Cruise transportation advice

[Tntt]

We will be traveling from Tennessee to port of Miami to board symphony. To rent a car for 1 week will be almost 700.00.....I am really unsure if I want to spend that much especially since the car will sit at the port while we are cruising.... I even checked Into one way rental but the drop off fees are astronomical. My last resort would be to drive my personal vehicle which is a 2016 with 70,000 miles.... but with port of miami being 13.5 hours away I doubt want to risk mechanical issues... does anyone have any suggestions.... I'm really stressed about what to do...

[Clarea]

 Why not fly and take a taxi to/from the port?

 

I believe a taxi is a flat rate of around $27.

[twangster]

Not all rental car companies charge the one-way fee.  Especially with Florida involved, capital of the car rental game.  Try different rental companies.  I'd hate to pay for a rental to sit in a parking lot that also isn't free and costs money.  Port parking isn't cheap.

[cb at sea]

70,000 miles is NOTHING nowadays!  That kind of mileage should be fine!  Get your oil changed and fluids/belts checked...and drive on!

[jolinda]

What city in Tennessee are you starting from? According to kayak.com a one-day car rental from Nashville with drop off in Miami should be less than $150.

[Tntt]

We would need more than a one day rental in order to have enough time to get to florida In time. When I checked for a 2 day rental picking up on a Sunday the lowest I got was almost 500.00 

Edited November 30, 2018 by Tntt

[twangster]

Costco member?  Here are some rates picking two random days in January.  

 

[bouhunter]

Don't want to drive a 2 year old vehicle?   Shouldn't be an issue, but if it is then rent a car or fly.  

[SRF]

A 2 year old vehicle?

 

My NEWEST one is 6 years old.  The next is 16 years old.

 

I would drive either of them on a long trip without worries.

[HOSKI]

Wow, please let me know what kind of car you have so I can avoid ever buying one if you are afraid to drive it and it has 70,000 miles and is only two years old.  Unless you have a specific problem with your car I would have it serviced and drive it.  How many people are going?  Is a rental cheaper than flying?  I would not rent a car to let it sit a week in paid parking. 

[PaperSniper4]

On 11/30/2018 at 11:59 AM, Tntt said:

We will be traveling from Tennessee to port of Miami to board symphony. To rent a car for 1 week will be almost 700.00.....I am really unsure if I want to spend that much especially since the car will sit at the port while we are cruising.... I even checked Into one way rental but the drop off fees are astronomical. My last resort would be to drive my personal vehicle which is a 2016 with 70,000 miles.... but with port of miami being 13.5 hours away I doubt want to risk mechanical issues... does anyone have any suggestions.... I'm really stressed about what to do...

We live near Memphis, and take a FLL/MIA cruise about every year. We used to drive when we were in our 30s, but 40 years later convenience and comfort becomes more important. While the cost to drive ourselves (2 people) down to the Florida ports costs less than to fly down, it is much less of a hassle to fly with less time away from home. Here's a breakdown of our costs; they probably are not applicable to everyone (car mileage, hotel cost and food preference, etc), but it ought to give you an idea.

 

 

 

 

 

[deliver42]

I wouldn't be afraid to drive a 70,000 mile car for that distance, but I would drive down a day early, and stay at a hotel, which I did when living in S.C. In fact, even though I live in Fl now, I do the same thing, so that I'm refreshed when going on the ship instead of going on after a 4 hr drive with traffic.

[JohninDC]

Lots of cruisers choose to fly into Fort Lauderdale (FLL) or West Palm Beach (WPB) for cruises from POM - check out competing flights and options.  Transport by rail, rental car, shuttle or limo is easy - I would suggest arriving in Florida at least one day before your cruise.

 

We've even driven from Orlando to Miami - get up early, the drive takes 3.5-4 hours, drop the rental off, and you can be on the ship by noon enjoying a DOD! 

[royalcruz]

Also check flights to/from FLL. We all use Uber and Lyft down here.

[AC Stew]

Only a few rental agencies offer the one way drop-off. Whenever we do a one way rental, Budget usually comes in at the best price. In our Florida region, Hertz also offers one-way.