US to DCL Port Canaveral ??

[TwingleMum]

I am planning on doing 3-4 days at US before our Disney Cruise ( SOOOO excited about WWOHP ) I thought I would rent a car at MCO and then drive to Disney Cruise. Has anyone done this?? What car rental company has offices at the Port?? How bad is parking at the onsite hotels?? I am staying at the Hard Rock.

 

[cwby22]

we drove from HRH to DCL last summer. About 45-50 minute drive. I know Budget, Avis and Hertz have locations at the port. There may others but these I know of for sure. I've heard parking at HRH can be bad at times, although we didn't have any trouble. It can be bit of a walk from parking lot to your room, minor inconvenience to me though. Be sure to drop your luggage by the door before you park.

 

[bubba's mom]

We actually did this in '08.

I would recommend looking into a car service. It may be cheaper in the long run. (or, if about the same $, at least you wouldn't have to drive and could relax)

We had car service from MCO to PBH and then to the port. You CAN get the service then from the port back to MCO, but we rented a car after our cruise as we were going to stay at family's house.

Remember, you will be paying to rent and park a car you're barely gonna use.

just somethin to think about

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks guys. If I rent from a car co that has offices at the Port I won't need to pay for parking I can return it and do another rental for after the cruise.

 

[bubba's mom]

Thanks guys. If I rent from a car co that has offices at the Port I won't need to pay for parking I can return it and do another rental for after the cruise.

Yep...I know. But still check into how much the car service will charge. It might be cheaper/comparable and a whole lot more convenient! We rented from Budget after the cruise and it was a bit of a shuttle ride to the office to pick the car up.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks guys. If I rent from a car co that has offices at the Port I won't need to pay for parking I can return it and do another rental for after the cruise.

You would be paying for parking at the hotels too. Around $20/day now? I recently did the rental car thing both ways to DCL from WL. What a PITA. ME to MCO, get car at Avis, drive to PC, drop off luggage at terminal, refuel, drop car off at Avis, wait for shuttle 1/2 hr., get shuttle to terminal. Whew! In all of that ds9 lost his Nintendo DSi.
Next time will spend the extra $ to have a driver and not deal with the shuttle, refueling, etc.
Most car services offer a grocery stop on the way to the port if that's your concern.
The drive itself is easy but the rest was a hassle.

We love Happy Limo and for 3 previous Disney cruises, we got a free upgrade every time. We'll be using them again in Oct.

 

[TwingleMum]

You would be paying for parking at the hotels too. Around $20/day now? I recently did the rental car thing both ways to DCL from WL. What a PITA. ME to MCO, get car at Avis, drive to PC, drop off luggage at terminal, refuel, drop car off at Avis, wait for shuttle 1/2 hr., get shuttle to terminal. Whew! In all of that ds9 lost his Nintendo DSi.
Next time will spend the extra $ to have a driver and not deal with the shuttle, refueling, etc.
Most car services offer a grocery stop on the way to the port if that's your concern.
The drive itself is easy but the rest was a hassle.

We love Happy Limo and for 3 previous Disney cruises, we got a free upgrade every time. We'll be using them again in Oct.

Good points thanks for the suggestion.

 

[keishashadow]

Thanks guys. If I rent from a car co that has offices at the Port I won't need to pay for parking I can return it and do another rental for after the cruise.

even factoring in parking @ the pier, u may find it cheaper to just rent a car for the entire time as weekly rates are much cheaper than per diem rentals...price it out.

i like being able to stow all the clothing/gear from land based portion of trip in the car in separate suitcase...less stuff to drag aboard the ship.

 

[Skuba2]

We have done 3 DCL cruises with PBH before. We only did the car service once on the return to the airport when we were catching an early flight. Otherwise, we have always done Avis. They have a van that picks up/drops off at the port. Just leave plenty of time for traffic/accidents. We got stuck once in shuttle take off traffic and spent the whole time frantic that we weren't going to make the cruise and no they won't hold it.

My husband usually drops us off at the port to let me and the kids check in. The kids spend time looking at the ship model and we just chill.

The not-so-fun part of rental pick-up/drop off. People decide to take the whole family and all the luggage which leaves no room for anyone else. Works so much better if just the one person gets in the van and goes to and from the rental agency.

Make sure the person dropping off the rental keeps their personal ID and whatever else is required to get back into the terminal once they get back.

Waiting for the car when you get back to dock is a little sad and boring for the kids. But, most are so exhausted they just sit like lumps on a log.

Oh you are in for so much fun!!

DG

 

[TheWog]

Yep...I know. But still check into how much the car service will charge. It might be cheaper/comparable and a whole lot more convenient! We rented from Budget after the cruise and it was a bit of a shuttle ride to the office to pick the car up.

That's what we will be doing for our cruise and US pre-cruise stay. Car service is more convenient for us and prefer not to hassle with rental, driving, gassing it up, dropping it off, etc.