njmoms

Ok! I'll post my own response from experience, lol!

We were 9 big adults, and a wheelchair. We wanted to save as much as we could on parking, so we were looking for a way to coordinate luggage drop-offs and pickups with a minimum of complexity. Here's what we ended up doing.

We couldn't get into a hotel with a cruise shuttle, so we stayed at the Courtyard Airport (Mall Drive) where they let us park our car for the duration of the cruise with no charge. Very nice hotel with a fabulous Cafe.

On the morning of embarkation, my father-in-law, brother-in-law and I loaded all the to-be-checked luggage in their SUV and drove it to the port to check it in around 9:30 AM. Drop off was easy and fast. Just make sure you have your boarding pass for everyone in the vehicle handy. We also prepaid for parking for the SUV (this is important, in that we were able to bypass this time consuming step later when traffic was heavy). I dropped the guys off a block away from the port and they wandered the historic section for a couple hours. I then returned to the Courtyard to fetch the womenfolk.

We loaded the rest of us and our carry-on bags into the SUV and I was able to drop them off at the entrance to the pier, which was a tented area with a parking lot. The guys met up with us there and it was very easy to unload everyone, get the bags out, and the wheelchair set up there. It was about a 50 yard walk to the terminal building. I then went and parked the SUV and caught a quick shuttle to the pier. The shuttle let me out right in front of the building and my family was sitting right there on a bench waiting! Couldn't have been easier.

On our return, we were a bit concerned with the logistics of getting everyone to the parking lot, finding the car, and then getting me, my wife, and daughter back to the hotel. It ended up being pretty easy. Since I was the one that parked the car, I took the shuttle to the lot, where they dump everyone and their luggage in one central area. It was quite a hike to the car! I then went back to the pier area, where the porter had deposited the rest of my family and all our luggage across the street. Make sure everyone is aware of loading zones vs. no stopping zones. We had to back up about 20 feet to keep the police officer from calling a tow truck. But we got everyone loaded in the SUV, and there was a taxi within sight who took me, my wife and daughter back to the hotel to retrieve our car. No problem at all!

The only issue to be aware of is finding where the porter leaves people. I figured it would be the same tent area I left them in to board, but it was not. It seemed to be random where he left them which could potentially pose a problem.

Hey all. We are sailing Sunday 11/5/17, and are planning to leave our cars in the hotel parking lot (Courtyard Airport). We'll take a taxi or Uber/Lyft to the port, and then the same for the return. My question is this: on the pick-up, how complicated is it to arrange for an Uber/Lyft and then FIND them with all your luggage and the mayhem that goes with the process? We have our 89 yr old grandmother with us and I'm worried we'll be wandering all over with a hundred suitcases trying to find our ride! Thanks for any help.

On the Zuiderdam in April, I had the same thing every morning in the Lido and LOVED it...scrambled eggs, bacon if it was done enough, french toast, and coffee. Yum yum! Like you say, only on vacation.

Disney Magic - 10/29/04

HAL Zuiderdam - 4/10/04

Carnival Sensation - 1998

NCL Leeward - 1996