Land/Sea Question

[Tigger&Belle]

I've been reading about 4 night cruises and the land/sea packages. I'm thinking that we'll probably not book a package because I think we'd prefer to do the parks after the cruise (that will be a different thread at another time ), but we will consider doing the land/sea and therefore doing the land first.

I've looked into the land/sea and it seems that transportation is included from the airport to WDW and then again to the port. We'd probably be driving, though. How does the land/sea work for people who drive? Would we still be able to check in and get our KTTK cards at WDW and then not have to check in again before we get on the ship? Do we get any sort of reduced price since we wouldn't be using the transportation provided to the package people?

Thanks, T&B

 

[Corryn]

Hi Tigger&Belle,
We're doing the land/sea tour.
We booked last June and got a price of $2850 for four, catagory 11. We're staying at the CBR. The trip is supposed to start on a Thursday, but isn't it ridiculous to pay for 3 days on land when one of those days is your arrival date? So we all booked an extra night at the CBR for Wednesday. We won't have to switch rooms at the CBR on Thursday. This way we'll wake up on Thursday morning all ready to hit the parks. I'm sure a lot of people do this and the resort employees know how to handle this.

Upon arriving on Wednesday afternoon, we were told by TA that we'll be issued our KTTW card. We won't be able to visit the parks until Thursday, though. Even though it's a length of stay pass that you receive upon check-in, you're only credited the exact 3 days of the land package. No biggie.

Our price did not include transfers. We checked out prices for transfers from DCL and from a couple of private companies. We found the most inexpensive alternative, which also offers the most freedom, was to just rent a car for our entire stay (even while on the cruise).
We got a price of $250.00 through COSTCO (taxes included) for our full length of the stay. When we arrive in Port Canaveral, me and the kids will get out of the car and check in our baggage while my husband will drop the car off at Budget and take the shuttle over with all the other men back to the terminal.

When we arrive back at port, we'll take the shuttle over to Budget to pick up the car. If you're driving your own car, you just park it at the terminal for the 4 days. Parking is $10 per day. I've also read here that red ants are a big problem if you leave food or wrappers in your car while you're away!

We're staying in Orlando for an additional 4 days after the cruise to do Universal again, thats another reason we wanted to rent a car.

As far as a reduced price, I think we got a rock bottom price and that is the reason for the transfers not being included. I am very happy to do without the transfers.
I hope this helped

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I would also tack on that additional night so you can hit the ground running your first WDW park day. So you'll have Thursday, Friday, and Sat as park days and your cruise leaves on a Sunday? A question about the park days...are you able to park hop and do you have any plusses on those days (not that there would probably be a chance to use them unless it's a couple hours at a water park).

Have fun at Universal--our family enjoys it a lot. Where are you staying for your Universal days?

Your price for the land/sea sounds good. What month are you going?

T&B

 

[Corryn]

Yes,
3 Full Days - Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
We'll be up early Sunday morning, get something to eat and travel over to Port Canaveral. I've read that the terminal does not open until 10 - 10:30. But we'll wait
We are able to Park Hop with that pass. That's what we're planning to do, especially with the Extended Hours at night. And we're also planning on doing Blizzard Beach, and then a regular park after that park closes.

We love Universal. I especially love to attend the Halloween Horror Nights!!!!!!!
(and the Mickey's not so scary halloween party)
We all rented Villas at Magical Memories Villas in Kissimmee for $99 per night, that's with two bedrooms and a washer/dryer. Sure beats a hotel room!
We're going in April

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Sounds like a good time. Are there really going to be 60 in your group for the cruise? Wow!

That's good that you can hop and go to the water parks with your land package.

T&B

 

[roscodog]

Did the Land/Sea and stayed at AKL. We also arrived a day early so as to not waste a day of the park pass. Yes, you can park hop. Just a note about the KTTW cards. Since we checked in the day before, we had to go to the front desk and register for a new KTTW card ( since that is the card that covers the entire Land/Sea adventure) before we could set foot into the parks.

 

[Corryn]

Sounds like a good time. Are there really going to be 60 in your group for the cruise? Wow!



T&B

Yes, we're all great friends. We have 12 girls in our troop and 10 of them are coming with their families. We've even got grandparents coming and one of my best friends are coming with their family and Her best friend is coming with her family. We've been together now seven years. We've been camping together for four years and Thank God (because I'm not a camper) one of them suggested we do this. We spend a lot of time together and the Dad's are all friends, too.
You know, we're not all the same type of person and it's kind of funny how we're all friends, but I think because we're all different, we mix well and what one mom can't do, another can, etc. The girls have also come to rely on each other. Now they've started middle school and even though they have different classes and made new friends, they still rely on their Girl Scout Sisters who have been there since kindergarten. They've known each other so long they don't judge each other and feed off each other strengths. They know when things are going bad, there's always their girl scout sisters who will be there for them and when they've got good news, they're the first ones to tell it to.
It's a great mix and we all feel blessed, parents and kids, to be each others' friends.

 

[Corryn]

Since we checked in the day before, we had to go to the front desk and register for a new KTTW card ( since that is the card that covers the entire Land/Sea adventure) before we could set foot into the parks.

Really? Our TA did not tell us that. When did you go?
What does that mean, that we have to visit the front desk before we hit the parks on Thursday morning? What if we've got a breakfast ressie and we leave the resort early?
I appreciate your answer

 

[roscodog]

Our TA did not inform us about this either and we did not find out until we checked in at the front desk. You can ask your TA or check at the front desk when you check in if there is anyway around this if you have breakfast ressies.
I guess since the KTTW card acts as your hotel and ship cabin card key, your hopper pass and your charge card, it has to be activated the day that your land/sea package starts. We had to go to the front desk and confirm that the credit card put down before was the one that we wanted to use for the land/sea. They also gave us a coupon (one per stateroom) that allowed for you to redeem one of three choices. I only remember one of the choices being a lanyard with a couple of pins. One of the others might have to do the rainforest in the spa.
Also prior to boarding the ship, you had to submit your paperwork to the cruise desk in the hotel lobby.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Can a person do a land/sea package if they have two cruise rooms that are different catagories? I think that we'd either get two connecting Cat 8 rooms or one verandah room (cat 5-6) and one Cat 11 across the hall.

T&B

 

[cruisedis05]

I don't know if I missed something. But when I did a land/sea about 4yrs ago I did 5 nite land and 4 nite cruise booked it through a TA. We arrived at the hotel checked in and that was it. Never had to "check back in" or anything. When I got to the port we walked right on. Never went to the desk to check in. When we checked in the first time all our tickets went right on to our card. The extra days for the park and everything. Is it different now? I'm doing this again in Aug and want to know.
thanks,
Jenn

 

[cruisedis05]

bump

 

[KTSMOM]

I don't know if this helps, but we are going on our first Land/Sea trip in Sept and are coming down the day before the "trip" actually starts. My TA told me that we would have to go down to the front desk the first day our trip really starts and check out and then check in again to get our passes for WDW and the ship. I think the reason you have to do this is that the first night is just a room only reservation. It would make sense to go ahead and just check in for the entire trip that first night. I'm sure they could make it so that your cards weren't activated until the next day. Who knows.