Hotel and Transfer Recommendations for Orlando/Port Canaveral

[Pigwie]

Hi, I am planning a cruise for Early 2024 and just trying to come up with a rough budget (I know its pretty far in advance and prices will likely change but need to start saving and budgeting now!). Are there any recommended hotels or transfers out there (we will be flying in the day before the cruise departs)? We will be a family of four, with children ages 1 and 3 so will need carseats provided for the kids if travelling in a regular vehicle (not a bus). We are open to staying anywhere just looking for something reasonably priced and convenient. Thanks!

 

[Marc D]

Having been on 10 cruises out of PC with Disney, we’ve tried three of the most popular options :

1- Staying at WDW and taking the DCL bus or a car service
2- Staying at PC with a car rental or a car service/hotel shuttle to port
3- Staying at the Hyatt in the airport and using the DCL shuttle

Unless we have a specific reason to visit WDW that day, we much prefer staying inside the airport. The transition from airplane to room takes no more than 10 minutes, the pool is nice, the food at McCoy’s, the hotel restaurant, and the breakfast buffet are both excellent and there is nothing more convenient than the DCL bus. The bus ride takes 45 minutes and you do not need car seats.

Staying at WDW is very costly, both in transportation to the hotel and for the room, with nothing to show for it except being on Disney property and the associated ‘Disney bubble’ feel. Staying near the port doesn’t cut your transport time, but requires you to do it immediately after the flight, a moment where kids might not be cooperative anymore.

 

[Calantha]

This is a super broad question - but I'll try to break it down.

Hotel Options (4 primary): At the airport, near the airport, in Port Canaveral, at Disney.
Transfers (5 primary): From the airport or from Disney World, otherwise you'll have to rent a car, hire an Uber, or reserve a private transfer.

The following is my opinion on all of this with 2 prior experiences (one from January and one from 2019) and planning for one in 3 weeks:

• Hotel at airport - expensive but convenient (I feel like 200+ per night)
• Hotel near airport - cheaper but less convenient (125-175 depending on the time of the year but tons of options)
• Hotel at port - convenient and moderately expensive (maybe 150-200+/night depending on the time of the year)

• Never done Disney transfers from the airport or Disney World - I feel like they are convenient but not cheap especially for 3+ people.
• I've done a private transfer from the airport to a hotel and back to the airport from the port - this is now pretty expensive, although maybe with 4 people not terrible. I would love to do it that way again, but it is too much.
• I've done a group transfer from a hotel near the airport to the port and back - I hated it and would never do it again. Crowded and hot. But, it was cheap!
• This time we are renting a car and it is less expensive than the private transfer and more than the group transfer, but I think we'll have maximum flexibility.

Obviously handling car seats are an issue, especially with little ones. My son is now 7 so, I just carry a small booster for him.

Hope this helps.

 

[Carohs]

For our family of 4 we opted for two one way car rentals. This gave us the flexibility to see some of Orlando, fly in the day before, and find a hotel with more reasonable rates than the airport; plus the cost was about the same than 4 shuttle fares. With your little one's car seat needs, taking a shuttle bus might be more convenient. If you check out goport, they have some hotel+shuttle packages that you may find works for you.

 

[loislane]

This is the second time we'll be staying at the Hyatt at MCO and using Disney Cruise Line transport. It's super convenient and we like that they handle our bags so we only have to worry about handling our carryon bags from the hotel to the ship. Plus I liked that we could book both right in with our cruise package so we had that ability to spread out the payments in advance.