Time arriving at WDW from a cruise

[Keyser]

We'll be taking a cruise on the Dream in July, and going from there to WDW. I'm just trying to get a sense of what time we might expect to arrive at WDW, partially so that I know "safe" times to book fastpasses.

I know there is variation in exactly when the ship docks*. We'll have a car parked at the Country Inn and Suites. So, I guess I'm looking for how long it takes to get off, go through customs, get the shuttle to the local hotel, then drive to WDW. Is 2 hours total a reasonable guess, or is that too little (or too much)?

A few other disembarking/deboarding/whatever it is called questions:
- Is Cabanas open for breakfast (the buffets on the Wonder and Magic were when we were on them)?
- If we have our luggage with us, can we eat on the top deck (outside the buffet)? I assume we can't take our luggage into the assigned breakfast room or indoors into Cabanas. Again, we've done this previously; I don't know if it's possible on the Dream.
- If we have main seating, eat in the restaurant, and are not super-fast eaters, what time would we be likely to be out of breakfast - 7:45?
- What is a "typical" time that they start letting people off? I know this can vary - what is the latest (barring some big mess) that the ship usually starts letting people off?
- Is it hard to get a local hotel shuttle once you are out? Are there big lines, or do you have to hunt for the shuttle or call someone? If we got off first thing, would we be waiting half an hour for the hotel shuttle to fill?

Thanks for any help!

* On our only cruise out of Port Canaveral, years ago, there was a bomb threat at the port, and they closed the whole terminal down for a couple of hours - the first couple of boarding groups had the ship to themselves for hours! So, I know there can be big delays, but I'm wondering how much the arrival time varies due to "normal" variation.

 

[hamm1207]

We've run up to Cabanas, grabbed breakfast, and walked off the ship around 7:30ish. We let our stateroom host know what we were doing, and they let us leave our luggage in the room while we ate. I want to say that we made it to WDW around 10ish, but I don't recall exactly. We did DCL transportation and caught the very first bus leaving port heading for WDW.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We used DCL transfers and were advised to be off the ship no later than 8:15. We were told the bus would promptly leave at 9 am. We skipped breakfast and we're off the ship around 7:45. Then we made it through customs and onto our bus. The bus left little early at 8:45 and we were checking into the GF around 10:15.

 

[openwater]

The Country Inn & Suites at Canaveral has their own shuttle bus and they are efficient.

But I'd imagine the wait/travel time from the Port back to the hotel depends on the number of folks on your ship (and other ships that morning) that need a transfer back to the hotel.
Once you get off the ship and in a hurry, you can always hail a waiting 888-transport taxi to the hotel instead of waiting on shuttles. Should cost no more than $15.

 

[poison ivy]

We took the shuttle a few years ago. If I remember correctly, they contract this out. I would call the Country Inn and Suites and ask them what their earliest pick up time is for Disney. They usually run cruisers back and forth in both directions but I'm not sure what time or which direction they start. Allowing 2-2.5 hrs. should be more than enough time to shuttle to your car and get to Disney once you exit the ship.

 

[apathetic]

Don't carry your luggage off. Leave it outside your room, it will make it downstairs before you. Port Canaveral is very efficient. Likely you will be docked before you even wake up. Go down and have breakfast. If you are first seating, they should be letting people off soon after you finish breakfast. The luggage is usually in the terminal before anyone gets off the ship, so there is no reason to carry it.

We've have done DCL transfer to WDW and it is very easy. They have buses leaving all the time. They know how many are going where so hurrying to get off isn't going get your bus to leave earlier. We always get to WDW between 9 and 10. That is getting to breakfast on time, collecting luggage in terminal, going through customs and then getting on a bus. It is very smooth. Don't try to hurry because you will be mad when the buses sit waiting for everyone else. If you are slower or have later breakfast you should still get there by 11. They turn those buses around to take people back to the ship and those pickups start 1100-1130.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

We were also told to be off the ship by 8:15. We were on the bus before 8:15 but the busses sat there until 9:00. The driver said he was not allowed to leave before 9:00 so I'll take a little more time getting there next time.

 

[FindMeAFishingSpot]

Don't carry your luggage off. Leave it outside your room, it will make it downstairs before you. Port Canaveral is very efficient. Likely you will be docked before you even wake up. Go down and have breakfast. If you are first seating, they should be letting people off soon after you finish breakfast. The luggage is usually in the terminal before anyone gets off the ship, so there is no reason to carry it.

We've have done DCL transfer to WDW and it is very easy. They have buses leaving all the time. They know how many are going where so hurrying to get off isn't going get your bus to leave earlier. We always get to WDW between 9 and 10. That is getting to breakfast on time, collecting luggage in terminal, going through customs and then getting on a bus. It is very smooth. Don't try to hurry because you will be mad when the buses sit waiting for everyone else. If you are slower or have later breakfast you should still get there by 11. They turn those buses around to take people back to the ship and those pickups start 1100-1130.

They changed the DCL transfer procedure (we were surprised by it in February). They now will not run buses constantly - they leave at 9am. We sat on the bus for over an hour. We got in the park around 11:30 after checking in at AKL.

 

[apathetic]

They changed the DCL transfer procedure (we were surprised by it in February). They now will not run buses constantly - they leave at 9am. We sat on the bus for over an hour. We got in the park around 11:30 after checking in at AKL.

Yikes, thanks for the info. We go in a few weeks, so that is good to know. Even more reason to not be in a hurry. But if they leave at 9am, you should still get to WDW 1000-1030 and the parks by noon. That's not too bad I never make plans on arrival day anyway, except maybe night shows. Takes time to transition from a laid back cruise to WDW.

 

[FigmentSpark]

So, just to be clear, there are some Disney transfer buses that take you to MCO and some that go directly to the parks? And they both cost the same price? Also, those staying in the resort and then going on a cruise take a transfer directly to the port, not via MCO? I don't know why I envisioned a transfer at the airport.

 

[poison ivy]

I believe the OP is parking at CI&S and using their shuttle, not taking a DCL transfer.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Yikes, thanks for the info. We go in a few weeks, so that is good to know. Even more reason to not be in a hurry. But if they leave at 9am, you should still get to WDW 1000-1030 and the parks by noon. That's not too bad I never make plans on arrival day anyway, except maybe night shows. Takes time to transition from a laid back cruise to WDW.

If your bus leave at 9:00, the first stop will be about an hour later. Buses can stop at more than one resort, so you may not actually arrive at your resort until later, up to 2-3 hours later.

So, just to be clear, there are some Disney transfer buses that take you to MCO and some that go directly to the parks? And they both cost the same price? Also, those staying in the resort and then going on a cruise take a transfer directly to the port, not via MCO? I don't know why I envisioned a transfer at the airport.

No, WDW transfer buses only go to the resorts. From there you'd catch the WDW transport buses to the parks.

Yes, DCL transfers go from the resorts to the port, not via MCO. Again, those buses may stop at up to 3 resorts to fill up before heading out to the port.

 

[Weedy]

My 2 cents. If you are in a hurry to get to the parks why not just park at the port?? It's $60 for a 3 night cruise and $75 for a 4 night. That way you walk offf the ship and get in your car. It's about a 1 hour drive from the port to WDW

 

[Sytrace]

I would not make FP until at least 11:00 AM to be on the safe side.
Taking into consideration that you are off the ship by 8:30 (and this is possible with early seating) you would need to pick up the shuttle back to the hotel and then drive to WDW resort which is about 1 hour and a few minutes away. So, with the thought of leaving CI&S by 9:30, you would arrive at WDW resort area by 10:30. This depends on traffic and stopping to pay for tolls on 528 (there is one) and then continuing on 417 South where there are a few more.
If you are taking 528 all the way (I wouldn't as there is a lot of construction that tends to slow down everything, especially in the morning) there are tolls on that road as well.
417 South tends to run a bit faster and a bit smoother with a 70 MPH speed limit.

Have a great cruise!

 

[Keyser]

Great, thanks for all the replies! Yes, we'll be at the Country Inn and Suites (and visiting KSC the day before), so we don't need the transfers, but I imagine that info will help others. The CI&S parking package will save us a good amount of money over the port parking. We're not in a super-rush, but I did want to know what time was reasonable to expect assuming we were rather speedy making our way off the ship.

We have been on some other Disney cruises (except for one, not from Port Canaveral, though). We don't like leaving our luggage outside since it means we have to have it out there at some point the night before, meaning we can't pack the way we normally do (since everything we need for the next morning can't be packed) and depending on what time we have to have things packed, we would have to spend time packing that we'd rather spend doing other stuff. I know my wife has said she doesn't want to do it again, but I imagine people who pack differently can take advantage of it...

 

[Sytrace]

We leave the bags out the night before and I just pack an extra bag to carry off all those last minute things we need in the morning and until we get to either home or hotel.
The carry off bag contains pajamas from the night before, toiletries and assorted things that I forgot to pack in a suitcase. lol ( it is amazing how many things show up in that trunk or on the shelves)
Also, my son likes to buy those pillow pets on board and they take up lots of room in his suitcase, so we tend to put those in a carry off bag as well.
Enjoy KSC, it is really interesting.

 

[summerrluvv]

I second the notion of the just parking at the port. We are also doing a 3 night, followed by a couple of days at WDW and I just broke down and rented a car and will just park at the port. The cost of Disney transportation is $35 per person each way, so the car rental was actually cheaper. Then we can just walk off with our bags and be in the car quickly!

 

[seacruise]

I know the OP is driving, but several were talking about the Disney transfers so thought I would share our experience from a couple weeks ago. Letter told us to disembark no later than 8:30. Walked off the ship about 8:20 and were sitting on the bus at 8:40. We were the last to get on, but the bus did not leave until 9:00. We were going to the Contemporary which was the last stop (of course) of 5. Only added about 30 minutes though as the stops didn't take very long. Got to the Contemporary about 10:45 and dropped our bags, etc. then walked over to MK and were in the park by 11:20 in time for an 11:30 Fast Pass.

Definitely way easier than then rental car option we did last time.

 

[lpandorf]

What if you have second seating breakfast? Seems like there may not be enough time to eat, collect bags, go through customs and make a 9 am bus. Is there a later bus for 2nd seating.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

What if you have second seating breakfast? Seems like there may not be enough time to eat, collect bags, go through customs and make a 9 am bus. Is there a later bus for 2nd seating.

There is a rolling bus service departing regularly