise. Thanks for the routing ideas. :)

 

 

I live in Ottawa and have driven to Florida plenty of times. (pretty much the route the OP described). We have a cruise booked out of Miami for next December and I contemplated driving down. I figure the drive adds at least four days of additional hotels, meals and time to the trip compared to flying. Along with gas consumption and parking the car at or near the cruise terminal, about the only way driving down for us (two people) would make sense is if we planned on being in Florida for at least one week before or after the cruise with a rental car. We're going to fly and save the time, effort, stress and (in my opinion) money.

 

 

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[John&LaLa]

I don't mean this in a snarky way - I'm just genuinely curious why anyone would make sure a long drive for a cruise? What's wrong with flying?

 

I hate the drive from Cocoa Beach to FLL. :o

[BNBR]

I hate the drive from Cocoa Beach to FLL. :o

 

We try and book out of Fort Lauderdale to avoid the drive from FLL to MIA, Lol. I couldn't imagine from Canada!!!

[Biker19]

I hate the drive from Cocoa Beach to FLL. :o

 

and it's less than 3 hours.

[BNBR]

There trip was about 500 miles longer than mine which was about 14 hours and 1000 miles. We have flown to 11 out of 13 cruises. In this last case, we had already taken our annual spring cruise and all during the summer my wife and I have virtually no alone time as we spent the summer helping out our daughter's family.

 

Another factor was I was contacted on Facebook by a cousin I didn't know existed till she contacted me on Facebook. Can you imagine discovering a new family member you didn't know existed at age 56? Our route went through there and we made our overnight at her town and met her family.

 

I know your question wasn't directed at me, but we just felt up for a road trip.

 

I was reading the OP and took it as they are driving down, cruise, then driving back... OMG!! I personally wouldn't even go on a cruise if it required that kind of travel. Or maybe a cruise out of NYC?

 

Seems like you have a great reason to drive though.

[Biker19]

We try and book out of Fort Lauderdale to avoid the drive from FLL to MIA,

Not too bad in the middle of the day. Next year, with an Oasis class ship in MIA, more folks will be doing that drive.

[BNBR]

Not too bad in the middle of the day. Next year, with an Oasis class ship in MIA, more folks will be doing that drive.

 

During the non-rush hour cruise times, it's only about 40 minutes to Miami from our house in west Broward. Could you imagine 2+ days of driving!?

[monctonguy]

I don't mean this in a snarky way - I'm just genuinely curious why anyone would make sure a long drive for a cruise? What's wrong with flying?

 

Flights from Canada(at least where I live) range around $700 each plus baggage fees and airport food for layovers and airport parking etc can get close to $1000 each...

 

We don't have those cheap SW or Jet BLue or Frontier flights like in the US.

[Ken at the beach]

I don't mean this in a snarky way - I'm just genuinely curious why anyone would make sure a long drive for a cruise? What's wrong with flying?

 

As we travel at March break and Christmas flights from Canada can be very costly. We drive down and back for around $500 total for gas and food for the 4 of us. The savings on the flights allow us to cruise twice per year as opposed to once.

[meatloafsfan]

We always use the 1-75 route (crossing at Sarnia instead of Detroit though - it's usually faster and you don't have that huge bridge or tunnel). We did the other route once - ended up driving through the mountains in the dark with snow flurries - decided never again.

 

There's a travel book called "Along I-75" that's great - tells you what is at every exit and lots of historical and interesting information about the route.

 

We drive because my father won't fly and my mother is medically unable to. I prefer not to so I'm happy to drive down with them. We divide the drive up over a few days (this next trip is Thursday after work to just past Detroit - Friday from there to Chattanooga - Saturday from there to Melbourne FL and then a brief trip on Sunday from Melbourne to Fort Lauderdale).

 

Oh - and flights from Canada are generally crazy expensive. To get any kind of decent deal, you usually have to drive to the US, pay to park and fly out of there. And with the difference in the dollars right now - that can still add up to a good amount.

Edited January 13, 2017 by meatloafsfan

[Fouremco]

I live in Ottawa and have driven to Florida plenty of times. (pretty much the route the OP described). We have a cruise booked out of Miami for next December and I contemplated driving down. I figure the drive adds at least four days of additional hotels, meals and time to the trip compared to flying. Along with gas consumption and parking the car at or near the cruise terminal, about the only way driving down for us (two people) would make sense is if we planned on being in Florida for at least one week before or after the cruise with a rental car. We're going to fly and save the time, effort, stress and (in my opinion) money.

Good post. Many of the factors you cite are why we are still only considering it and looking at alternatives such as renting a car down there. Lots of time to decide, though, so we're not rushing to make a decision.

[BNBR]

Flights from Canada(at least where I live) range around $700 each plus baggage fees and airport food for layovers and airport parking etc can get close to $1000 each...

 

We don't have those cheap SW or Jet BLue or Frontier flights like in the US.

 

WOW!!!! That is pricey for such a short flight. What a shame. Maybe worth driving to NYC area and then jumping on the JetBlue flight?

[mac_tlc]

I don't mean this in a snarky way - I'm just genuinely curious why anyone would make sure a long drive for a cruise? What's wrong with flying?

 

 

While not all the way from Canada, we have driven from CT a number of times, especially if there is any days ore or post cruise in FL. With one overnight each way, it costs about $600-$700, depending on gas prices. With 3 or 4 people, it's definitely a lot cheaper than flying. Also no issue with checked bag fees.

 

You have to consider it part of the journey!

 

 

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[lucywestie]

So for starters I had almost 4 weeks off of work for this holiday season. I have some seniority and our holiday is booked that way so I took off from December 15th to Jan 11th 17. So time off was not a factor.

 

Originally we had only planned on the 11 day Navigator cruise that left on Dec 23rd and we were planning to stay in the Fort Lauderdale area for 5 days prior to the cruise and do some roaming around. Well it worked out cheaper to do the 5 day Navigator cruise that left on the 18th rather than hang around spending money in FL. It was $1200 Canadian for the cruise for two of us and we got upgraded from an inside to a balcony for only $4 more. Yup, it was really $54 more but with $50 onboard credit.

 

So at that point time was a bit of a factor getting down to Florida but we still arrived on the Friday before the Sunday leaving date.

 

I had previously checked out flights from both Toronto Pearson (sky high prices due to all the taxes and fees involved) plus no direct flights to Miami or so it seemed. I then checked flights from Buffalo and Syracuse (all about the same driving time for us) but when I factored in time to get there, hotel over night and of course the lousy exchange rate the only saving would have been time. Flights and a hotel would have been approx $1300-1400 Canadian.

 

Driving down I set aside $700 US for hotels (approx $850 Canadian) and $300 for gas though probably should have had maybe an extra $50 US there. $320 US for parking for 16 nights. Total was approx. $1350 US which was about $1500 to $1600 Canadian.

 

So yup, bit more than flying but we love driving trips. Previous 5 christmases we have regularly driven to Cape Cod and back again. Only 10 hours I know but distance doesnt bother us.

 

My wife and I figured after 27 years of marriage we could tolerate each others company for that long on the road plus we always had satelite radio if nothing else!!

 

I know for a lot of people time is of the essence as they dont get that much holiday time but where I work, after 18 years, they are pretty generous so I took all that I could.

 

I also know its not everyones cup of tea about driving, infact on the ship when we told some people they were astounded that anyone would drive that far. Bear in mind I would never drive that far for just a 7 day cruise but we were on board for 16 days so it made it worth while to us. We were also able to pack as much as we wanted without any worries about baggage fees etc. We could also do a bunch of cross border shopping and lug it all home with no issues.

 

The only thing that was a real pain on this trip down was the snow we hit in and around Syracuse. Once we got south of there the weather was fine. We hit a belt of rain around the GA/SC border but it lasted 5 minutes and then that was it.

 

I have no issues with flying but for us we made the drive down a part of the holiday rather than just the boring part till we got to the interesting part. We stopped at some bbq places in the south and had some really good food, did a bit of shopping on the way, in Florida we did a great airboat ride out of the Sawgrass Recreation park and got up close to some big alligators and turtles etc. It was nice to have the freedom of the truck to roam around a bit.

 

Like I said, not everyones cup of tea but we love driving trips and it was a great way to start and end the holiday (minus the snow !@!)

 

I mean to add that the total round trip including driving around FL for the day was approx 5500km's. I have a new truck and am not worried about mileage etc. but I probably wouldnt have wanted to do the trip at this time of year in an older veh. Was nice to be high up above the traffic and with 4 wheel drive for the snowy side of things

Edited January 13, 2017 by lucywestie