Pre-Cruise Whatnots

[JulieBeeRN]

We are going on our first cruise in February!! Super excited but slightly overwhelmed at the myriad of choices for pre-cruise transportation and lodging. We are flying into MCO on Saturday (2/1) for our 4 night Bahama cruise, starting on Monday (2/3). I’ve been compiling a list of transportation and hotel options, but am curious about everyone’s favorites/suggestions.

Thanks!!

 

[Buzzsawelp]

We usually stay in a hotel just just off the airport grounds and rent a car. The morning of the cruise we stop by a store a pick up a couple of bottles of wine and drive to the port. Drop of the family at the port, drop the car off at the rental facility in Cape Canaveral and ride the shuttle back to port. It’s been very economical and it’s a pleasant drive to the port. Being able to stop and get the wine or anything else we may need is also nice.

After the cruise we usually fly in the evening. We rent a car again and we have gone to KSC on one cruise and also been to Disney Springs on another before catching our flight.

 

[Marc D]

We usually arrive the day before, so we stay at the MCO Hyatt, use Lyft from there to Disney Springs (or SeaWorld or Universal Citywalk) then catch the shuttle the next morning.

If we were to arrive a day early, we would probably stay on WDW property, hit a park on Sunday then take a private car service to get to port, mainly because we like to arrive earlier then when the WDW shuttle gets you there. Unlike PP, we never need to stop somewhere to buy supplies for the cruise, so we never found the need to have a rental.

 

[diznymom]

We like to stay on WDW property before the cruise. All Star Sports is our favorite. We fly in and take the ME bus to the resort. Then we take the DCL bus to the port on the day of the cruise. They handle all of the driving and all of the luggage. We arrive a little later at the port, but miss the huge crowds that are there first thing in the morning.

 

[fredandkell]

There’s a ton of ways to do this. Depends on your personal travel style. We tend to be Marriott and Hilton loyalists so we usually stay at one of those properties, often using points. We always rent a car for the flexibility it gives us and it is way cheaper (for 4 people) to do two one way rentals than to use the Disney bus. We also do a day at a Disney park before we board the ship.

 

[ScooterScott44]

As @fredandkell mentioned there are many options. I’ll start more general and give the 10,000 foot view. Some of this can depend where you might be flying from/arrival times as well as personal perferences.

- Airport stay - if your flight arrives later on Saturday or you have a long travel day you could just get the Airport Hyatt or other nearby hotel. Crash that night, relax and prep on Sunday and depart fresh and ready for your cruise on Monday

- Beach day - if you want a beach day before the cruise you could just head over to the coast after arriving on Saturday. Most places have shuttles to the port. You can do the beach, space complex or have dinner and watch ships sail out before the cruise. (Bonus if you can make the Saturday afternoon sail away as the Fantasy departs that day)

- Disney day - stay on property or nearby and do a day at the parks or Disney Springs, (or dare I say it - Universal). Sure it would only be a day but why not squeeze in a few rides, characters, a dole whip, turkey leg or whatever your WDW favorite might be.

Once you pick from one of those three, it will be easier to plan and work out your logistics.

 

[bbn1122]

We are DVC members, so we usually stay at WDW before our cruises for a few days and without going to the parks.

We have also gone to Disney’s Vero Beach before our cruises.

Enjoy your first cruise and remember to relax and soak it all in. Especially, being out to sea, it’s a beautiful view and experience.

 

[MomOTwins]

I would stay on Disney property for sure and do a day at the parks. For transportation to the port, it is so hard to recommend something without knowing the size of your party and your budget. I personally wouldn't do the car rental option even though it is often fairly inexpensive--I just don't want to have to deal with the hassle of pickup/dropoff, car seats, and herding my kids and suitcases on the shuttle system from the rental to the port--but for others they might not mind. If you have a small number of people, DCL bus transportation from a Disney resort to the port ($39) can be a good option. For larger groups, that per person cost adds up and it can be cheaper to book private transportation.

 

[Pooh93]

We normally fly in the day before. No car rental, but use Tiffany Towncar for airport pickup and then driven to the Courtyard Marriott in Cocoa Beach. We then use Uber from the hotel to port on embarkation day. Then Tiffany Towncar after cruise pick up and back to the airport or WDW whichever we are doing.

 

[MSH518]

Our preference is to fly in a few days early, stay on property, and go to the parks. We have flown in the day before several times and we still prefer to stay on property (usually POFQ) so that we can go to Disney Springs. We like the Disney bus transport to/from the port b/c it's hassle free and we're not in a rush to get to port. It's also usually just me and my husband, so private transportation is too expensive. Although we arrive later, rooms are often ready by the time we arrive so we can go straight to our room to drop off our things.

 

[squirk]

We are going on our first cruise in February!! Super excited but slightly overwhelmed at the myriad of choices for pre-cruise transportation and lodging. We are flying into MCO on Saturday (2/1) for our 4 night Bahama cruise, starting on Monday (2/3). I’ve been compiling a list of transportation and hotel options, but am curious about everyone’s favorites/suggestions.

Thanks!!

I guess it all depends on your budget and what you are looking to do activity-wise. We are big fans of hanging out at Cocoa Beach a day or two before the cruise, just to enjoy the beach. Also, I think our kids would spend all day in the Ron Jon store if we let them.

Once, we did a "Land & Sea" where we stayed at Beach Club for a week and then took the cruise. It was cool to have done it once, but I'm not chomping at the bit to do it again. They are such different vacations in terms of "vibe," I'm not sure if combining them together really enhanced anything.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We, DH and I, usually fly to MCO 2 days before the cruise, take the ME to SSR and do one full day at the park before taking the DCL bus to the port. But we have a big family cruise (9) coming up and I am researching for private transportation from SSR to PC. So yes it depends on your schedule, budget, and number of family members.

 

[pavicich]

When taking the DCL shuttle from the resort, when do you get to port on average? ie. how many hours after the earliest arrival time (for a first time cruiser so no castaway club ranking....yet

 

[Marc D]

When taking the DCL shuttle from the resort, when do you get to port on average? ie. how many hours after the earliest arrival time (for a first time cruiser so no castaway club ranking....yet

The shuttle departs only once, between 10:30AM and 1PM. You’ll receive a letter the previous day stating the meeting time. It varies each cruise since the routes are determined based on the number of guests at each resort. Each bus can make multiple stops. Expect to arrive between 12:30 and 2PM.

 

[mlayman7]

We have stayed at the Hyatt at MCO, an off-site Hyatt, and most recently stayed at Disney all for one night before the cruise. The most relaxing course was staying at Disney. They take care of everything. We are DVC members so the room cost was much better. Even if we had to pay cash the on site Hyatt at MCO seems to have gotten much more expensive. Getting to the terminal early for us is stressful so it was very nice getting off the Disney bus and seeing an empty terminal, walking straight on the ship, having lunch then going straight to our room (not having to bring our carryon's with us all over). Our next cruise, doing the exact same thing.

 

[anjuan]

We usually fly in the day before and stay at the MCO Hyatt, which is really nice. Then the next morning they have a service where if you take the Disney shuttle you fill out a form and you can just leave your bags in the room, then the next time you see them is on the ship. Then we get breakfast at one of the airport restaurants and go downstairs to take the shuttle. It's a really easy process this way.

 

[piglet1979]

When we went on our first cruise last summer we decided last minute and leave a day early to spend the day before our cruise at Cocoa Beach. We stayed at the hotel that the original 7 astronauts stayed at when in town and eventually a few of them owned. This was my favorite thing. Kids got to swim at the beach for several hours and DH and I lounged on the beach watching them. The beach was a short walk across the street from the hotel. We did drive down so this was easy for us.

 

[MSH518]

When taking the DCL shuttle from the resort, when do you get to port on average? ie. how many hours after the earliest arrival time (for a first time cruiser so no castaway club ranking....yet

We have been picked up as early as 10:45am and as late as 12:30/12:45pm I believe. When we got picked up at 1230/1245, we arrived at port sometime after 2pm and the terminal was pretty empty by then.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

It’s just myself and my husband. I’m torn between staying at Cocoa Beach and a Disney resort, but probably leaning more towards a Disney resort. Then it’s Disney from start to finish.

We have been going to Disneyland every year since 2001 and WDW since 2015, but this will be our first cruise. Thanks for everyone’s advice!

 

[wishuponastar1984]

I just don't want to have to deal with the hassle of pickup/dropoff, car seats, and herding my kids and suitcases on the shuttle system from the rental to the port--but for others they might not mind.

If you have more than one adult in your party you are making it way harder than needed. Just have one person (sans luggage) pick up the car then bring it to the hotel to pack up. The other parent can finish getting the kids ready, etc. When you arrive at the port, drop off everyone and the luggage at the port, then have one persson (now luggage free) return the rental car.