Have you ever....? Looking for advice

[Daisy_123]

LOOOOOONG time lurker/planner, 1st time poster. I am looking for some help/advice, so I know I am in good hands here

My family and I are planning our own “land and sea” vacation for this winter- 5 night cruise out of Miami with 3 nights at WDW. I just realized that the Dream embarks on a 3 night cruise out of PC the same day we disembark the Magic and arrive in Orlando.
My question is- Has anyone done a “back-to-back” on different ships? Would it be possible to do something like this, time wise? Would this be super fun and amazing, or flat out crazy?

 

[Sytrace]

LOOOOOONG time lurker/planner, 1st time poster. I am looking for some help/advice, so I know I am good hands here

My family and I are planning our own “land and sea” vacation for this winter- 5 night cruise out of Miami with 3 nights at WDW. I just realized that the Dream embarks on a 3 night cruise out of PC the same day we disembark the Magic and arrive in Orlando.
My question is- Has anyone done a “back-to-back” on different ships? Would it be possible to do something like this, time wise? Would this be super fun and amazing, or flat out crazy?

It could definitely be done. I have friends who have gone from Port Canaveral to Miami to sail on the same day. The drive is about 3.5 to 4 hours though. If you were off the ship quickly and able to get into your car and drive to PC, you could feasibly arrive by 2 PM (and this is with normal debarkation from Miami and no traffic glitches. (Take the Turnpike as far as you can and then catch 95 N)
Sounds like lots of fun to me

 

[PrincessShmoo]

LOOOOOONG time lurker/planner, 1st time poster. I am looking for some help/advice, so I know I am good hands here

My family and I are planning our own “land and sea” vacation for this winter- 5 night cruise out of Miami with 3 nights at WDW. I just realized that the Dream embarks on a 3 night cruise out of PC the same day we disembark the Magic and arrive in Orlando.
My question is- Has anyone done a “back-to-back” on different ships? Would it be possible to do something like this, time wise? Would this be super fun and amazing, or flat out crazy?

Just be aware that the travel time from Miami to Port Canaveral is going to be about 4 hours (depending on traffic). It could be cutting things a little close to do a cruise departing that same day. How were you planning on getting from Miami to PC? Or, for that matter, from Miami to WDW?

 

[Daisy_123]

Just be aware that the travel time from Miami to Port Canaveral is going to be about 4 hours (depending on traffic). It could be cutting things a little close to do a cruise departing that same day. How were you planning on getting from Miami to PC? Or, for that matter, from Miami to WDW?

Thank you! We are planning on renting a car from a downtown Miami location, not from the airport. I am hoping that would be easier and less time consuming.

 

[undertheradar]

 

[LizGirl]

What day of the week would you be transferring ships? You should definitely be able to make it but even the Turnpike clogs up during rush hour. I would take the turnpike to Ft. Pierce and then transfer over to I-95 to get you to Titusville/Canaveral. I used to drive from West Palm to Melbourne all the time in college so I know it well!

And, I want to have this problem!! LOL

 

[DCLPrincess]

I personally would be nervous driving from PC to Miami same day for a cruise. If something happens (traffic, flat tire, etc) you could miss your cruise.

 

[Daisy_123]

What day of the week would you be transferring ships? You should definitely be able to make it but even the Turnpike clogs up during rush hour. I would take the turnpike to Ft. Pierce and then transfer over to I-95 to get you to Titusville/Canaveral. I used to drive from West Palm to Melbourne all the time in college so I know it well!

And, I want to have this problem!! LOL

Hi! It would be on a Friday morning.
Thank you for the help with directions. What are the normal rush hours during the weekdays?

 

[LizGirl]

Hi! It would be on a Friday morning.
Thank you for the help with directions. What are the normal rush hours during the weekdays?

Sadly, I don't live in South Florida any more but I would think 7-9am or so like most cities. Google says it's a three hour drive without traffic so I would think you'd be fine as long as you use a traffic app to avoid any catastrophic closures and don't make too many stops.

ETA: Google also says taking I-95 is only 2 minutes slower with no traffic and there's no tolls if you go that way. You may want to consider it on the day of. It's a larger road with more exits. The Turnpike is only two lanes each way and you have no where to go if there is a wreck.

 

[bbn1122]

That’s sound like fun!

You get off the ship early and the next boat does not set sail till 4pm.

I know we like to get on as early as possible, but you have about 6 hours to get there if you are off by 9am and on by 3pm.

All the best and happy cruising!

 

[Daisy_123]

That’s sound like fun!

You get off the ship early and the next boat does not set sail till 4pm.

I know we like to get on as early as possible, but you have about 6 hours to get there if you are off by 9am and on by 3pm.

All the best and happy cruising!

Thank you!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I personally would be nervous driving from PC to Miami same day for a cruise. If something happens (traffic, flat tire, etc) you could miss your cruise.

Yeah, it seems not very much "vacation"-like to be sure you get up early, so you can get off the ship at the earliest possible moment, rush to the car rental place (hopefully before anyone else), drive through commute traffic, and still reach the next car rental place in time to drop car, and grab shuttle to the next ship.

 

[lilsonicfan]

It sounds like a lot of fun to be honest, and frankly it does seem like you'd have plenty of time. Quite honestly, disembarkation day is a bit of a let down and even the service we received in the dining room felt rushed (and it makes me laugh that every single item on the menu basically is named a version of "get on out of here", lol). If you get off the ship early, it sounds like you'd have plenty of time.

We are doing a faux-b2b ourselves, but in our case it's same terminal, different cruise line for the second ship!

 

[Daisy_123]

Yeah, it seems not very much "vacation"-like to be sure you get up early, so you can get off the ship at the earliest possible moment, rush to the car rental place (hopefully before anyone else), drive through commute traffic, and still reach the next car rental place in time to drop car, and grab shuttle to the next ship.

Thank you! This is why I asked for some advice . Getting off any Disney ship isn’t ever very “vacation-like” right?!
We would park the car at the port to save a few minutes. I do worry about stressing the whole drive, where as our travels to WDW could be a bit more leisurely.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Say it with me, "Third Party Trip Insurance." You should be fine, but the insurance will give you the peace of mind that you seek.

 

[Daisy_123]

It sounds like a lot of fun to be honest, and frankly it does seem like you'd have plenty of time. Quite honestly, disembarkation day is a bit of a let down and even the service we received in the dining room felt rushed (and it makes me laugh that every single item on the menu basically is named a version of "get on out of here", lol). If you get off the ship early, it sounds like you'd have plenty of time.

We are doing a faux-b2b ourselves, but in our case it's same terminal, different cruise line for the second ship!

I completely agree! Disembarkation is the worst! That’s why we wanted to extend the “magic” just a bit more. WDW is fun, but a different fun. Having 2 stops at Castaway Cay, .
Ooooh!!! What different cruise line are you trying?

 

[TrishaK]

I think it sounds awesome!!

 

[Daisy_123]

Say it with me, "Third Party Trip Insurance." You should be fine, but the insurance will give you the peace of mind that you seek.

Thank you!! We will do that for sure

 

[lilsonicfan]

I completely agree! Disembarkation is the worst! That’s why we wanted to extend the “magic” just a bit more. WDW is fun, but a different fun. Having 2 stops at Castaway Cay, .
Ooooh!!! What different cruise line are you trying?

I'd love two stops at CC
We'll be on MSC in the Mediterranean!

 

[Jess_S]

It sounds like a lot of fun to be honest, and frankly it does seem like you'd have plenty of time. Quite honestly, disembarkation day is a bit of a let down and even the service we received in the dining room felt rushed (and it makes me laugh that every single item on the menu basically is named a version of "get on out of here", lol). If you get off the ship early, it sounds like you'd have plenty of time.

We are doing a faux-b2b ourselves, but in our case it's same terminal, different cruise line for the second ship!

I laughed when I read your comment, because it really goes to show how 2 people can see the same situation differently. Reading this discussion, I was thinking, "That sounds stressful."

I am not really a trip insurance person, but this is one place where I agree that I probably would insure the trip. If there are weather or mechanical issues that delay your disembarkation from the first cruise, it could mess up your schedule. That's obviously a very remote possibility, but I would just as soon not have to worry about losing my cruise fare.