(I-295). When you’re looking at the map, it’s the bypass interstate that keeps you from having to go through the center of the city. Sometimes they are severely congested (Atlanta!); in some areas, they are great for finding hotels at lower rates than the downtown lodging for business travelers. I have seen decent rates at Marriott and Hilton properties in the past along these corridors. And there are typically restaurants available, suitable for road-weary families.
It saves some miles, too - think hypotenuse on a triangle. Here you are coming in on I-10 (past Baldwin), then turning South to avoid possibly heavy downtown traffic in Jacksonville.
I call it the ring road, as it is often that shape around a city. Since the ring / loop / bypass road crosses the major interstate, it starts with an even number. This is a controlled access interstate road (it just doesn’t cover a long-distance route - hence 3 numbers. There’s a learning lesson in this for your kids if they are old enough.) They will be traveling on the Southernmost (I-10) and Easternmost (I-95) major interstates if you use the Jacksonville route to Port Canaveral.
This ends my map-reading lecture; my intent was purely fun and education. It doesn’t answer how close you should get to the port the night before embarkation. Personally, I would want to be within an hour or less, in case I need to get alternate transportation to the ship.
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