Port Canaveral to WDW

[DanielleOG]

Hi everyone,

Might be planning a cruise from NYC to Bahamas with a day in Port Canaveral (NOT a Disney Cruise $$$). I understand other cruise lines have their own shuttles to take you to and from Disney World, but everything I've read says they never seem to give you enough time in the parks, maybe 5 hours or so. The day we would be docked at PC is from 8am to 8pm. I'd like to make the most of it and based on what I've read there is a good chance a shuttle would be picking us up early (maybe 5ish) to head back to the ship.

Has anyone ever rented a car in PC and taken it to and from WDW and if so, what was your experience like? How was the process of getting a rental car, what was traffic like, and how much time did you give yourself to get back to the ship?

Thanks!

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

I can't tell you about the rental car process, but I can say that it can take about an hour and a half to get to/from WDW to PC. We did a Disney Cruise in April and stayed the night before at a WDW area hotel. We went the freeway on the way there and it was just over an hour (you also will encounter tolls on this route). The way back to WDW took about an hour and a half, but we went the back way to avoid tolls. With parking at WDW and getting into the parks, you will spend about 4 hours travelling, so giving you about 8 hours of park time. I would suggest though being back at the boat no later than an hour before you depart PC. I have this fear that the boat will leave without me, so I am always a little over cautious. Hope this help!

 

[Master Yoda]

I would use the shuttle. There are just too many things that can go wrong in the 60 miles between WDW and the port.

If it is a shuttle set up by the cruise line the ship will often wait if it is delayed. The same is not the case if you rent a car.

I am sure people will comment that they have done it before without incident, but it is not something I would risk for an extra 30-60 minutes of park time, most of which would be eaten up by the time you would take renting and returning a car.

 

[Minnie Mum]

Car rental can be time consuming. You first have to take a shuttle to the agency. Then drive to the park and park the car. Then (depending on the park), you may need to take a tram just to get to the gates. On the way back you may be contending with rush hour traffic. Then you have to gas up the car before turning it in, and taking another shuttle back to the cruise terminal. And you'll want to be back an hour before sail away. 90 min driving time each way is not an unreasonable estimate. Taking the shuttle seems the better choice to me.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Renting a car might seem like a great idea to have more time in the parks but as others said it can be time consuming to pick up and maybe even return. Plus if you hit traffic of worst case scenario have an accident that would delay you further. I would go with the cruise line sponsored tour because if any delay happens they will probably delay the ship departure for you or if it sails they are responsible for getting you to the next port. It would be more worry free to go with the cruise line trip.