We've splurged on a short
DCL cruise in January and am looking for an inexpensive way to get to Port Canaveral from MCO or nearby from an inexpensive hotel (also looking for one of those). I Google MCO to Port Canaveral and get various sites, some of which are $40 and even $36 round trip, as opposed to Disney's $70.
There are only 2 of us so renting a car or towncar doesn't make sense.
Does anyone have any experience with any of the buses or shuttles to the port?
I agree. We have done many, many Disney cruises and have tried every which way to/from the port: DCL Transfers, rental car, stretch limo, van, and minibus for 20 passengers.
The driving part of renting a car is easy but to me it's a hassle to drag our stuff on & off the shuttles, wait in line at the office, etc. Sure it may be worth it for a family of 5 because a rental car cost is fixed, not pp. For 2 I would certainly use DCL. The only situation I wouldn't take DCL to the port would be if we were staying at a WDW resort. The buses service the airport passengers early in the am then start picking up WDW resort guests around 11:30-12. Also most buses make more than one stop at other resorts, like DME, so it's 1-2pm by the time you'd get to the port. Meanwhile other cruise guests boarded at 11:30-12, finished lunch, and went swimming by the time you're just arriving. No thanks.
From a WDW resort, I'd get a private transfer or rent a car if on a really tight budget. We've used Happy Limo many times. MouseSavers.com offers a coupon.
The nice thing about using DCL transfers for the ride home is that if you're flying home on a participating airline (same as WDW participating airlines for RAC except SWA) you may qualify for free service called Onboard Airline check in. On the last full day of the cruise, your airline boarding passes and special luggage tags are delivered to your cabin. Once you put your bags outside your door the last night (like everyone else) you don't see/touch your bags until you arrive at your home airport the next day (unlike everyone else). You simply walk off the ship with a small carryon of your dirty PJs and your boarding passes. Hop on the DCL bus then hop off and head to your gate. It's so convenient we intentionally book a participating airline to use this service. Even if we only use DCL transfers one way for returns, it's really such a nice, easy, convenient way to debark from the cruise. It's so heartbreaking enough just having to leave the ship and go back to reality, this kind of eases me back gently instead of walking out to a long line shoving to get onto the rental car shuttle.
I would highly recommend flying to FL at least a day or 2 pre cruise in winter. We love the Hyatt right inside MCO if arriving the evening before. Anything longer than that and it would get boring there & you might as well find something to do & somewhere else to stay.
If you just want an inexpensive place to sleep for one night you could look on Hotwire in the MCO area. We have gotten the Hyatt that way many times. When we go the HW method, I stick to 3.5-4* so we don't end up someplace gross. 3.5-4* would get you a Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, etc.
HTH
Come on over to the DCL board!
