Booked but not prepared!

[Martha A.]

I am booked for the Disney Fantasy on August 28th but haven’t planned anything as I keep seeing cruises being cancelled.
That said, I do need help with details…I’m in Los Angeles.
Do I fly into Orlando? Where should I stay? How do I book Disney transportation to the cruise?
I need a lot of help please

 

[Cheburashka]

I am booked for the Disney Fantasy on August 28th but haven’t planned anything as I keep seeing cruises being cancelled.
That said, I do need help with details…I’m in Los Angeles.
Do I fly into Orlando? Where should I stay? How do I book Disney transportation to the cruise?
I need a lot of help please

I wouldn't book any flights until you're less than 6 weeks out from the cruise and it still isn't cancelled. There is just too high a risk of it being cancelled and you being stuck with the airline credits otherwise.

If you're sailing from Port Canaveral, then yes, you would fly into Orlando, which is about a 90 minute drive from the port. Disney does have a transfer bus between the Orlando airport and the cruise port that you can book in advance for a fee (typically about $45 per person each way). You book the transportation via DCL- just call them up and add it to your reservation.

 

[Girl of the South]

There are a lot of hotels near the Orlando airport - i really like the Hyatt Regency which is INSIDE the airport. Also had good luck with the Embassy Suites. Be sure to fly in the day before your cruise. There is a Disney sponsored shuttle bus that you can book (and pay for) that will get you to the port. You can also rent a car or there are other alternatives that may work out cheaper depending on how many people. You can book your transportation directly with Disney - no big hurry. I'd do it at least 6 weeks out. If you are flying right back to LA after the cruise, don't make the reservation until at least after 2PM. If the summer opens up like I think it will, the line to get through security can be very long and take nearly an hour, plus time to disembark and get your transportation back to the airport. Lots of info on this board. Use the 'search' option up in the right hand corner.

 

[luvincruising]

I would check on flight deals frequently. If you find a deal, check that airline's cancellation policy before you book. If you can live with the policy restrictions, book it. People are itching to travel and flights will fill up quickly as COVID concerns ease. I would recommend a comprehensive travel insurance policy - just in case.

 

[AgentMama]

If you can book with points or book a refundable (but typically more expensive) fare, go for it. Otherwise, I'd wait. Not sure DCL is sailing before fall.

 

[Weedy]

Disney offers(or did) transportation $45pp each way the day of your cruise. You can book this through the Disney Cruise website
If you are flying from the west coast it’s a good idea to fly in the day before.
There is a hotel in the airport that’s very convenient but a bit pricey.
There are lots of hotels near the airport that offer a shuttle service from the airport to the hotel and then back to the airport the morning of your cruise so you can catch the bus to the port.

 

[braysmommy]

Another idea is to rent a car and stay near the port. Some of the hotels let you leave your car for free with a one night stay. Whatever you book make sure it is refundable as others have mentioned.

 

[Karin1984]

Just sit down, take a breath, make a list of all you need to arrange and go down it one by one.
Start reading the DCL website, do some research yourself to finetune your own wants and needs, and then ask for more specific advice.

You can do this.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

One hard earned hint: fly into Florida the day BEFORE the ship sails. If your flight is late, you don't want to miss the ship...

 

[CamColt]

What I would do and have done in your situation is fly in the day before, rent a car, then go to WDW for the day and stay at a value resort or Swan/Dolphin. Not even necessarily to do the parks, just enjoy the pool, dine at a resort, go to Disney Springs etc... Then we drop the car off near the port, the morning of the cruise and they shuttle you right over.

You could also do this scenario staying near the port or somewhere else in the area that you might want to explore for the day. Having the car gives you that freedom.

For the return trip, heading right to the airport after the cruise, we have taken DCL transfers. You can add those right to your cruise reservation.

 

[mevelandry]

I wouldn’t fly the same day as the risks of having your flight pushed back because of weather or mechanical problems is too high. I would fly a day early.

When not doing land & sea, I like booking the Hyatt Orlando Airport. It is right inside the airport, nice and comfortable. Not the cheapest option but definitely the most stressfree.

 

[fredandkell]

Another vote here for flying in the day before, renting a car, and staying at a hotel close to the port. We love this Doubletree hotel which is a few miles down the road from the port, all rooms are oceanfront, and it’s a great stretch of beach to chill out before the cruise. (I personally like this area better than the cocoa beach hotels.) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/mlbbodt-doubletree-suites-melbourne-beach-oceanfront/
Edited to add: if you rent a car, there are drop off locations right by the port with free shuttles

 

[luvincruising]

Another vote here for flying in the day before, renting a car, and staying at a hotel close to the port. We love this Doubletree hotel which is a few miles down the road from the port, all rooms are oceanfront, and it’s a great stretch of beach to chill out before the cruise. (I personally like this area better than the cocoa beach hotels.) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/mlbbodt-doubletree-suites-melbourne-beach-oceanfront/
Edited to add: if you rent a car, there are drop off locations right by the port with free shuttles

This is a great option. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the port [~35min.], drop off the luggage and family (~15 min.) [make sure whoever stays at the port has all the important documents; less chance that they are left in the rental], go to the rental location [~15 min.], do the paperwork to drop-off the car [~15 min.], wait for the shuttle driver [~20 min], and make your way back to the port [~30 min.].

 

[otten]

Always fly in the day before but especially now. Air travel is still a little more volatile than it was pre pandemic and you don’t want to end up in a situation where a flight cancellation causes you to miss your cruise.

 

[Dug720]

One hard earned hint: fly into Florida the day BEFORE the ship sails. If your flight is late, you don't want to miss the ship...

AT LEAST the day before - and not on the last flight of the day. Regardless of where you are flying from!

 

[MomOTwins]

Only possible situation in which I would book a same day flight is if I were paying the silly high cost to book flights through the cruise line.

 

[Snowwhyt]

I am booked for the Disney Fantasy on August 28th but haven’t planned anything as I keep seeing cruises being cancelled.
That said, I do need help with details…I’m in Los Angeles.
Do I fly into Orlando? Where should I stay? How do I book Disney transportation to the cruise?
I need a lot of help please

We are also scheduled to sail August 28 on the Fantasy with you. I’m considering several factors in my contingency plans for this Florida vacation.
If you book the airfare would you still have/afford a vacation in Orlando that you can now book as a refundable “Plan B” should our cruise fall through?
Having said that, Plan B is probably what’s in our future. Hear me out on this. Currently, there are no seven days ships sailing in Europe or any place else to my knowledge. They all seem to be ships that go nowhere and for shorter time periods than seven days. Once the first ship pulls out of Florida Disney would be 2 to 4 weeks behind. I think Disney would play it cautious and not be the first boat in the water. There’s gonna be a bunch of people complaining that cruise ships are back too soon and how unsafe it is, Disney’s not gonna want to be a part of that news cycle. Which is why I believe they will wait.
If you look there are three Fantasy sailings before us, already set back at least a month after the shorter sailing‘s (for example on the Dream.) You can see this is likely their thought process. I don’t think we are going to sail unless we are the “test cruise” and we are able to use the money we paid on the current cruise toward a future cruise. But that’s just my unlikely fantasy.
Martha as I see that you were still “earning your ears” which means you don’t have enough Points to private message me. After you place about 10 or so random comments throughout the boards you can private message me. I have six Disney ceilings under my belt, five through Port Canaveral one through Texas. I’d be happy to give you my phone number so you can call me and I can give you several tips and answer questions. Your first Disney sailing can be so exciting and overwhelming at the same time!

 

[OpieDoodle]

I think it really depends on your plans. What we did for our last cruise was fly in the day before the cruise (we flew out after everyone got off work and school for the day) and we ended up renting a car. We were going to WDW after the cruise and needed a place to keep our luggage AND the weekly rate for the car was pretty good. So we drove ourselves to the hotel then parked in the lot by the port when we checked into the ship.

If you're NOT staying for WDW after then I'd probably look into a local hotel to the port that offers transportation and maybe uber/taxi from the airport to the hotel, then hotel transportation to the cruise ship the next day.

Be careful with flights because you don't want your money tied up if the trip ends up getting cancelled. Make sure you read cancellation policies and how the credits work.