Farthest drive???

[Nunu]

I appreciate all the advice. I figure we could to it in 2 days of HEAVY driving (14-18 hours) and then get into Galveston with a day to spare.

 

My wife has an insane fear of flying (the recent "indidents" have not helped) and of trains and boats, so to get her on another cruise was hard enough. Maybe after the trip she'll reconsider.

 

But either way, I don't mind driving and she hasn't seen most of the country (neither have my inlaws) so it would be a nice drive.

 

I will just be happy she was willing to go on another cruise..this should sum it up

"I want a window this time so i can see when the ship crashes". She has a great time, but is always scared of things like this.

 

We might get a balcony this time!! My daughter should enjoy Camp Carnival. I am just not sure about the Conquest still!! I wanted something newer, but I guess there isn't much difference between the Freedom and the Conquest!

 

If you are looking at renting a mini van for the drive make sure you compare the price to rent for the total trip time and leaving it at the port vs. 2 one way rentals. It's probably cheaper renting it for the complete trip. Have fun.

[callista]

My DW and two DD's (7 & 5) are traveling from Temiskaming(Northern Ontario) to Cape Canaveral for our April cruise. We are going to take 4 days to travel the 1650 mile drive(and take 5 days for the return). We looked at flying but the cost was far too prohibitive (even considering 8 nights in hotels and eating in restaurants).

 

Since our original planning we've turned it into a real adventure, looking forward to a lot of sight seeing. Of course we have the usual suspects with us....DVD player, Leapster players, mp3 players etc. But because we have lots of time we are not scheduling our stops, rather just stopping when we like.

 

Our DD's are used to traveling as I travel to Toronto (6 hours) every few weeks for business and they often accompany me.

 

I'm not saying its for everyone but for my family its ideal.

[firefly333]

We drove from Dallas to Port Canaveral the end of 2006, which is further than you are considering I believe. We did it in a regular car, but only the two of us. We did pick out nice hotels that had a free breakfast to relax and enjoy. We stopped in Biloxi to see the sights, even though that was dissapointing, having been there before when it was a gambling hub.

[yearnin4cruisin]

We did Wisconsin to Florida back in December with the youngest passenger being 6. I think she did better than I did! We did it in two days but I would hate to drive as far as you're planning.

[Dee777]

Ah, just slip her an Ativan and bundle her on the plane, she won't care a bit, this I know for a fact LOL

[K&P Luv2Cruise]

Good morning everyone,

 

I mentioned a few days ago that my wife and I are considering a cruise on the Carnival Conquest out of Galveston next January (started a new job, so I have to wait to save up some time).

 

However, my wife WILL NOT FLY (I used to be a pilot, so believe me, I have tried to convince her). So instead, we are going to be driving this distance.

 

We live in Reno and the trip to Galveston is about 2000 miles. We will likely be going with her parents and our daughter (she will be almost 3 at the time) and thinking of renting a mini-van and enjoying the drive.

 

I was wondering what is the farthest/longest people have driven to a port before? I would love to go on the Splendor out of LA, but we just did the Elation to Cabo and everyone wants the Caribbean this time (how can I argue with that??).

 

So what does everyone think?

 

We (Me, DH, DD + DDBFF) drove from Oshawa Ontario (near Toronto) to Fort Lauderdale this past Christmas to catch our cruise ship. It was 1650mi approx. each way. We started out on the morning of the 19th to avoid a large snowstorm, and arrived in FL on the 21st. DH and I would break up the driving into 4-5 hour segments, and when we stopped to change drivers, that's when the bathroom breaks were. We did take a powered cooler with us and kept sandwich fixings and snacks readily available - this helped keep our costs down, and was healthier for us. We spent a night in Harrisburg PA, and another one in Columbia SC.

 

Have lots of things to keep the little one 'amused'. What about driving during the night...your 3yr old may just sleep the trip away (as well as your DW and DIL's!).

 

Enjoy the planning stage, that's half the fun.

 

Kathryn

[cruisetobeaches]

From here to Miami: 1500 miles and we drove it. Also drive to Tampa, Canaveral, New Orleans, and Mobile. Five of us travel together. Four can drive, but just two of us do, switching every 3 hours or so. Cheaper than flying, no baggage restrictions, and we don't have to deal with layovers, delays, etc. Looked at Amtrack once, but found it was cheaper AND quicker to drive!

 

The drive TO THE PORT is always fun. The drive BACK, not so...............Since we cruise in winter, we know it will be COLD when we get home...................

[EarthGirl517]

We always drive to our cruise ports and we live in Wisconsin. In 10 days we are leaving for Miami, which is 1525 miles away. We have a 4 year old and an 8 year old. We have been doing this since we moved from Florida to Wisconsin 3 years ago. Of course we really like road trips a lot and almost never fly anywhere. That is just mine and my husband's preference as we like to see the country. I have done it with 2 young kids fighting quite a bit of the way, and I have not been emotionally scarred (yet). I say go for it.

 

I also drove from Las Vegas to Southwest Florida (alone & pregnant) in just 3 days. So you may wanna take my advice with a grain of salt (as I appear to be insane).

[nagster]

I have done FL to the UP MI, about 1500 a few times. After the last time I am not doing it again. I don't care about my fear of flying, it's gets me there quicker. I hate driving.

[lms2004]

We have an 8 year old severely autistic daughter and have been hesitant to fly with her because we don't know what her reaction would be (she is unable to talk, so can't express if she were to have ear discomfort, etc and could potentially scream or cry making it VERY uncomfortable for us and other passengers. So.... with that said, we have travelled from Oklahoma to Florida with her twice - once for a cruise out of Port Canaveral. We also have a trip in June 2010 planned out of Port Everglades, FL. We also have 3 other kids, two teens and one 6 year old. We load up the Suburban with lots of snacks and movies for the kids to watch on the way. We can make it from OKC to Panama City, FL in one day (looong day 16 hours, but not bad.) Then we work our way further in. We had a six hour drive from Panama City to Port Canaveral on the second leg of our trip. In 2010, we will again stay in PC and then leave from there and probably stay a night in central FL before heading to Port Everglades. It isn't as convenient as flying, but it does give us more control over our autistic daughter's situation and we end up having a lot of fun, family time along the way. Go with it and have fun! ;)