Cheapest and/or Easiest Way to Get to Port Canaveral from Orlando?

[PrincessShmoo]

They ask that you keep your entire party together.

Who does?

 

[CScott095]

I am in the DCL transportation camp! It is the easiest from start to finish!

 

[Stringbean49]

We have looked at several hotels that have a package deal that will pick you up from the airport - drive you to the hotel the day before - give you a room for the night - drive you to the port the next morning - and pick you up from the port the last day of the cruise and take you to the airport or back to their hotel. We have been considering this because we know we are going to get an early flight down (and will hopefully spend a little time at the beach) the day before. We also plan on staying a day after and going to the space center. Like I said we have not booked this yet and are just looking into it. I would love to get opinions for anyone who has gone this route or decided against it.

Can you share which hotels do this? We would probably consider the same....

 

[RedSox68]

We use private transportation with the grocery stop. We are 3 adults and after adding the costs of DCL transportation (which we've done many times) or renting a car (and having to shuttle from the car rental), we found private transportation both a time saver and financially about the same (plus tip). If you are staying at a resort, DCL transportation doesn't even leave for the port until early afternoon.

However, with children, the fun and excitement on the DCL bus is without question the best. We took the bus the first three times when my daughter was younger, and then moved over to other transportation just so we could have control of our time.

 

[CB Ace]

Which private transport includes a grocery stop? And, what does that (roughly) cost? Thanks!

 

[RedSox68]

Which private transport includes a grocery stop? And, what does that (roughly) cost? Thanks!

We use www.selimo.net. We have used them for over a decade and they have never let us down. We have done multiple stops on a trip (airport to Universal, Universal to port, port to Disney) too. They will also include a 20 minute stop at a grocery store to pick up supplies. Unless they have changed it, there was no charge for one grocery stop -- within the time limit they give. I think it's 20 minutes, so have your list ready and divide and conquer inside the store. You can also ask them to stop at a Publix store with the liquor department if you want. If you need a second grocery stop on the way back to a resort, I don't know what they charge for that.

 

[DnA2010]

We used Cortrans Shuttle Service- saw them on here as a low cost option- cost was $20/pp - they were outstanding! Confirmed our departure ahead, arrived ahead of time! Great clean shuttle bus- we were very very happy!

 

[scgustafson]

Cheapest is hitch-hiking, but not necessarily the most reliable or safest. Easiest is helicopter, but hardly the cheapest.

 

[Billinaz]

For us the best way has always been a rental car. For this trip we have a full size car for $40 (with taxes) on Avis. We drop the car off at Avis and they shuttle you to/from the port. When we had to get a minivan it usually cane to about $100.

Much better than the bus DCL contracts out to. The cost for 5 was way too expensive.

We always fly in one or more days prior to the cruise. The rental car is better for us because we can stop and pick up last minute items, etc.

 

[chik1987]

Can you share which hotels do this? We would probably consider the same....

Weve been looking at goportcanaveral.com and there is a fly snooze cruise packages link. There are several different hotels. What we have found is most of the hotels don't do their own transportation but hire a service so it may be cheaper to just book everything separately but easier to just do everything through them.

 

[Ofinn]

That's easy just rent a car.

 

[RedSox68]

So sorry -- my answer was to the wrong thread

 

[hnthomps]

The car rental would save you time checking in and out of a room. You can just leave your bags in the car and go.

If you're staying at the MCO Hyatt, you just leave your bags in your hotel room and they magically appear on the ship before dinner.

I think we'll probably always do the DCL transfers. The incredible convenience of not having to worry about the luggage offsets the minor expense difference (given size of party/etc)

 

[cyndiella]

Weve been looking at goportcanaveral.com and there is a fly snooze cruise packages link. There are several different hotels. What we have found is most of the hotels don't do their own transportation but hire a service so it may be cheaper to just book everything separately but easier to just do everything through them.

I've looked into them also.. what I like is that there are various areas between the airport and the Port where they partner with hotels. We're planning on a 2 night stay before the cruise so as to go to KSC for a day. They will accommodate that. Also, make sure your flight arrival time is before the 7 pm pick up from MCO... otherwise the 9 pm pickup is an extra $50.00

 

[hardis5]

They ask that you keep your entire party together.

They don't. As long as the driver arriving after the fact in the rental shuttle has their required id and reservation detail, they can arrive after the fact. In fact our last time the entire family was just finishing their check-in and I just walked up to them to add my check-in to theirs being completed. Boarding, yes they ask the entire party be present, but you can always walk on having an earlier number, later.

To us, the break-even is at 3 people for a rental. We bring our own booster and just store under the bed with the luggage, as we've used for excursion travel as well.

 

[chik1987]

I've looked into them also.. what I like is that there are various areas between the airport and the Port where they partner with hotels. We're planning on a 2 night stay before the cruise so as to go to KSC for a day. They will accommodate that. Also, make sure your flight arrival time is before the 7 pm pick up from MCO... otherwise the 9 pm pickup is an extra $50.00

Yea the only thing I DONT like is that they only do pickups every 2 hours. Depending on what time our flight gets in we may just end up doing a limo/van service. There will be about 20 of us coming down for our wedding cruise so I would hate everyone sitting around the airport forever if we just miss a pick up.

 

[cyndiella]

Yea the only thing I DONT like is that they only do pickups every 2 hours. Depending on what time our flight gets in we may just end up doing a limo/van service. There will be about 20 of us coming down for our wedding cruise so I would hate everyone sitting around the airport forever if we just miss a pick up.

Yes, that would NOT work for your party! Happy Wedding day!!

 

[sandydk]

I think we're going to rent a car. There's 4 of us, and we've decided to do a couple days at Universal Studios before the cruise, so a car seems easiest.

 

[bumbershoot]

Cheapest is hitch-hiking, but not necessarily the most reliable or safest. Easiest is helicopter, but hardly the cheapest.

And somewhere in between is going to be the answer. The cheapest won't be the most convenient. The easiest won't be the cheapest.

This stuff is why I keep a notebook for trips, to keep track of it all.

I look at one-way rentals.
Roundtrip rentals plus parking.
DCL transfers either way. (we prefer from the airport rather than WDW resort b/c resort gets you there so relatively late)
Limo/towncar/SUV service.
Some sort of airport/port/cruise/etc service.

Look at the costs of each for MY trip specifically. Decide what sounds best that time.

We've now done DCL transfers (from resort and airport), rental car, limo... All have good parts, all have bad parts.

The incredible convenience of not having to worry about the luggage offsets the minor expense difference (given size of party/etc)

See, I don't *worry* about luggage.

If I'm taking DCL bus from resort or Hyatt Regency MCO, the bags are taken from the room and I see them in my stateroom.

If I'm taking a limo, I can EASILY get Bell Services to get my bags, take them to the limo. Limo driver hefts them in then out at the port. Porter takes them. I see them in my stateroom. I'm actually LESS worried about them because I know where they are; they are in the trunk. I don't have to lift them at all.

If I have a rental car, I can have Bell Services take them down to my car which I've brought around, and they put them in the car. When I get to the port, I have them take the bags out and I see them again in the stateroom. Or if I REALLY feel like it, I go to the rental agency, unload my own bags, get on the shuttle (handing bags over to the driver), and again, they go to the porter at the port.

To me, having the bags leave my sight 45 minutes before they otherwise would just isn't THAT big of a deal to me that makes me want to pay $35 pp each way to be on a coach bus. (dad was a Greyhound driver, I spent ages of my youth on the bus during custodial visits, I am OVER the bus)