Disney Excursion Thru Carnival or Another Way?

[CapsR1]

We are booked on the Pride from Baltimore (in the spring, 2011) and after checking the prices for excursions to Disney, I was wondering if there were less expensive alternatives we could use? Seems like Carnival's price is very high for a six or seven hour visit to one of the parks.

 

Any advice or guidance is appreciated.

[mrpayroll]

Only other way is to go on your own. This involves renting a car, paying for parking at Disney, waiting in lines for tickest, etc. Sometimes what seems a little expensive really isn't.

[going to see the world]

We were looking to go on this excursion last time, but like you said-the price seems high. I called the excursion department and a man explained that it covered the ticket and transportation on a "very comfortable coach bus", lol. I did the math and it was actually more to do it on our own. Ultimately, we decided not to do the excursion because there was just not enough time. Lines are WAY too long at Disney to have a set schedule, in my opinion.

[djhsolara]

I didn't price this out on our own, and I do agree that it seems that the price is a bit high...but my main consideration for this would be that you are travelling over an hour past Orlando traffic and I would rather be in the arms of Carnival to ensure that if there are any traffic problems at all I will definitely be getting back on the ship rather than missing it while I'm returning my rental car or still stuck in the traffic.

[ANGSWIN]

As an AVID DisneyWorld fan, I would NEVER do a Disney excursion for part of a day on a cruise. There is SO much to do that you would not be able to do even a fraction of ONE park (and there are 4!) You would be too rushed and therefore end up very disappointed and frustrated. It would probably turn you off of DisneyWorld in general. This would be a shame because it is a fantastic vacation experience. I have been 9 times in the past 15 years for multiple days at a time and there is still stuff that I haven't experienced! Therefore, I would wait for another time when I could devote at least a couple of days for a simple visit. This is just my opinion but I think other Disney lovers would agree with me.

[djhsolara]

As an AVID DisneyWorld fan, I would NEVER do a Disney excursion for part of a day on a cruise. There is SO much to do that you would not be able to do even a fraction of ONE park (and there are 4!) You would be too rushed and therefore end up very disappointed and frustrated. It would probably turn you off of DisneyWorld in general. This would be a shame because it is a fantastic vacation experience. I have been 9 times in the past 15 years for multiple days at a time and there is still stuff that I haven't experienced! Therefore, I would wait for another time when I could devote at least a couple of days for a simple visit. This is just my opinion but I think other Disney lovers would agree with me.

 

 

We do Disney every 2-3 years and are avid fans. I tend to agree with you, but if I were to do this it would be something just to do certain things. I would have my day strategically planned so I could accomplish only certain things without feeling stressed about it.

[Quampapetet]

I do agree with Angswin. I've been tons of times to Disney - spent two (separate) weeks there just last year - and it is really best when you stay at the VERY least three full days in the four main parks. You won't be able to do everything there in those three days, but in a week you'll be able to do most or all of the things that interest you (depending on how many ppl in your group have different interests/if you're with little children).

 

Book a week at Disney, if you can. I know they are/were running a special for booking next year and getting the dining plan for free for certain dates.

 

The best times to go to Disney (when you can walk onto most rides instead of waiting in a long line) are mid-January through the first week or two in February (before northeast schools' vacation week), early/mid-May (before Florida schools get out for the summer), some weeks of September-October (after schools are back in session but not during New Jersey vacation week), and the first week or two of December. The worst times are school breaks (February, April, March, and Christmas breaks as well as summer).

[djhsolara]

We do Disney every 2-3 years and are avid fans. I tend to agree with you, but if I were to do this it would be something just to do certain things. I would have my day strategically planned so I could accomplish only certain things without feeling stressed about it.

 

And let me clarify my agreement...I would NEVER book this excursion to Disney as a first-time trip to Disney for anyone. As everyone else has said, there is just too much to see. I would only do it as a "visit" to someplace I've been and like to return to.

[going to see the world]

Dying to go back to Disney now :p

[rsinj]

Same as others have said - would never do Disney for part of a day as an excursion. You're going to spend 3 hours on a bus round trip and then deal with the park/crowds only getting a few things accomplished.

 

Howard

[nats311]

I can't report...yet. We are going there in a few weeks.

 

We rented a minivan - $80. With the park tickets and parking, we calculated for our group of 6, we will be saving approximately $450 over the Carnival excursion.

 

Everytime this question gets posted, it turns into a bunch of people saying they would never do it. But here's my 2 cents...we have all been before, minus my daughter. Our kids are too young to get much out of Cape Canaveral tours. We definitely won't be getting value out of our $80 tickets, but we are sure we will have a good time. I agree that to truly experience it, you need to go for a week or so. But, if you've experienced it before, I fail to see how going for a few hours would be bad. We figure the kids will ride a few rides, we'll meet some characters and just kindof take it all in before we get in the car to head back.

 

Also, just as above, someone always brings up traffic - but two thoughts on that...first, from my research, the traffic from disney to cape canaveral doesn't get out of hand. second, if you are in it, so is the cruise ship bus!

 

PM me in about a month and a half and I can give you a rundown of how it went for us.

[rhorhorho]

Nats - while I agree with everything you have said, there are a few things to consider.

While traffic on the Beeline/Beachline isn't bad usually, when it is bad it is HORRIBLE. It is not the only way to get back and forth, but once you're on it you a stuck on it to a huge degree. The possibility of closure or delay due to fire/smoke is often present, as are delays due to accidents and you could be behind the Carnival bus, which wouldn't help at all. Add to that the Orlando traffic, and you could have a nightmare in the making (of course missing the boat would give you extra time at Disney).

As for the amount of time for the park - not parks as you will not have time to hit more than one - once you factor in drive time, rental pick-up, parking, and Disney transportation you might have four hours in the park (and that's optamistic with a 7 hour window). I have to agree, that might be more trouble than it's worth. Love Disney - we go often, but the timing seems offely tight to me.

Check out the "Space Coast" we have some nice beaches, and some great interactive activities other than the Space Center, many of which are great for kids and many are cheap to free - Brevard Zoo, Indian River Lagoon...:)

[near the beach]

On our last trip to the Magic Kingdom we were there for over ten hours. That is what it took to see everything. We usually don’t stay that long. You would have at least a two hour total ride time. We usually pay around $100 for Carnival excursions from four to seven hours. Tickets are over $80 for adults at Disney the last time I checked. I think you would have fun. It’s how much are you willing to pay for the time you will have at the park you chose. Food and souvenirs are expensive there also.

[nats311]

Nats - while I agree with everything you have said, there are a few things to consider.

While traffic on the Beeline/Beachline isn't bad usually, when it is bad it is HORRIBLE. It is not the only way to get back and forth, but once you're on it you a stuck on it to a huge degree. The possibility of closure or delay due to fire/smoke is often present, as are delays due to accidents and you could be behind the Carnival bus, which wouldn't help at all. Add to that the Orlando traffic, and you could have a nightmare in the making (of course missing the boat would give you extra time at Disney).

As for the amount of time for the park - not parks as you will not have time to hit more than one - once you factor in drive time, rental pick-up, parking, and Disney transportation you might have four hours in the park (and that's optamistic with a 7 hour window). I have to agree, that might be more trouble than it's worth. Love Disney - we go often, but the timing seems offely tight to me.

Check out the "Space Coast" we have some nice beaches, and some great interactive activities other than the Space Center, many of which are great for kids and many are cheap to free - Brevard Zoo, Indian River Lagoon...:)

 

That's good info. We have a 12 hour window really - the pride is docked 7 to 7. Most of the car rental places close at 6. We plan to leave Disney @ 3:30 for the exact reason you mention. I think I read somewhere that the Carnival excursion bus leaves at 4:30, but I could be wrong. I just can't imagine 3 hours not being enough time to get back.

 

Anyway, we figure we will have 6 hours in the park. We are going at a time of year that should be less crowded (agree we might would reconsider if we were going at a peak time).

 

Since it sounds like you are a native (and given that the kids already know about the planned trip to disney, so there is no way we can change that now), can you give us any extra advice on the drive to/from disney? You mention traffic being really bad when there are fires....the fall isn't really a time for that though, right? I always thought florida fires were more in the spring/summer.

[rhorhorho]

With a 12 hour window you're fine! Let's see...Have quarters for the tolls - see if you can get a Sunpass from the car rental co. don't know if they do that but that would ease up the time in tolls. Have a plan for the parks - map the must do's and work out/around from there. Also watch for character meet and greets at odd venues - sometimes you could catch on coming or going and save time there.

 

As for fires - we're still in red flag warnings - so...If anything sparks up the easiest alternatives would be Hwy 192 (Kissimmee - Melbourne then up 95) or SR 50 from North Orlando to Titusville then down 95. Figure each will add about an hour to hour and a half to the drive (traffic in Orlando, Kissimmee) but still within your three hour window.

[msmayor]

We cruised the Pride in August and did the Magic Kingdom on our own. We didn't take the Carnival excursion, although we didn't do it by renting a car either...in my mind, too much time wasted shuttling back and forth to the rental place and waiting to get/turn in the car.

 

Now granted, we already had admission tickets. We had days left over from a previous visit, so our admission was free instead of $320 (4 X $80). Because of that, we splurged on a towncar. We decided to let a local do the driving, as they would best know how to get around traffic and not need directions.

 

We were among the first in line to get off the ship and out the terminal door to meet our towncar at 7:30am. While the Carnival bus was still waiting for folks to get off the ship and loading, we were already on our way.

 

We were dropped at the Ticket and Transportation taxi stand by 8:30 or so and were at the gates of the Magic Kingdom 5 minutes before rope drop at 9:00am.

 

We have been many times before, so we knew which rides to hit first and did all the biggies by 11am with waits of less than 15 minutes. Fast-passed a couple others. Had time for a counter-service lunch and some shopping along Main Street. Probably did 10-12 attractions and even caught some of the afternoon parade. All on a summer weekday.

 

We left the park at 3:30 or so to meet our towncar at 4pm. We believed that as long as we left the park before the Carnival excursion's time (4:30, I believe) we'd be ahead of them in any traffic jam and make it back to the ship before them.

 

We were back on board by 5:10pm, plenty of time to shower and change to make dinner in the main dining room at 6.

 

We'd do it again in a heartbeat...7 hours in Disney for us was so worth it, but mostly because our family has been over a half-dozen times already, and we know we return every couple of years.

[nats311]

we splurged on a towncar. We decided to let a local do the driving, as they would best know how to get around traffic and not need directions.

 

 

Thanks for that info...I think I read a post from you in another thread mentioning the same thing...it has me rethinking if we should do that instead!

[arpie05]

There are several private companies that will pick you up and drive you back and forth. then you don't lose the time of going to get car rental and dropping off - and parking at Disney (which cost $10-15).

 

There are several discounted ticket sites that offer non expiring tickets too that you could save in case you do this trip again - buy a 3 day pass and save two days or something like that.

 

If you wanted you could just drive over and have a character meal at the Contempory and ride the Monorail and not even go into the Park. (you said your children were young).

 

If you know what you want to ride, then you can enjoy a couple of hours and be fine. The traffic shouldn't be bad and it is under an hour drive but once you get into the MK, the driving can be confusing. (I did this drive in May. We stayed in Cape Canaveral, then Disney, back to Cape Cananveral before the Dream.)

[jerseyralph]

Thanks for that info...I think I read a post from you in another thread mentioning the same thing...it has me rethinking if we should do that instead!

 

Msmayor's plan is a good one. We have done it twice and it has worked out just fine. Purchase your tickets in advance (like at AAA). Reserve your towncar (or minivan w/ driver-depending on how many of you there are). Have a blast! We have had no problem at all and where back on the Pride with plenty of time to spare. Not a trip for Disney first-timers. But, if you know Disney....... it is truly fun!

 

Enjoy!

[BarleyJack]

Being a true WDW vet, this sounds great as a day trip! One trip, hit the attractions you want. If given the choice of one park, it would be EPCOT hands down.

[jdro]

OK I googled a car service and they quoted me $300 then priced the tickets at WDW $328 for (4) I only save $12 booking on my own - I was a little excited that I would save $ - anyway we all love Disney and wouldn't miss it!!! Even for a few hours makes my teenage son a "kid" again! Can't wait!!!!

[nats311]

OK I googled a car service and they quoted me $300 then priced the tickets at WDW $328 for (4) I only save $12 booking on my own - I was a little excited that I would save $ - anyway we all love Disney and wouldn't miss it!!! Even for a few hours makes my teenage son a "kid" again! Can't wait!!!!

 

over on the i work for port canaveral thread in the ports of call forums, there is a listing of shuttle services. I am not recommending any of them, but I do happen to know that cocoa beach shuttle (cbshuttle dot com) can do better than that price and if you mention you saw them on CC, they will give you a 10% discount.

[CapsR1]

I am the OP; thanks to everyone for your thoughtful and helpful replies.

 

So . . . if we do decide to go, which park would you recommend for a boy who is turning 8 on the cruise? We've only been to Magic Kingdom one time and no other Disney parks.

[Quampapetet]

What are his interests? If he enjoys animals and such, Animal Kingdom is awesome. If he loves cars/car stunts/action movies, he'll love the "Lights, Motors, Action!" live show in Hollywood Studios (which also has two great rides - Tower of Terror and Rock'n'Roller Coaster - plus some other attractions and live shows he'd enjoy). If he enjoys learning about other countries, he'll enjoy Epcot (which also has several great rides, including Soarin' and Test Track). Since you've already been to Magic Kingdom, I'd say do one of the other parks this trip.