If you live in the Southeastern United States driving to Port Canaveral for your cruise can be an attractive option. Air travel is, quite frankly, a hassle. First you have to get to the airport. If you cannot find a ride, then you have to hire one. Either a rental car, shuttle, or taxi. The last of those can be quite expensive. If for some reason you can’t, then you are forced to leave your car in an unmonitored lot, and pay dearly for it. Packing can also mean trouble as you are forced to pay extra to bring a second bag on the plane. Meaning that you may be forced to leave some things you want to take with you at home.
On top of the chore of just getting on the plane there are also the possibilities of flight delays and missed flights, both of which can place you at risk of missing your cruise. Minor irritations like lost baggage—which you probably paid extra for the privilege of letting the airline lose—also can dampen the pleasure of a vacation right from the very start. After enduring all of that, you still have the same difficulties getting to Port Canaveral that you had getting to the airport in the beginning. We’ve mentioned before how we can help with that. – Dealing with flight changes when cruising
Why Drive?
In comparison to flying, driving to Port Canaveral has many advantages. Your travel arrangements involve walking to your driveway, placing—or if you’re like the author, grumpily tossing—your bags into the car, getting everyone to pile in, and go on your way. The limits on what you can bring with you are set by you, and by your car’s carrying capacity. If you need something on your journey that you can’t, or don’t want to take along on your cruise you can slide it under the seat, or in one of the cargo compartments most newer mini-vans have, and it will be there when you return to shore.
Those on family cruises in particular will really want to think about taking their car. Young children require specialized equipment to keep happy and healthy, and a vehicle allows you to bring the gear you know works for them on an everyday basis with you rather than forcing you to rely on rentals at your destination like flying does. If you live east of the Mississippi and south of the Smokey Mountains, then driving to your Port Canaveral Cruise is an attractive option. Although it is one that presents its own challenges.
The Road Warriors
There are 3 major roads that come into Florida. Interstates 10, 75, and 95. Of the three Interstates 10 is the least busy, and probably the least likely to be the one used by Port Canaveral cruisers. The reason why is easily understood. It’s 502 miles one-way from Pensacola to Port Canaveral, and there isn’t much to see. Drivers will pass Tallahassee, only to realize that they’re still hours away from being able to turn south. For most of it’s length I-10 is an hour away from the coast, there is nothing to see but pine trees, and what rest stops and things there are to see are aimed at truckers. At Lake City you turn south onto I-75 which is the road that people from Georgia and the Appalachian states will be traveling on.
Interstate 75 in Florida is a far larger road than Interstate 10. It is as wide as Interstate 95 with less traffic. Travel along it is usually both swift and easy. At least in Florida. Further north is a major obstruction. The city of Atlanta. It is the largest city in the southeast and it isn’t easy or quick to travel through. Drivers may find it quicker to turn off of the Interstate to go around than it is to go through. A second major obstruction comes when it is time to turn off of I-75. The city of Orlando lies between drivers and the coast. Fortunately, Orlando is easier to travel through than Atlanta. You turn off onto the Florida Turnpike, take it to the 528—which runs right by the airport, so spare a wave at those who are finding out that the airline lost their bags—and proceed directly to Port Canaveral.
Finally, we come to Interstate 95. One of the busiest and most traveled roads in the country. This will be the one that the majority of cruisers will arrive by. Travelers from as far north as New Jersey have been known to make the trip to Central Florida in a single day’s drive on Interstate 95. Although we question the speeds they traveled at to make it. Once inside of Florida drivers will need to be especially cautious in the areas around Jacksonville and Daytona Beach. There is a significant rise in traffic on I-95 where it runs through those cities. Another thing to be aware of in Florida is the weather.
In the northern states the weather that most impedes driving is the snow. In Florida it is the rain and the state’s frequent thunderstorms. It’s easy to dismiss the rain as just another shower if you’re unfamiliar with it, but keep in mind that the locals consider any Hurricane less than a Category 4 as a free day off, and an excuse to have a party. Super-storm Sandy that caused so much destruction in the northeast in 2012 hit the New England states as a Category 1 Hurricane, or in Floridian terms a good reason to sleep in. A lot of the local’s equanimity concerning hurricanes has to do with the severity of the normal afternoon weather. A Florida thunderstorm is not like thunderstorms in the rest of the United States, this video provides a normal example of a summer shower. It is advised that travelers find a place to pull over if they encounter one of these intense—but usually brief—storms.
Parking Your Car
This all does beget the question: Where do you park your car once you arrive?
There is of course the onsite Port Canaveral parking. It does have the advantage of being right there, but pricing is based on a number of nights and number of days rate plan that can leave you paying for days and/or nights you don’t use. It is also the most expensive parking option available.
Parking near Port Canaveral is available from a couple of different operators. There is, however, some nervousness involved in trusting them. Ownership of a parking lot is not in and of itself a certificate of trustworthiness. The owner of the now defunct Premier Parking was caught joyriding in a vehicle that was entrusted to his care. Ideally you need parking at a daily rate—so you don’t pay for something you don’t need—that you can trust to take care of your car.
Be on the lookout for key indicators of a reputable lot. First does the lot have any security such as 24 hour security monitoring? Do they have a website with a phone number, real address and their Seller of Travel license displayed? Do they have an active social presence with lots of reviews on 3rd party sites such as Facebook, Google+ and Yelp!? If you answered yes to all of the above then it is likely that you have found a great lot to park at.
But why take the chance? A Go Port Snooze Park and Cruise package includes parking in a well-lit, monitored and reputable lot. It is also priced on a daily basis. It provides exactly what cruisers driving to Port Canaveral need.
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