planning a little wdw before/after cruise with no park tix

[girlsmom]

we have booked our first disney cruise for next May for mre DH, DD14, DD12, and DD9, but it is a super short 3-day cruise, so we wanted to extend the trip since the flights are expensive...we have always been interested in DVC but our past wdw trips are so jam-packed we weren't willing to sacrifice the time for a tour, so this would be good opportunity to do that and also have plenty of pool time at resort (trying to convince myself that it isn't pathetic to go to WDW and not buy park tix since the hefty cruise price tag make park tix a no-go

this will work out, right? ...i hope (since i have already booked the flights, non refundable DVC rental, and MCO hotel!)


wed 5/22 land at MCO 9:30pm, take DME to BWV

thurs 5/23 late Bon Voyage bfast at BW then DVC tour and dinner at WPE at DTD, then take DME to MCO (for fake 11pm flight) and get free airport shuttle to comfort inn for the night

fri 5/24 private transfer (or uber) from Comfort Inn by MCO to cruise (3 day disney dream from Port Canaveral)

Mon 5/27 private transfer (or uber) from cruise port to DVC BCV, dinner at CMC

Tues 5/28 late bfast at 1900 PF, lounge at BC pool, dinner at Ohana (watch wishes from Poly)

Wed 5/29 QS bfast at BC, play at pool, dinner at WCC, free DME to MCO (for fake 11pm flight) and get free airport shuttle to comfort inn for the night

Thurs 5/30 free airport shuttle from comfort inn to MCO for 8am flight home

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

Sounds good to me!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm not really understanding the Comfort Inn stays - is it to cut down on costs?

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I'm not really understanding the Comfort Inn stays - is it to cut down on costs?

Me either. Honestly, all that back and forth sounds dreadful to me. Please share why you doing those Comfort Inn stays. I can't imagine anyone in your family being happy about all of those different hotel stays, and it will be extra hard going from a DVC to a Comfort Inn. Please share more and maybe we can all help you with some suggestions to make your stay more magical and relaxing.

 

[girlsmom]

I am not thrilled about the back and forth



Reasoning:

• originally, travel dates were going to be 5/23-5/29 but the flights in on 5/23 and out on 5/30 were several hundred cheaper than flying in 5/24 and out on 5/29 (the cost of the Comfort Inn room is cheaper than the added cost of the more expensive flights)
  
• this plan saves at least $500 due to the difference in price of DVC rental (for nights of 5/23 and 5/29) and additional cost of transportation to cruise port from BWV on 5/24
• if we stayed at BCV the night of wed 5/29, we would have to get up at 4am on 5/30 for our DME pickup (been there, done that--it is miserable for us). staying at the MCO Comfort Inn hotel the night of 5/29 will enable a much smoother morning for us on departure day 5/30
• we will have a shorter ride from Comfort Inn to cruise port on fri 5/24 than we would leaving from BWV that morning (and we need all the extra time in the mornings that we can get)

I hope that makes sense...?
Bottom line: IF everyone in my family were all "morning people" and money were no object, I would not have Comfort Inn at all

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

I noticed you are going to do a private transfer from Comfort Inn to the port on the 24th. Have you thought about doing the private transfer/uber after your dinner in Disney Springs on the night of the 23rd to one of the port hotels instead? That way, you can sleep in and the 24th starts out as a relaxing day instead with just the 10 minute transfer fro the port hotel to the cruise terminal.

 

[gotomu212]

I am not thrilled about the back and forth



Reasoning:

• originally, travel dates were going to be 5/23-5/29 but the flights in on 5/23 and out on 5/30 were several hundred cheaper than flying in 5/24 and out on 5/29 (the cost of the Comfort Inn room is cheaper than the added cost of the more expensive flights)
  
• this plan saves at least $500 due to the difference in price of DVC rental (for nights of 5/23 and 5/29) and additional cost of transportation to cruise port from BWV on 5/24
• if we stayed at BCV the night of wed 5/29, we would have to get up at 4am on 5/30 for our DME pickup (been there, done that--it is miserable for us). staying at the MCO Comfort Inn hotel the night of 5/29 will enable a much smoother morning for us on departure day 5/30
• we will have a shorter ride from Comfort Inn to cruise port on fri 5/24 than we would leaving from BWV that morning (and we need all the extra time in the mornings that we can get)

I hope that makes sense...?
Bottom line: IF everyone in my family were all "morning people" and money were no object, I would not have Comfort Inn at all

I would agree with other poster that if you’re set on moving hotels the night before the cruise it’s better to move to the port so you’ll have a quick 10 minute drive in the morning (and most port hotels have shuttles to the ship).

If the main reason you’re moving the night of the 29th is to avoid a 4 am DME, why not just pay at $35 Uber and avoid DME? The time it takes to check out, shuttle, check in, dig through suitcases, and then check back out, shuttle to airport is surely worth $35.

 

[girlsmom]

I would agree with other poster that if you’re set on moving hotels the night before the cruise it’s better to move to the port so you’ll have a quick 10 minute drive in the morning (and most port hotels have shuttles to the ship).

If the main reason you’re moving the night of the 29th is to avoid a 4 am DME, why not just pay at $35 Uber and avoid DME? The time it takes to check out, shuttle, check in, dig through suitcases, and then check back out, shuttle to airport is surely worth $35.

I would say “main reason” is to save money...
The Uber Fare estimate I am getting for 5 people is way more than $35

 

[girlsmom]

I noticed you are going to do a private transfer from Comfort Inn to the port on the 24th. Have you thought about doing the private transfer/uber after your dinner in Disney Springs on the night of the 23rd to one of the port hotels instead? That way, you can sleep in and the 24th starts out as a relaxing day instead with just the 10 minute transfer fro the port hotel to the cruise terminal.

That would seem ideal, but I had a hard time finding reasonably priced hotels near the port that could fit five people comfortably and a single room ( there were some, but the nightly rate there was way higher than the nightly rate at the MCO Comfort Inn where the room has 2qu and dbl sofa bed)

 

[girlsmom]

What are your thoughts about the meals that I have in mind, and whether the wdw portion will be “magical” or “sad” (because we aren’t going to parks)

Have any of you done any time at wdw before or after cruises without park tix?

 

[Dug720]

What are your thoughts about the meals that I have in mind, and whether the wdw portion will be “magical” or “sad” (because we aren’t going to parks)

Have any of you done any time at wdw before or after cruises without park tix?

For me personally I would never pay the premium to stay on property if I was not going to the parks. BUT I'm a weird duck who doesn't do pools and I'm not really into shopping - so if I'm not going to the parks, I might as well save money and stay near the port or airport.

 

[KathyTX]

That last day at WDW, the 29th, sounds like a pain. Remember that you’ll have to check out of your room that morning, before the pool and dinner and late ride back to MCO. You don’t have a car, so luggage will be at bell services?

 

[owensamo]

We've done non-parks stays before and after cruises before, and enjoyed them. We had fun doing things on property that we wouldn't otherwise do if we had park tickets - play mini-golf, spend all day at Disney Springs, actually venture to some of the nearby malls (and the American Girl store!), etc. We've also stayed at a DVC resort and done single days at Universal Orlando - not ideal, but we more than made up for one-day park-to-park tickets in savings by staying at DVC. There is so much to see in the Orlando area that Disney makes it very hard to justify spending time on when the tickets are so expensive and extra days are incrementally so cheap. They do a very good job of keeping you on property and keeping you busy!

I tend to agree that a hotel near the port is a better idea if you're not going to stay on property the night before the cruise anyway. You don't need to look right near the port for a hotel to sleep 5 - you can also look in Cocoa Beach as many of the hotels there will also have shuttles to the port in the morning. As a bonus, you could consider checking in earlier and spending some time at the beach.

 

[girlsmom]

That last day at WDW, the 29th, sounds like a pain. Remember that you’ll have to check out of your room that morning, before the pool and dinner and late ride back to MCO. You don’t have a car, so luggage will be at bell services?

Yep, luggage at bell services— checkout is at 11am (right?) and DME time would be 8pm-ish.

So, maybe BC pool 11am-2pm (my kids love wdw resort afternoon “pool activities”), then change in pool bathroom for 4pm-ish ADR at WCC to be back in time for 8pm WCC...?

 

[girlsmom]

We've done non-parks stays before and after cruises before, and enjoyed them. We had fun doing things on property that we wouldn't otherwise do if we had park tickets - play mini-golf, spend all day at Disney Springs, actually venture to some of the nearby malls (and the American Girl store!), etc. We've also stayed at a DVC resort and done single days at Universal Orlando - not ideal, but we more than made up for one-day park-to-park tickets in savings by staying at DVC. There is so much to see in the Orlando area that Disney makes it very hard to justify spending time on when the tickets are so expensive and extra days are incrementally so cheap. They do a very good job of keeping you on property and keeping you busy!

I tend to agree that a hotel near the port is a better idea if you're not going to stay on property the night before the cruise anyway. You don't need to look right near the port for a hotel to sleep 5 - you can also look in Cocoa Beach as many of the hotels there will also have shuttles to the port in the morning. As a bonus, you could consider checking in earlier and spending some time at the beach.

This is helpful to know you’ve spent enjoyable time at dvc resort without park time!!! Thanks for sharing!

I suspect that, like you mentioned, we could enjoy resort time unlike our normal “wdw-trips” ( when I try to maximize park time)?!

 

[owensamo]

This is helpful to know you’ve spent enjoyable time at dvc resort without park time!!! Thanks for sharing!

I suspect that, like you mentioned, we could enjoy resort time unlike our normal “wdw-trips” ( when I try to maximize park time)?!

Totally! One of our favorite things to do is resort hop, and we really don't feel like it's something we can afford when we've got tickets! We love just hopping the monorail, getting off at each resort, and wandering and exploring. Or taking a boat to the Wilderness Lodge or the campgrounds and exploring those. There's so much to see at the resorts, and so many great restaurants we miss because we rarely stay anywhere other than Pop Century or Old Key West/Saratoga Springs/Animal Kingdom Lodge that it's a great way to spend some time soaking up the Disney.

 

[girlsmom]

Totally! One of our favorite things to do is resort hop, and we really don't feel like it's something we can afford when we've got tickets! We love just hopping the monorail, getting off at each resort, and wandering and exploring. Or taking a boat to the Wilderness Lodge or the campgrounds and exploring those. There's so much to see at the resorts, and so many great restaurants we miss because we rarely stay anywhere other than Pop Century or Old Key West/Saratoga Springs/Animal Kingdom Lodge that it's a great way to spend some time soaking up the Disney.

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear and get encouragement on! Thanks so much!

 

[MomOTwins]

I have a sneaking suspicious y'all are going to end up buying park tickets once you are there My kids would be miserable and whining the entire time if they were so close to the parks and not allowed in.

 

[girlsmom]

I have a sneaking suspicious y'all are going to end up buying park tickets once you are there My kids would be miserable and whining the entire time if they were so close to the parks and not allowed in.

Hahaha!!! I think you may have a gift for fortune telling!!!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

What are your thoughts about the meals that I have in mind, and whether the wdw portion will be “magical” or “sad” (because we aren’t going to parks)

Have any of you done any time at wdw before or after cruises without park tix?

In terms of meals, you are jumping around a lot and, IMHO, not really taking advantage of the location you are actually staying in. Will you spend any evening on the Boardwalk to see the entertainment? You seem to be spending most of your meal times in the MK area including one day where you go to GF, back to BC and then back to Poly. It's just a ton of traveling all over the place.