SteerageJoe

Terminal 3 at Port Canaveral - home for Mardi Gras - is going up fast!

An construction update and information about hotel rooms with close views of the Mardi Gras was posted on the Florida Departures board.

It is not a "new" hotel - a name change a couple of years ago and some upgrading - just be aware of that!

I think you will be happy with your choice - as long as you can turn a blind eye to the serious panhandling happening on the corner of A1A and 17th. Groups of sometimes aggressive panhandlers camp out at the bus stop on that corner in front of the CVS. Unfortunately you have to walk right pass them to visit restaurants further east on 17th.

The neighborhood between the 4 points and the Harbor Shops are sketchy at best and I would not try a short cut after dark. It is best to Uber after dark to/from this hotel.

I have not stayed at the hotel but I do know the area very well. Reviews are good! However, perhaps not my first choice in the 17th St / Route 1 part of town! It depends on your rate! Hopefully you got a great rate?

3 hours ago, NJ&Ozzie said:

Hi all,

Just reading thru this - good info.  We want to pick up a rental car at FLL cruise port & return it to FLL airport one week later.  Can we do this?   Or do we have to pick up car originally from airport to drop it off there?

 

Alternatively, if we drop off car at off airport rental site - will they shuttle us to the airport?

Thanks so much!

NJ 

Yes, you can pick the car at the port location and return it at the airport. You may be paying a bit more for the drop at a different location.

From a cost point of view - do compare the rates of the above to a pick/drop at the airport plus the cost of a one-way Uber (port to airport).

56 minutes ago, CSloan said:

That is really good to know, thanks.  When you dropped the car at the Port, how did you get to the ship?

 

Just use any of the companies on the map below - all offer free shuttles to/from the port terminals

31 minutes ago, Ashland said:

A bit confused as we've booked the one on Hazeltine...Doubletree by Hilton Orlando Airport. I understand there is more than one Doubletree so which one are you referring to ?

Cocoa Beach!  Did not know you meant Orlando! Good choice!

7 hours ago, Ashland said:

I also considered using fly/cruise/snooze for our extended family of 10 which includes two 3yo & two 6yo. We're not cruising until May 2020 but ended up booking three rooms at the Doubletree Hilton (great member pricing)..They have a comp shuttle to their hotel from MCO and then am considering using Cruise Control (private transportation) for our round trip from hotel to Port Canaveral and then from the port back to MCO. We'll need carseats & booster seats and they provide them.

This priced out better booking directly individually rather than the fly/cruise/snooze package.

The Doubletree! I've been wondering when they will re-open...we went to 3 Wishes restaurant often. Did they say anything about a re-opening date? 

The hotel is still closed and I do not see any construction going on either.

6 hours ago, abccba said:

Thanks for your reply.

 

Yes, I'm a bit picky with my hotels too so appreciate your advice.

 

Are there any grocery stores within walking distance of the Hyatt Place in Orlando? (to pick up last minute supplies before the cruise)

Nothing within walking distance - although the small minimart across the busy road sell wine and beer and things.

Budget does not allow after hours return. The others do.

Lets do a quick pricing check shall we? Please check my math yourself and comment please! I am bad with numbers.

Sep 8, 2019 - one night for 2pax

GoPort - Homewood Suites King Bed for 2 pax, breakfast included - Fly - Snooze - Cruise Package - $471.38

Room with Breakfast:

Booking.com - $185.47

Hilton - $206.08 (flexible rate)

Let's pick Booking.com.

Now add the one way shared Port transfer from the hotel - $12 (for 2 pax) with Cocoa Beach Shuttle 

Add the one-way shared Airport transfer to the Hotel - $58 (for 2 pax) with Cocoa Beach Shuttle

Add the one-way shared Airport from Port to Airport with GoPort Bus - $29.98

Total with Booking.com = $285.45

Seems to me it is MUCH cheasper to book direct online ? $186 savings! Disclaimer - your actual savings will surely depend on the hotel, travel dates, number of people.

What do you think? Did I make mistakes? Let's discuss.

Publix on 524 just off the Beachline 528. The area is called Cocoa North. This is a right turn just before you reach Route 1 driving from the airport.

On 8/1/2019 at 4:10 PM, Paramour007 said:

Hi. Going to need transportation from Port Canaveral to Orlando airport on Dec. 7th. Any suggestions for a reputable company that leaves by 9:15am to head to the airport? Thanks for the assistance!

Firstly - budget? If you want to travel cheap as possible then a shared bus (goport for example) works best for 1 - 4 people. If no worries then get a limo! 

Secondly - decide whether you want shared transportation or private. Cortrans, CB Shuttle, 888-transport etc are good shared shuttles as mentioned by others. Uber/Lyft works best for private if only 1-4 people

Thirdly - how many people? If 5 or more then a private shuttle van becomes cost-effective. cbshuttle for example

Yes Terminal J requires an anti-clockwise loop back after you exit the tunnel! You can clearly see the signboards in the first video below.

In the second video (you can turn right as indicated by the signage) or loop back again similasr to the tunnel approach. You can see the actual turn to Terminal J near the end (where you turn right under the highway)

You can look at this fishing blog and pick someone you like from there:

https://spacefishreport.com/

I am a huge Jetty Park Beach fan but at this time the beach is very smelly at times due to kelp, seagrass and perhaps even residue from nearby dredging. They do not clean the beaches because of sea turtle season.

Right now I would head down to Cocoa Beach Pier and swim there. It is a short $10 or so Uber ride. You have several restaurants/bar to choose from and beach rental options.

Parking areas indicated in purple

Forgot to mention you can also book your ME bus ticet upon arrival at the airport! Just go down to Disney check-in area.

Does this work you may ask?

Sure - remember some guests book Disney rooms last minute (after they arrive at the airport!). Then they hop on the ME bus!

2 hours ago, patcacmt said:

We, too, will spend a few days at Disney after our cruise.  I’ve booked the Magical Express for our return trip to the airport after our visit, but I didn’t think about using it to get there since we were coming from the port. Do we need to arrange this with WDW as we do when we arrive from the airport and they take care of our luggage from baggage claim?  Of course, in this instance, we would have our luggage and just take it to the bus ourselves. Looking at other options, too, but was just curious about this. 

You have to figure out a possible arrival time at MCO (it will take about an hour from the Port). 

Then just complete the Disney Transport form here: https://secure.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/dme/dmeform

9 minutes ago, Deseo1578 said:

So....with the Allure itinerary change I was able to change to the Harmony of the Seas, which works great as I was doing a week in disney after the cruise.

 

With that said, what is the easies, cheapes way to travel from port canaveral to the all star movies resort 

 

Thank you!!!

Depends on number of people but for 2 persons:

Easiest - Uber or Lyft

Cheapest - A $15-$20 per person shared shuttle van to Orlando Airport then the free Magical Express bus to your resort.

23 minutes ago, poss said:

Don't have sunpass, since we cross over only once or twice a year.   I wonder if there's another way to get to the port, so that we don't have to get involved with a bill.   Surely not everyone driving to Port of Miami has a sunpass?

I've never paid a toll going to Portmiami - coming from all directions.

Not sure where you are driving from. You can use google maps and select "avoid tolls" in the OPTIONS. Set Bayside Marketplace as your destination (just an example) then decide from there to use the tunnel or Port Bvld

Duffy's is a large Florida chain of sports bars found in many central/south Florida towns from Sanford on down. It is quite affordable, very popular and always busy it seems.

I like it and go often. But it is not unique to the Port Everglades area in case you want something a bit more local!

The good news? You have many choices!

But is comes down to your budget, how many people with luggage, etc.

The easiest is private transportation and Uber/Lyft cannot be beat unless you want a limo or have too many bags.

The cheapest is shared transportation in a minibus. This can be be problemmatic when your flight arrival is delayed because the van (with other passengers) is NOT going to wait for you! And the company may/may not have other vans scheduled that evening.

Note - Not all companies provide shared services to hotels from MCO in the afternoon/evening. Best to stick with a few known ones such as Cocoa Beach Shuttle, 888-transport, etc.

Some hotels provide transfers (they outsource) such as the Radisson and that is a good choice since the hotel has some responsibility in case of delays, etc. 

Terminal A is easiest at this time because you basically park in the terminal building! 

The other terminals require a short walk across the road but it depends where your ship docks. They do have shuttle service bus in case your ship docks away from its parking garage.

You could drop your luggage first with the porters then park.

Here are a couple of videos to show the situation:

The reviews on Tripadvisor, etc are very good! I've not stayed at this hotel but know it very well! 

It is in my top 3 choices for an overnight in the area before a cruise. The location is wonderful within walking distance of the famous Cocoa Beach Pier, several restaurants, bars, grocery stores and liquor stores.

The best rooms are a bit tricky -

Most of the 78 rooms have ocean views but the direct oceanfront executive rooms are special not only because of the views but because the balconies are private. The rooms overlooking the pool have side views of the ocean but their balconies are not really private (the design allow your neighbors to see you on your balcony).

You can generally choose between 2 Queen Beds or 1 King Bed with a Twin Sofa Bed. The cheapest rooms have the poorest views!

You can go here for information about specific room numbers, shuttle info, etc - La Quinta Oceanfront for Cruisers 

Here is the view from room 609!

I do not understand the issue here! The decision is yours and yours alone. You know your budget, your interests, your mobility, your tolerance to walk in Florida heat, etc. No-one else know this and cannot comment!

These theme parks are very personal experences. Folks spend 2 - 3 weeks at Disney alone and leave feeling incomplete because they could not experience it all. They are super enthusiasts. The same is true for Universal and others.

Other families drive in and spend just a few hours - leaving completely satisfied. Locals here (with passes) go to the theme parks for dinner or to do one ride and leave after a couple of hours. Also very happy.

Universal Studios hours on Aug 12 is 9am to 9pm. Your bus leaves at 6:30pm which gives you several hours to explore the sights that are of interest to your family. Yes, you cannot go on every ride and dine in every restaurant and shop in every store. But that's fine unless you want to maximise the money you paid for the excursion.

Just plan ahead, study the layout map and do not waste time searching for things once there.

In terms of value for money - at first glance it sounds like a bad idea. But how much value do you place on spending a few hours at magical Universal with your family - a place you've never been?

A very personal decision indeed.  

There are too many Italian/Pizza places around the Cape and Cocoa Beach. Just order a take out if you want pizza.

For a night out dining, there are really good restaurants such as Florida Fresh Grill or Pompano Grill.

If you want somewhere on the water with good (but nothing special) food, then the port (Grills, Junkanoo, Fishlips, Rusty's and Gators) will all be fine. Most places here are very casual and easy going. Do not dress up!

Locals here pick their restaurants by the occasion and day of the week - different restaurants offer different specials each day. Happy hour too!