Airport hotel or Port/Cocoa Beach hotel night before cruise?

[xiphoid76]

Does anyone have any advice on the following choice: We are flying in the evening before the cruise...we can either stay at airport hotel and then in the morning take an UberX to the Port. Or go directly to a Port/Cocoa Beach hotel and then go the Port in the morning. Option A requires waking up a bit earlier and getting an Uber but would only cost around 30 dollars. Option B would allow us to sleep in the morning of the cruise, but prevents a challenge of how to get to the hotel (only UberBlack is allowed at MCO which costs 100-150 - or another shuttle).
Also, any advice on hotels by the airport? Thanks all!

 

[openwater]

With OPTION B, can you rent a one-way car to the beach area? Some pay less than $60. If you are hesitant to drive I can assure you it is very easy to navigate to the beach! I assume you will be arriving early enough to enjoy the beach location a bit? Otherwise OPTION A makes sense.

With OPTION A you will not smell the ocean when you wake up or watch the cruise ships come and go or feel the soft sand of Cocoa Beach between your toes – but you can experience the commercial wonderland that is Orlando! Many cruisers head to Disney Springs for an evening of dining, shopping and entertainment – not a cheap outing but more affordable than the amusement parks!

Just pick one of many hotels just to the north of the airport.

I doubt that UberX will only cost $30 from Orlando Airport hotels. The app says $47 (not sure if tolls are included) but wonder if you and your luggage will fit in UberX cars? To Port Canaveral from airport hotels you have 3 options other than rental cars, Uber, etc:

1. Many transportation companies will pick you at the airport hotels for your port transfer. Cortrans has a good reputation for affordable shared transfers if you want to save money.
2. Several of the hotels offer packages with your room. Just select an hotel and ask! For example, the Hampton Inn offers a Bon Voyage Package that costs about $17 per person to the Port and back – $34 total per person!
3. If you prefer to book cruise line transportation then it makes perfect sense to stay in Orlando near the airport. You can use free hotel airport shuttle vans back to the airport to connect with the cruise line buses, rental cars or shuttles/limo services to Port Canaveral.

One hotel stands out – The Hyatt Regency at Orlando Airport on level 4, above the security entrance to gates 60-129.

TIP – For a small fee they will collect your luggage and deliver to your room! But here is the really cool thing for Disney Cruisers – at check-in, remind them you are on a Disney Cruise so you can be added to their transfer list. They will hand you a Disney luggage form. When it is time to depart, leave your luggage in the room and take the Disney form to the Welcome Center at Terminal B from where you will be escorted to your Disney bus. Your luggage will show up in your cabin a bit later in the day!

 

[bumbershoot]

Some have said that you can get X by calling them to the Hyatt Regency at MCO, not to MCO itself.

I'd get a rental car (get on 528 with some ones and quarters and go due east until you see the signs...once you're there, continue down Atlantic until you see your hotel or see the military base gates) and head to Canaveral that evening, personally.

 

[CherylA]

Agreed, rental car and hotel in Cocoa beach. It's a great area, we have grown to love Cocoa Beach in its own right and that's just from before cruise stays. The pre cruise stays keep increasing in number of nights!

 

[olookasquirrel]

I'm going to put in a vote for the airport - we were faced with this same decision. I went with airport in case we were delayed - our flights come in later afternoon. I just thought: if we are delayed more than an hour, I'm going to be EXHAUSTED (travelling with a 2 year old), never mind an Epic Delay that happens all the time. I figured it would be a lot easier to grab the hotel shuttle and collapse. Plus, for our flights, even if we did get in on time, by the time we got our bags, got dinner, etc, there wouldn't really be time to enjoy the beach before having to put the little guy to bed.

I'm also coordinating a larger group, so of course the logic is different if you're with a small group and planning to arrive early in the day. First flight out plus a port adjacent hotel = full beach day!

 

[squirk]

I guess it depends on how late your flight gets in and how long you'll have been traveling that day. If you are completely wiped out and aren't looking forward to a 45-60 minute drive (whether by Uber or driving yourself), then maybe Option B is out of the question?

Our preference is to stay in a PC or CB hotel the night before. We grab an early breakfast at Simply Delicious (very much worth getting up early for), and then hit the port right afterwards. I think I'd be super-antsy on embarkation day having to drive an hour to PC.

Like @bumbershoot, I also have heard (but have no first-hand experience) that you can call UberX specifically to the Hyatt to work around the MCO Uber restrictions. I would consider that, so you don't have to worry about turning in the car the next morning.