WDW To Port Canaveral?

[Rigby]

Hi! This March we'll be a group of 7, 4 adults and 3 kids, and we'll be staying on property before our cruise leaving from Port Canaveral. Would you recommend hiring a limo company or letting Disney handle everything? I've read that sometimes people using Disney are given boarding numbers and then they have to watch people with boarding numbers before theirs get on while they wait. Is that true? Appreciate any advice!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi! This March we'll be a group of 7, 4 adults and 3 kids, and we'll be staying on property before our cruise leaving from Port Canaveral. Would you recommend hiring a limo company or letting Disney handle everything? I've read that sometimes people using Disney are given boarding numbers and then they have to watch people with boarding numbers before theirs get on while they wait. Is that true? Appreciate any advice!

When you do your online check in, you select a Port Arrival Time. The PAT is tied to the actual boarding number you get when you check in at the port. You will get the same boarding number, regardless of when you actually check in (if you arrive earlier than your selected PAT, or after = same number).

DCL transfers typically begin arriving at the port around 12:30 or so. Around that time is when Open Boarding is typically announced. Open Boarding means you can board as soon as you've checked in, regardless of your PAT or boarding number.

If you purchase DCL transfers prior to doing the online check in, you may not be prompted to select a PAT. You will get the "next available" boarding number once you arrive at the port.

Stick with me here - each PAT has X number of boarding numbers assigned to it. Each boarding number has X number of boarding passes. When everyone has checked in online, not all boarding number passes have been assigned. So, it's possible that you could get a low number arriving via DCL transfers or a high one, no way on knowing how many passes are still available within each group.

It's quite possible to have a high boarding number, even if you check in early, and you will see other arriving after you boarding before you, if they have arrived at their correct PAT.

 

[Dug720]

It's quite possible to have a high boarding number, even if you check in early, and you will see other arriving after you boarding before you, if they have arrived at their correct PAT.

Yep. A couple of years ago - before they had the "you booked transfers already? no PAT selection for you!" thing happening - I had gotten the earliest PAT and was on the first bus from MCO (I stayed at a hotel near the airport the night before). I got Boarding Group 3 as there were a lot of Platinum cruisers, so Group 2 basically didn't exist. The guy at the counter next to me at the port was on the same bus I was, but he was given a Boarding Group in the 20s. (I know because he was being loud about it.) The CM who was checking him in very calmly and politely explained that his selected arrival time had been later and the Boarding Groups were assigned based on that.

 

[Weedy]

It will probably be cheaper to book private transportation.
Disney is $35pp each way. Typically if you have 4 or more in your party it cheaper to book private transportation
I’ve read if you book Disney transportation you can’t pick a PAT.
If you take private transportation you will be able to pick a PAT when your booking window opens (75 days prior to your cruise for first time cruisers). When you arrive and check in you will be given a boarding number. The earlier your Port Arrival Time the lower your number.
Typically at Port Canaveral
10:30 Terminal opens
11:15-11:30 boarding begins
Concierge and Platinum board first and then they start with everyone else
12:00 pools, slides, restaurants and bars open
1:30 cabins are available

 

[PrincessShmoo]

It will probably be cheaper to book private transportation.
Disney is $35pp each way.
I’ve read if you book Disney transportation you can’t pick a PAT.

If you book the transportation before you do your online check in, most of the time, that's correct. Although, sometimes a reservation still comes up with a prompt to select a time, even with DCL transfers already purchased.

 

[Quellman]

It will probably be cheaper to book private transportation.
Disney is $35pp each way. Typically if you have 4 or more in your party it cheaper to book private transportation
I’ve read if you book Disney transportation you can’t pick a PAT.
If you take private transportation you will be able to pick a PAT when your booking window opens (75 days prior to your cruise for first time cruisers). When you arrive and check in you will be given a boarding number. The earlier your Port Arrival Time the lower your number.

I'll caveat this point. If @Rigby needs to worry about car seats, it might be better to just use the bus for ease of transport since bus transport doesn't typically require kids in car seats and boosters the same that a van would be. Not sure if a limo would hold 7 persons plus luggage.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

I have a cruise coming up next month. Me, wife, and 1.5yo baby.

To avoid the need to fly/drive with car seats, we're flying into MCO 2 days before, staying onsite (so we'll use Magical Express), then use the Disney Cruise bus transfer to get from the onsite hotel to the port, and repeated in reverse when we get back.

We found that the trip became a whole lot easier knowing that we wouldn't be dragging a car seat into an a small stateroom.