one night prior to cruise

[minnie4me]

Need to stay one night in late May prior to leaving for cruise. It will be a Saturday night. Probably arriving at MCO around 5pm, then need to get back to airport in am to catch bus bound for cruise. 2 adults one child, and I'd like it to be clean !! I am so mad that there is no plane from Pittsburgh to Orlando on Sunday that will meet our needs. All leave too late !!
I know there is a hotel right at the airport, but I imagine it is expensive, or is it worth the money to not have to leave. Must I carry all our luggage to and from the airport, can Mears or whoever takes you to port hold some of it ?
I guess I would like a pool too, maybe DS would like an evening swim.

 

[minnie4me]

bump...

 

[happymommy]

We went on the Disney cruise in 2008, and I actually think you're doing yourself a huge favor by arriving in Orlando the night prior to the cruise. Something could happen the day of departure that could delay you, and it would be so stressful to have that happen (it did for a friend of mine, and they scrambled to get to the port just in time).

We rented a car from Budget for one day and drove ourselves over to Port Canaveral. You can pick up at the airport and drop off in Port Canaveral, plus they will shuttle the driver back over to the port. We stayed very inexpensively at the Four Points by Sheraton, which was close to the port. Had a nice dinner there, my DH did some shopping for some wine to bring onboard (Disney allows this, but it has to be in your carry on, I am aware many other cruise lines prohibit this). Our friends even bought a case of water and brought it on.

The next morning we were excited to get to the ship. We had a quick bite for breakfast (me, too excited to eat), DH returned the car after dropping us off at the port, and we got onboard as early as possible.

You may want to look into that option. We got onboard earlier than many folks, so the kids had their swimsuits on under their clothes, they swam and we had snacks by the pool.

 

[minnie4me]

bump