Stay in Orlando or Port Canaveral??

[Bobal]

We've had very good luck with Avis, but there are other companies with shuttles to the cruise terminals:

 

 

http://cruiseportcanaveral.us/car-rental/

 

That's a really useful link Bob. Thank you :)

[reallyitsmema]

:D Another nice thing about Residence Inn is they offer a 2 bedroom/bath combo that was a really nice room back when we were cruising with our teen daughters. Would also be good for 2 couples.

 

Haven't sailed out of PC since 2015 after Freedom left.

 

We haven't sailed from there either since Freedom left. We have been to Port Canaveral a couple times as a port stop for Anthem sailing from Bayonne. Will be interesting to sail from the new terminal, having walked through it on our port days, it seems to be set up better than the Terminal 10.

[Scotty G]

I'd rather stay near the port. We've always been able to find reasonable hotel rates in Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, and I like knowing that I'm beyond the most likely possibility for traffic problems.

Agree with Bob. We live close to the port and very often the Beachline Toll road to the Port is blocked by a traffic accident; or, smoke from fires near the road. There is no other direct route to Port Canaveral. Alternate routes would add at least an hour or more to the drive.

[Scotty G]

Rusty’s is closed. Another restaurant at the port is Rising Tide Tap and Table

 

 

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Rusty's is NOT closed, Millicans is!!!!!

[Moonarino]

One item to consider is the fact there is only one road to the Port from the Airport. ( 528 beachline toll road )There is construction and occasional delays due to traffic. If you do stay in Orlando, please make sure to allow yourself plenty of port arrival time in the event of a traffic situation.

 

"Repeating" this for good measure. Most of the time it's a zip from Orlando airport to Cocoa Beach/PC, but you never know.

 

I love overnighting near the port, maybe because I lived in the area (near Patrick AFB) for several years, but I know Orlando too and I much prefer the beach atmosphere... and that ocean breeze when it's hot, as central Florida usually is.

[RocketMan275]

One item to consider is the fact there is only one road to the Port from the Airport. ( 528 beachline toll road )There is construction and occasional delays due to traffic. If you do stay in Orlando, please make sure to allow yourself plenty of port arrival time in the event of a traffic situation.

Which means the shuttles operated/sold by the cruise lines won't be arriving on schedule either. You think the ship will leave without those on board their shuttles?

[Bookish Angel]

I much prefer Port Canaveral. Smaller, less traffic, beaches, no theme park crowds, etc.

[bigque]

We always stay in Cocoa Beach when we get in the day before. We always get a early flight in, rent a car so that we have transportation for the day to go to Patrick AFB (US Air Force Retired),go to the dinner in the evening, Walmart, etc. and turn in car next morning and the provide shuttle to the ship. I always get a good price at hotels in Cocoa Beach/ Port Canaveral. Just don’t book at the last minute! 😎

[DrProfessor]

Since we drive to the port (from South Georgia), we found it better to book a local hotel that offers a park & cruise package. We stay one night in the hotel (used to be Comfort Suites, but they changed to Days Inn I think) park the car in their lot and they take us over to the terminal and pick us up after the cruise. It is very economical when considering the cost of parking at the terminal.

 

We really enjoyed getting their on Saturday and having a leisurely time strolling and a nice dinner before jumping on the cruise the next day. With the hotel's shuttle, all we have to do is check in and they take care of everything else.

[Calli50]

Thanks everyone. We don't have our flights yet, but I am thinking if we get in early a nice day at Cocoa Beach is a nice option. Thanks for the link Bob!

 

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[firefightermediclasvegas]

We just stayed at the Residence Inn in Port Canaveral. Very nice hotel within a mile of the ship. Staying close to the port, made our first day on the ship stress free and relaxing. I highly recommend staying by the port.

 

 

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[GTO-Girl]

We always stay in Cape Canaveral.

 

We like to get all of our traveling over that day giving us the afternoon and evening before the cruise to relax.

 

Waking up the next morning and getting a peak of the top of the ships is nice too!!

[Evilgrin72]

You're fine either way. Traffic problems on 528 are pretty rare (only in the event of a major accident.) If you're getting in late and just want a place to crash, go wherever you can find the best hotel for the lowest price. If you have a day somewhere, then decide based on whether you want to spend that day in Orlando or at the beach.

[Evilgrin72]

Agree with Bob. We live close to the port and very often the Beachline Toll road to the Port is blocked by a traffic accident; or, smoke from fires near the road. There is no other direct route to Port Canaveral. Alternate routes would add at least an hour or more to the drive.

 

Very often? These are very infrequent occurrences. Worst case, if 528 was blocked near the port, they could always take 528 to 520 and ride 520 all the way out to Cocoa Beach, turn left on A1A and you're at the port. Adds between 5-10 minutes to the drive depending on traffic lights. The only problem would really occur if 528 was shut down eastbound between the airport and the 520 exit. This is very rare.

[Evilgrin72]

Not to say there's any problem with staying in Canaveral or Cocoa, just that if they prefer to stay in Orlando, I would not concern myself with traffic or road closures being an issue the morning of the cruise.

[smplybcause]

Very often? These are very infrequent occurrences. Worst case, if 528 was blocked near the port, they could always take 528 to 520 and ride 520 all the way out to Cocoa Beach, turn left on A1A and you're at the port. Adds between 5-10 minutes to the drive depending on traffic lights. The only problem would really occur if 528 was shut down eastbound between the airport and the 520 exit. This is very rare.

I was about to post wondering why these locals said it's the only way! It is really hard to switch between alternatives once you've chosen one (or are past the 520/528 interchange), if you check traffic before you leave you should be able to mitigate any issues 528 has. Even driving down 50 to either 95 or US 1 would only add another 30 minutes or so to your drive.

 

You're really only screwed if an accident happens not far in front of you.

 

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[RocketMan275]

The cruise lines sell transfers from the airport to the cruise port. They promise to get you to the port in time to catch the ship.

 

A major traffic incident will affect the cruise line vans just as much as the other traffic. I strongly suggest that if the road is closed for a major event, the ship will delay sailing. Until at least the vans all make it through. Probably longer.

[NateUpNorth]

I'd stay at the port. Get all the travel out of the way all at once.

Port Canaveral/ Cocoa Beach is a fantastic area. Go for dinner and watch some ships sail away. It's like starting the cruise a day early.

[ryano]

Cocoa Beach. I despise the rat race that is Orlando and even when traveling down to PC from N. Ga I will cut across hwy 40 through the Ocala National Forest to avoid the Turnpike and Orlando. I love getting to Cocoa a day early and having time to relax, go get any last minute items, have a nice a dinner somewhere and be close to the ship for boarding day the next day. Laquinta Inn Cocoa Beach just about knows me on a first name basis lol.

[rolloman]

Which means the shuttles operated/sold by the cruise lines won't be arriving on schedule either. You think the ship will leave without those on board their shuttles?

 

To answer your question-Yes they have and Yes they will...… same as airlines. However, my statement was simply to leave yourself extra time if you stay in Orlando and plan a drive to the port on departure day. I drive 528 every day from the Port to Orlando. 95% of the time no "major' problem but the other 5% yeah...its been shut down solid for hours and hours.

[jspang]

We just returned from a cruise a couple weeks ago. We stayed at the Springhill Suites near MCO for a Saturday arrival. Great hotel and walking distance to a few restaurants. We use the hotel shuttle from the airport then on Sunday we used Cortans Shuttle Service to Port Canaveral. All on time and a great service to the port and then to the airport after our cruise. Great experience from both.

[Evilgrin72]

I was about to post wondering why these locals said it's the only way! It is really hard to switch between alternatives once you've chosen one (or are past the 520/528 interchange), if you check traffic before you leave you should be able to mitigate any issues 528 has. Even driving down 50 to either 95 or US 1 would only add another 30 minutes or so to your drive.

 

You're really only screwed if an accident happens not far in front of you.

 

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Likewise 192 down through St. Cloud and connecting to 532 to cut across.

 

This is my daily commute (I work near the airport in S. Orlando and live in Cocoa Beach,) so I essentially do this drive every M-F for the last 7 years. That's maybe 1,500 trips. 528 was closed for a week or two due to brush fires a couple of years back, which facilitated a different route, but other than that, only a major collision not too far in front of you that you can't work around is going to cause major delays. I can probably count on two hands the number of times that's happened in 7 years. When it does, it sucks, but this is true of damn near any highway in America. As long as they don't leave Orlando at 2 PM, even in the doomsday scenario they're going to get on the ship on time.

 

Personally, I'd prefer to stay near the port as many have mentioned, because of the scenery and atmosphere - after all, I did move from Orlando to the coast to be in it full time. I just didn't want them thinking that if they chose to save a few shekels and/or just didn't feel like driving 45 minutes hot off the heels of a long flight that they were facing a distinct chance of missing their boat. I'd put the odds based on my experience of a major delay at less than 1% and that's based on rush hour traffic, let alone Saturday morning, when there will be even fewer cars on the road.

[RecoveryDude]

When I cruise ... I always fly in TWO nights before embarkation... extend the vacation a little - In that case, I ALWAYS stay in Coco Beach ... makes the vacation seem longer, and if it’s Pool Weather .... stay at the Radisson ... the pool with water fall (Google it) is amazing!! Typically AFTER the cruise we stay AT LEAST one night before flying home, in that case we stay in Orlando .... and fly home the day after we get off the ship ... I’ve found that for me, flying home the same day I disembark is WAYYYYYYYYY too depressing - which means my “7 day” cruise turns into a 12 day vacation. Really doesn’t cost that much more, maybe another $500 or so but makes the vacation seem much longer - It’s worth it for me. Also we always Rent from Alamo/Enterprise - they are the ONLY rental car company that has an office AT the port. They also are usually cheaper and they don’t put a huge “authorization” on your credit card ... and of course they have a shuttle to where the ship is.

 

 

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[RocketMan275]

To answer your question-Yes they have and Yes they will...… same as airlines. However, my statement was simply to leave yourself extra time if you stay in Orlando and plan a drive to the port on departure day. I drive 528 every day from the Port to Orlando. 95% of the time no "major' problem but the other 5% yeah...its been shut down solid for hours and hours.

 

 

 

So you're telling me that if the highway was closed from 10 AM until 4 PM, preventing thousands of passengers from getting to the cruise port for a regular sailaway, that the cruise ship would depart leaving several hundred to perhaps over a thousand passengers behind? I rather doubt any cruise line would take the hit from the adverse publicity, the loss of onboard revenue, and the cost to transport those on it's shuttles to the next port. Plus, you have to remember that would be affecting any/all cruise ships departing that day.

 

This isn't at all like an airline flight leaving four or five passengers behind. We could be talking about leaving several hundred to over a couple of thousand passengers behind.

[rolloman]

I was about to post wondering why these locals said it's the only way! It is really hard to switch between alternatives once you've chosen one (or are past the 520/528 interchange), if you check traffic before you leave you should be able to mitigate any issues 528 has. Even driving down 50 to either 95 or US 1 would only add another 30 minutes or so to your drive.

 

You're really only screwed if an accident happens not far in front of you.

 

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I do not believe I read where anyone said it was the only way? There are other ways....and if 528 is shut down the "other" ways are a nightmare. For starters, people renting cars and driving to the port are not familiar with "other" ways and 528 past 417 has very few exits to take you to the "other" ways. Why you and the poster evil grin are trying to downplay the significance of the current 528 construction and possible traffic delays is kind of odd. Again, I drive 528 every day, it is not pleasant. The country road 192 which is out in the sticks and way out of the way of the port area nor the insanely congested route 50 (on a good day) or pleasant options. Stay in Orlando, leave early on departure day or go straight to the port and have one less thing to worry about. Think about it, with a $2000+ investment on the line why leave yourself in a possible position of failure. Murphy's Law.....anything that can go wrong....will go wrong.