Hi folks,
I'm in the early stages of planning for our honeymoon and wanted your thoughts/recommendations on our proposed itinerary, and any 'must-do's' - second time to USA for my partner and I (first time to east coast for both of us). At this stage the plan is:

FLY TO MIAMI
Miami: arrive early Mar 2017 (stay 3 nights)
Miami - Bahamas - Miami: Royal Caribbean cruise aboard Allure of the Seas (7 nights)
Miami - Orlando: pick up rental car, stay 1 night in Orlando
Orlando - Jacksonville: stay 1 night in Jacksonville
Jacksonville to Atlanta: stay 2 nights in Atlanta
Atlanta to Charlotte: stay 1 night in Charlotte
Charlotte to Washington: stay 2 nights in DC
Washington to NY: drop off rental car and check into NY hotel (stay 4 nights)
FLY TO HAWAII
NY to Hawaii: check into hotel in Hawaii (stay 4 nights)
FLY HOME

Activities (so far): Florida Everglades, fishing in the Florida Keys, party at South Beach, visit Hanging Rock, Universal Studios & Disney World Florida, Shenandoah Caverns, all the museums/memorials/tours we can in DC and all the usual tourist traps in NY (times square, manhattan, madison square gardens, statue of liberty, broadway, grand central etc.). Please let me know if there are any 'must do's' we are missing in the above plan.

Now I know there's a lot of driving in the current itinerary and I chose the major cities over the smaller coastal towns (savannah, charleston, myrtle beach, etc.), because I figure there'd be more to do; But it'd great to get your opinion on where we should spend most of our time. I'm also aware that it is a honeymoon and we should be relaxing - but that's what Hawaii and the cruise are for! Want to get the absolute most out of our little road-trip up the east coast.

Thanks folks, really looking forward to your responses.
Doc

Sorry - but you are spending way too little time in to many places. Staying 1 night in charlotte makes n sense since you will have only a few hours threre. And 2 nights in Atlanta really makes little sense - these are not worl class sights you are talking about here.

If it wer me I would fly from Orlando to DC, which needs muchmore time and you should then take the train (Amtrak) to NYC. For DC and NYC a car is an expensive nonsense.'

I would make a list of the places you want to see in Jacksonville, Atlanta and charlotte versus what you would see in DC (incredible museums and historic sights) and NYC (NOT all tourist trips unless that's where you choose to visit - but world heritage sight and the greatest museums of the world). There are times when less is more - and this is definitely one of them.

If there is some specific sights you want to see in the places I suggest cutting - fine - but you seem to have picked them at random just because they are on the way. You are wasting a lot of days in 3 cities at the expense of days in cities that would be a 10. If you really wanted to see specific things in the countryside it would make sense - but you don't seem to.

All cites are not equal and given you limited time why pick those with very limited attractions.

Thanks for the reply, that's exactly what I'm after! And you called it - there wasn't a lot of reasoning behind the city selections... I'm not a local, just trying to put the pieces together for a road trip from Miami to NY in the time we've got.

I'll definitely take all of that on board.... will look at cutting the middle legs and flying direct to DC. I guess I just had a romanticized notion of road-tripping and soaking in the sight along the way.

Would you recommend road tripping it under any other circumstances - i.e. if we cut the Hawaii leg out and could spend a few more days on the mainland? We're pretty flexible.

Atlanta and Charlotte have rabid fans, but they have little to offer the visitor.

On the other hand, there is merit in flying to Charlotte, renting a car and driving through Asheville and up the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina and Virginia to Washington, DC.

The Parkway is scenic and slow (it generally runs along the tops of mountains) but for much of the trip it is paralleled by interstate 81 on one side of the mountains and US 29 on the other.

You are only staying one night in Orlando but plan to do Universal AND Disney World??? There are two parks at Universal and four at Disney World. You can not do that in one and a half or two days. If you want to visit the parks pick which ones' you REALLY want to see and stick to that.

Hey Ackislander, thanks for the tip. Is Charlotte quite a big town, and is domestic air travel in the USA quite reasonable/cheap (as compared to Aus)? How long would you recommend staying in Charlotte and where would you stay in North Carolina / Virginia on the way to DC if you were stretching out the trip over a couple of days.

And yeah, definitely going to rethink the time in Orlando schmerl - have been told by a few people that the parks take DAYS to do properly. Would you recommend either disney or universal for first timers - and any specific worlds/highlights from the park you consider must do's?

A pretty random/all-encompassing trip but sounds fun. I would completely eliminate Jacksonville and Charlotte as destinations (unless you possibly plan to fly into Charlotte). I also question whether you will enjoy visiting Atlanta (great city but maybe not so much for tourists). Orlando only makes sense if you plan to visit the parks (I like the original Magic Kingdom for the Kitsch, Epcot and the Animal Kingdom)...a full day for each, however. I really (STRONGLY) feel you should include either New Orleans and/or Charleston, SC.

How about....
1) Cruise
2) Maybe visit Key West, Fla? (definitely need a car)
3) Fly from Miami to New Orleans (no car needed there)
4) Fly from New Orleans to DC (the subways only go to the museum/gov't areas so you will need a car imo)
5) New York (no car needed)
6) Hawaii

Or, if you do want a fun road trip in a car....
1) Cruise
2) Fly from Miami to Charleston, SC
3) Drive from Charleston, SC to Asheville, NC
4) Drive north along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Charlottesville, VA
5) Charlottesville to DC
6) DC to NYC (drive or fly)
7) Hawaii
(I do think you need a car in DC, but definitely don't need one in NYC)

And two of my favorite road trip paths are HWY 17 and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Check these out:
http://www.travelsouthusa.com/trips/...ghway-route-17
and
http://www.travelchannel.com/interes...-ridge-parkway

A LONG trip. I'm jealous

These are my personal opinions....but I think these are the areas you should focus on in these particular states.

Florida - flat and featureless so not so fun to drive the length of. Focus on Miami/Key West, the beaches south of Ft Myers, and Orlando (Disney).

Georgia - Atlanta, Athens, Savannah (recommended) and barrier islands

South Carolina - Charleston (awesome), Hilton Head (recommended), Myrtle Beach (kitchy but fun)

North Carolina - Outer Banks (esp. Ocrocoke), Wilmington, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill (fun college area but no real sights to see), Asheville (awesome)

Virginia - Williamsburg to Richmond corridor, Charlottesville area (recommended)

Washington DC - one of most underrated cities in the US. So much to do

Maryland - Annapolis (but wouldn't go out of my way to go there), Baltimore (Recommended - esp. Fells Point/Canton areas)

Delaware - nothing

New Jersey - Princeton area is pretty

Philadelphia, PA - not a fan of the city, but you really should make a quick stop there to see the sights

New York City - awesome

>>
It depends on what you like. If you are a Harry Potter fan then definitely Universal Parks. You can go to the websites for the parks and see exactly what attractions are in each one.
I TOTALLY disagree with the above poster about Philadelphia. There is so much to see and do there. Besides the historical sights there are so many wonderful museums and the Reading Terminal Market with all the great good, etc.

I endorse uncfan's two itinerary options. Both are really great, just depends on whether you're very committed to driving around a lot.

I'll concur in giving Charlotte and Atlanta a miss--unless you have some special reason for going there (and I live in Atlanta--it's a great place to live but not so much to visit).

Ditto with skipping Jacksonville--add a nite or two to Orlando to see Disney, Universal, etc. --if you must.

I do like your activities around Miami, so keep those.

You then have a choice of either flying or driving. Which you do depends on your interests.

US Route 17 up the east coast (US 1 in Florida) is quite scenic and goes through or near a number of really interesting smaller places and sites: Saint Augustine, Florida, Sea Islands and Savannah in Georgia, Charleston S.C., Wilmington and the Outer Banks NC, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia in DC. And if you find it's taking too long, you can always take I-95 which runs roughly parallel to it.

Or if you want, fly to Charlotte, drive to Asheville, NC and take the Blue Ridge Parkway to DC. A nice mountain drive, but not too much to do. You mentioned Shenandoah Caverns and Hanging Rock so you could do those taking this itinerary, or taking I81 which runs roughly parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Or as indicated above, fly straight to DC and see it and the historic cities north of there: Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC.

Keep in mind that in March it may be cold everywhere north of southern Florida.

Best wishes for your marriage, and bon voyage.

Personally, on my honeymoon, I would skip Orlando unless you are really into theme parks.

Fly into Miami which will be warm and nice in March, just relax on the beaches there. I would not go to Jacksonville, Charlotte or Atlanta.

If you are looking for a small southern city with some character, then Charleston, SC would be nice weather in late March. American Airlines flies non stop from Miami to Charleston. You could then fly to DC and train on to NYC
Which if you hit it right and it is late March, you might just get to see the cherry blossoms in bloom in DC. There are so many things to see and do and after 10 days of beaches and cruising, you will be ready to walk and see museums and monuments. All the Smithsonians are free. You could easily spend a few days there and enjoy your trip. I would then train to NYC and spend several days there seeing all the sights and shows.

Early March could have cold weather in NYC, DC and driving up through the mountain areas could also have a late season snow. Later March is better weather and less chances for snow.
Also, have you been to Hawaii before? You have only 4 days there.

Your itinerary looks more like a forced march than an enjoyable honeymoon. I wouldn't even do this as a "trip", let alone as a honeymoon.
Leave out Jacksonville, Atlanta and Charlotte (and I live here--what Ack said is true).
For fun and charm, look at the southeast coast==Charleston and Savannah.
Do you LOVE amusement parks--then do a day or so in Orlando but otherwise, choose something you do love.
Do your Miami etc. cruise if that is what you want (no cruises in OZ?)
Fly to Charleston for a few (4) days. Rent a car.
Fly to DC. Spend x days
Train to NYC. Etc.

Hello again folks, thanks for all of the suggestions. Seems to be a running theme that the initial itinerary was a bit too intense, so we're definitely looking to tone it down a little and enjoy/soak in the sights a little more, as per your recommendations.

Thanks dwdvagamundo and girlonthego in particular - we're looking pretty closely at following your suggestions, just trying to decide whether or not the parks in orlando are worth extra days. For a honeymooning couple who haven't done disney or universal before, would you recommend them as priorities? If so, we may fly in earlier, do the parks at orlando before heading off on the cruise, then back to miami for a couple of days, and flying north (either to Charleston or direct to DC). Will look then to spend more time in NY and Hawaii as that seems to be a common suggestion.

Thanks again folks.