Transportation from Port to WDW

[klepton]

Not sure if I should ask this in the DCL forum or here, thought I'd start here.

We're spending a few days at Wilderness Lodge after our Cruise in April. I know we can take the Disney buses for $140 (there are 4 of us). There are also any number of van/suv/limo transportation services we could take for a bit more ($150-$250). Most town cars aren't big enough for us and our luggage.

I know I can rent a car for a little cheaper, but don't want to deal with the hassle and time lost of picking up the car and then returning it. I want to get to WDW as quickly as possible, check in to the resort, and get to the parks.

My thinking is a private van/suv/limo would be best. We wouldn't have to wait for a bus to fill up, nor would we need to worry about multiple stops before we get to our resort. But I've never taken a bus from port to WDW, so I don't know that for sure. Would appreciate anyone's insight.

Thanks!

 

[sam_gordon]

Not sure if I should ask this in the DCL forum or here, thought I'd start here.

We're spending a few days at Wilderness Lodge after our Cruise in April. I know we can take the Disney buses for $140 (there are 4 of us). There are also any number of van/suv/limo transportation services we could take for a bit more ($150-$250). Most town cars aren't big enough for us and our luggage.

I know I can rent a car for a little cheaper, but don't want to deal with the hassle and time lost of picking up the car and then returning it. I want to get to WDW as quickly as possible, check in to the resort, and get to the parks.

My thinking is a private van/suv/limo would be best. We wouldn't have to wait for a bus to fill up, nor would we need to worry about multiple stops before we get to our resort. But I've never taken a bus from port to WDW, so I don't know that for sure. Would appreciate anyone's insight.

Thanks!

I think the private shuttle will be the quickest but the most expensive.
I think a rental car will be cheapest.
I think the bus may be the easiest, possibly the slowest.

You have to decide what's most important to you, speed, price, or ease of use? Personally, I would probably do the rental car to save the money.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

If you rent a car and do online check in from home before you leave, all you have to do is grab you luggage and head to the garage to pick out your car. It might take you 15 minutes extra because you will have to wait on your luggage.

But if you take the DME you will have to wait in line to get on a bus. Get on the bus and wait for it to fill up before leaving.

So in my opinion renting is faster and way cheaper. If you happen to forget to pack something you can stop at a store.

I rented a budget car and the cost was $40 each way.

 

[goofy4tink]

Run the numbers for all your choices...then decide what is most important to you. There are plenty of car services that will accommodate your group and all their luggage...they use a larger vehicle. That is going to be the fastest and easiest way to get to port and then back to WDW. But it will run you about $200 plus tip.
The bus will get you there and to WDW but it isn't going to run on your schedule! And at almost $150? I would just pay the addtl and go with a car service.
Then, there's the whole rental car scenario. That's pretty much my favorite way to go. Yes, you have to pay to rent the car, and then I like to park it at port....so easy to hop off the boat, cross the street and into your car and off to WDW! But it's quick. And any luggage you don't want to take with you can stay in the trunk.
If you want, you can rent each way...from MCO to port and return the car and take the shuttle from the car rental office back to the ship (I would drop everyone off first, with the bags so they can get checked in while you do the car thing), then after the cruise, shuttle back to the rental office, get another car and back to the ship to pick everyone up, with bags (unless you all go on the shuttle with the bags). That is going to be the cheapest way, but not the fastest.

 

[klepton]

Thanks for the responses guys!

I guess the biggest question is how long these methods really take. It's easy for me to find prices and factor that in, but having never done it before I don't know how long each option takes.

I'm assuming, and you're all backing up, that a car service is the fastest. That makes sense, they're waiting for us at the port and take us directly to WDW. 45 minutes to an hour.

How long on average does the Disney shuttle take? I had assumed there might be 30 minutes of waiting for it to fill up, then 45-60 minutes to drive to WDW, then maybe another 45 minutes to go through other resorts before you get dropped off at yours. I'm completely guessing on those, as I have no prior experience. And I know this is highly variable (ie. we could be the last on the bus and the resort drop-off). Is my assumption close to an average travel time?

I had also assumed that the rental car would take the longest, but you guys are making it sound like it might not be so bad. Renting for the duration of our cruise isn't going to happen. Even with coupon codes the lowest I could find was $700 for the size car we need. Add in $120 to park, and that's way more than getting even a stretch hummer. But doing a one-way rental for a minivan can be done for under $100. I just thought there'd be too much wasted time. Once getting off the ship, I'd need to shuttle to the rental car place and pick up the car, then drive back to the port to pick up the family. Then reverse the process at WDW to drop off the car and get back to the resort to meet up with the family. I'm guessing that's 45-60 minutes on each side of the rental. Am I over-estimating that?

If all my assumptions are correct, I'm thinking it's worth an extra $100 to get two hours more at WDW (car service). Plus getting to the resort early before the other crowds might make the check-in process a little quicker. But if a rental car won't add that much time, I would consider that.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Tinknalli]

I only have experience with DCL transfers and found them to be relatively easy and quick. We had early dining so early breakfast. After breakfast we walked off the ship and found our luggage (took a bit to find one piece that was placed in the wrong area) and then through customs. Walked out to the podium and we were assigned to a van with two other families. Off to WDW we went. Stopped first at OKW and then on to POR to drop us off. We arrived at the resort, waited in a short line and checked in and we were in our room a little after 9 AM.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

For the rental car if you check in online before leaving home all you have to do is stop get your luggage (maybe 15 minutes to get) and walk out and pick out your car. Drive to the exit booth show credit card and DL. (5minutes)

Drive to port 1 hour- on a good day. Drop car and take shuttle to ship 20 minutes. Or you can pay to park the car at the port. and not have to worry about dropping the car off and renting another one after the cruise.


*** you will find the lowest rental rates a week or two before your trip. I never book my car until the Tues before I leave. That's because on Tues the rental companies release their last minute specials.

 

[klepton]

I only have experience with DCL transfers and found them to be relatively easy and quick. We had early dining so early breakfast. After breakfast we walked off the ship and found our luggage (took a bit to find one piece that was placed in the wrong area) and then through customs. Walked out to the podium and we were assigned to a van with two other families. Off to WDW we went. Stopped first at OKW and then on to POR to drop us off. We arrived at the resort, waited in a short line and checked in and we were in our room a little after 9 AM.

Thanks for that info, good to know!

For the rental car if you check in online before leaving home all you have to do is stop get your luggage (maybe 15 minutes to get) and walk out and pick out your car. Drive to the exit booth show credit card and DL. (5minutes)

Drive to port 1 hour- on a good day. Drop car and take shuttle to ship 20 minutes. Or you can pay to park the car at the port. and not have to worry about dropping the car off and renting another one after the cruise.


*** you will find the lowest rental rates a week or two before your trip. I never book my car until the Tues before I leave. That's because on Tues the rental companies release their last minute specials.

Thanks! I already have the rental car to get from MCO to Canaveral. What I'm trying to figure out now is getting from port canaveral to WDW after the cruise. Would need to take a shuttle from the port to the rental place, pick up the car possibly standing in line (I don't think the port area rental locations offer express pick-up, but correct me if I'm wrong). Then drive to WDW, drop family and bags off at resort, return car, and take transportation back to resort.

I'll keep checking for lower rates. I do notice how the price drops the closer we get. Thanks!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

The rental at the port did not take long at all maybe 20 minutes. Not a lot of people rent cars and I think there were 4 families ahead of us. The shuttle van was waiting at the ship when we got off.

 

[klepton]

The rental at the port did not take long at all maybe 20 minutes. Not a lot of people rent cars and I think there were 4 families ahead of us. The shuttle van was waiting at the ship when we got off.

Thanks!

 

[bumbershoot]

We recently used a car service. It wasn't a DCL cruise, but RCCL...but I don't think that makes a difference. We are only a family of 3, but two of us had been in Orlando for 3 weeks already, and we really enjoy taking part in formal nights, so we had luggage a'plenty. Officially too much for a towncar (though we fit all of it into our Grand Marquis once home, so I say "whatever" to that official word...wouldn't work for you because one person would have luggage piled all over them, LOL).

So it was a limo. I *hated* the price. Hated it! SO much darned money. And limos don't really impress me; I feel like the main group that uses limos is teenagers going to prom. But I learned that DH never took a limo for prom, poor guy.

But the service was very nice. The driver was very nice. Our tip was prepaid, and he got us out of the vehicle, got our bags off and left; didn't angle for an extra tip or anything.


It feels like the number one priority for you, OP, is speed. For us, hiring that limo was really speedy.

And it was fun for DH and DS.

 

[klepton]

We recently used a car service. It wasn't DCL, but RCCL...but I don't think that makes a difference. We are only a family of 3, but two of us had been in Orlando for 3 weeks already, and we really enjoy taking part in formal nights, so we had luggage a'plenty. Officially too much for a towncar (though we fit all of it into our Grand Marquis once home, so I say "whatever" to that official word...wouldn't work for you because one person would have luggage piled all over them, LOL).

So it was a limo. I *hated* the price. Hated it! SO much darned money. And limos don't really impress me; I feel like the main group that uses limos is teenagers going to prom. But I learned that DH never took a limo for prom, poor guy.

But the service was very nice. The driver was very nice. Our tip was prepaid, and he got us out of the vehicle, got our bags off and left; didn't angle for an extra tip or anything.


It feels like the number one priority for you, OP, is speed. For us, hiring that limo was really speedy.

And it was fun for DH and DS.

Thanks! I thought a Limo might be fun for DD, but they're quite a bit pricier than vans and SUVs. I'll probably just book one of those.