Disney World before Miami cruise

JM_97

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 17, 2019
I was just wondering if anyone has ever visited Disney World on the front end of their trip before a cruise out of Miami. Is this plausible? I know it's easy to do out of PC, but I wasn't sure if it's worth the hassle if the cruise is out of Miami.
 
We have done this before, although we live in Orlando lol. We had friends fly in and went to WDW for a few days first then drove down to Miami.

It worked perfectly, I would just say not to try and go to any of the Disney World Parks the same day as your cruise, better to get up and get moving down to Miami so that you make sure not to have any issues with traffic. etc.

Its a pretty easy 3/4 hour drive with a rest stop in the middle to recoup.

I always say doing a Cruise after WDW is smarter because its so busy in the parks that it is never really a vacation, once you get on the boat the relaxation begins!
 
We have done this before, although we live in Orlando lol. We had friends fly in and went to WDW for a few days first then drove down to Miami.

It worked perfectly, I would just say not to try and go to any of the Disney World Parks the same day as your cruise, better to get up and get moving down to Miami so that you make sure not to have any issues with traffic. etc.

Its a pretty easy 3/4 hour drive with a rest stop in the middle to recoup.

I always say doing a Cruise after WDW is smarter because its so busy in the parks that it is never really a vacation, once you get on the boat the relaxation begins!

What about flying from Orlando to Miami the morning of? We were thinking about doing Disney the day before.
 
What about flying from Orlando to Miami the morning of? We were thinking about doing Disney the day before.
That would work too. But it takes about as long to drive as it would be to fly once you factor in the time it takes to get to MCO, clear security, fly, get your bags in MIA and then get to the port.
 


What about flying from Orlando to Miami the morning of? We were thinking about doing Disney the day before.

I definitely wouldn't fly day of. Flights can delayed for all sorts of reasons. Planning to drive morning of might be fine. However, it's always best to get in the day before. You could still have car trouble or hit horrible traffic that delays you if you go day of.
 
What about flying from Orlando to Miami the morning of? We were thinking about doing Disney the day before.

I would recommend driving honestly. Number 1: It saves money. You could get a rental car at Orlando international and return it at Miami international and then Uber/Lyft or take a taxi to the port from there.

As mentioned above, flight delays can be really problematic with the rain/storms here in Florida so driving is usually a more solid choice. You obviously get to make the best decision for you and your traveling partners. This is just my opinion.

I am not a "Go the day before" kind of person traditionally because Its not too terribly long of a drive down and there are two options (95 or Turnpike) to get down to Miami from WDW.
 
We have done this before, although we live in Orlando lol. We had friends fly in and went to WDW for a few days first then drove down to Miami.

It worked perfectly, I would just say not to try and go to any of the Disney World Parks the same day as your cruise, better to get up and get moving down to Miami so that you make sure not to have any issues with traffic. etc.

Its a pretty easy 3/4 hour drive with a rest stop in the middle to recoup.

I always say doing a Cruise after WDW is smarter because its so busy in the parks that it is never really a vacation, once you get on the boat the relaxation begins!

I read that and thought, wow, is it really that close? Then, how fast do they drive. Then my brain said it’s 3-4 hours, not 45 minutes. Gave me a good chuckle.

How is the traffic typically? LA-like or coming down I-75 into FL?
 


I would recommend driving honestly. Number 1: It saves money. You could get a rental car at Orlando international and return it at Miami international and then Uber/Lyft or take a taxi to the port from there.

As mentioned above, flight delays can be really problematic with the rain/storms here in Florida so driving is usually a more solid choice. You obviously get to make the best decision for you and your traveling partners. This is just my opinion.

I am not a "Go the day before" kind of person traditionally because Its not too terribly long of a drive down and there are two options (95 or Turnpike) to get down to Miami from WDW.

That makes a lot more sense!
 
I read that and thought, wow, is it really that close? Then, how fast do they drive. Then my brain said it’s 3-4 hours, not 45 minutes. Gave me a good chuckle.

How is the traffic typically? LA-like or coming down I-75 into FL?
If you take I-95 (no tolls), the traffic gets worse and worse each 20 miles or so south of Vero Beach. In Miami, it's Lord of the Flies. We much prefer to sail out of Port Everglades, but of course, DCL doesn't sail from there.
 
We did this a few years ago... spending a few days in Orlando and WDW before driving (with a car rental) to Miami. We actually added an overnight in Fort Lauderdale for some outlet shopping before dropping the car off at MIA airport and taking the complementary shuttle to port from the car rental company
 
We did this a few years ago... spending a few days in Orlando and WDW before driving (with a car rental) to Miami. We actually added an overnight in Fort Lauderdale for some outlet shopping before dropping the car off at MIA airport and taking the complementary shuttle to port from the car rental company

What car rental company did you use?
 
We are doing two days at Disney's Vero Beach before our Miami Cruise. It's about a 2.5 our drive to the port and it gets us into the Disney mood. It has free parking and tons of activities plus it's right on the beach.
 
We did in 2019. We drove down from Atlanta, spent a couple days at disney, drove to Miami for a cruise on the magic, and then a couple more days at disney on the way back to Atlanta. Easy drive from Orlando to Miami. We took the turnpike. About $16 in tolls each way in 2019. We didn’t have any trouble with traffic on the turnpike or in Miami - but we sailed on a Sunday.
 
There have been reports of a rental car shortage in the Orlando area so be sure to reserve a car ASAP if you plan on renting
 
My family did this this last year prior to everything shutting down. We flew into MCO a day & a half before the cruise and stayed at POP Century. We did one long day at Magic Kingdom and then I drove us to Miami early the next morning while the kids slept in the back seat. It was an easy drive.
 
My family did this this last year prior to everything shutting down. We flew into MCO a day & a half before the cruise and stayed at POP Century. We did one long day at Magic Kingdom and then I drove us to Miami early the next morning while the kids slept in the back seat. It was an easy drive.

Did you drop your rental at MIA?
 
Depending on when you think you would be going from Orlando to Miami, the Brightline Train system should be going next year. That would make it relatively easier to move without dealing with hassles of airports and airlines.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!








Top