WDW to Port Ground Transfers

[CaptainEO88]

Been poking around on other sites for an answer. Thought I would try here next.

We are taking the DCL Ground Transfer from Pop Century to Port for our cruise in August. I'm wondering, for those that have experience, what time you arrived at the Port, and what time realistically you were on the ship.

The new Princess/Anna/Elsa meet and greet ticket distribution has me all wigged out. I hear they only distribute meet and greet tickets for the cruise until 2pm on embarkation day and I'm concerned that by taking the resort transfers, we will not be on board by the time ticket distribution has stopped.

I know about the work around, heading to the airport and taking the DCL bus to Port to board sooner. But it sounds like a bit of an inconvenience. I'd rather have some good old fashioned good news about taking the DCL transfer from the resort to Port directly.

Thanks in advance guys! Any help is appreciated!

 

[openwater]

Upon arrival you will be allowed to enter the terminal when the bus gets to the Port. Remember, your boarding number that you get when you check in at the terminal is tied to the Port Arrival Time (PAT) you selected during booking. You will receive the same boarding number, regardless of what time you actually check in. Earlier PAT = lower boarding number.

Ship boarding begins around 11:30am.

• About 75 days out, go online to tell Disney Cruise Lines which Resort you will be staying and the transfer needed.
• About 60 days out you will receive a blue booklet from Disney with your luggage tags. Take a good look at those and do not confuse the different tags! There will be tags for Magical Express to the Resorts from Orlando Airport. And there will be tags for Disney Cruise Lines from the Resort to the Ship.
• When you arrive at Orlando Airport, your luggage is handled by the Magical Express bus system using the first set of tags. The Magical Express bus takes you to your resort.
• The night before your cruise, you will receive a letter in the room (around 7pm) telling you when to have your luggage ready (usually a porter picks it around 8am from your room) and the time/place of your DCL bus pickup (usually the lobby between 11am and 11:30am) where staff will be on hand to assist you. You cannot request a time! TIP – Make sure you use the correct DCL tags and you’ve kept everything you NEED out of those bags, and keep your carry-on bags well away from the checked bags if you are not in the room at pickup time. Swimsuits, medications, passports, sunscreen…the things you need for that first day, should all be in your carry-on.
• When the bus arrives your ID will be checked. After you boarded the bus, expect 2 or 3 more stops at nearby resorts then a 1.5 hour drive to Port Canaveral. You can expect to arrive between 12:30pm and 1:30pm. Your luggage will appear in your cabin later the afternoon (around 4pm)
• On the ship you will get new tags in your cabin the night before disembarking. Then porters meet you at the bottom of the escalators and assist you (they have carts) through customs and to the DCL bus.

Photos of the two different Disney transfer buses are here

If you want to arrive earlier it is best to book private transportation or rent a vehicle, or try to catch that first DCL bus from MCO (around 10am departure as soon as it is full)

 

[rantnnravin]

We did DCL ground transfers from PoP and barely made it before they shut down lunch. We arrived at PC at 2:30 and by the time we got on board, we had to run to Cabanas. It was super stressful.

 

[Aby]

Last August we took DCL transfers from Wilderness Lodge to the port. We met in the lobby at 11:15am, stopped at one other resort (Port Orleans) and then headed to the port. We walked onto the ship at exactly 1:06pm. Each experience is going to be different though, depending on where you are staying, and depending too on everyone else that is taking transfers - there is no set schedule. We were very happy with the transfers!

Aby

 

[MouseMomx2]

I would skip the transfers and do a one-way car rental. You can pick one up from National at the Dolphin resort or from Budget at the Doubletree near Disney Springs.

 

[suzadrew]

I like to get to the port as early as possible - to get on the ship asap! We take ME back to the airport in the morning & transfer to the cruise transfers there. It allows us to get to the port before even private transfers are allowed. This is perfect if you are concierge, have early PAT or are platinum. You are on the ship before any of the resort buses even arrive.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Our pick up time from AoA was 12:15 and we were on the ship by 2. We did go into Cabanas and they warned us they were getting ready to close, but we got to eat something before they did.

 

[Billinaz]

We have an Avis rental (at Holiday Inn on Hotel Plaza Blvd) that we will drop off at the port..... about $40 for a full size car.

 

[Billinaz]

I like to get to the port as early as possible - to get on the ship asap! We take ME back to the airport in the morning & transfer to the cruise transfers there. It allows us to get to the port before even private transfers are allowed. This is perfect if you are concierge, have early PAT or are platinum. You are on the ship before any of the resort buses even arrive.

Considering that concierge boards first at about 11:30 I dont see a lot of benefit doing it whis way.. Years ago we used to be the first ones up the elevator because I always got to the port at about 10AM.

We rent a car to the port from WDW ( about $40 for a full size) and usually get to the terminal at about 10ish.

At about 10:30 until they let people in the terminal, but a few buses already are there and in the terminal.

 

[tink1970]

Every experience is different so not sure if you can predict. DB, DSIL and DN took the resort bus and made it on the ship by 3 this New Year's Eve but it was a full, full, ship and bus (I'm guessing).

 

[n2mm]

We always rent a car. The drive is easy and parking is convenient. We have considered doing the one way rentals too. We usually crunch the numbers since we always spend time before and after in wdw.

 

[Hundredacre]

The thing about the dcl bus is kids love it (at least ours do). It is a bummer though that it does not get you to the port early. On the other hand, no wait in the terminal.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I like to get to the port as early as possible - to get on the ship asap! We take ME back to the airport in the morning & transfer to the cruise transfers there. It allows us to get to the port before even private transfers are allowed. This is perfect if you are concierge, have early PAT or are platinum. You are on the ship before any of the resort buses even arrive.

you haul all your luggage with you, i assume?

 

[Disney1fan2002]

We did WDW transfer once and never again! We got to the port so late, we missed lunch. We were signed up for an early bus, but they filled 3 busses before calling our name. ever since, if we didn't drive our own car, we used Mears.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We did WDW transfer once and never again! We got to the port so late, we missed lunch. We were signed up for an early bus, but they filled 3 busses before calling our name. ever since, if we didn't drive our own car, we used Mears.

They called your name? We've never had to wait to have our name called to board the bus. When the bus assigned to our resort showed up, everyone got on.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

They called your name? We've never had to wait to have our name called to board the bus. When the bus assigned to our resort showed up, everyone got on.

This was in 1997. Not all resorts had the transfer. We had to go from the ALL Star to the Grand Floridian I believe. There was a huge group of people and a CM with a clipboard. The clipboard had names and party numbers on them. So they would call the larger parties to fill up the buses then call the parties of 2 or 3 to fill in the seats.

 

[Dug720]

you haul all your luggage with you, i assume?

As long as you're not bringing everything and the kitchen sink, not a big deal. It gets put on the DME bus, you're dropped off on the exact same level as the DCL transfers so you take it probably less than the length of a football field and can give it to the people who put it on the truck taking luggage to the port.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This was in 1997. Not all resorts had the transfer. We had to go from the ALL Star to the Grand Floridian I believe. There was a huge group of people and a CM with a clipboard. The clipboard had names and party numbers on them. So they would call the larger parties to fill up the buses then call the parties of 2 or 3 to fill in the seats.

Ah, that makes sense. It's not like that now, since the buses go from all resorts. They "fill" the buses on paper, based on the numbers that need to go from each resort, to figure out what resorts each bus stops at in order to most efficiently fill the seats. That's the reason that you don't know for sure what time your pick up is until the night before - they wait until the last minute to know for sure what those numbers are.

 

[Shanti]

Been poking around on other sites for an answer. Thought I would try here next.

We are taking the DCL Ground Transfer from Pop Century to Port for our cruise in August. I'm wondering, for those that have experience, what time you arrived at the Port, and what time realistically you were on the ship.

The new Princess/Anna/Elsa meet and greet ticket distribution has me all wigged out. I hear they only distribute meet and greet tickets for the cruise until 2pm on embarkation day and I'm concerned that by taking the resort transfers, we will not be on board by the time ticket distribution has stopped.

I know about the work around, heading to the airport and taking the DCL bus to Port to board sooner. But it sounds like a bit of an inconvenience. I'd rather have some good old fashioned good news about taking the DCL transfer from the resort to Port directly.

Thanks in advance guys! Any help is appreciated!

I thought I read that you can now get princess and A&E meet & greet tickets via online check-in. Fellow cruisers, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I thought I read that you can now get princess and A&E meet & greet tickets via online check-in. Fellow cruisers, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, Princess Gathering, Frozen Meet & Greet, and Character Breakfast (on those cruises that have it) are all prebookable now during the excursion bookings process. You can pre-book one of each type. If available, you can get more once onboard.