First time cruiser on Carnival. Questions questions!!

[andiloveu]

Hi Everyone! I am planning a girls cruise with some friends. I found a Carnival cruise on the Liberty that fits our price and dates. I have some questions about flights. We are all coming from Ohio and I was wondering what airport do you fly into for Port Canaveral? Can I get a transfer from the airport to a hotel near the port and then the next day to the ship? Do I call the hotel or a certain company that would handle this? I have only cruised on RC but I'm not opposed to trying other cruise lines. What is the Liberty like? Can anyone share some pictures or insight on the ship that I can share with my friends? I'm really excited to plan and go on this girls trip and I want to make sure everyone is happy. Any info you can all give would be appreciated!! Thank you so much!!

[DisneyDatknee]

Orlando (MCO) is going to be the cheapest. You can rent a car and drive to the port or get transfers/shuttles. Melbourne is the closest airport.

[happytogetherj&j]

We fly from Newark Liberty to mco-orlando. Then I use Travelynx to shuttle to a hotel.we usually stay the night before in Cape Canaveral at a hotel that has free shuttle to the pier. We we disembark, I use travelynx to get us back to the. Airport. Have a great trip! The Liberty is a nice ship. Lots of activities, shows and different types of bars and casinos.

 

 

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[djhsolara]

Something to think about if you rent a car. We looked into renting at MCO and returning at the port and then after the cruise renting at the port and returning to MCO. It made sense to us to do it this way because we wouldn't have to pay for parking and why would you rent a car to park in a garage while you're cruising??

 

Actually...it was cheaper (a weekly rate) to rent the car at MCO, pay for the parking at the port and let the car sit while we were cruising and then return it back to MCO afterward.

 

 

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[skrufy]

You tube Carnival Liberty and you will find plenty for you and your friends to see what the Liberty is like. The Raddission and the Comfort Inn are the closest hotels to P.C., about a mile south. We sailed the Liberty a few years ago and really enjoyed the cruise. Most people use MCO but some times you can find cheaper flights into Melbourne. Look through the previous posts, you will find the info on car rentals, shuttles to the port and back to MCO, and hotel shuttles to the port. You can make reservations with the MCO-PC shuttle companies.

[easyboy]

You have more choices and flexibility on airlines, fares and preferred flight time at Orlando (MCO).

[RWolver672]

Whenever we cruise out of Port Canaveral, we always fly into Orlando a day early and rent a car from Budget. It's a straight shot that takes about forty five minutes to get to the Radisson At The Port Hotel. They have a beautiful pool and there is an Italian restaurant across the parking lot, one on site, a Mom and Pop restaurant on the other side within walking distance and a McDonald's across the street.

 

My brother and sister in law always cruise with us. The following morning, my brother and I take the rental car back to Budget which is only about a mile from the hotel. They have a shuttle that runs to the port. We get on the shuttle and they drop us off at the hotel on their way to the port.

 

We then meet up with wives and board the hotel shuttle and head to the port.

 

After the cruise, we again stay a day after at the Radisson. Wives and brother get on the hotel shuttle. I get on the Budget shuttle and go get another car and meet them at the hotel. The following day we head back to the Orlando Airport and turn the car back in. They don't charge for dropping the vehicles off at a different place. FYI, if you do rent a car, take a roll of quarters with you. The road to the port has a couple of toll booths that take quarters.

[Drazil65]

The Liberty is our favorite ship (and the Magic) and you will have a blast. As someone mentioned there is a lot of information and video on youtube for the Liberty and you can go to one of the websites that reviews and has many pictures of the cabins and decks.

 

PC is an easy port to cruise from and most people that fly probably come in through Orlando (about 40 mins away). You could look into the cruise port shuttle or hire your own and there are many recommendations here on these threads regarding who to use.

[andiloveu]

Thank you all for the info and suggestions. I'm trying to find reasonable airfare right now. And I have been on Youtube to check out what the ship is like. Can't wait for May to come!! Happy cruising everyone!!