1st cruise ever....need expertise lol

[Santana5]

Hello!

I am a planner and worrier so everything needs to be well thought out and done in advance so I have questions lol. I have searched the boards but can’t find the exact answers I am looking for so I am asking here. I’m sure that my questions have been answered a million times so I appreciate the advise.

My husband, 16 year old daughter and I have a Disney 4 night cruise booked for Feb 7 - Feb 11. This will be our first time cruising. Upon return we will be venturing on to Disney World staying at Art of Animation for a week and I am at a loss and would like some guidance/input about the first leg of our journey.
We will be flying into MCO on Feb 6/21 around 5pm. We will be checking in somewhere the night before to play it safe.

1) Hotel - Is it better to stay in Orlando and find a way to Port Canaveral the next Morning? Or should we venture down towards the Port that night and get a hotel there? Any recommendations on hotels for either places?

2) Getting there – Best/Cheapest way of getting to the port? We don’t want to rent a car so what would be our cheapest option? Do certain hotels have free shuttles from Orlando?

3) When we disembark on Feb 11 we will need transportation from the ship to our hotel. Best way to go about this? I have looked (obviously not visiting the right sites) and I can’t seem to find a way/option to take us to the resort. I can find lots of info on the resorts to the port but not visa versa.

I’m sure I will have a few more questions as the date approaches and I appreciate any input that you can provide.

Thanks!

 

[Sykes]

If you want to make your life easy, you can just purchase ground transfers from Disney for $39 per person each way. It's not the cheapest option, but with 3 people it's pretty reasonable and it's super easy. If you went that route you'd need to stay overnight in Orlando on your arrival as the Disney transfers are only offered on embarkation day. The Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport is a bit pricey but super convenient for that--the hotel is inside the terminal so it's a very short walk once you get off the plane, and Disney coordinates the transfers from the hotel to Port Canaveral. Disney also does transfers from the Port to any Disney World hotel.

If you want to save a bit of money, there are a bunch of companies that offer independent shuttle services that are about half the price (but I haven't used any so I don't have personal recommendation). Private car service is also a pretty reasonable option and will probably run about the same price as the Disney bus (or maybe a little bit more).

 

[HiStitch626]

1. Arriving at 5 gives you two options. The easiest is to stay at the Hyatt in the airport. There are a number of hotels close to MCO that have free airport shuttles. You could also go out to the Port Canaveral area, but by the time you get out there, it will be dark.
We like the Hyatt, they have good restaurants and you can also eat in the airport if you wish.

2. Disney does transfers from MCO to the port and from the port to the resorts. This would be $78 for both legs per person. You might also look at private transfers. There are a number of companies in Orlando. Happy Limo and Tiffany Town Car get pretty good reviews. Those services also offer a quick grocery stop on the way, which the bus does not. I am not aware of any hotel in Orlando that would offer a free shuttle to the port.

If you decide to go out to the port the evening you arrive with private transfers, there are port hotels who offer shuttles to the cruise terminal. These may be free or have a small cost.

3. To the resort you can use Disney transfers or arrange private transfers to pick you up.

The easiest option will be to stay at the Hyatt and use Disney transfers both to and from the port.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I am not aware of any hotel in Orlando that would offer a free shuttle to the port.

It's worth mentioning that the ride to port from Orlando proper is a pretty big one. There are many paid shuttles from various hotels that are cheaper than the DCL bus, but they are paid shuttles - it's a 40-mile drive!

 

[Cheburashka]

The easiest thing to do is to stay at the airport Hyatt hotel and take the Disney transfer bus round trip between the airport & the port. There are cheaper options, but you can't beat the convenience. The Hyatt is a nice hotel, too. You can book it on your own or via DCL.

 

[Capt_BJ]

The easiest thing to do is to stay at the airport Hyatt hotel and take the Disney transfer bus round trip between the airport & the port. There are cheaper options, but you can't beat the convenience. The Hyatt is a very nice hotel, too. You can book it on your own or via DCL.

agree 110% ... for first time cruisers looking for least stress (and less concerned about $) this is my recommendation. when you are 'seasoned cruisers' you'll find ways to save money or explore more. BUT for cruise one I recommend 'leave the driving to us.'

p.s. we use the airport hotel routinely. Even as a Canaveral local and leaving the car in long term parking ... if the flight is a late arrival we'll book a room at the hotel and MCO and know that the drive home in the morning will be fully awake.

 

[Weedy]

The Hyatt in the airport is the most convenient but of course the most $$.
There are a ton of hotels near MCO and lots of restaurants nearby.
I usually recommend staying in Port Canaveral the night before your cruise.
But because you don’t get in until 5:00 by the time you get your luggage it will be close to 6:00. I think it would be more relaxing to get a hotel near the airport get some dinner and just relax.
Most of the hotels near the airport will have a shuttle to pick you up.
If you book transportation through Disney they start picking up at MCO in the morning. It only runs the day of your cruise and goes directly to the cruise terminal.
You should be able to catch a shuttle back to MCO from your hotel. When you use Disney transportation to the port you don’t need to pick a Port Arrival Time (PAT).
They serve lunch the first day and the pools and bars are open so it’s nice to get there a little early. It is taking a little longer to board now because of covid testing so be sure to eat a little before getting to the port. There is no where to get food except a few vending machines.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

As mentioned above, Hyatt MCO should be your first choice, but there are tons of other options right outside the Airport that are typically cheaper. Just make sure you are looking for "Orlando International Airport" hotels, almost all should have a free shuttle. Most hotels in this area are an easy walk to restaurants in the area with lots of options to choose from.

Personally, I recommend the Disney Busses, but as mentioned above, it never hurts to shop around for private cars etc and see if you can get a cheaper price. I would definitely encourage you to take the Disney Shuttles back to the resort. They are normally the cheapest option you can find to get to WDW.

A word of warning, although uber/lyft are popular they have been outrageously priced in Orlando lately due to driver shortages. (I live in Orlando.) Friends last week who were staying at Coronado Springs said that Uber wanted $115 to get to the airport which should usually be about $30-$40. If you are looking at going to to Canaveral the night before, make sure to research the private cars as that is a cheaper option. As someone else mentioned, its a 40-50 min ride to the port from MCO.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Agree, Hyatt at MCO is your best option. Check to see if you have any credit cards/reward points that will help with the cost of the hotel.

 

[lanejudy]

The Hyatt in the airport is the most convenient but of course the most $$.
There are a ton of hotels near MCO and lots of restaurants nearby.

This. The Hyatt is super-convenient, but there are other less expensive hotels very close to MCO. Those will have shuttles between MCO and the hotel, which you can take again back to MCO in the morning to catch DCL transfers to port.

DCL transfers are pricey as well, but again super convenient. For a party of 3, probably the only thing less expensive is a rental car.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

FWIW we used a cheaper hotel (also near cheaper food for the night, free brekkie in the AM) and Cortrans, and it was fine.

https://www.cortrans-shuttle.com/

 

[Joe Brig]

If your plans are flexible, I would do Disney World first, then take Disney transport from the resort to the port. A Disney cruise is a relaxing vacation from the craziness of the parks.

 

[insureman]

I'm with the above poster about doing WDW first but if not we usually stay at the Marriott Fairfield Airport the day before and use the free shuttle to get back to the airport for DCL transportation. Free breakfast too and good rates. Link below
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcofa-fairfield-inn-orlando-airport/

 

[tvguy]

There are a dozen hotels on Augusta National Drive just off the Orlando Airport property. MUCH cheaper than the Hyatt in the airport and most throw in a free breakfast. And since you are arriving at dinner time, there are a cluster of restaurants within walking distance. All these hotels have shuttles that will take you to the hotel, and take you to the Disney bus pickup spot the next morning. I would also recommend Disney transportation to the port. We stayed at the Marriott ourselves.

 

[Santana5]

Wow I am so appreciative of all the responses! Thank you everyone

 

[mevelandry]

1) There is no bad choice… but we like the Hyatt at the airport. Comfy and practical.
2) We had good service with Go Port and it was affordable.
3) Check if DCL still offer transportation between the port and your WDW hotel. It’s not gonna be free but last time we used them, it wasn’t that bad (36$/pp or so)