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How to get to cruise port with kids on Disney Fantasy


JokerABC
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We have a large family, along with a 7 month old (at that time in November) and a 3.5 year old, for the Disney Fantasy on Nov 11. We have never cruised with young children before, but wanted to try out a Disney cruise - sounds exciting!

 

But coming from NC, we would rather not drive with a 7 monther and 3 year old. We want to fly. Is it easier to stay in a hotel in Orlando and do the transfer in the morning to the port? How about car seats required from going from Orlando to Port Canaveral? Do I have to bring one just for that, or do vans and taxi's don't care? If I bring 2 car seats, where am I going to store this stuff?

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We have a large family, along with a 7 month old (at that time in November) and a 3.5 year old, for the Disney Fantasy on Nov 11. We have never cruised with young children before, but wanted to try out a Disney cruise - sounds exciting!

 

But coming from NC, we would rather not drive with a 7 monther and 3 year old. We want to fly. Is it easier to stay in a hotel in Orlando and do the transfer in the morning to the port? How about car seats required from going from Orlando to Port Canaveral? Do I have to bring one just for that, or do vans and taxi's don't care? If I bring 2 car seats, where am I going to store this stuff?

If you use DCL transport, it's on a bus, and no car seats required. Taxis & towncars, you must have a car seat. Some companies do supply them.

 

If you bring your own car seats along, you'll be required to store them in your room onboard the ship (there are no storage options either at the airport or in the port. Many people use the shower/tub for storage (when not in use).

 

As for driving from NC to Port Canaveral with kids that young - it's really not that difficult. We took a 3 week driving trip from Southern CA to North Dakota with a 6 month old and a 2 year old. They did fine. We found leaving early in the morning (so the kids will still sleep at the start of the trip) and stopping every couple of hours (which you should do at any rate) for 15-30 minutes for the kids to get out of their car seats worked well.

 

If you drive, you'd be using your own car seats, you can leave them in the car while on the cruise, and you can drive directly to the port and stay at one of the hotels there.

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You'll probably save a lot of money by driving, but that's another issue.

 

Hotels in the MCO area are less costly than in the port area. There are lots of hotels that offer a complimentary shuttle to/from the airport as well as breakfast. There are also several that offer transportation to the cruise port for an added cost. The hotels in the port area have a shuttle available to the cruise terminal (generally, check with the individual hotel), some charge, some are included with the stay. If you stay at a hotel in the port area, you'll need to arrange a private shuttle for your arrival day as well as a shuttle to the port the next day...or rent a car one way and drop off the family, then have the driver return the car and take their free shuttle back to the airport. Of course, with a rental car, you'll need your car seats or will pay for theirs (there are some 'free" car seat deals available--check AAA, etc).

 

If you stay in the MCO area, you have several transportation options. Again, you can get a one day/one way car rental and use that to get to the hotel and then the terminal area. Same drop off options as above. You can arrange a towncar or limo service to pick you up at the hotel and take you to the cruise terminal. Or you can take the hotel's free shuttle back to MCO and use DCL but transportation. Or you can stay at the Hyatt hotel in MCO and Disney will have your luggage picked up from the hotel room and put you on their bus and you don't need any car seats or other transportation. You can get dinner at one of the airport restaurants.

 

As to car seats--bus transportation does not legally require them. Some buses have the seat belts needed to install them, others do not. Taxis and limos require them; some agencies supply them free, some charge. Sometimes they are clean and fit your child, sometimes not.

 

If you fly, it is your choice whether to bring your car seats and use them on the plane or not. There is no charge to fly with them, either in the plane seat or in the luggage. There are multiple places you can store them in your cabin.

 

I've done a 16 hour drive to Florida with kids...it really wasn't an issue. From a quick map check, from NC, it is 9-11 hours (depending on where in the state your departure point is. That's not bad You can do it as one long day (and spend the night in a Florida hotel near the terminal), or leave a couple hours till the morning--stay in Jacksonville or wherever along the way. It's really a matter of how large the family is and what flights will cost. Kids seem to travel really well with some music and a little entertainment in the car. To put it in perspective, unless there are direct flights available from your airport, you'll probably spend 5 hours from initial take off to final arrival at MCO. Add to that the travel time to the airport and the need to be there a significant time before the flight. Then you'll wait for luggage and your transportation to the hotel. You've probably got close to 8 hours in from leaving home to arriving at hotel, perhaps more! If you have direct flights available, that's a different deal.

 

Everything becomes a matter of ease vs. cost. The easiest thing from MCO to cruise terminal is to stay at the Hyatt MCO and use DCL transportation. This is likely the most expensive as well. The cheapest (of course, I don't know what your flights will cost) is likely to be driving. There are several good, fenced and lighted places where you can leave the car for a fee; they have shuttles to the terminal, or you can park at the cruise terminal which costs significantly more but is totally convenient. Hassle of driving vs. hassle of flying--your call. Cost of towncar service vs DCL transportation depends on number of people. Downside to using a hotel's cruise transportation is that they only have one departure time which may not suit your schedule. You have lots of options!

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