Better to stay pre-cruise in Orlando or Cape Canaveral?

[wrg]

Hi all,

I've been combing the boards and there are many suggestions to use GoPort. Their pre-cruise hotels are in Orlando. This is our first cruise. Would it be better to stay in Orlando and drive in the day of or stay in Cape Canaveral? Thanks.

[MD_Dan]

I've cruised out of Port Canaveral several times and ask myself this same question EVERY TIME!  I've read many posts here and here is my answer ...  It depends on what kind of a person you are. 

 

If you want a quiet pre-cruise, stay near Port Canaveral.  There are certainly nice places to eat.  I don't know what the beaches are like there.  Unless you get a Port Canaveral area hotel with a shuttle (some charge more money), you'll have to get an uber/lyft on the cruise morning,

 

We tend to like something to do the evening before.  The hotels in Orlando are nearly the same price as Port Canaveral.  Again, unless there are shuttles to the hotel (I haven't researched this), you'll need to get from the airport (pre-cruise) but GoPort (et al) will pick you up from those hotels on the morning of the cruise.  There's not a lot to do around these hotels so you'd need another two uber/lyfts to get to International Drive (eg) and back.

 

So the answer is not universal.

[mark290]

I have found the hotels around the port are much more expensive than a comparable hotel in Orlando, I always stay by the port but this cruise I am considering staying in Orlando since my flight arrives around 5pm the day before the cruise. 

[smokeybandit]

37 minutes ago, mark290 said:

I have found the hotels around the port are much more expensive than a comparable hotel in Orlando, I always stay by the port but this cruise I am considering staying in Orlando since my flight arrives around 5pm the day before the cruise. 

Our general approach is if we can get to Port Canaveral by 5, we stay there. Otherwise stay near the airport.

[voyager70]

We’ve only cruised out of PC a handful of times but like to do a one way car rental to Cape Canaveral and get a hotel within a short distance to the port. Cocoa Beach has several reasonably priced hotels, and with a car it’s super easy to find good restaurants and there are a couple Publix supermarkets in the area as well. Car rental locations have complimentary shuttles to the port.

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, wrg said:

Hi all,

I've been combing the boards and there are many suggestions to use GoPort. Their pre-cruise hotels are in Orlando. This is our first cruise. Would it be better to stay in Orlando and drive in the day of or stay in Cape Canaveral? Thanks.

How many nights would you be staying?

[wrg]

Just one night.

[deliver42]

I would stay in the Canaveral area. Lower cost, and easy port access. I don't need an hour drive without traffic on port day.

[silentbob007]

I prefer to be closer to the port just in case of traffic, etc. However if I were to have a late arrival to MCO I’d take the rest closer to the airport. 

[chriscec2012]

We’ve cruised out of Canaveral 10+ times and fly in the day before, pay the extra money and stay by the port or Cocoa, I’ve seen the Highway have accidents, drawbridge up for a long time because of a boat, weather etc. save yourself the stress and stay by the port or on Cocoa Beach. If driving your own vehicle get a hotel that has cruise/parking and Uber to the port is $10-$15. The parking package at a hotel is less than parking at the port. 

[wrg]

Thank you all so much. DH and I talked about this during dinner and he stated the exactly what deliver42, silenbob007 and chriscec2012 stated. It's settled. 🙂