1st time sailing from Port Canaveral. What do most do??

[crazyboutdisney]

We have never sailed from Port Canaveral and so I am curious as to what most do. We will be flying into MCO the day before the cruise. We dont really have much interest in renting a car. Looking for suggestions on what shuttles are available and best place to get a hotel. Thank you!!

[GTO-Girl]

Most popular shuttles are Cortrans, Cocoa Beach Shuttle, Travelynx and Executve VIP Limo. You will need to pre-book to assure you have a seat.

 

Closest hotels to the port......Country Inn & Suites, Residence Inn. Homewood Suites and Radisson At The Port. First three also have a free breakfast.....Radisson does not but does have a restaurant on site, a family restaurant next door and McDonalds across the street.

 

All offer the shuttle package to the port......but you would need to Pre-book one of the above mentioned shuttles back to the airport after the cruise.

[SteerageJoe]

Go here for an accurate area map!

 

Airport to Beach Transfers:

 

Depends on your budget! Cheapest is a shared shuttle van at $20-$35 pp. Then there are private vans and limos upwards of $100 to $125 per ride.

 

Hotel to Port transfers:

 

Use a hotel shuttle ($6 to $10 pp or private ride ($12 to $20). You can book Snooze & Cruise packages that include the port transfer.

 

My suggestion is to pick the best hotel for your budget/needs, then research the port transfer options.

Hotels

 

The Canaveral/Cocoa Beach hotels are clustered in 4 areas. You need to pick an area based on your interests! Do not worry about distance to the port.

 

 

The Canaveral cluster. Closest to the Port about 2.5 miles away but not near the beach (except Holiday Inn Club), the five Cape Canaveral hotels remain the most popular for cruisers. A taxi to the port will cost about $15 plus tip. These are transient hotels. Large groups of cruisers arrive almost every day of the week and stay just one night (Holiday Inn Club the exception) . Expect lines at the front desk at check-in and especially during check out and while waiting for port shuttles. Breakfast is always a bit of a zoo and the pool/recreation areas will be loud and active!

 

The Cocoa Beach Pier cluster – 4 hotels within walking distance of the famous Pier and beaches. Several nearby bars, restaurants, grocery stores, liquor & wine shops and pharmacies. I highly recommend this area for cruisers because it is lively, fun, affordable and you do not need a car to get around!

 

The Ron Jon Surf shop cluster – 10 hotels within the vicinity of the famous shop and surrounding beaches and businesses. This area has many restaurants, bars, beach rental shops and more. The popular Shepard Park beach area is at the center of this cluster. Another recommended area for cruisers.

 

The South Cocoa Beach cluster – 6 hotels are spread out along A1A south of the Ron Jon area about 5-7 miles from the cruise terminals. Perfect for cruisers who prefer quiet beach hotels before their cruise. There are fewer shops in this area and the restaurants are further apart – you need transportation to get around comfortably. The popular Coconuts-on-the-Beach bar/restaurant is further south in this area!

Edited February 3, 2017 by SteerageJoe

[crazyboutdisney]

Thank you!! That is great information. We most likely will be flying home the day we return from our cruise so we will be looking to book a shuttle from the port directly to the airport.

[Pyrate13]

Rather than do more traveling immediately after our flight we stayed at one of the hotels just outside the airport and then used Cortrans to shuttle from the hotel to the port. The service was very good and on time. $20 per person one way. They will also do a round trip that takes you from the hotel to the port then back to the airport after your cruise.

[SteerageJoe]

You asked about the booking process for local hotels -

 

1. Booking.com has really good rates I think. My traveling family use it almost exclusively now for Canaveral hotel bookings.

2. Once you have an idea of the area and rates for your stay, you can also visit the websites of your selected hotels to look at packages (such as Snooze and Cruise) that may be of interest to you. But often these have strings attached - cannot accrue points, etc.

 

Here are the hotel lists from booking.com. Just add your dates and you can sort these in any way you wish.

 

 

Orlando Airport Hotels - Sorted by Rates

 

Cape Canaveral Hotels - Sorted by Location

 

Cocoa Beach Hotels - Sorted by Rates

[LaShelle2]

If cost is a consideration, the Orlando area hotels will be much more affordable. You can overnight in Orlando and catch a shuttle to the ship the day of embarkation.

 

If you prefer to be closer to the port, I recommend Country Inn and Suites. It is closest to the port, and if you're lucky, you can get a room with a view of the ships in port.

 

Staying in Cocoa Beach will give you some beach time before the cruise too, which would be nice.

 

There are plenty of hotels both close to the port and in Orlando, so you have countless options.

 

Happy Cruising! :p

[LookingForward2]

Rather than do more traveling immediately after our flight we stayed at one of the hotels just outside the airport and then used Cortrans to shuttle from the hotel to the port. The service was very good and on time. $20 per person one way. They will also do a round trip that takes you from the hotel to the port then back to the airport after your cruise.

 

 

This is exactly what we are doing for our upcoming cruise. -

Taking the hotel shuttle from the airport that night and Cortrans picking up from hotel in morning.

Several hotels options as stated - depending on your family size and budget. Four of us, so we're doing embassy suites.

 

 

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