TJ O'Pootertoot

FWIW, I remember some people saying Ybor could get rowdy but whether it was a quiet night in December or just that I went to bed early, it was fine for when I was there. But there are lots of bars and cigar lounges and such so I can see how at night it could be dicier or that vibe wouldn't work for some people.

But it is at least worth taking the trolley to go and see.

I stayed at the Hampton Inn in Ybor City, where there are lots of nice restaurants and things to see for the one night before the cruise. People also seemed to like the fancier Hotel Haya, across the street. Ybor just seemd to have a little more character to it than the Channelside area.

The Hampton had a free shuttle to the Port and it's next door to the trolley, which also goes there and into the downtown area (which we walked around the morning of the cruise).

Thanks - Yeah, I'm now thinking I may do what you are suggesting. Using credit card points I can rent a car for "free" from one of the places at the port and even if I have to uber to/there from the hotel, it still appears to be cheaper (and obviously more convenient) than a cab; I called one place and they wanted $75 one-way from Cocoa Beach to the Space Centre. So, even if I paid full price for the one-day rental I think I'd be coming out ahead there.

That's actually a good tip about those rental places only being open on sailing days; I didn't know that....but it looks like there are 4 ships at the Port on that day, so it's not the easiest option but it seems like it should work. (It's annoying we can't just rent at MCO and we'll still have to arrange accessible transportation to/from MCO and from the hotel to the port but that's par for the course....)

I'm also going to San Juan and looking at possible accessible excursions. Could I ask what company you found? Just starting to look into this stuff 😀

A fair point. I narrowed down options but haven't booked a hotel yet, partly because I'm trying to be somewhere near the port and where I can find my way to KSC 🙂

If I stayed in the Port Canaveral area, for example, several hotels have shuttles to the port, where I could rent a car more easily than down in Cocoa Beach but it's also a more isolated area; one variable is my wife and daughter don't really care about the space stuff and in Cocoa Beach they could walk to the beach and stores etc. I also tried one cab company that wanted $75 one-way, which seems excessive.

(Another variable, which I posted about elsewhere is that my daughter uses a wheelchair and renting an accessible vehicle is prohibitively expensive and accessible transfers to/from the airport and port exist but are scarce.)

So, I'm trying to work backwards, looking at all the transportation and lodging options and find a combination that works for all of us.

I can see this topic has been asked about a few times in the past but hopefully no one will mind me trying to get some updated info as I'm looking at sailing out of Port Canaveral for the first time in December.

To make a long story short, we are not looking at renting a car but are trying to go in 2 nights early so there's a day to visit KSC. It appears there is no public transit to get there. I can see one option is to rent a car for the day but it appears none of the local agencies do pickups so I I have to Uber to/from the car rental outlet just to pick up the car, and then pay a bit for gas and parking,it adds up and is less of a bargain (or time saver).  

I gather it's not too hard to Uber there (and it looks like it's roughly $50) but I've seen suggestions I could end being unable to find a taxi or uber back later in the day. I get it - because it is a bit remote - but it's also a huge tourist centre (especially during the December holidays, I'd think). Is it actually probable that if I took an Uber there I would be unable to get back to Cocoa Beach? And what happens then? Do they let you sleep in the rocket garden?

Are there really no other practical options??

I sailed out of Tampa last December and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Ybor City. It was a cool neighbourhood to stay in and see and it was very easy to get into "town" on the trolley and they had a free shuttle to the port (and you could also take the trolley, which isn't so bad).

We basically flew in, got to the hotel, walked around and ate in Ybor City at night and then trolleyed in downtown to do the riverwalk in the morning, took it back to the hotel and then the shuttle to the port.

We also wanted to get some wine and there wasn't a lot easy to find but we went to the Duckweed Urban Grocery (200 East Polk Street). There was not a huge selection or, you know, "fine wines," but there was enough we could grab a decent red and a white to take on the ship.

1 hour ago, kokopelli-az said:

One thing to note is that if you're staying at a hotel and want to take the cruise line ADA transfer, you will probably have to go back to the airport to catch it.   Most cruise line transfers (ADA or otherwise) offer transfers from the airport to the cruise port and vice versa, not to hotels.  

Ha, yes - I was thinking of that. It's actually amazing given how many tourists go through both Port Canavaeral and Orlando airport that there are not more reliable services in place for people who need them.

I think I found a local company in Cocoa Beach that will to transfers to the airport from a local hotel and apparently the Radisson at the Port (which has a lot of mixed/negative reviews) also has an ADA shuttle but these things are not easy to track down and confirm.

Thanks... yeah, it's one reason I was thinking it might be easier to stay near MCO and then get a an ADA transfer (with a the cruise line or elsewhere) directly to the port when it's time to sail.

Each scenario seems to have a catch or two, though there must be a way to do it.

Maybe one day renting an ADA van won't be 20x harder than renting a normal car and something like this won't be tricky.

Good luck to you too. I'm already thinking it might be easier to just stay back around the Orlando airport as there are at least various options to get from the airport to the port; which is ironic since it seems harder to get reliable transportation for the last few miles from Cocoa Beach to the port.

I want to go in early and visit the Kennedy Space Centre but even that might be easier to just do from Orlando than Port Canaveral 🤷‍♂️

I tried posting this on the Florida Departures board as well,as you never know what will work but...

...I'm looking at a cruise out of Port Canaveral, which I haven't done before. The current idea we're kicking around is to fly into MCO and then it looks like there are a few options to get to the port area with my daughter, who has a power wheelchair.

If we were going directly to the port, that'd be easy enought but the question is if we fly in a night or two early and stay at one of the hotels right by the port or even Cocoa Beach, is there a way to get accessible transportation to the port for the cruise? (I'm less concerned about getting back to the airport as, at worst, the cruise line will have a transfer.) 

I've seen GoPort has packages that include all transfers and I don't know if anyone has used them for accessible transfers but I'm hoping there are Ubers or taxis or something else that might work, especially given how the port seems so close but too far to walk.

Thanks for any help or info.

I know this is a variation on a bit of a commonly asked question but...

...I'm looking at a cruise out of Port Canaveral, which I haven't done before. The current idea we're kicking around is to fly into MCO and then it looks like there are a few options to get to the port area with my daughter, who has a power wheelchair.

If we were going directly to the port, that'd be easy enought but the question is if we fly in a night or two early and stay at one of the hotels right by the port or even Cocoa Beach, is there a way to get accessible transportation to the port for the cruise? (I'm less concerned about getting back to the airport as, at worst, the cruise line will have a transfer.) It looks like without a wheelchair, it's nice and easy to rent a car at the airport, stay at a hotel and then return it at the port but that's not going to work for us.

I've seen GoPort has packages that include all transfers and their website implies they might have at least some accessible vehicles but I'm hoping there are Ubers or taxis or something else that might work, especially given how the port seems so close but too far to walk.

I'll cross-post on the disabled travel board but thanks for any help or info.

I'm looking forward to doing a tour with Victor Bodden in a couple of weeks and was also planning on tipping the guide but - if it's not intrusive - can you say roughly how much you ended up tipping everyone? (Still trying to do the math on how much cash we need to bring 😀)

Will do, thanks. It's reassuinng to at least know I'm not imagining it's not currently there😀

On 10/18/2023 at 2:51 PM, robmtx said:

Wow you know what? I've never been on a cruise where Day 2 wasn't "Dress your best" but I just went into your cruise planner for Nov 12 Wonder and it says Day 2 "Casual"

 

So apparently now I'm giving out bad advice. Formal for your sailing is Night 3 and 6.  Maybe because Day 3 is a Sea Day for you.

Sorry to dig up this month-old thread but I'm sailing on Enchantment on December 30 so I assumed the Night 2/Night 6 thing would hold true - especially since Night 2 is New Year's Eve. But I don't see any indication anywhere of formal or "dress your best" nights. When I look at dining, it just shows "smart casual attire" for every night.

Is there somewhere else I should be looking?

To make a long story short, it did take some time and making my way up the corporate ladder but the hotel is arranging the transportation. And hopefully now they'll know for next time.

On 9/8/2023 at 7:16 PM, firefly333 said:

Belize is the only tender I've seen that takes motorized chairs. 

 

Maybe there is a section on cc where other such ports with hc tenders are listed? 

I'm on a cruise over new year's with my daughter, who is in a powerchair and we just assumed Belize was a write-off, as she wouldn't be able to board a tender. Are you saying there are tenders there that will take a powerchair? And would getting access to one be a port issue or a cruise line issue?

Thanks for any info.

Thanks for that. I wasn't getting anywhere on the phone so I asked for an email and sent them something very similar to that... possibly that exact document.  I'm being nice so far and cautiously optimistic they'll understand it's a legal obligation rather than a friendly request 🙂

On 9/9/2023 at 8:35 PM, CruisingAlong4Now said:

It would probably be best to secure your own reservations for a wheelchair accessible taxi at the airport and at the ship for the return.

 

After you speak with the hotel, you can determine if you feel comfortable with their ability to provide transportation to the pier.

Thanks, this is basically what I'm doing.

I contacted Yellow Cab, which fowarded to West Coast Transportation and it seems like a good option for to/from the airport, albeit at 2x the cost of a normal cab. But it's accessible and seems reliable.

I spoke to the hotel and it wasn't so encouraging. They said they would not pay for an accessible cab but I could take the free trolley, which doesn't seem like the worst option (it's maybe a 3-min walk from hotel and it looks like it goes just as close to the terminal), though we have to lug all our luggage on it. They made it sound like we wouldn't be the first people to take all our bags to the cruise terminal on the trolley and if it's the worst-case scenario, it's not so bad; look like 15 minutes, door to door.

But, as I still have a few months until the cruise, I'm deciding how far I want to go in advising the hotel of their ADA obligations and seeing if they'll find a way to do the right thing, as a matter of principle. It's part of the Hilton chain and it really feels like they should know this stuff by now.

Hi all - I have cross-posted this in the Disabled Cruising forum as  I was wondering if anyone has experience with wheelchair taxis and/or ride services in Tampa.

In particular, we're going to be flying in with my daughter, who has a power wheelchair. The airport's website says they have wheelchair taxis but you should allow "a reasonable amount of additional time," which could mean anything (and, in my experience, tends to be not so reasonable).

We're flying in the night before and the hotel has a shuttle to the port* so the main concerns are what is available to get from the airport to the hotel and then from the port to the airport. It looks like there are a few bookable services but they don't all have great reviews and obviously we want something easy and reliable. I know one option is to book a transfer through the cruise line (RCL) but I wanted to see what the options might be and if others have used them.

*I doubt the hotel shuttle is AODA compliant but I believe they are required to provide equiavlent service so I'm planning to give them advance notice so they can provide a wheelchair cab. If there are issues/concerns there, I could always try the cruise transfer...

Thanks for the responses. I will try the Florida group too.

We are currently planning to fly in the night before - yeah, I would never try flying in same-day, especially in the winter and especially with a wheelchair. And, yes, I've also found Uber WAV can work great but reliability is definitely a concern.

Our current hotel says they have a shuttle to the port. I expect it's not AODA compliant but I also understand they are obligated to provide equivalent service so I'm planning to call them well in advance and see if they will book an accessible cab on our behalf. If I have any concerns, I would then try the cruise transfer. 

So, in the meantime my main concerns are getting from the aiport to the hotel and then what's available when we get off the ship, as we are hoping to book a noonish flight out. It may be that ship transfers would simplify this as well.

I don't know if this makes more or less sense to post in the Tampa forum but I was wondering if anyone has experience with taxis and/or ride services in Tampa.

In particular, we're going to be flying in with my daughter, who has a power wheelchair. The airport's website says they have wheelchair taxis but you should allow "a reasonable amount of additional time," which could mean anything (and, in my experience, tends to be not so reasonable).

I did find a few services you can reserve and it sounds like Uber WAV could be available but it's hard to get a sense how reliable/useful they are.

Similarly, I'm wondering when we get off the ship if there are likely to be wheelchair taxis of some kind available or if it's better to pre-book a service (and if so, which ones are good.) 

Thanks for any assistance!

Wow, thanks for that tip!

We're sailing out of Miami next month and we were frustrated as the hotel we're staying at beforehand has a free shuttle to South Beach that we can't take with our wheelchair.

We figured we'd just have to suck it up and arrange for accessible cabs but now it sounds like we might have to give the hotel a call and get a manager on the phone...

Hi all - In March we're taking our first cruise with my daughter, who is in a wheelchair. there are all sorts of logistics we're pondering and they're occurring to me in no particular order but this is one:

Getting a wheelchair accessible cab to the port (Miami) seems easy enough BUT what do you do about getting one after the cruise, however? Are there typically any waiting there among the other cabs? Should one just arrange a reservation at the same time as the to-the-port cab? And how do you do that if you're not sure what time you're getting off the boat?

Just trying to give us one less thing to worry about :)

Thanks!