Transportation: MCO, Port Canaveral, and SFB

[MamaBear12]

We’re cruising in October (first time, woohoo!) and arriving a couple days before our cruise to visit NASA museum and hang out. We fly into MCO but we fly out of SFB on debarkation day. Are we better off:

A) renting a car to get us from MCO to port Canaveral, parking it at the hotel while we cruise, then driving it to SFB? Cost: $600-ish for the car plus parking (unless hotel allows free cruise parking?)?

B) booking a one-way shuttle from MCO to Port Canaveral and another to SFB (if so, shuttle recommendations please!)?

C) Uber/Lyft?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

B. FL Tours sponsors the Disboards and they get good reviews but we have never used them. I did recently book them for a trip I'm gifting to my niece and her family. Our regular transfer company was book on her dates so I figured I might as well use the sponsor.
We usually use https://orlandosuntransportation.com/index.html

It's nice to let someone else load the car. $600 for rental and parking is crazy imho.

Hmm. I just re-read your post regarding arriving near the port for a couple days before the cruise. That would be nice to have a car but I would make it a one way rental car, pick up at MCO and drop it off in Cape Canaveral the morning of the cruise and use the free shuttle from the car rental company to take you to the port. Then have a private driver post cruise to airport.

 

[MamaBear12]

B. FL Tours sponsors the Disboards and they get good reviews but we have never used them. I did recently book them for a trip I'm gifting to my niece and her family. Our regular transfer company was book on her dates so I figured I might as well use the sponsor.
We usually use https://orlandosuntransportation.com/index.html

It's nice to let someone else load the car. $600 for rental and parking is crazy imho.

Hmm. I just re-read your post regarding arriving near the port for a couple days before the cruise. That would be nice to have a car but I would make it a one way rental car, pick up at MCO and drop it off in Cape Canaveral the morning of the cruise and use the free shuttle from the car rental company to take you to the port. Then have a private driver post cruise to airport.

I didn’t even think about drop off in Cape Canaveral. Perfect! Thank you!

 

[Weedy]

If you decide to keep the rental car you may want to consider parking at the port.
It’s sooooo much more convenient.
Parking is right next to the cruise terminal. After the cruise your car is right there. The porters will help you to your car with your luggage.
It’s so nice at the end of the cruise just to jump in the car and not have to wait for a shuttle.
Port Canaveral is getting very busy so if you plan on taking the shuttle you may want to check how many cruise ships are in port the day you sail out/in because that will effect how your shuttle.
Some of the hotels share the shuttle.

Port Canaveral breaks record
https://www.cruisehive.com/port-canaveral-sees-100k-passengers-in-single-week/76959

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

If you decide to keep the rental car you may want to consider parking at the port.
It’s sooooo much more convenient.
Parking is right next to the cruise terminal. After the cruise your car is right there. The porters will help you to your car with your luggage.
It’s so nice at the end of the cruise just to jump in the car and not have to wait for a shuttle.

I have parked at PC once (for a 3-nt cruise last Aug, one of the first few sailings post covid) I only did this because of the fear of catching covid from our driver and because of the effort it took to wipe down with disinfectant all touchable surfaces of the car.
I have had private transfers many times. I can honestly compare the 2 methods. The driver is there waiting for us so no need to "wait for a shuttle" as you say. The only way I'd pay for a rental car plus pay for parking would be if it were my own vehicle, or if I needed a car again post cruise and it worked out cheaper to keep the car throughout the cruise vs. doing 2 one way car rentals.

The only method that requires people to wait for a shuttle is if you are renting a car post cruise, then you wait in the shuttle line for Avis, Hertz, etc. to be taken to the rental car office. Been there, done that also and this is the slowest line/longest wait of all the methods of leaving the port.

By far, the most convenient is having a private driver RT.