Airport/Port Questions From a New Cruiser

[claire797]

My husband and I will be going on our first cruise in February (The Wonder) with our 18 month old daughter. We can't wait! What I'm trying to do now is plan transportation from Austin, TX.

Does anyone have any advice as to which airport we should fly into? Whether or not it's a good idea to get to Port Canaveral a day ahead of time and stay at a hotel? And, well, just some general logistics of coordinating air travel with the cruise?

I'm guessing we'll use Southwest Airlines since their rates are cheaper.

 

[albiats]

The Orlando Airport is the most convenient to use. It's a major airport and being close to one of the most popular destinations, there are lots of flights from lots of places from lots of carriers.

They also have good transportation from Orlando to the Port. DCL has their transfer buses for the day of the cruise and there are several limo services available for service on any day. Many people find it very convenient to rent a car at the airport and there are several places that will allow you to return the car and then have some type of arrangement to get you to the Port, or to reimburse for taxi fare. They also don't have the one-way drop off charge.

Many people find it very convenient to get to the Port a day earlier, and many find the Radisson Resort at the Port to be a good choice. First, getting to the Port a day early lets you allow for travel delays or problems and to resolve them. You can then get up and use the hotel's shuttle service to get to the ship and be one of the first to board.

There is a lot of useful information at Dave from Marietta's website about the airport, rental cars, and hotels near the airport and Port Canaveral. Here's a link to his site:Dave's DCL Tribute Site

hope that helps

 

[Katesdad]

Guess I would have to second the thought of getting there the day before. Especially in February when the weather can turn rather quickly. Dave's site has many fine references to where you can stay. Check it out.

 

[Mike Bartenhagen]

I am going to third the thought of getting there the day before. Our first Disney cruise we fleew into Orlando the day of the departure of the crusie. Our first flight our of Omaha was cancelled and it made for a very hectic first day. This year we are coming in the day before the cruise.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

If you were doing a land/sea through Disney I wouldn't be as concerned but doing just sea I'd have to chime in on getting there a day early.

 

[atigeg]

We used to always fly in the day of our cruise, but ever since 9/11 we have been flying in a day early. Besides the weather, you never know when a sleeping screener or some other sort of security breach might shut an airport down. We fly into Orlando and get a cheap hotel room near MCO via either Hotwire or Priceline. We typically pay between $27 and $33, including free shuttle and breakfast. Then we take Happy Limo to the port the next morning. Since we sometimes arrive kind of late, we prefer to wait till the next morning to head out to the port. That way we get right to our hotel room, get a good night's sleep, and still get there plenty early.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

There are three airports within an hour's drive of the port... Orlando (MCO), Melbourne (MLB), and Sanford/Orlando (SFB), but of those three, Southwest only flies into Orlando. Orlando's airport is 47 miles from the port.

The car-rental option has been previously discussed... if you were willing to drive a little further, you could possibly find cheaper fares by flying into one of the other cities that Southwest flies into.

Tampa (TPA) is 140 miles or 2:20 from the port.

West Palm Beach (PBI) is 152 miles or 2:21 from the port.

Jacksonville (JAX) is 178 miles or 2:45 from the port.

Have fun with your planning.

 

[claire797]

Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for the advice. Yesterday I was going back and forth about this -- that is, whether to get there early or whether to zip down the Bee Line and make it to Port on time.

Based on what you all have said, I have made a decision to get there a day early and check out Dave's tribute site to find a hotel to stay at. I think that will make things a lot less hectic -- especially since we're traveling with a baby.