A different "night before" question

[Cruise]

I've decided for sure that we're flying in the night before. Last time we flew in the day of the cruise and there were no problems, but thinking back on it, I see what could have gone wrong. I'm also pretty sure we'll be renting a car to get from MCO to the port.

So, my question is.... would it be more advantageous to stay the night before at MCO and then drive to the port the morning of the cruise, or drive to the port and spend the night there? Or does it really even make a difference?

I'm thinking we'll probably want to make a shopping stop as well.

Any opinions?

Julie

 

[Jobro2]

Personally, we preferred renting a car at MCO the day before when we landed, and drove to the Radisson where we stayed the night. There is a grocery store nearby where we went and got beer and then spent the rest of the afternoon by their pool...ate dinner at the neat restaurant next door and grabbed the Radisson shuttle the next am to the port. We plan on doing the same thing again in June.

 

[Michelle]

It depends on how late you get in. We usually arrive late in the evening after a cross-country flight and it is much more convenient just to stay at the Hyatt IN the airport (or one of the nearby hotels).

If you're arriving earlier in the day then sure, go ahead and go stay somewhere near the port and do your grocery stop along the way.

 

[disboo]

Don't forget to try Priceline to find a REALLY great del on a hotel room. We are staying at a 3 star hotel near the hotel for $29 for one night - and have confirmed that they will allow 4 adults in the room.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Ditto on Michelle's response. I'd want to get to the port area the night before unless my arrival at MCO was really late. You can do all the shopping you need to at the port area.

I have a few pages at my web site that might be useful...

<nl><li><a href="http://www.dcltribute.com/spacecoast"><font color=blue>Space Coast map and business locater</font></a><li><a href="http://www.dcltribute.com/lodging"><font color=blue>Lodging near the port</font></a><li><a href="http://www.dcltribute.com/lodging/MCO"><font color=blue>Lodging near MCO</font></a><li><a href="http://www.dcltribute.com/carhire"><font color=blue>Info about one-way car rentals</font></a></nl>

 

[Cruise]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

It seems like getting to the port the night before the cruise might be the best option. One reason I was looking at the airport area was due to the fact you can get a room on priceline there, but not at Port Canaveral. However, you can get a room in Cocoa Beach from priceline.

I was wary of booking a room in Cocoa Beach to begin with because mapquest seems to think the drive time between Cocoa Beach and the port is 30 minutes. However, mapblast says it's 10 minutes. Anyone have any real experience with the drive time to the port?

Also... any options on the Hilton or the Doubletree? Dave's site says the Hilton might be somewhat disappointing.

Thanks!
Julie

 

[AnnMorin]

Unfortuneatly we did not think this through and got a room at the airport (amersuites) and now that we are renting a car I have all these visions of things happening that morning and not making it to the dock. (I know I AM a compulsive planner) hubby thought I was nutso when I suggested "eating" the 49.00 we paid to hotwire and rebooking at the raddison so we stay where we are. How long does it take to get to Avis from Amerisuites at MCO? I want to allow alot of time for trafic jams etc.

 

[Michelle]

Ann, you'll have PLENTY of time to get to the port that morning, it's only about a 50-minute drive from the airport. I wouldn't spend the extra money to get a room by the port since you already have the Amerisuites locked in.

Unless there is a shuttle launch that morning there ARE no traffic jams on the Beeline heading to the port. In fact your biggest worry will be not to get a SPEEDING ticket because it's so easy to go FAST getting there.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by Cruise

You can get a room in Cocoa Beach from priceline.

I was wary of booking a room in Cocoa Beach to begin with because mapquest seems to think the drive time between Cocoa Beach and the port is 30 minutes. However, mapblast says it's 10 minutes. Anyone have any real experience with the drive time to the port?

Dave's site says the Hilton might be somewhat disappointing.

Any hotel you end up with in Cocoa Beach will be no more than 10-12 minutes from the port.

Dave's site says the Hilton might be somewhat disappointing.

Just to clarify on that comment, there's no reason to <i>stay away</i> from the Hilton... it's just that I expect a better-than-the-other-hotels experience when I stay in a hotel that brands itself like Hilton does. I didn't see anything at this Hilton that told me that I'd be any less happy at some of the other properties in the area. If you got the Hilton on Priceline or Hotwire, you'd be absolutely fine with this property.

 

[inkkognito]

We usually fly in rather late the night before, since we typically work that day and just leave a little early so we don't have to use a vacation day. When we get to Orlando, we pretty much want a nice dinner and some shut-eye, so we always stay at an MCO-area hotel. We use either Priceline for Hotwire and pay between $28 and $33. Only once was the hotel kinda sleazy...usually we get really nice ones, including the Renaissance once for $28. The hotel is almost always within walking distance of lots of restaurants. Then we take Happy Limo to the port in the morning. I know there is some potential for not making it to the port on time, but they usually know if there is an accident or some type of backup and could take an alternate route if necessary (this has never happened to us, but our driver mentioned it once). We like having a good night's sleep and then getting an early start.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[FOJMO]

Living in Tampa, we usually can drive to Port Canaveral the same day, but we always take off the day before the cruise to get ready and stay somewhere overnight. In the past we've stayed at Disney resort, but next May, we're going to drive to Port Canaveral and stay at the Hampton Inn. We got the Cruise Package deal that's mentioned in DavefromMarietta's website. It's $105 for the night and has a king bed and a sofa bed for our teenaged girls. It also has a microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, and is oceanfront. Most importantly to our girls, it's near Ron Jon's Surf Shop -- their favorite! But, contrary to Dave's website, it states that this package is only available by calling the hotel. But, we booked it last week online and had no problem! The package lets you keep your car at the hotel and take a port shuttle and you save on the parking at the port.