Need advice/help with transportation

[aquafamily]

Hope someone can give us some advice...
We are a family of three taking a disney cruise July 2011.
Looking at staying at the country inn and suites in port canaveral prior to our cruise. Where we need advice is what is our best option for getting from the airport to the hotel before the cruise, and for getting from port back to the airport after the cruise..
We don't have our flights booked yet, but we assume it is cheaper in the long run to fly into orlando than it is to fly into melbourne.
Any advice/options will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Illini_Fan]

I didn't price flights into Melbourne, but I made the same assumption you did -- namely that flying into Orlando would be cheaper.

We (family of four) did a one-way Avis rental from Orlando to Port Canaveral. Overnight stay at Port Canaveral hotel and then dropped the car at Avis the morning of the cruise. Took the shuttle to port. It was very easy.

Return was the same just in reverse.

One way rental with all fees was under $45.

 

[pluto1979]

I would agree with the poster above but can also add that if you want to relax after the cruise and want the full DCL experience you can add on 1 way transfers from the port to the airport. This way you and your family will be able to get off the ship and into a bus while being able to enjoy a movie when heading back to the airport. It is just a nice way to end the cruise. It is more expensive then renting a car but it is also much easier and less time consuming.

Have a great cruise!

 

[clawmachine]

Hope someone can give us some advice...
We are a family of three taking a disney cruise July 2011.
Looking at staying at the country inn and suites in port canaveral prior to our cruise. Where we need advice is what is our best option for getting from the airport to the hotel before the cruise, and for getting from port back to the airport after the cruise..
We don't have our flights booked yet, but we assume it is cheaper in the long run to fly into orlando than it is to fly into melbourne.
Any advice/options will be greatly appreciated!

We are doing the exact same thing. Your best bet would definitely be to fly into MCO (Orlando) and it's only about an hour and 15 mins from the port hotels. Since it sounds like you are coming in the day before your cruise, you will not be able to use Disney transfers on the way over, only on the way back. Getting a car service seems to be the most pleasant and efficient way to get back and forth. If you are using a participating airline (see list in WIKI) then you may want to use the Disney transfers just for the way back so that your bags can be checked all the way through from the ship to the airport. We are using Southwest and they do not participate with this service, so we plan to hire a round trip car service. I have looked into Happy Limo and Spaceport Transport and their prices for roundtrip (family of 5) run $200-$250 with Spaceport being less expensive and offering car seats at no additional charge. hth!

 

[jilljill]

You can look at the FAQ sticky thread at the top of the boards and find links/info for rental car companies and Town Car services.