So for the first time since our honeymoon, my wife and I are planning a real vacation. The plan is for next January, giving us time to save and get early deals. The destination is Key West. So far the plan is to fly from CNY(likely Binghamton) to Miami and drive the rest of the way in a droptop. Any advice on what sites to use or combos(flight/hotel/rental).
On second thought, will Cuba be open to US tourists by then?
In reply to neon4891:
Drive to Montreal - Fly to Cuba. Problem solved!
I've had good luck with Priceline. We've been staying on Islamorada the last two years and ended up in nice places fairly cheap. We drove the last two years but next year we may fly and I'll rent a car to drive up to Daytona for the weekend so she gets more time to do nothing in the sun.
It looks like flying into and out of Fort Lauderdale is a bit cheaper than Miami, and only 20 minutes more drive time. Decent idea?
neon4891 wrote: It looks like flying into and out of Fort Lauderdale is a bit cheaper than Miami, and only 20 minutes more drive time. Decent idea?
very decent. More than once we've gone to Miami for vacations and flew into FLL.
Traffic is an issue between the two, but past Miami- I recall it being really great.
Opening our option up a bit. If we get around to getting our passports that opens up the option of a cruise. A 4-5 hour drive gets us to Baltimore and from there a 1 week Bahamas cruise starting under $500 each.
neon4891 wrote: Opening our option up a bit. If we get around to getting our passports that opens up the option of a cruise. A 4-5 hour drive gets us to Baltimore and from there a 1 week Bahamas cruise starting under $500 each.
Still looking at next January?
I love cruising, but would very much hesitate taking another winter cruise from either New York or Baltimore. While summer can have hurricanes- the winter storms are far more regular, and it sucks that one has to wait a day before you can enjoy being outside.
Then again, 3 days in Bermuda is pretty nice.
JG is our resident cruise-master, so hopefully he'll check in. My wife and I did our honeymoon in the Keys. Long story short, but we flew into Key West and then drove to Duck Key to stay Hawks Cay: http://www.hawkscay.com (I know, say that five times fast.) We also rented a convertible, which was totally worth it, and spent the week driving up and back. You're not going to quickly move from Key to Key, so we just slowed down and enjoyed it.
FLL is a much nicer, smaller, easier airport than MIA. Depending on carrier, you could also look at PBI or whatever Ft. Myers is called.
Keep in mind Key West is generally a 4-5hr drive from FLL, unless you do it early weekday morning.
There is a lot to enjoy in the Keys north of KW also. If you drive down I can suggest some neat stopovers. I would plan on it taking a full day, or even stop over for a night in Key Largo and spend a day at Pennekamp.
Just a little update. With a change in the job situation(for the better) We would be pushing this trip back to the second half of February. A look at Key Largo had rooms for 1/2-1/3 the $ of Key West.
That said, I just keep coming back to a cruise for the $ Maybe If we just push it all the way back to the end of March for our anniversary, the weather might be more conducive to leaving from Baltimore. But that might defeat the purpose of going someplace warm during the winter.
NGTD wrote: In reply to neon4891: Drive to Montreal - Fly to Cuba. Problem solved!
This. Or go to France. Yeah, go to France. That's all I've got.
We just did this trip between Xmas and New Year in 2014. Key West is best for a day trip; stay at one of the other Keys and drive in using the convertible. Key Largo was my favorite other Key but each probably has its own charm. Key West was full of tourists and then you add the people off cruise ships which arrived daily. Way too crowded for my tastes. We did our tourist thing early every morning, ate lunch at B.O.'s crab shack and got out off KW. It was quite enjoyable that way.
We did drive from East Tenn in a miata going down the west coast to Naples and then to Everglades City and Homestead. We came back up the east coast and due to the weather, drove all the way to Savanah Ga in one sitting. It was a great trip
neon4891 wrote: Just a little update. With a change in the job situation(for the better) We would be pushing this trip back to the second half of February. A look at Key Largo had rooms for 1/2-1/3 the $ of Key West. That said, I just keep coming back to a cruise for the $ Maybe If we just push it all the way back to the end of March for our anniversary, the weather might be more conducive to leaving from Baltimore. But that might defeat the purpose of going someplace warm during the winter.
Having done a few cruises in cool weather out of Baltimore or New York- the weather is bad just one day. If it's bad at all. By day two, it's warm to hot.
If you are considering Baltimore, I'd also consider leaving from New York/New Jersey. Although a quick look at March 2016 shows one 8 night and two 10 night cruises out of Baltimore on one line. All of which have good prices, and one even stops at Key West.
cruise in late february is going to be full of families on their school's winter break. march may be college kids. just be prepared.
Having lived in southwest florida and taken a cruise from miami... I'd do the keys trip instead, 9 times out of 10.
Cruises have the relaxation of someone else being in control, and you just relaxing, lying around, and being fed yummy food and fruity drinks. I'd say go for a late February cruise that hits Key West, most tropical cruises do. And kids nowadays go back to school in early to mid January, and they don't get out for spring break until around Easter.
I have done the drive to Key West in a convertible several times, usually from Miami but also from Naples. It's fun, just be prepared to be stuck behind a motorhome at 35mph for long stretches. As others have said, take your time, make lot's of stops. Also, some people don't realize that Key West is not really a beach town. There are not many sandy stretches, it's more for boating, fishing, and day trips to Tortuga to snorkel or dive.
Another suggestion is the Pascagoula Run. Fly to somewhere cheap, like Orlando or Tampa. Flights are often dirt-cheap because of the mouse. Then rent a convertible and head to New Orleans, stopping at fun places all along the Gulf Coast and ending up in the Big Easy. Cruses also depart from NOLA, so be sure to check for flights there as well.
As for cruises, they are a great way to pack a lot into a week and they are really affordable. Some people hate the older-style cruises that have a formal night and force you to eat at a table with strangers, others love the opportunity to meet new people and get dressed up. I say, whatever you do, embrace it. I rented a tux and bought the wife a formal dress on one cruise, and on another we did the open-style dining. Both were a lot of fun. I mean, when do you don a tux for dinner?
KatieSuddard wrote: Cruises have the relaxation of someone else being in control, and you just relaxing, lying around, and being fed yummy food and fruity drinks. I'd say go for a late February cruise that hits Key West, most tropical cruises do. And kids nowadays go back to school in early to mid January, and they don't get out for spring break until around Easter.
I just checked and the town I grew up in still has the same breaks (last weeks of february and april). I think most of the northeast is like that still, which would be many of the people who would take a cruise out of NY/NJ/DE/MD.
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