Airport, Cruise Terminal and WDW Transportation?

[fairestoneofall]

Hey fellow cruisers! We're taking our first Disney Cruise in December and I'm trying to weigh my transportation options. We will likely arrive in Florida in the morning the day before our cruise sails. Our plan is to stay at a hotel near the cruise terminal and just hang out for the day before we cruise. I don't want to risk any chances of missing our cruise due to delayed flights, etc. Anyhow, I'm wondering what the best transportation option would be for us. A one way car rental from MCO to Cocoa Beach? A limo/car service? Disney Cruise busses? Then, upon our return to Port Canaveral we will be heading to WDW to spend five more nights. So, again, I'd love to hear suggestions and experiences that you all have had. We'll take the Magic Express from Bay Lake Tower back to the airport on departure day, that much is certain.

Thanks in advance!

[Drince88]

I'd probably do a town car to the hotel the night before; taxi or hotel shuttle to the cruise terminal; town car to BLT. If you had fewer than 4 people, maybe do Disney transportation to BLT, but I'm pretty sure the cost is a wash when you have 4 people.
It also might be a wash to do a one-way rental the day before, but you need to consider the size of the car you'd need for all your luggage. (Even I have to check a large bag when I go on a cruise.)

[fairestoneofall]

Thanks, that's exactly what I was considering. We'll all be checking bag(s) as we'll be returning to WDW for five more days after the cruise. As it stands all of our Christmas gifts will have to be FedExed to BLT before we leave town.

[dlfansx4]

For our cruise last year, we did the car service from the airport to port area. We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in one of the children's suites (not really a suite but it did have a separate area with 3 beds (one twin and one bunk bed set). Then there was a queen in the main area. I can send you pictures if you want to see them. Then we used their shuttle to get to the port the next morning. The car service also provided us with a grocery stop where we picked up our alcohol and mixers. The only downside of that was dealing with all the luggage.

So next year we plan on staying at the Hyatt MCO the night before the cruise and using Disney transportation to get to the port in the morning. Disney will pick up our luggage from the room and transport it to the port for us. It will cost us more than using a car service, but since that will give us an earlier arrival at the port and someone else will be dealing with our luggage....I'm willing to pay extra I considered a rental car this time but I don't want to deal with trying to find our way and then having to have DH drop us at the port and then go drop off the car. LOL - I know him too well. It will stress him out and that is not how I want to start off our trip. But I know a lot of people go this route with no problems at all.

After the cruise, we just headed back to the airport so we used Disney transport (so I'm no help there).

[fairestoneofall]

Thanks, Patti. We're planning on taking a red eye Thursday night that will put us at MCO early Friday morning. Our ship sails on Saturday so we'll have time to spend in Cocoa Beach/Port Canaveral area on Friday so I don't think staying at the airport is the right choice for us. I could see the advantages of that though. I'd love to see pics of the hotel since we haven't booked ours yet.

[fairestoneofall]

For our cruise last year, we did the car service from the airport to port area. We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in one of the children's suites (not really a suite but it did have a separate area with 3 beds (one twin and one bunk bed set). Then there was a queen in the main area. I can send you pictures if you want to see them. Then we used their shuttle to get to the port the next morning. The car service also provided us with a grocery stop where we picked up our alcohol and mixers. The only downside of that was dealing with all the luggage.

So next year we plan on staying at the Hyatt MCO the night before the cruise and using Disney transportation to get to the port in the morning. Disney will pick up our luggage from the room and transport it to the port for us. It will cost us more than using a car service, but since that will give us an earlier arrival at the port and someone else will be dealing with our luggage....I'm willing to pay extra I considered a rental car this time but I don't want to deal with trying to find our way and then having to have DH drop us at the port and then go drop off the car. LOL - I know him too well. It will stress him out and that is not how I want to start off our trip. But I know a lot of people go this route with no problems at all.

After the cruise, we just headed back to the airport so we used Disney transport (so I'm no help there).

Hey Patti-
Can send me the info for the car service you used? It's time for me to book! I bought our airline tickets this week. Now I need to book our room for the night before we sail. I'd like somewhere nice but hear the port.

I'll also need transportation from the port back to Bay Lake Tower! Cannot wait for this vacation!

[dlfansx4]

Hey Patti-
Can send me the info for the car service you used? It's time for me to book! I bought our airline tickets this week. Now I need to book our room for the night before we sail. I'd like somewhere nice but hear the port.

I'll also need transportation from the port back to Bay Lake Tower! Cannot wait for this vacation!

For transportation, we used Happy Limo. But they have had some mixed reviews on the boards. We had no problem at all. The driver was waiting with a sign with the kids name on it, he helped me get all our bags to the car, he had a Disney movie queued up and had drinks for the kids. We were very happy with them.
http://www.happylimo.com/

For the hotel, we used Country Inn and Suites. It was clean, near the port, had a shuttle and the kid's suite was nice. Plus they had breakfast in the morning.
http://www.countryinns.com/cape-cana...l-32920/flcape

I believe there is also a Radisson near the port that is recommended.

[fairestoneofall]

Thanks, Patti! We booked HappyLimo yesterday and our hotel as well. The kids are going to lose it when a limo pulls up. Lol.