Cruise, category & Rental car questions

[Tigger7570]

Hi:
We've never done the cruise before so I have a lot of questions. I'll start with one at a time. We are contemplating going the beginning of October on the 3 day cruise. I was wondering about taking the DCL bus from the airport to the boat and then rent a car to drive from the boat to OKW. Do you they charge you extra if you pick up at Cape Canaveral and drop off at MCO? We usually rent through Dollar.
Next, I know October is still hurricane season, but wondered about everyone's experience with October.
Last question, which is better the outside stateroom or the stateroom with a porthole?
Thanks for all the help.

 

[Fizzgig]

Here's a rental car thread from yesterday: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1776988

As for staterooms, hit the link in the blue row in the banner labelled, "Staterooms" to compare the differences.

As for weather predictions... your guess, unfortunately, is as good as mine! The professional hurricane forecasters get it wrong yearly, too. The beginning of October last year wasn't pleasant at WDW. This year? I just bought good trip insurance and hope for the best!

 

[kcashner]

OK...an outside stateroom will have either a porthole or a verandah. I'm not sure what your question is re that. The rooms themselves are the same size--it's just a matter of whether you want a balcony or not.

As to the car--it depends on your desires. There is no problem with renting a car near the port and driving to OKW (this is good if you want the car at OKW!) There is no additional charge for renting at the port and turning in at the airport with most companies. When we rented with Budget, they had the van at the port to pick us up as soon as we got off the ship.

DCL bus is $35 per person each way. We paid about $35 for our car rental, so even with tolls and gas, it was less than $50. The DCL bus is convenient, but not the cheapest.

We usually sail late September/early October or February. The late September/early October is our favorite time, but do buy travel insurance! We've had one cruise that was negatively impacted by a hurricane. However, in most cases DCL can work around the weather. We've had cruises that went to unscheduled ports--I consider that an adventure, not a spoiled vacation! The captain will take the ship somewhere where there will not be the storm impact if possible. That time of year, the weather will be warm but not horribly hot and humid. It is my favorite time from a warmth standpoint.

Have a great cruise!

 

[NancyIL]

Having a balcony is nicer than not having one - but it comes with a higher pricetag. I've now had a balcony twice: once as a free upgrade on RCI and once on DCL because my mom wanted it. It isn't worth the extra expense, in my opinion.

 

[Tigger7570]

Hi:
Thank you for all the replies. If we do do the cruise, I think we will opt for getting a rental at the airport, driving to the boat, dropping off the car and then doing a new rental when we depart from the boat. We always rent a car when we stay at OKW.
As far as the staterooms, since it's our first cruise, someone had said you are better off with an outside stateroom as opposed to an inside, so I didn't know if there was any difference between the outside stateroom or porthole stateroom. What I probably should have asked was what category and stateroom is best if you are fearful about sea sickness. I know about the patches, etc., but would prefer to not use them if we didn't have to.
We love September/October for Disney and I know I've heard the stories about crusing those months so I didn't know whether the recommendation would be to totally stay away or not.
I will take the advice about the insurance. How do I find out about it? Is it offered when you book and can you tell me about it?
Again, thanks so much. As you can see I'm totally at a loss when it comes to the cruise.

 

[NancyIL]

I buy my insurance from www.insuremytrip.com. I have gotten Travelex insurance in the past, and if you have kids under age 16, there is no charge for them. When getting a quote, base it on the highest per person cost of the first two people in the cabin, and NOT the total price. If there are more then 2 people in a cabin, the 3rd and 4th passengers pay less than the first 2 passengers. If you get insurance based on the total price of the cruise - each person gets an average amount of coverage - which leaves the first 2 people underinsured.

 

[mmouse37]

Hi:
Thank you for all the replies. If we do do the cruise, I think we will opt for getting a rental at the airport, driving to the boat, dropping off the car and then doing a new rental when we depart from the boat. We always rent a car when we stay at OKW.
As far as the staterooms, since it's our first cruise, someone had said you are better off with an outside stateroom as opposed to an inside, so I didn't know if there was any difference between the outside stateroom or porthole stateroom. What I probably should have asked was what category and stateroom is best if you are fearful about sea sickness. I know about the patches, etc., but would prefer to not use them if we didn't have to.
We love September/October for Disney and I know I've heard the stories about crusing those months so I didn't know whether the recommendation would be to totally stay away or not.
I will take the advice about the insurance. How do I find out about it? Is it offered when you book and can you tell me about it?
Again, thanks so much. As you can see I'm totally at a loss when it comes to the cruise.

Most commonly used terms for categories are:

Suites - most expensive

Veranda or Verandah cabin mean you have a private balcony - most expensive - less expensive

"Outside" cabin has a porthole (on DCL they are very large (with an exception which I will get to) - lesser expensive

Inside cabin mean you have no window or no natural light coming in - least expensive

In theory the lower you are on the ship, the less movement you will feel. If you don't need a veranda cabin I would suggest a Cat 9 (an outside cabin) on Deck 2. Deck 2 is very convenient to most everything onboard and is low enough to help with seasickness.

Now back to the portholes. The Cat 9 cabins on Deck 2 have 1 very large porthole to look out of (almost like a picture window). The Cat 9 cabins on Deck 1 have 2 smaller portholes which make it a bit harder for the little ones to look out.

The Cat 8's are also considered outside cabins and are exactly the same size as the Cat 9's but cost more because they are on a higher deck (many equate higher decks as being better but that is totally untrue).

Good luck with your decision.