Transportation

HauntedMansionFLA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Is there transportation from the Orlando airport to the cruise line in Florida? Kind of like the express to the resorts. Thanks :)
 

dumboflyer

Well-Known Member
Is there transportation from the Orlando airport to the cruise line in Florida? Kind of like the express to the resorts. Thanks :)
I cannot advise enough against the "official" DCL transport. We've done it once and will never do it again. It is very expensive compared to private transport, and you have almost no say in your times.There are lots of good and reputable private transport companies and services, you are **far** better off choosing one of them.
 

Tom

Beta Return
I cannot advise enough against the "official" DCL transport. We've done it once and will never do it again. It is very expensive compared to private transport, and you have almost no say in your times.There are lots of good and reputable private transport companies and services, you are **far** better off choosing one of them.

Can you recommend some affordable services to get us from Riverside to Port Canaveral in November?
 

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
We used "official" transport from airport to port. It is very expensive and you do not have ability (other than being at airport when transport opens) on when you will arrive at port. However, it is very convenient and our bags were taken care of by hotel in airport to transfer to bus to ship to room without our intervention. It was also stress-free and entertaining to see our fellow cruise families. The video was a small plus. Total trip was about an hour. We were not first several buses. We kinda slept in. We were not unhappy with "official" transport. We may use it again or we may consider private transport, we hope to have to make that decision but are not currently scheduled to cruise.
 

dumboflyer

Well-Known Member
Can you recommend some affordable services to get us from Riverside to Port Canaveral in November?
The last couple times we've used Cocoa Beach Shuttle (http://www.cbshuttle.com/). We've been pretty happy with them.

The other factor for anyone to look into is how many people you have going. Most private transport companies have two options: "shuttle" or "private". "Shuttle" means they have a bus of some kind (could be a 20-person, could be a greyhound), and you are told when you can go based on your location. "Private" means you have a driver and typically a towncar, large van, or small bus. You get to pick your exact time and pickup location. Just your party is in the vehicle. The "shuttle" option is really just a bit cheaper than the DCL transport, but you have to haul your own bags. Look at the numbers and see if it's worthwhile. The "private" option is where you can make a nice difference.

For example, in early January this year we had a private transport for 13 of us. We were picked up from Kidani Village just after 9:30. We had a 15-passenger van, along with a separate trailer for luggage and mobility devices (one wheelchair, one electric scooter). The van had a carseat for my toddler niece. On the way back we were picked up around 9 and dropped off at the Boardwalk. All the timing went fine, we didn't have to wait to board or anything. (DCL sells this as a priority, but when no DCL buses are there before you, what's the point of priority?) We paid $330 for our entire group, ROUND TRIP (just over $25/person). The driver also helped out a lot with loading and unloading bags, we just had to pull our large bags about 100 ft from the gate to the drop point.
Compare that to the previous cruise, where we paid $70/person round trip for official DCL transport, were told when we would get picked up (arrived 3 hrs after our earliest possible boarding time), couldn't all sit together because of how crowded the bus was, made 4 other stops, no carseat, and the bus actually backtracked because one dude forgot his backpack at his hotel, and the driver had mercy (don't blame the driver, but it was still mildly irritating). This is why we will always go the private route from now on.
 

WDWYankee15

Well-Known Member
I am interested in recommendations and experiences with private transport companies. I have two adults and two kids. We are stay at Beach Club for a few days before. Anticipate 4 suitcases and a farmer bag, with some additional carry-ons. Any advice and suggestions appreciated. Thank you.
 

MotherofaPrincessLover

Well-Known Member
For my next cruise, I am planning on renting a car at WDW and dropping it off near the port. I have done some research, and it seems this will save a little money for 4 people. I will also be completely on my own schedule. I can't say for sure how all of this will work since I haven't done it yet, but from my research, it seems like a good option.
 

ChuckElias

Well-Known Member
I've done the car rental. It did save us quite a bit of money. The only downside is that you are at the rental company's mercy as far as getting their shuttle to and from the port. It can be a 20-30 minute wait or more to be picked up by the shuttle. If you don't mind this wait, then I definitely recommend the rental car. If you do decide on the rental, I would suggest that you drop the rest of your party at the port and let them check the bags, then take the car to be dropped off. You can then meet them in the terminal.
 

MotherofaPrincessLover

Well-Known Member
I've done the car rental. It did save us quite a bit of money. The only downside is that you are at the rental company's mercy as far as getting their shuttle to and from the port. It can be a 20-30 minute wait or more to be picked up by the shuttle. If you don't mind this wait, then I definitely recommend the rental car. If you do decide on the rental, I would suggest that you drop the rest of your party at the port and let them check the bags, then take the car to be dropped off. You can then meet them in the terminal.
That's a good tip about dropping off at the terminal. I'll just have to see if my husband will agree to dropping us off...
 

Tonka's Skipper

Well-Known Member
Disney cruise line express costs $35.00 per person, each way. The buses are Disney quality and they run some nice videos and cartons.

If its just 2, maybe 3 people, the buses are cheaper then a town car or car rental. If it's 4 or more, you will likely do better with a town car or rental.

Which ever you do, have a great cruise!


AKK,
 

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