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Will you Consider Driving to Port Instead of Flying?


WannaCruise

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For me it all depends, and it will depend on where the cruise leaves from, and the distance that it is from our home in VA, if the cruise leaves from Baltimore then we are definitely driving, if the cruise is leaving from Miami or Fort Lauderdale then we are DEFINITELY flying.  I just flew from VA to WA to assist my niece in moving to CO, so getting on a plane does not worry me as much.  I do not fear COVID 19 but I do respect it, and take all the necessary precautions in order to keep those that I love the most as well as those around me safe.  I actually must say that I was surprised with how packed the plane was as well as the airports that we stopped at, but once again mask was worn, hand sanitizer was used, and I definitely socially distanced prior to sitting in my seat on the plane.  

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12 hours ago, bhageerah said:

For me it all depends, and it will depend on where the cruise leaves from, and the distance that it is from our home in VA, if the cruise leaves from Baltimore then we are definitely driving, if the cruise is leaving from Miami or Fort Lauderdale then we are DEFINITELY flying.  I just flew from VA to WA to assist my niece in moving to CO, so getting on a plane does not worry me as much.  I do not fear COVID 19 but I do respect it, and take all the necessary precautions in order to keep those that I love the most as well as those around me safe.  I actually must say that I was surprised with how packed the plane was as well as the airports that we stopped at, but once again mask was worn, hand sanitizer was used, and I definitely socially distanced prior to sitting in my seat on the plane.  

For the highlighted, what a great saying...or way to think of it...

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We could drive to Florida,.... but we don't want too lol

We are in Indiana.....so depending on the port thats a 16-20 hr trip one way.... then there's the dreaded drive home when the fun of vacay is over...... SO that being said we choose to fly if we can.....but i the cost of flights aren't in our budget then we would drive.

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On 9/29/2020 at 1:26 PM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am 100% with @monctonguy on this one.  The border is the biggest problem right now.

That and insurance coverage for COVID-19.  Just spoke to my travel agent.  There is COVID-19 coverage available to purchase as a stand-alone policy but any form of cruise travel is excluded.  

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Our Nov 1st cruise is out of Port Canaveral and we won't be driving - too much add-on for us - extra vacation days, extra dog care (3 dogs), added hotel cost, wear and tear on car, etc.  I align with @twangster - I think flying day of (embark/debark) is our best option under the current conditions.  But we are 31 days out today and have not booked our airfare - we still don't know if we are sailing...

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On 9/29/2020 at 12:34 PM, Dad2Cue said:

We just did a short 90 minute flight to visit relatives and to see what flying was like with the new policies in place.  I can't say the experience was that much different from flying before the pandemic.  The flight was full and the policy was that they "offer" you the option of taking a later flight.  On our flight,  I only saw one empty seat so not many people took that option.

The only difference was that everyone wore a mask while boarding and during the flight.  The airlines can't enforce the mask rule in the airport itself and I didn't see any enforcement at the gate but most people were compliant.  Social distancing on the plane really didn't happen since the flight was full.

 

In Canada, they will kick you off the flight and ban you for ONE YEAR from flying....even kids under 2 have to wear masks and if they don't they kick them off the plane and cancel the flight, its a hot mess right now and is only going to get worse, i could see our 2 national airlines going bankrupt or need a government bailout by this winter.....you defn don't want to be flying in Canada any time soon.....

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Florida is a 74 hour round trip driving for me so best believe I will be flying if cruising ever resumes! I flew once already during the pandemic, 6 or so hours each way. I LOVED that the airport was the place I have seen the most masked people all in one spot and never felt unsafe while armed with cleaning wipes. 

As long as airlines keep up with the middle seat blocked and intensive between-flight cleanings, I am on board. 

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We live in North Carolina and always drive to Florida when we cruise. It's a two day trip, but we have friends we can visit in Fl for an overnight visit and stop in Savannah, Ga or Charleston, Sc on the way home for a few days. Flying doesn't work for us.......someone ALWAYS overpacks and brings way too many shoes.....and it isn't my darling wife. I had to say that because she reads what I post and I bruise easily. ?

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We drove down last new years day from Ontario Canada  to St Petes  . Stayed with the inlaws a couple of days then drove to Miami on Sunday morning and was in the terminal around 11 30 .  On the way back my wife did not want to go back to her parents place  so we drove back to Canada , stopping just over halfway home .. Driving don't bother either one of us as we both enjoy doing it , we just switch up .

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1 hour ago, teddy said:

I wish political jabs wouldn't be included in posts here.  There are many other websites that thrive on that kind of discourse.

 

As per @Matt's simple rules for these boards, this is not the place for politics.  Feel free to report and flag any posts that we miss and we will be sure to take care of it. ?

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I LOVE road trips, but I am very familiar with the exits between ATL and Orlando,  so it's easy for me! Our next cruise is Dec 13th out of Miami. I NEED a vacation....60+ hour weeks for 7 months has been a blessing and a curse. We have jobs and are SO grateful for that.  BUT,  my husband and I are exhausted.  ! We need a vacation and if it can't happen on a ship we are going camping in the woods somewhere so no one can get at us and we can recharge!  We would LOVE to do it at sea, but if that isn't possible, we will find a way!

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8 hours ago, Hoski said:

We live in PA and can easily drive to Baltimore or NJ.  With a family of 5 airfare gets expensive so this year we booked all our cruises from those two ports only to have them canceled so far.  We will always consider ports we can drive to instead of flying for cost alone.

This whole thread has made us rethink our future departure ports.  For some reason we never even considered NJ or MD as ports.  They are 5-6 and 7-8 hours from us respectively if we drive. 
 

Flying from Maine is an all day affair...non-stop flights are like unicorns unless you leave out of Boston, and that adds to the logistical difficulties for us. 
 

We’re not worried about flying (COVID or any other reasons), but Portland to MIA or FLL is exhausting.  It seems like all flights in our budget tend to go through the hell that is La Guardia.  We’ve left Portland at 530  am and never got to our hotel room in Florida until 1 am.  
 

We’ve decided that when we book our 2022 cruises, we’re going to try some that leave from Cape Liberty. 
 

 

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3 hours ago, teddy said:

We’re not worried about flying (COVID or any other reasons), but Portland to MIA or FLL is exhausting.

As I was reminded in an earlier post, there is also the "car train" from Amtrak, which I want to say runs from Baltimore to Florida. They load up your car into one the train cars, you get a sleeper cabin, and have a more restful trip down to Florida than you'd get on a plane going through LGA. Takes a day longer, yes, and not sure if it saves money vs flying. But another option to explore.

You could also look at repositioning sailings out of Boston as another option. At least when those become a real option again. Royal and Celebrity both have ships ported there in the fall for CA / NE sailings and then move them down south for the winter.

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1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

As I was reminded in an earlier post, there is also the "car train" from Amtrak, which I want to say runs from Baltimore to Florida. They load up your car into one the train cars, you get a sleeper cabin, and have a more restful trip down to Florida than you'd get on a plane going through LGA. Takes a day longer, yes, and not sure if it saves money vs flying. But another option to explore.

You could also look at repositioning sailings out of Boston as another option. At least when those become a real option again. Royal and Celebrity both have ships ported there in the fall for CA / NE sailings and then move them down south for the winter.

The repositioning sailings out of Boston have caught our eye.  We'd love to take one, but any vacation over 7 days is tough for my wife. Her career has been plagued many times with "restructuring" over the past 20 years, and every time this has happened, she has had to start over with the "new" company.  When she starts over, her paid time off is that of a new employee.  She currently has three weeks of pto to my seven and doesn't want to use that much of it at one time.

 

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It would be impossible to drive to our favorite port, San Juan, our last three  cruises have been out of San Juan, as far as state side ports, I guess Tampa or Orlando area would be around a 15 hr drive, which is doable, but I usually try to fly if over 5 hrs. Usually don’t mind driving to vacation, but always that dread to drive home when vacation is over, give me that 2 hr flight anytime.

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On 10/4/2020 at 8:16 AM, teddy said:

This whole thread has made us rethink our future departure ports.  For some reason we never even considered NJ or MD as ports.  They are 5-6 and 7-8 hours from us respectively if we drive. 
 

Flying from Maine is an all day affair...non-stop flights are like unicorns unless you leave out of Boston, and that adds to the logistical difficulties for us. 
 

We’re not worried about flying (COVID or any other reasons), but Portland to MIA or FLL is exhausting.  It seems like all flights in our budget tend to go through the hell that is La Guardia.  We’ve left Portland at 530  am and never got to our hotel room in Florida until 1 am.  
 

We’ve decided that when we book our 2022 cruises, we’re going to try some that leave from Cape Liberty. 
 

 

We fly out of Maine every chance we can get and thank our lucky stars that we can..and it takes us 5-7 hours drive to get there, plus it adds a night there and back....and its still WAY cheaper than flying out of Canada......I would love to  be in your situation!

 

We have done a cpl direct flights out of Portland to Orlando..and then cruised out of Port Canaveral..wasn't bad at all.....

 

Be glad you dont have to do what we do and/or fly out of Canada to cruise!

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1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

Be glad you dont have to do what we do and/or fly out of Canada to cruise!

Very good reminder to appreciate what we have rather than complaining about what we don't, thank you.  ? 

My in-laws live near Fredericton...not as far away as you, but they always come to Maine to fly anywhere as well.  

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I will drive 100% of the time.  I booked a refundable first class airline ticket this year that I was suppose to be able to cancel or change for any reason... 

My wife lost her job because of this Covid crap and she decided to travel with me.  So I canceled the ticket for a refund because we decided to drive and make a vacation out of the trip.  BAM, airline won't refund my money.  They gave me a credit to rebook a flight between now and December 2021 but it has to be in my name!  Screw the airlines, Ill never give them another penny of my money.  

I also like having the freedom to do whatever I want on a road trip vs being herded into a tube like cattle for a few hours.

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1 hour ago, SteveinSC said:

USA Today will print anything for the right price.  

They would print that portable toilets are cleaner that operating rooms if the industry paid them to.  

It's one of the reasons why I refuse to read their trash.

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20 minutes ago, twangster said:

USA Today will print anything for the right price.  

They would print that portable toilets are cleaner that operating rooms if the industry paid them to.  

It's one of the reasons why I refuse to read their trash.

Wow.....guess I shouldve put a trigger warning on there? 

Calm Down Chill Out GIF

Just thought it was fascinating and people might be interested to know that its being looked at and talked about....as it relates to flying to cruises. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Driving to the port is something I started tossing around even before the pandemic, just to save on the stress of luggage weight limits. Coming from Chicago, we have to fly to any port, and so far our favorite ports are in Florida.

To Florida, according to Google Maps, is just over 20 hours on ideal traffic - and we aren't the most used to long road trips so we would split this over 2 days just to be safe. Which means two days of food, two hotel stays (because we'd probably aim to still get there a day early), gas and toll costs. *shrug* It's still an idea, and if by the time of our next booked cruise things haven't worked out for the better, it may be the more comfortable option.

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