Post cruise logistics/ideas

[Kittylover513]

We are from CA and will be cruising from PC in February, 1st time.

We decided to book a return flight early evening Sunday after the cruise gets in. I'm trying to figure out what to do between the ships return and our departure Sunday. I don't think we'll go to disneyworld, not enough time. We have friends in the Orlando area we could probably visit part of the time, but what else should we consider doing?

Can we rent a car close to the cruise terminal, since we won't be going back to the airport yet.

Any suggestions?

Thaks!

 

[dpswift]

What we did was rent a car and we drove back to Orlando. We played mini golf, had lunch and did some shopping. On the day before we went on our cruise we did Downtown Disney.

Looking back I wish that we had gone to Animal Kingdom that day. I just did not want to spend that much money.

Other ideas would be Kennedy Space Center or an airboat ride.

 

[silkie8]

We, too, have early evening flight out of MCO after leaving the Dream. What we decided to do was "decompress" and just relax at Hyatt MCO. We booked a room for the day for about $100, we will let the kids take a nap.... hopefully use the rooftop pool.....have a nice lunch. And be ready for the 3-hour flight home.

 

[Kittylover513]

We do have one extra day though...all day Saturday and 1/2 day Sunday.


Are there car rental places right near the port? I think it would make the, most sense to rent a car

 

[The Lorax]

There are a few one way rental options w/shuttle service from the cruise port (Budget does not charge a 1-way fee not sure of others) You have time to do any park, but it might be a rushed day. We have capped of souvenir shopping @ Downtown Disney to make sure we have everyone covered. A little more leisurely end to the trip.
I like the mini golf idea, or maybe a nice meal.

 

[UCFGrad01]

What about booking a night at a Disney resort? You could go shopping at Downtown Disney, hit up some mini golf, and then just relax around the pool and/or resort.

 

[amejiajr8]

I have over a year to plan but these are great ideas. Seriously thinking about renting a car for the week and just parking it so it will be there when I get back. I like the lunch at downtown disney idea

 

[Julz226]

Rent a car if you're staying overnight. Agreed that Downtown Disney is nice if you don't want to go into a park. It's shopping, restaurants, etc.

DisneyQuest is also a good option for a half-day - it's right at Downtown Disney.

SeaWorld and LegoLand are both (a little) more budget friendly than the Disney Parks. There is also lots of outlet shopping in the area and iDrive with the tackiest of tacky tourist attractions, from indoor skydiving, Ripley's Believe it Or Not, Sky Coaster, etc....

Might be worthwhile to check into one of the nicer Disney resorts... Most have fantastic pools. IMHO, Disney's Beach Club has the best swimming pool, and access to all of the Boardwalk amenities as well. It's walking distance to the back entrance of EPCOT.

 

[schmaksi]

I live in Kissimmee near Orlando. If you want a nice quiet CHEAP afternoon, the lakefront in Kissimmee or St. Cloud is a beautiful way to spend it. Pack a lunch. There are picnic tables, playground, beautiful views of the lake and wildlife. St Cloud also has a water pad and a Sand beach on the lakefront along with a lakeside restaurant.

 

[JohnDS]

If your going to be in Kissimmee check out Gatorland. We go every few years. They have fun shows, it's not expensive and you can do it in half a day.

 

[NHKristy76]

We're flying in to MCO early on Friday and cruising on our first cruise on Sunday.

I'm trying to figure out the logistics and its so hard to choose!

Considering Disney so we can do ME from the airport... But then parks or no parks? Value or deluxe?

Stay over at Universal and do IOA? But that means more $ for transfers...

Stay down near the Port and do Kennedy Space Center?

Ugh!! Too much to choose from!!

 

[Kittylover513]

Bumping this up...we have a month to figure out what to do for 2 days after the cruise (the airline changed our return flight so we'll pretty much have the whole weekend in Florida)

I don't think we'll want to do disney...kids will be too exhausted after the cruise...space center would be cool but looking too expensive

Other ideas??

 

[racingfandj]

Bumping this up...we have a month to figure out what to do for 2 days after the cruise (the airline changed our return flight so we'll pretty much have the whole weekend in Florida) I don't think we'll want to do disney...kids will be too exhausted after the cruise...space center would be cool but looking too expensive Other ideas??

Last January we went to Blue Spring State Park to see the manatees. Admission to the park wasn't too much. We decided while there to take a river cruise from the service offered there. It was awesome and one of the highlights of our whole vacation! That was a little bit more and something to plan for, but nothing like buying theme park tickets. It's was a 90 minute narrated ride up the river on a pontoon boat with a guide pointing out birds, gators, manatees and all sorts of interesting points. Definitely worth the drive out to the park! Jill

 

[Kittylover513]

That sounds neat, thanks!

 

[algae]

Most of the time we usually get 2 one-way car rentals. Not cheap, but cheaper than renting the whole week and parking at the port. Having the rental car gave us the flexibility to do these in the 1.5 days after the cruise on different occasions:

- hung out on 528 to watch the Space Shuttle take off--ok, that was not really planned, but we got really lucky with the timing. Before the cruise, we were at KSC and we heard they were rescheduling a launch for the day our cruise got back to port;

- went to Universal to check out the Harry Potter area--pretty cool, and get the frozen Butter Beer!

- stayed at the Bay Lake Towers to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Top of the World lounge, then went to Animal Kingdom Lodge to just hang out and watch animals for a while the next day. Can also play a round or two of mini golf at the 2 different mini golf courses. Check out the Art of Animation Resort decorations--pretty impressive.

We've been using Avis for one-way rentals over there with good results both at the airport and at their Cocoa Beach office near the port.

 

[JohnDS]

Bumping this up...we have a month to figure out what to do for 2 days after the cruise (the airline changed our return flight so we'll pretty much have the whole weekend in Florida)

I don't think we'll want to do disney...kids will be too exhausted after the cruise...space center would be cool but looking too expensive

Other ideas??

If your interested in the space center There is a lengthy thread involving people getting free tickets from their congress person. We personally didn't have any luck but it seems that many people have been able to get them. It's a great place to visit if you can.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I have a minivan reserved for the weekend before and weekend after. I priced out one-ways for each half, and it wasn't cost effective (even with good coupon codes and factoring cruise parking) so we ended up reserving it for the full time. If I find a better deal, I'll snatch it. Otherwise, at least I got something...

Also we found that a lot of sales for hotels were going on right after New Year's. I got suites for us at Royal Parc (with restaurant hot and cold breakfast buffet included and free park shuttles) for almost 20% off. Sure enough, the day after I booked, they went up. When they say "book by such and such," they mean it!

I'm every bit as excited for our Land as I am our Sea. I can't imagine skipping a Disney park, even if it was only HS or EP for one day. It costs too much to get to Orlando, so you might as well make the most of it while you are there.

I can't wait for our family anniversary dinner at Italy EP!

 

[Kittylover513]

I guess Epcot or AK would be a possibility but we will have to be at the airport by like 6pm Sunday so it seems like too much maybe