Best places to stay pretty precruise night (Disney resort vs Hyatt mco vs misc).

[khenders78]

This will be our third cruise. we will be will be flying in to Orlando the night before. We whave never staye at a disney resort, but are considering it to get the experience for one precruise night. Is it worth the extra money for moderate resort for one one night? WE will get to the airport at 515 pm. Considering resort vs Hyatt airport vs other options. If you do recommend moderate resort , which is a nice moderate? Don't have any ground transportation booked yet so open to suggestions.

 

[Marc D]

The only reason I would stay at WDW is if you already like a particular resort or if you have time to spend in a park. Otherwise, you'll loose time getting there, and getting to the ship for not much else than sightseeing. A Disney resort in itself, without the parks, is not much more than another hotel, unless you think of the theming of places like POP or AoA. You can still catch a cab to Disney Springs if you want to see a bit of WDW and have a nice meal.

Staying at the Hyatt is the easiest thing to do. You will be in your room 10 minutes after getting your luggage. The next morning, you leave the luggage in the room and get it back at your stateroom.

If you still would want to stay at WDW, I would stay at Port Orleans. There are boats to Disney Springs from that resort.

 

[Dug720]

There are cheaper - but nice - options around the airport than the Hyatt. I personally have stayed at the Hampton Inn Gateway twice and my parents have stayed there at least twice. Super nice staff, clean, free breakfast, and free shuttle to and from the airport.

I am pondering staying at WDW before my Pres Week 2018 cruise just because I have a couple more days and would like to chill and do Disney Springs (but the boats on smelly water is not a draw for me) - and I'm not THAT obsessed with "MUST be on the ship ASAP" as other than signing up for tastings - which I don't HAVE to do - there isn't really anything I need to rush for. It's a 7-night, and I already know that I won't be able to do everything - plus I'm not really a pool person (I'm a beach person). So no need to rush.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We are staying at WDW for one night before our cruise in July at the French Quarter. Our flight gets in around 9am. No park tickets, just going to hang by the pool and do Disney Springs. We will take the Magical Express and do transfers to the ship the next morning-family of 4. We have also done the MCO Hyatt before our cruise-flight got in around 7pm. This was relaxing as we just grabbed our bags and headed upstairs. In the morning, transfers to port. Finally, we have rented a car and driven to Port Canaveral and stayed at the Residence Inn. Once again an early morning flight. Plenty of time to pick up bags and car, so no rushing. So for us, later flight+stay near or at airport=more relaxing start to vacation. Early flight-stay at port/wdw

 

[mevelandry]

I'm a fan of the moderate resorts. My favorite would be Port Orleans Riverside. But you can also get some Deluxe resorts for a little bit more $ like Animal Kingdom Lodge (awesome resort) and then use the DCL shuttle to go to PC.

 

[Lita]

We prefer to stay close to the port. Our last cruise, we stayed at the Homewood Suites and you can literally see the ships from the hotel. This will be our go to going forward. We like to get up and go in the morning. The convenience can't be beat. It is also nice to go to a restaurant on the pier the night before.

 

[Shanti]

This will be our third cruise. we will be will be flying in to Orlando the night before. We whave never staye at a disney resort, but are considering it to get the experience for one precruise night. Is it worth the extra money for moderate resort for one one night? WE will get to the airport at 515 pm. Considering resort vs Hyatt airport vs other options. If you do recommend moderate resort , which is a nice moderate? Don't have any ground transportation booked yet so open to suggestions.

We like to get on the ship asap, and for that priority, booking the MCO Hyatt via DCL and using DCL transfers is the best option, as you can get to the port early and won't be tied to a PAT.

The Hyatt is also just a really nice hotel: comfortable, attractive, clean, with good service, good food options. A room there is more spacious and comfortable than a deluxe WDW resort room, but much less expensive.

 

[TestingH2O]

I personally have stayed at the Hampton Inn Gateway twice and my parents have stayed there at least twice. Super nice staff, clean, free breakfast, and free shuttle to and from the airport.

I am currently at the Homewood Suites right across the parking lot from the Hampton Inn. Same things Dug mentioned and the two hotels share a free shuttle to and from the airport. We are using private transportation this time, but we used DCL transfers last time. The morning was super easy and they let us make reservations for a specific morning time.

 

[njmom76]

There are cheaper - but nice - options around the airport than the Hyatt. I personally have stayed at the Hampton Inn Gateway twice and my parents have stayed there at least twice. Super nice staff, clean, free breakfast, and free shuttle to and from the airport.

I am pondering staying at WDW before my Pres Week 2018 cruise just because I have a couple more days and would like to chill and do Disney Springs (but the boats on smelly water is not a draw for me) - and I'm not THAT obsessed with "MUST be on the ship ASAP" as other than signing up for tastings - which I don't HAVE to do - there isn't really anything I need to rush for. It's a 7-night, and I already know that I won't be able to do everything - plus I'm not really a pool person (I'm a beach person). So no need to rush.

Are you doing the 3 night cruise over Pres Day weekend? We just booked it! Our first time on DCL.

 

[Dug720]

Are you doing the 3 night cruise over Pres Day weekend? We just booked it! Our first time on DCL.

7-night Wonder.

Have a blast on your first cruise!!

 

[Debbie Torres]

Personally .... I would stay closer to the port or at the airport . You probably won't get checked in until almost 6:30 or 7:00. You might get to see a little of the hotel and a little of Disney Springs but it will mean you are up late and may not get much rest . But it is only my opinion if you really want to stay at a Disney then go for it . It is an experience you will enjoy . I live only an hour and a half from Disney and two hours from the port so I drive over the morning of . Enjoy your trip .

 

[disneyfaninaz]

When we cruised out of PC, we would spend the night before at the Port Orleans resort and take the boat to (then) Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping. We would then enjoy the resort in the morning before boarding the DCL bus to our cruise. It was a great way to get in the Disney mood. Coming all the way from AZ, I couldn't be that close to WDW and not go.

 

[dxander]

We like to get on the ship asap, and for that priority, booking the MCO Hyatt via DCL and using DCL transfers is the best option, as you can get to the port early and won't be tied to a PAT.

How do you go about booking the Hyatt through DCL?

 

[Shanti]

How do you go about booking the Hyatt through DCL?

Call DCL and tell them you'd like to book a pre-night stay at the MCO Hyatt. They'll add the cost to your cruise fare (if you're already past the PIF date, you'll pay while making the call). You will not pay the Hyatt directly, which is another bonus of having DCL book it- no worries about hotel costs (beyond tips) during the vacation.

 

[Dizzyworld]

We like to get on the ship asap, and for that priority, booking the MCO Hyatt via DCL and using DCL transfers is the best option, as you can get to the port early and won't be tied to a PAT.

The Hyatt is also just a really nice hotel: comfortable, attractive, clean, with good service, good food options. A room there is more spacious and comfortable than a deluxe WDW resort room, but much less expensive.

How did you book the MCO Hyatt via DCL? When I call they are clueless about what I am talking about.

 

[Elizakapeka]

we are a family of 5, when my TA called they told me I had to get two rooms since 5 was their maximum occupancy. Does anyone have any experience with this? When I made my original reservation I booked a 2 queen for all 5 of us, zabria the Hyatt agent told me it was fine to have 5 in that room since my 3 can all share a queen for the night. That would cost way too much

 

[Partyof4LA]

We flew in the afternoon before our first cruise and we did a one way car rental to cape canaveral. We stayed at the Hampton inn, which was walking distance to a (not so great in my opinion) beach. The kids had fun playing in the sand. We had dinner at a restaurant near the pier. Overall, it was a nice relaxing afternoon. It was really nice to wake up a little late the morning of our cruise and not have an hour drive ahead of us to get to port. Dropping the rental car off and catching the 5minute shuttle to port was pretty easy. If I had a flight the day before I would do this again.
This past cruise, we flew in around 10pm 2 days before. We had all day Friday in Florida. We stayed 2 nights at Coronado Springs (moderate WDW resort) and did one full park day, rope drop to park close. It was exhausting but we had fun. We had to wake up fairly early to have time for breakfast before our private transportation arrived to drive us to port.
If we didn't have the whole day between flight landing and start of cruise, I wouldn't stay at a WDW resort before the cruise. It's a lot of travel time in the wrong direction to get from the airport to the resort. Without a full park day, it just wouldn't be worth it to me.

 

[Shanti]

How did you book the MCO Hyatt via DCL? When I call they are clueless about what I am talking about.

You call DCL and say, "I want to book a pre-cruise night at a hotel." They should then ask you which one, and you say you want to book the airport (MCO) Hyatt.

I have done this multiple times for past and future cruises with no issue, so maybe you had a brand new CM on the phone? Or maybe you mistakenly called the Hyatt? DCL is who you need to call, not the Hyatt.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Personally .... I would stay closer to the port or at the airport . You probably won't get checked in until almost 6:30 or 7:00. You might get to see a little of the hotel and a little of Disney Springs but it will mean you are up late and may not get much rest . But it is only my opinion if you really want to stay at a Disney then go for it . It is an experience you will enjoy . I live only an hour and a half from Disney and two hours from the port so I drive over the morning of . Enjoy your trip .

Your flight gets in at 5:15. By the time you get your bags, and get to the hotel, the only thing that will be on your mind is dinner and sleep. (And that's if everything goes smoothly.)

So I suggest you do what Debbie and Beth said and stay near the airport. Driving to the port that night will take at least another hour. Likewise by the time you got to a WDW resort, you wouldn't have much time to do anything. It would be different if you had a morning or early afternoon flight.

Hyatt MCO is great, but expensive. We stayed at the Staybridge Suites Orlando. It had a separate bedroom so the kids could go in there and sleep before we were ready to go lights out. $121 total. Free Breakfast, Free Internet, Free Airport Shuttle. It had a pool and an exercise room, but we didn't have time to use them. We rented a car, so it was less than 5 minutes drive to the hotel and close to restaurants as well. But if we were taking the Disney bus, the hotel had a free shuttle to and from the airport we could have used to catch the Disney bus from the airport.

The next morning we had plenty of time for breakfast and then travel the hour to the port before the Port opened.

 

[LSUfan4444]

This will be our third cruise. we will be will be flying in to Orlando the night before. We whave never staye at a disney resort, but are considering it to get the experience for one precruise night. Is it worth the extra money for moderate resort for one one night? WE will get to the airport at 515 pm. Considering resort vs Hyatt airport vs other options. If you do recommend moderate resort , which is a nice moderate? Don't have any ground transportation booked yet so open to suggestions.

To me it would come down to how early you want to be on the ship. If you're looking for a later PAT consider a resort that may have a breakfast meal you may be interested in. If you want to be on the ship as early as possible, rent a car from MCO, drive to hotel near the port and return the car rental on embarkation morning.