Trying To Figure Out Transport To Port Canaveral

[cruisingwithcarrie]

Hi all. We are flying in from the west coast on a red eye and we are debating on how to get to the pier. Should we stay near MCO and do the shuttle thing? I'm not a fan of arriving late to the port, plus getting up early will be difficult after arriving so late. I think we prefer to stay in the port area. Problem is we are going to arrive around 3:30am and we will be exhausted. If we rent a car and drive to Port Canaveral and stay there, I'm afraid we'll be too tired to drive. Is there a shuttle service that works that late? Or town car or other private limo service that operates that late? Has anyone done this type of red eye? I know we are cutting it close, but 2 of our group have to work the day of the red eye (Friday). No choice. The cruise leaves on Saturday.

If we take a shuttle and go straight to Port Canaveral and spend a few hours in a hotel - how do we get to the pier?

Thanks!

 

[cheermom2four]

IMO stay at the Hyatt in the airport. The first DCL bus out is right after checkin opens at 9am . We arrive around 11:45 pm right before our cruise and decided to just stay at the Hyatt and have DCL get our luggage from our room (they provide that service) so we arent lugging it around and will just walk downstairs to check in at the DCL transportation counters and let them transport us to the port

 

[IWannaBeAMousketeer]

I second that suggestion. It will get you to your hotel room with minimal fuss and then DCL transfers will give you the flexibility to head to port whenever you are up & ready. They have buses leaving continually in the morning. We've had our bags handled by DCL from the Hyatt, but they come and get them in your room fairly early. We have also moved our bags down the the DCL Check In ourselves. It isn't really that much trouble since everything is within the airport.
I haven't done this, but you might be able to carry on what you need for the night and tag the rest of your bags for DCL to grab when you arrive in Orlando. Then you wouldn't even have to deal with your checked luggage at all. You could head straight up to the Hyatt.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I'd stay at the Hyatt too.

Are any car rental agencies open all night?


If you opt to take a shuttle to Port Canaveral, some of the hotels have their own bus from the hotel to the ship. Or just call a taxi.

 

[bumbershoot]

Stay at the Hyatt in MCO. I believe checkout is at 11 so you're still not arriving *late* at the port at all. And if you take DCL transport ($35 per person each way, and you don't have ot book it round trip) it leaves from the airport AND they'll pick up your bags from the room. Of course, that pickup starts at 8am, so you'd best be ready for that.

Or sleep until 10:30, rent a car and drive on out. Or have FLtours or happylimo or many other places drive you out in a big SUV. (limo sounds better, but the trunk space of a limo is no different than that of a towncar and with just the 3 of us we ended up with our "personal items" with us, and my carryon in the passenger seat up front)

I will warn you, you're not going to feel great for about a day and a half. We took Delta from Seattle to MCO on the 19th, 9:17pm to what turned out to be nearly 5am (really early landing), and we felt like JUNK. Once our room was open we went in and took a nap. That's not how I like to start a cruise, personally.

 

[cruisingwithcarrie]

Thank you, all! What a wealth of information!

 

[mmouse37]

Jumping on the Hyatt bandwagon here as well. It is literally IN the airport so just a short walk from the gate. Claim your bags, walk to hotel, check in, let the front desk know you are taking DCL transfers in the am and they will provide you with a letter explaining the process. Grab a few hours sleep (there is a starbucks right outside of hotel in the terminal that opens at 6:00 am (I believe). Take the first or second bus to the port OR sleep in a bit and bring your luggage down to the bus yourself a little late and take a later bus to the port.

As mentioned, $35 pp each way but so very convenient!!!!

http://orlandoairport.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

MJ

 

[Weedy]

Typically I'm a drive to the port and get to the terminal as soon as possible girl.
But in your case I'm with everyone else. Stay at the Hyatt, get a few hours of sleep, take one of the later buses. It's a 45 minute drive from the airport to the Port.
FYI: it usually goes to an Open Boarding (no wait) about 12:30. So if you leave MCO at 11:15-11:30 you will arrive and be able to just walk on the ship. And will be well rested and ready for vacation.

Note: no matter where you stay call the hotel directly before you board the plane and let them know you will be arriving late at night. Hotels have been known to give away rooms to walk up customers.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Not to beat a dead horse but I'd stay at the Hyatt too. In addition to the convenience, the bus ride is super fun, especially if this is your first DCL cruise!

 

[TurtleCharmed]

Hi everyone! Newbie here. I am flying into MCO and planning on staying at the Hyatt before the Cruise. Do I need to contact someone ahead of time to sign up for the DCL bus? Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi everyone! Newbie here. I am flying into MCO and planning on staying at the Hyatt before the Cruise. Do I need to contact someone ahead of time to sign up for the DCL bus? Thanks!

DCL. Just call them up and add the transfers. It's $35.00 per person, one way.

Or you can just walk up to the check in desk at the airport and purchase there, from what I've read. But, then, I don't think the Hyatt will deliver your bags to the DCL transfer truck, if you haven't pre-purchased them.

 

[cruisingwithcarrie]

I am so very glad I found this board! AND a Starbucks at the terminal, too! Booyah!

 

[hnthomps]

Yes, just call DCL and add the transfers.

The Hyatt will have your name on a list. I will add -- they can start taking your bags as early as 830am...or as late as noon. They start at the top floor and work their way down, I think. We had our bags all ready to go at 830, and thought we'd wait and leave after the bags left. I called downstairs around 9 to see if they could estimate when that would be, and they said the wouldn't promise, but it would likely be "a couple hours", and we should just go to the bus. We felt pretty weird leaving our bags in the hotel room...but they had all arrived by the time we got back to our room after the Sail Away party.

 

[daisyx3]

Here is another Hyatt girl! We told them we had booked DCL transport and they said put your bags inside your door in the room by 815. We did, went down to the food court and ate a Cinnabon breakfast, then went to the Magical Express area to wait for the DCL bus. The Hemisphere restaurant in the hotel supposedly has a great buffet, but since we were hours from a cruise ship buffet we took a pass on that. DH and I are cruising next year and I plan to use the Hyatt again.

 

[palenskec]

Can I chime in here and ask a question about the Hyatt - I'm looking for our cruise next spring (I realize LOTS of time to book a hotel), but the Hyatt seems super spendy to me for one night. It's coming up in the $250-$289 range depending on room type, plus taxes/fees. I think I am spoiled and am not used to spending that much on hotels.

 

[bumbershoot]

And will be well rested and ready for vacation.

They are likely catching a flight around 7 their time to land at 3:30 eastern time. Which will be like 12:30am to them. They then will have to be out of the room at around 8am their bodies' time. They are NOT going to be well rested in any way, IMO and in my experience (unless they are the Best Sleepers EVER), but they will be MORE rested than if they try to get to the port that early morning.

Can I chime in here and ask a question about the Hyatt - I'm looking for our cruise next spring (I realize LOTS of time to book a hotel), but the Hyatt seems super spendy to me for one night. It's coming up in the $250-$289 range depending on room type, plus taxes/fees. I think I am spoiled and am not used to spending that much on hotels.

It's a Hyatt Regency, which means it's not always cheap. It's right there IN the airport, which is location location and more location, and that means it isn't always cheap. I recently saw it for about $195 and wished I had a trip planned for that day so I could snag it at that rate.

 

[lanejudy]

Can I chime in here and ask a question about the Hyatt - I'm looking for our cruise next spring (I realize LOTS of time to book a hotel), but the Hyatt seems super spendy to me for one night. It's coming up in the $250-$289 range depending on room type, plus taxes/fees. I think I am spoiled and am not used to spending that much on hotels.

Yes, the MCO Hyatt is directly IN the airport and so you are paying for the premium brand (Hyatt Regency) as well as location. However, there are many other less expensive hotels in the MCO area - most with a free 5-minute shuttle to/from MCO. You can stay at something like a Hampton Inn and still use DCL transfers in the morning.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[mmouse37]

Correct, for the most convenient the Hyatt is the way to go but you can also stay at any off site airport hotel with a shuttle if you want to save some money. Most off site airport hotels have a free shuttle to them from the MCO. It just means more handling of luggage to the hotel and back to airport next day but it will be less expensive.

MJ

 

[aidtrismommy]

For the Hyatt you are paying for convenience. If you stay in one of the numerous hotels just a short drive from the airport it will be much less expensive. We stayed at the Embassy Suites several times near the airport. A free shuttle will come pick you up and drive you there, approx. 5 minutes away. You can then hire a car service to take you to the port (which is the most convenient) or take the shuttle back to the airport to rent a car (which is probably cheaper but takes more time) or take a DCL transfer to port.
I am a bit frugal so I would go to Embassy Suites, sleep a little bit late and put that extra money towards hiring a car service to take me directly to the port when I want to. (with your scenario).

 

[RedSox68]

IMO stay at the Hyatt in the airport. The first DCL bus out is right after checkin opens at 9am . We arrive around 11:45 pm right before our cruise and decided to just stay at the Hyatt and have DCL get our luggage from our room (they provide that service) so we arent lugging it around and will just walk downstairs to check in at the DCL transportation counters and let them transport us to the port

I agree, plus you can catnap on the bus to the port. Why waste time with checking in for rental cars, driving, etc. Getting in that late, you'd be better (and safer) to just stay there. You'll never have to leave the airport. Because you will have so little time to grab some sleep and settle in, I think anything outside would just take away time from your chance to catch sleep and also might be dangerous to drive if you are over tired.

When you book it, tell them you are on a Disney cruise and they will have all your paperwork with instructions for luggage, meet times, etc. for you at check in. If you have AAA, they give discounts.

Also I suggest once onboard, after the welcome aboard lunch, try to catch a quick nap before the safety drill. Might help you catch up on the jet lag.