Rental car from MCO to Port Canaveral

Hi everyone,

I just realized that we still HAVE NOT figured how we will get from the airport in Orlando to the port! Please help. We won't have a car seat. We have two kids: one 4.5 yo and one 7 months old, 4 adults. What is the best reliable car rental company to use. OR is there another easier, efficient way?

Thanks so much! I'm first time sailing with Disney and the details needed to coordinate this is getting a bit overwhelming but we are excited!

Nancy

Hi Nancy

There's a forum for departure ports. Look at the US port forum and under that Florida departures. There's tons of info on that board for the question you're asking. Here's a link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

There are shuttles and you can rent a car. We have rented a car in the past and had a great road trip to the port. Look at Costco for their car rental rates. The one thing with a rental car is that you can stop as needed for snack or restroom breaks.

For 6 people, you are going to need a van. There are many rental companies, all with locations at or near Port Canaveral, all with shuttles to and from the port. I've paid everywhere from $29 (no kidding) to $150 for a one way in a mini van. You need to check all discount codes and see what you can do. DCL bus service is $35 for each person 3 and over each way. Other options are private shuttles (cheaper) or towncar/limo service. As to car seats, you can bring your own (they fly free), rent them from the rental car place for about $15 each, or use a bus so they are not required.

It is really a matter of what is most important to you--cost or convenience. Most convenient are the DCL buses. DCL will claim your checked luggage for you. All you have to do, if you are flying in the same day as the cruise, is go to the Welcome Center, lower level terminal B and they will check you in for the bus. You'll next see your checked luggage at your cabin door. On the way home, if you are on a participating airline, they can check your luggage from your cabin door to your HOME airport and give you boarding passes while you are on the ship...domestic flights only, departing same day as the cruise ends, etc. There is fine print on this, but no additional cost. However....that's $175 each way for the 5 of you who have to pay. Not a whole lot more than a "not on sale" van or a limo service....To book, call DCL. Your TA will need to do this if you used one.

Think of any car company you can name--they have a nearby rental place. Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Thrifty/Dollar, Budget, etc. Prices are all over the place, so you need to check websites.

Private shuttles and towncar services--again, MANY good ones. Google them and then ask questions here about the ones you like.

Are you going on a 3 or 4 night cruise, or a 7 night? If it's 3-4 nights, look long and hard at pricing the round-trip MCO rental van. I ran the numbers on two one-way rentals, and the price was much more versus the weeklong rental - even factoring paying to park at the port. (We were adding park days on the front and back end, so they weren't one-day rentals.)

We used Contrans shuttle service to get from MCO airport to our Disney Cruise. They are also located right next to the Disney magical express. Theyre great and love them. I think it was 20 a person? You just go to the website and make a reservation

We used Contrans shuttle service to get from MCO airport to our Disney Cruise. They are also located right next to the Disney magical express. Theyre great and love them. I think it was 20 a person? You just go to the website and make a reservation

And the only service you miss here is that you need to collect your luggage at baggage claim and take it with you to their location (they don't have the luggage service that DCL has). Do check on whether you'll be charged for the infant.

Take Disney transportation from the airport—they send you special luggage tags and your bags magically appear in you cabin!

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DCL transportation is $35 per person for each leg of the trip. Children under age 3 do not pay. So, for 5 paid people, that's a chunk of change. The big difference between DCL shuttle and private transportation on the way TO the cruise terminal is that with DCL transportation, you put their tags on your bags at your home airport and don't see them again till the door outside your cabin. If you are using private transportation, you need to go to baggage claim, get your bags, and take them to your transportation. It isn't really a problem at the cruise terminal. Your driver will pull up at the drop off area and porters will approach the vehicle immediately to take your bags; a tip is expected. Again, they will appear at your cabin on the ship.

On the way home, IF you are on a participating airline and using DCL transportation, you can do on board airline check in. You'll get your boarding passes and luggage tags on the ship. Put the bags outside your room at the designated time and next see them at your home airport. At MCO, you get off the bus and go directly to security and your gate, bypassing the line to check in and drop bags for your airline. This is serious convenience, but Southwest is not a participating airline.

Cost difference....private shuttles will cost $15-20 pp and up, DCL is $35.

Check out Laura's shuttle - they seem to be mostly on Facebook but I called to book and had no issues. They transported us from port to Universal Studios and later from Universal to the Airport for something like $160 and there were 5 of us.