Disney before sailing from Tampa?

[ritarussell]

I'm planning a family cruise aboard the Inspiration out of Tampa this November. How far is Tampa from Orlando? Is there a shuttle from Orlando to the port of Tampa? We are considering flying down a day or two early to go to Disney before the cruise. Anyone done this?

[fishinguspo]

Orlando to Tampa is approximately 90 miles distance, 1 1/2 hr ride in a car, unaware of any shuttles, however rental cars is the way to go. If you rent a car insure they have a drop off point close to the port, the rental company should be able to drop you off at the ship. If you would like to save some money on hotels in Orlando, http://WWW.SKYAUCTION.COM, will have plenty of rooms available at very nice hotels. We stayed at the Fairfield in during 10/03 for 7 days, for one dollar, plus a $195 clean up, tax, etc, fee. It was a one bedroom apartment with a kitchen and living room, and it was five minutes away from Disney, rates are dependent on availability. I guess we were lucky. In downtown Tampa, right next to the ship is Channelside. It has restaurants, shops, Hooters, Cold Stone Ice Cream, etc, to check out just in case you get to the port early.

[ritarussell]

Thanks for the tip. Anyone know which rental companies have this available? I'm excited because it sounds do-able. THANKS!

[Runner Girl]

It is a 90 minute drive if traffic doesn't back up. It's still a doable plan, but make sure you allow extra time to get to the pier. We have family in Tampa and they often go to Orlando and the traffic back up from Orlando to Tampa occurs pretty frequently.

[Guest cruzr44]

Thanks for the tip. Anyone know which rental companies have this available? I'm excited because it sounds do-able. THANKS!

 

Check out http://www.greenorangevillas.com (our friends stayed here), or do a google search for Florida villa rentals. Quite a few come up.

[MICruizers]

Right now, I-4 is under destruction, err...construction through Polk County, from Disney area to Haines City, which will add at least a half hour or more to the commute time...so you're looking more like 2-2.5 hours, and if you went at 4:00pm on a Friday, it's going to take over 3 hours......

[I Live 4 Cruises]

It's about 2 hours because Orlando traffic is so bad (I'm travling from Tampa to Orlando for the 2nd time this week) and Orlando is ALWAYS crowded with terrible traffic! You should also look at the different parks because there are 4 different Disney parks and pick one before you leave. It will be a lot of fun! :)

[cali-croozer]

We did the opposite........cruise first, Disneyworld after. We rented a car - alamo turned out the have the best rates when we went...they picked us up at the pier and we dropped the car off at the airport. We were able to get a good deal on a room at the Coronado Springs Resort (on-site, moderate). If you can, I would suggest, at least, a 3-4 day stay and an on-site hotel. If you stay on-site, you can use Disney's transportation, which is efficient and free. We stayed 7 nights, with a 5 day pass, and still did not see everything, but had a GREAT time! Go to mousesavers.com for tips and discounts (this is where I found a discount code for the hotel). Disboards.com is great for touring tips too.

[NY Jean]

Hi I am driving and meeting other members of our family in Orlando after our cruise on the Miracle.. would the traffic still be bad on a sunday?? Could I make it by 3pm to pick them up at orlando airport??? thanks

[dolphincruiser404]

Traffic on I-4 is always bad!!!!!! No matter what day, or waht time. The last 6 times I went to Orlando it took me 2.5-3 hours to get there, from Tampa!

[crazy4bears]

Another option would be to go to Bush's Garden instead. That is also a very nice amusement park and is closer to your piers. When we go on our cruise out of Miami in Oct. we plan on stopping in Tampa first and then traveling to Miami. We did Disney last year on our way to our cruise out of Miami. With a coupon we stayed in a Disnet Resort Hotel for $65 a night. They ran shuttles every 15 minutes to the park.

[Kimster]

Hi!

 

Disney is actually located in Kissimmee, not Orlando. Orlando is about 25 miles east or 30 minutes past Kissimmee.

 

Kissimmee is about 75 miles form Tampa. The Disney exits are the first you approach as you enter the Kissimmee area.

 

As mentioned earlier, Busch Gardens is an excellent alternative. Mosi Science Center in Tampa is also a great place to go. Finally, there's always the beaches, 1/2 hour away.

[Kimster]

Hey Dolphincruiser404!

 

I just noticed that we're neighbors.

[Jenirae2]

Is hell any time of day... definately give yourself a couple hours. That is the road that you will be on. There is a new road that takes you from Orlando to Plant City..tolls are a total three dollars. Great alternative and it will take you to I-4 and then you have about 20 minutes to Tampa. I abs have a mnd block so hopefully someone will remember the name.

 

Have a great time.. :)

[tankersbabe]

Is hell any time of day... definately give yourself a couple hours. That is the road that you will be on. There is a new road that takes you from Orlando to Plant City..tolls are a total three dollars. Great alternative and it will take you to I-4 and then you have about 20 minutes to Tampa. I abs have a mnd block so hopefully someone will remember the name.

 

Have a great time.. :)

 

There is a route around? More info please! We are driving down next month, staying outside of Orlando on Saturday night and driving down to Tampa early on Sunday morning. Didn't realize there was mega road construction going on on I-4. Any info would be greatly appreciated...if I have to pay $3 in tolls to avoid sitting, I will do it!

 

 

We cruised first last year and went to Sea World the day we got back into Port Canaveral, then Disney on Friday. We were exhausted, but we had sooo much fun!

 

Stef

[kjunea]

Another great site for disney info is http://www.allearsnet.com. I used to be a castmember and the info on this is outstanding!

 

June

[phlydude]

Hi!

 

Disney is actually located in Kissimmee, not Orlando. Orlando is about 25 miles east or 30 minutes past Kissimmee.

 

 

Yes and no.

 

Disney is not in Orlando or Kissimmee. It is however located mostly in Orange County (Orlando is in Orange County) and a little bit on the south end is located in Osceola County (Animal Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Resorts including All-Stars). Technically, WDW is in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake.

 

Disney is associated with Orlando because mainly the Postal Service. The resorts and residences generally outside the property border are classified as Orlando by the postal service but technically don't fall within the incorporated boundaries of Orlando.

 

Getting back to the OPs question. Any weekend day will double your commute from Orlando area to Tampa unless traveling overnight or early early AM.

 

Take the advice of the other posters, finish your trip in WDW and fly out of MCO instead of trying to trek back to Tampa for your flight.

[01Sweetpea]

If you're only going to be in Disney for a few days, try to stay on-site. You get the advantage of using early morning hours and extended evening hours, on-site transportation, etc. The above mentioned website are wonderful, I use them all!

[cali-croozer]

If you're only going to be in Disney for a few days, try to stay on-site. You get the advantage of using early morning hours and extended evening hours, on-site transportation, etc

 

 

Here's a tip on the extra early morning hours for Disney guests only........go to a park that is NOT offering the early morning hours. There are thousands of Disney hotel guests and most of them will be at that park, while the other parks will be less crowded first thing in the morning. We found this out the hard way, on our first day at Animal Kingdom, going for early morning hour. It was packed from the moment it opened. The rest of the week we steered clear of the featured park and had a lot less crowds to deal with in the morning.

[01Sweetpea]

I agree with Cali-Croozer! Also go to the Disboards, or allearsnet, tons of info there. Also get one of the guide books, whether the UG or Birnbaums... loaded with info.

[phlydude]

Another great site is http://forums.wdwmagic.com

 

Plenty of traffic and LOTS of great Disney tips

[suseg]

I would, seriously, consider Bush Gardens vs. Walt Disney World (and I'm a Disneyphile!!) The drive aside, WDW is so huge that you really would only be left with a taste for more! Bush Gardens has some great roller coasters and you'd be much less tired if you stayed in the Tampa area the night before the cruise. That way you could get up, have a relaxed brekkie and then head for the ship. Just my opinion. Have a wonderful vacation either way.:)

[NickGlover]

Also, adjacent to (and owned by) Bush Gardens is Adventure Island, a very nice water park.

[Kimster]

I stand corrected. Disney is in Lake Buena Vista v. Kissimmee. Both closer to Tampa than Orlando.

[rman738]

If you've never been o Disney World, do it. Out of the 4 parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom, don't miss the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. You can spend a day in each of them. November is generally an "off" month at Disney. You should be able to get attractive rates within Disney Properties or in Lake Buena Vista. I would recommend leaving for your cruise early in the morning, say before 9:30 AM. Heading West from Disney toward Tampa should not be a problem at that time. I would definately get a rental car to do this, even if its for 1 day. Call the rental car agencies and ask about drop off and pick up. When going to the Port Tampa from Disney use "Map Quest." Their directions that we printed off the Internet were perfect when we went in January. Have a great vacation.