A Look at Planning a Cruise: Traveling to the Embarkation Port

If you take nothing else from this post, take this...if you are driving or flying, GET TO THE PORT A DAY BEFORE THE SHIP LEAVES.

Ok, rest of the post.

Flying

For our first cruise, we flew to Miami and were picked up by a town car to drive over to the port in Fort Lauderdale. We flew super early on the morning of the cruise. I was not too anxious about this decision because I was in the midst of planning a wedding and a honeymoon. Also, it was in April, so weather wasn't a huge concern.

For our third cruise, we flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico and stayed the night before at the Best Western Plus Condado, just two blocks from the beach. By this time, I was aware enough to be distrusting of the airlines to get me to my destination in a timely manner. It also gave us time to really enjoy San Juan before the cruise.

Scenarios to plan for:

* Flights delayed or Cancelled: This is the biggest reason to travel the day before the cruise is scheduled to leave

* Lost Bags: I always pack the items that are the hardest to replace in my carry-on bag when I am flying. Medicine, Makeup, Swimsuits, etc.

Driving

For our second cruise, we drove to Miami, which is a 13 hour drive. We left the day before the cruise was scheduled to leave, drove down to Melbourne and got up to finish the trip early the next morning. I love a road trip, so this is the way I prefer to travel.

We are planning to drive to our fourth cruise from Miami this fall as well. We will leave the day before and try to get almost to Miami before we stop. As seasoned road warriors, it is possible we will make it to Miami in one day. I take it as a personal challenge.

Scenarios to plan for:

* Car Breaking Down: We take a personal car to cruises because we hate to pay for a rental car that is sitting in a parking lot that we also have to pay for. Again, it is a good reason to leave the day before the cruise is scheduled to leave. We always take the car to the mechanic for a good once over before a long road trip like that.

* Traffic: Again, a good reason to leave the day before. I have been on some disastrous road trips that derailed because of traffic issues. Take a good look at how far you can realistically travel in one day. Consider that every bathroom break will cost you a minimum of 20 minutes. Every sit down meal break will cost you a minimum of 60 minutes. Fast food pick ups will cost you at least 30 minutes. Make sure to schedule adequate breaks for your group.

Here are some pictures from our last road trip to Miami!