Disney park day after Disney cruise

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

Logistically, how do you visit a Disney Park (would be Magic Kingdom) after disembarking a Disney Cruise at Port Canaveral? What time would you get off the ship? How would you get to the Magic Kingdom? Where would you put your luggage? Is the only way to book a resort and store the luggage there during the day? (I'm assuming the Disney resorts will do this...) Thanks for any advice. Looking for an affordable option, but if it all costs too much we would just skip the park and head to the airport. We've done a bunch of Disney World trips and non Disney cruises but never a Disney cruise or combining a cruise with park days. Thanks.

 

[jcarwash]

I've always booked one-way rental cars to get to and from Port Canaveral, even if I'm just going to the airport after the cruise, so that's how I would do it. I'd drive to Magic Kingdom.

Typically I'm off the ship and in the rental car no later than 8:30am. The drive to WDW takes about an hour, so you could be at MK around 10am to 11am. If you're flying later that day, I'd simply leave your luggage in your rental car.

The closest I've done to this was driving to Epcot the day after a cruise, followed by a one night stay at Pop Century, then flying home.

 

[Marc D]

Resorts will not store your luggage unless you are staying there, so your only option is to rent a car and store your luggage in it during the park visit.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

I've always booked one-way rental cars to get to and from Port Canaveral, even if I'm just going to the airport after the cruise, so that's how I would do it. I'd drive to Magic Kingdom.

Typically I'm off the ship and in the rental car no later than 8:30am. The drive to WDW takes about an hour, so you could be at MK around 10am to 11am. If you're flying later that day, I'd simply leave your luggage in your rental car.

The closest I've done to this was driving to Epcot the day after a cruise, followed by a one night stay at Pop Century, then flying home.

Thanks for the info. So is there a rental car place at the port?

Resorts will not store your luggage unless you are staying there, so your only option is to rent a car and store your luggage in it during the park visit.

I meant I would book 1 night at the resort but drop my bags off in the morning if they do that.

 

[DisneyMusicMan]

Yes, there are rental places. I’ve dropped off at Avis before (and took a shuttle). The National location looks more convenient. We had a rental that was meant to be dropped off at National this past Feb, but didn’t get to try it out.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Worth noting that a 1-day park ticket is the absolute.most costly ticket option, and for a half day at the parks it depends on how you view the money.

 

[DisneyMusicMan]

Worth noting that a 1-day park ticket is the absolute.most costly ticket option, and for a half day at the parks it depends on how you view the money.

True. But if you did a few days before hand, this could be the single add-on day to that ticket.

We’ve done that once before. Some number of days before, and another night at a resort after the cruise. Regretted it. We were so tired after the cruise, we didn’t really make the most of Epcot that day.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

Worth noting that a 1-day park ticket is the absolute.most costly ticket option, and for a half day at the parks it depends on how you view the money.

I know. My husband doesn't want to do any park days for that reason. I mean 4 park tickets, rental car, and possibly hotel would add a lot of money to the trip. My view is that if we are sooo close to my favorite place in the world, how could we not go? We live in Maine and can't go that often. His view is that we already have a separate trip to Disney World planned, so that should be enough. The parks trip is in 2022, and the cruise would be in 2023.

Edit: I just figured out this would cost about $800 with current prices, not including food. We probably will not do this and will go straight to the airport after the cruise. Thanks for the info, though.

 

[tinkerjo]

I thought I would miss going to the parks when we took our first cruise. I mean, how do you go to central Florida and NOT go to DW? But the cruise really did leave us fulfilled. I always wanted to do a land and sea though. They used to have one out of NYC that did a one day in the parks that I thought sounded fun.

 

[DisneyMusicMan]

I thought I would miss going to the parks when we took our first cruise. I mean, how do you go to central Florida and NOT go to DW? But the cruise really did leave us fulfilled. I always wanted to do a land and sea though. They used to have one out of NYC that did a one day in the parks that I thought sounded fun.

We did the cruise from NY to Castaway and Canaveral a couple of years ago. It was fun. Many sea days, and park hopper tickets to WDW. It was pretty neat leaving in November, with gloves, jackets, etc., and then heading to Castaway in swim gear. I highly recommend it!

 

[mullysisters]

We are planning to fly into Anaheim before our Pacific Coast cruise to Vancouver. We are having our travel agent work out the details. Disneyland! and staying 3 nights at a "Good Neighbour" hotel (wanted to stay at DL Hotel but very costly)then after check out get to San Diego somehow, drive, bus, train etc. for boarding. That's the part I'm stressed about- LOL

 

[Cheburashka]

I meant I would book 1 night at the resort but drop my bags off in the morning if they do that.

If you have a night booked at the resort, then yes, you can store your luggage at Bell Services there all day before you spend the night.

 

[JoeFromSeoul]

We usually do Disney Surf-n-Turf, but we are flying in from Korea. We need to make the most of our travel!

 

[DisneyConvert]

Goodness. 10+ cruises . . . many park visits (5 ~ 15 years ago).
Ideally (YMMV), we love doing touring, visiting, etc. BEFORE our Disney Cruise.
Our experience(s) of cruises 4+ days are that they are so enjoyable, fulfilling and yes, even relaxing . . . that we (wish we / should have) would have liked to be whisked from our breakfast goodbye with our waiters to our airplane transportation home asap.

We've broken this rule a few times in London, Vancouver and yes, Orlando . . . and while our visits after the cruises were enjoyable, they also felt disjointed from "the flow" of our overall vacation.

 

[squirk]

Edit: I just figured out this would cost about $800 with current prices, not including food. We probably will not do this and will go straight to the airport after the cruise. Thanks for the info, though.

I think the cost of the 1-day tickets is always going to make an idea like this economically impractical. Especially since you can’t even make a full day out of it.

You can hit Disney Springs, though. We thoroughly enjoy doing that when we have some free time after we fly in or before we fly out, but don’t want to burn a park ticket.

 

[auntlynne]

I think you can be very happy with your choice.

You said the combination of Magic words: affordable + Disney World + one day. They don’t go together well.

If you ever do need to do a one-day after a cruise, I would recommend the one-way rental car. They pick you up at the port, in the area where Disney buses load for airport and hotel transfers. (But the line inside the rental office, especially Hertz, can be long - eating away at park time). Definitely a hotel stay (not Disney resort) and fly out the next day.