Park at Pier or hotel?

[disneyophile]

We are thinking about driving to Port Canaveral to trade off cost of flying for more spending money. Would it be better to plan on staying the night prior to departure in a local hotel and leaving the car there, or not planning an overnight stay and parking at the pier? Does anyone have any recommendations as to where to stay that allows parking during the cruise? Do they have a shuttle to the pier?

 

[MrsPete]

We stayed in a Day's Inn in Titusville. It was far from a luxury place, but it was perfect for our pre-cruise stay (cheap). We paid $45 (AAA discount), which included a breakfast buffet the next morning. We had doughnuts, cereal, and fruit. It was near plenty of restaurants -- both fast food and chain places -- and a Walmart, which came in handy since I realized I had not brought dark socks for DH to wear to dinner.

We chose to park at the port ($10/day) because we wanted to be able to walk straight off the ship to our car. We were afraid we'd have to wait for a shuttle.

One note about leaving your vehicle: the porter who took our bags asked us if we had any food left in the car. She said that any food left behind would attract massive numbers of ants, which would not have made for a nice trip home.

 

[lbgraves]

We parked at the port as well. It was worth the tip to the porter who loaded all our bags in the car. We were then on our way...not going to a hotel to repack on our own with the kids.

 

[kcashner]

The Disney resorts specifically say that you cannot leave your car there while on the cruise.

There are some privately owned parking lots near the port. However, they are only a little cheaper than parking at the port ($7 per day vs. $10). They do include a complimentary shuttle to the port. We chose to park directly at the port as the $21 cost difference ($3 per day X 7 days) wasn't worth the hassle of being off site.

There are several "less expensive" motels in the Titusville/Cocoa Beach area. However, I'm not aware of any that will allow you to keep your car in their lot for a week while you are not registered with them.

 

[kcashner]

Sorry, I'm wrong! It seems that there is a Radisson that allows you to leave your car and shuttle to the port.

 

[webray]

Yes, the Radisson does allow you to leave your car there...this is not a secure or guarded parking lot.

The port parking has security at all times.

 

[cdnmickeylover]

We stayed at the Radisson before our 10/11 cruise and left our car there with no problems. We ended up taking a taxi to the Port in the morning because the earliest shuttle we could book was 2:30pm. The taxi cost about $8 if I remember correctly. Coming back was great. We got off the Magic at about 7:40am and were back at the Radisson by 9am. We only had to wait about 2 minutes for a shuttle and we were second in line for it. The room at the radisson was great and we are planning to do the same thing next October.

 

[rae519]

We parked at the Port and it was a dream come true for $10/day.
First in line, got a great parking space AFTER I left the luggage for the porters AND when Mom thought she forgot something in the car - it was a bit of a hassle, but I was able to get back off the ship and return to the van to locate it for her!

ALSO, got off the ship shortly after 8 and on the road by 8:15AM - no traffic and no hassle waiting for shuttle bus, etc, etc.

We didn't stay at the Radisson - but at another hotel across from the Catholic Church. Cheaper, nice accomodations and I recommend the New York pizza for delivery!!!

Rae