Was so excited and now I am so scared..

[graciepooh]

I really want to thank anyone who helps in advanced. Yesterday, I booked airline tickets, a 1 night Disney hotel and a Disney Cruise for Dec. with transportation. YEAH!! However, today I find out that Disney doesn't pick up at the Sanford airport, only Orlando. I also just figured out that Sanford is about an hour from orlando so I'm thinking that maybe I should just get a ride to Sanford and stay there. So, would it make more sense to rent a car or pay for a shuttle to Port Canaveral? Also is there a hotel there that is within walking distance to the area where we would board? I have never been on any cruise and I am clueless. Thank you again for helping, Graciepooh

 

[loveadobie]

We had a one way car rental from MCO to Port Canaveral, you could probably do the same from Sanford.

You could rent the car, and spend your night by the Port or at Disney if you still want, with the next morning driving to Port and dropping the car off. The car rental place, I think it was Avis, shuttled us to the ship.

After the cruise, you could reverse the process, or have a town car pick you up.

 

[wendyoconnor]

There aren't any hotels in the port within walking distance. Many of the hotels in the port area have shuttles to the port. You could rent a car, drive to Port Canaveral, return the car, spend the night and take the hotel shuttle to the terminal.

 

[Castaway April]

We stayed at the Radisson Resort at the Port. You can't walk because there are not sidewalks, but they have a shuttle for $4 pp. Just make sure you ask for a renovated room since they are in the midst of remodling.

 

[kcashner]

My sister uses Sanford all the time based on flights from her area. The only thing you can do from there is to rent a car and go to wherever you are staying. SO...do a one way car rental. (pick up at Sanford, drop off at Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach). DO NOT enter PORT Canaveral on your car location request--there are no car places at the Port. They are all listed as CAPE or Cocoa.

You can cancel your DCL transportation (and save money that way).

You can keep your Disney hotel for one night or choose to stay at a hotel near the port (there are none walking distance.) You pay for 24 hours with the car, so if your timing works, you can get car at airport, drive to hotel. Next morning, drop luggage off at the cruise terminal (if desired), return car, and take the car rental's free shuttle back to the terminal. It's easy.

Places near the port to stay....Residence Inn, CI&S. The Radisson has a nice pool but the hotel is a bit run down and doesn't include free breakfast (it does serve breakfast and includes it in some packages). There are also places to stay near the airport in Sanford.

 

[wiigirl]

We stayed at the Radisson Resort at the Port. You can't walk because there are not sidewalks, but they have a shuttle for $4 pp. Just make sure you ask for a renovated room since they are in the midst of remodling.

Good advice....I stayed there...no issues.

 

[Douvres Family]

We stayed at the Radisson Resort at the Port. You can't walk because there are not sidewalks, but they have a shuttle for $4 pp. Just make sure you ask for a renovated room since they are in the midst of remodling.

This past February we stayed at the Radisson as well. We rented a car at Hertz from MCO airport, returned it at Hertz in Cape Canaveral (right in-front of Country Inn) and took the Hertz shuttle to the port. We were among the first ones to arrive at the port.

This coming February (2013) we will also be renting a car, but we are staying at the Country Inn.
BTW, these hotels are extremely close to the port.

It's more financially efficient for us to rent a car and the shuttle ride is very short...

 

[GatorMomInNC]

I'm a little confused: are you flying in, staying at a WDW hotel, then going on the cruise the next day?

Assuming that is the case, to get from Sanford to Disney you will go down a long toll road (the 417). (You could also take 46 over to 95, and then 95 south, which is a little more of a "back way" as 46 is a 2 lane road - well, I haven't driven that way in many years, maybe they have widened it!) The 417 will be fast, but you should rent a car with an EZ pass because then you never stop - if you have to pay tolls, you need to pull off the road and pay then get back on. And there will be a lot of tolls. BUT, after about 30 minutes, you will turn onto the BeeLine (or beach line I guess they call it now), to get to Port Canaveral, but you will only be halfway to WDW at this point. So you would be going about 30 minutes or so past the turn off for PC to go to WDW, then turning around and coming back the next day to drive to PC. WDW would be way out of your way to go just to spend the night. You might as well stay at PC - return the rental car and do a hotel with a shuttle to PC.

 

[racingfandj]

Unless you're planning on a visit to WDW and not just staying the night there, I would recommend what someone else already said. Cancel your WDW hotel and book somewhere closer to Port Canaveral. We flew into Sanford this summer and did a one-way rental. We stayed in the Holiday Inn at Titusville. We had a late flight and it was only 30 minutes or so from Cape Canaveral. We had 20-30 miles the morning of the cruise. You do not need the toll pass going that way either, so will save some money.

 

[Douvres Family]

Unless you're planning on a visit to WDW and not just staying the night there, I would recommend what someone else already said. Cancel your WDW hotel and book somewhere closer to Port Canaveral. We flew into Sanford this summer and did a one-way rental. We stayed in the Holiday Inn at Titusville. We had a late flight and it was only 30 minutes or so from Cape Canaveral. We had 20-30 miles the morning of the cruise. You do not need the toll pass going that way either, so will save some money.

Yes...she did ask if there was a hotel close to the port...that is a good option.

 

[graciepooh]

Thank you all sooooo much! I rented a car but it had to be for the entire time. No one way back to Sanford... But the hotel gives free parking along with the 4 dollar transfer so that was even bettter. I did cancel the disney room. I am all the way back to being very excited!!! Thanks again!!

 

[Douvres Family]

Thank you all sooooo much! I rented a car but it had to be for the entire time. No one way back to Sanford... But the hotel gives free parking along with the 4 dollar transfer so that was even bettter. I did cancel the disney room. I am all the way back to being very excited!!! Thanks again!!

 

[kcashner]

Thank you all sooooo much! I rented a car but it had to be for the entire time. No one way back to Sanford... But the hotel gives free parking along with the 4 dollar transfer so that was even bettter. I did cancel the disney room. I am all the way back to being very excited!!! Thanks again!!

If you want to save a bit of money and possibly make the transfer easier, you can have the driver take the family and luggage to the terminal, then go back to the hotel to park and ride the shuttle. This way you only have to pay for one shuttle fare and the family can be checking in while the driver is shuttling over. If you are not comfortable splitting up the group, just put the whole gang on the shuttle.