Trying to save getting to port--what do you think?

[Rock'n Robin]

My dad has prepaid for all of us to get to the port in DCL busses. I have him talked into going down the day before to minimize stress and hopefully get to the boat as early as possible as he wants us all to have brunch at Palo on the Thursday sea day for their anniversary.
I've priced out the Hyatt--we would need 3 rooms and the AAA rate is $134. (DS would stay with grandma as he is on the ship).
For grins I priced out the Radisson at Port Canaveral, which we stayed in last summer when we did our Wonder cruise. It is $119 for a regular room (again, we would need 3).
Is there a transportation provider (Tiffany, whoever) who could take us to PC and save us the money we are spending on the DCL busses? I know we'd get there quickly if we used the shuttle. Also, we rented a car last time and got the Avis shuttle which was even quicker, although I know now it is about a mile away from the hotel, right?
Robin M.

 

[webray]

I would go with the Radisson..just minutes from the port.

 

[ChattyKathy]

I've been reading in here the past few weeks that if you goto priceline.com or hotwire.com you may beable to get your rooms for nearly nothing..I mean I'm talking a mere $39-49 /rm/night.Thats not bad compared to the prices that you mentioned.
I thought there was a DCL bus that takes you from the motel/hotel to the port, however from what I also have been reading....you need to double check on the times that they goto port....I beleive they get there later than alot of folks care to go...due to wanting to get in line to get onboard asap.
Good luck and have fun!!


Kathy

 

[kleubanks]

I booked the Radisson through their website and got 85.00 per night. I also called the hotel directly and was told I can leave my car there and transportation to the port is available by signing up at the front desk( no additional charge). Good luck.

 

[kcashner]

You can go to priceline.com and get a room in the Orlando airport area for about $30 per night. These include hotels like the Renaissance, airport Hyatt, etc. Most of these have a shuttle to and from the airport, so you could still use your Disney transfers.

Alternatively, you can book a private carrier to take you to the port (and they will take you from the hotel). This is generally much cheaper than the Disney busses if there are more than 3 or 4 of you. If you need 3 hotel rooms, it must be a larger group. The big difference is that with Disney transfers, you pay per person. If you use a private carrier (like renting a limo or van), you pay for the vehicle. The cost is generally about $120 plus a tip to the driver. Many of these vehicles are equipped with a DVD player to entertain the kiddos on the way to the port.

For a lot of learning about priceline bidding, go to biddingfortravel.com and click on the Florida/Disney World area. You will learn about "free re-bidding," how much to bid for what areas, etc. If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

IF you are using Disney transportation, DO put your cruise luggage tags on before you leave home. If you are NOT using Disney transportation, do not put your tags on until you are leaving your hotel for the port. If you do not use Disney, you will have to claim your baggage and take it to the hotel with you, then your limo driver will take it with you to the port.

Hope this is a little bit clear...
Kathryn