DCL transport to the port, worth it for the experience?

[SL6827]

And I must admit if I paid the pricing for the DCL transfers and we got a ME bus I would be soooooooo disappointed. Silly I guess.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

If this was a 7-night cruise I wouldn't fret about not getting on the ship till 1-2 pm. But it is a 4-night so I really would like to be on there no later than 12:30 and I don't want to have to spend money for lunch on that day. Good thing is I have plenty of time to research this, which I will probably need to do a lot. It just seems as though the DCL transport is the easiest way in which to go.

I agree with this. On a short cruise I want to get on asap. We are also platinum and like to take advantage of all of our perks, including the early boarding.

I have taken the DCL bus from MCO and IIRC (although I could be wrong), even if they have the "porthole" windows, that is just the look from the outside due to the "wrap" on the bus; from the inside it is a regular bus with some videos. It is nice, and I do like staying at the Hyatt so when we get in we can go straight to our hotel. And then the next morning go down to get our ticket for the bus. But again, I like to be early, and at MCO it is first come/first serve, so I have to go down early to insure our spot on one of the first buses. And the cost of the transport and the Hyatt are so much more than a the rental car and a hotel near the airport...

So, despite the fun factor of the bus, a car rental and parking at the port is just way more practical, easier and usually less expensive for a SHORT cruise. Gives us the opportunity to go to the store if there is anything we forgot to pack or need, or if I want to grab a bottle of wine to bring. I love being able to park right there at the port, and I especially love just walking to my car when we get off. We can sightsee, go to DIsney Springs or go to lunch before our flight if it is later, or I can book a flight before 11:30 if I want.

It is cheaper to do 2 one way rentals and not pay for parking, and I have done that before but did not like having to do the rental car shuttle bus before the cruise (cause I just want to get on already!). So for a 7 night or more cruise I would probably take some sort of shuttle to the port, then rent a car after.

I've never taken the bus from WDW to the port but have also heard that it is a later pickup than the ones from MCO.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We are renting a car for less than half the cost of DCL transfers for our family, including the one-way drop off fee. This gives us more control for DS who gets carsick in traffic, and we can stop for any forgotten items. Quick rental car shuttle to the ship is also free. I've been stuck in traffic on a ME with a bad ac, and I am never risking that again!

 

[DCLDVC1]

If this was a 7-night cruise I wouldn't fret about not getting on the ship till 1-2 pm. But it is a 4-night so I really would like to be on there no later than 12:30 and I don't want to have to spend money for lunch on that day. Good thing is I have plenty of time to research this, which I will probably need to do a lot. It just seems as though the DCL transport is the easiest way in which to go.

If I were you, I'd use private transportation to maximize your time on the ship.

We've found using a car service to be very easy and comparable in price to DCL transfers. They arrive at our resort, we give them our luggage, they pull up to the terminal, unload our bags and give them to the porters. It's a very simple process.

 

[SL6827]

If I were you, I'd use private transportation to maximize your time on the ship.

We've found using a car service to be very easy and comparable in price to DCL transfers. They arrive at our resort, we give them our luggage, they pull up to the terminal, unload our bags and give them to the porters. It's a very simple process.

Ya, I think that is the way I will go. I am now questioning whether or not to just to stay at the port. I will change my mind only like 5,644 times, lol.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Ya, I think that is the way I will go. I am now questioning whether or not to just to stay at the port. I will change my mind only like 5,644 times, lol.

Staying at the port is a great option. some of the hotels have a shuttle service to the ship.

 

[hnthomps]

I don't think calling the bus an experience is accurate. It's just...a bus. It's convenient. There's a video playing on tiny TVs that won't really tell you anything new. We've always done it because we love the convenience of the luggage pick up and the trust that if some traffic /transport disaster happens on the way, Disney will make sure we get to the ship before it sails. Plus with a family of 4 it's just about a wash with other options. But I wouldn't do it for "the experience" as it's...basically just a bus.

 

[Intr3pid]

Never ceases to amaze me what the mouse cannot sell these days as "experience"!

 

[SL6827]

Ok, so the bus is not much of an experience I guess then. I guess I would make Disney proud on that one.

 

[SL6827]

Staying at the port is a great option. some of the hotels have a shuttle service to the ship.

Ya, I like the look and pricing at the Residence Inn. With five, maybe six people going, they have some good rates on their suites.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

We are using the DCL transfer from GF, but it’s only for two of us. I like the idea of letting Disney “take care” of the transportation to PC since it’s our first cruise. I don’t want to deal with a one way car rental when I’m not familiar with the area and the bus was cheaper than a private car or Uber.

That being said, I might have reconsidered if we had more people in our party but it helps alleviate my anxiety. We are renting a car when we return since we are staying in a non-Disney hotel for the night.

 

[ahain]

We do DCL transport to the Port occasionally, and it's alot of fun - not because the bus ride is that special, but because of the emotional/excitement "we're starting our vacation" feeling of hopping on the bus with porthole windows and Disney videos playing. I also like being dropped off right at the terminal and immediately being able to enter the terminal. One time, I was actually the first person through security & up the escalator. THAT was truly magical. CMs with Mickey Hands waving at me from an empty terminal. (Felt like the DCL commercials you see where the family is enjoying the cruise ship and there are no other guests in sight! )

We usually do Disney Transport back to the airport. While I wouldn't necessarily say the "experience" is anything super special (basically a bus ride with video/trivia/Disney commercials playing), the Convenience is definitely worth it for us, as we couple it with Onboard Airline Check-In so we don't have to mess with our luggage.

 

[SL6827]

We do DCL transport to the Port occasionally, and it's alot of fun - not because the bus ride is that special, but because of the emotional/excitement "we're starting our vacation" feeling of hopping on the bus with porthole windows and Disney videos playing. I also like being dropped off right at the terminal and immediately being able to enter the terminal. One time, I was actually the first person through security & up the escalator. THAT was truly magical. CMs with Mickey Hands waving at me from an empty terminal. (Felt like the DCL commercials you see where the family is enjoying the cruise ship and there are no other guests in sight! )

We usually do Disney Transport back to the airport. While I wouldn't necessarily say the "experience" is anything super special (basically a bus ride with video/trivia/Disney commercials playing), the Convenience is definitely worth it for us, as we couple it with Onboard Airline Check-In so we don't have to mess with our luggage.

The luggage aspect would be nice. We will be having five or six people going. So that will be five or six carry ons and then an extra two or three checked bags, depending on the actual number of people going. Man, you guys aren't making this easy, lol. I am going back and forth, back and forth. So with DCL, you tip the driver, right? What about porters at the port when arriving with DCL?

 

[bakerworld]

We don't drive to WDW or do car rentals so the DCL transpo for $80 it is our least expensive option. It is just a bus ride - nothing spectacular - and if you get a fast bus driver then you never see the end of the movie. We're not swimmers (never been on the Aqua Duck - no urge) so the bus lets us arrive just in time for a welcome aboard drink

 

[bakerworld]

The luggage aspect would be nice. We will be having five or six people going. So that will be five or six carry ons and then an extra two or three checked bags, depending on the actual number of people going. Man, you guys aren't making this easy, lol. I am going back and forth, back and forth. So with DCL, you tip the driver, right? What about porters at the port when arriving with DCL?

Haven't tried to tip in a few years. When we did we were told no tipping allowed. The BS didn't even take a tip when they picked the luggage up in the room. Curious myself to know if this has changed.

 

[SL6827]

Haven't tried to tip in a few years. When we did we were told no tipping allowed. The BS didn't even take a tip when they picked the luggage up in the room. Curious myself to know if this has changed.

Ya, I am wondering. Always tipped the porters on previous cruises but if you are not handing your bags to them, then what? And I think if the ME or DCL bus drivers handles your bags you tip them? Really not sure but would have cash on hand just in case.

 

[DCLDVC1]

The luggage aspect would be nice. We will be having five or six people going. So that will be five or six carry ons and then an extra two or three checked bags, depending on the actual number of people going. Man, you guys aren't making this easy, lol. I am going back and forth, back and forth. So with DCL, you tip the driver, right? What about porters at the port when arriving with DCL?

We've always used a car service to get to the port so we tip the porters when they grab our bags. We also tip the bus driver when we take DCL transportation to MCO after the cruise if we are flying on an airline that doesn't participate in the Onboard Airline Check-In service.

 

[Husker Mike]

We are renting a car for less than half the cost of DCL transfers for our family, including the one-way drop off fee. This gives us more control for DS who gets carsick in traffic, and we can stop for any forgotten items. Quick rental car shuttle to the ship is also free. I've been stuck in traffic on a ME with a bad ac, and I am never risking that again!

We're renting a car for a week, and it's still significantly cheaper to pay to park it at the port for a 4 night cruise that DCL transfers would charge. Plus, now we're on OUR schedule not somebody else's.

 

[ahain]

The luggage aspect would be nice. We will be having five or six people going. So that will be five or six carry ons and then an extra two or three checked bags, depending on the actual number of people going. Man, you guys aren't making this easy, lol. I am going back and forth, back and forth. So with DCL, you tip the driver, right? What about porters at the port when arriving with DCL?

We don't tip the Disney Transport bus driver.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you are thinking of spending $200 - $240 on a DCL bus, why not just book the Minnie Van resort-to-port transfers? It's $240, can accommodate up to 6 guests plus your luggage and you can schedule your pick-up for whenever you want. It keeps you in the Disney bubble and they drop you off at the curb in the terminal (inside security).

We took the DCL bus once from BWI a few years ago - never again. It picked us up late morning and then went to AoA to pick up more passengers who were late getting to the bus so we had to wait for them. It was such a waste of time. We now use a private car service (Park Avenue Limo) for all ground transfers in Orlando. The last time they took us to the port from YC, they even knew a back way to get to the DCL terminal, circumventing the standstill traffic that was trying to get to the area.

IMHO, if you are going to spend that kind of money on transfers, I would seriously consider the Minnie Van or a private ground service. The DCL bus is just a bus.