Tcup24 Posted October 23, 2016 #1 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Hi everyone! I was just wondering if someone could give me some tips. This will be my first time on the epic. I've cruised on the breakaway, getaway and the escape. I was really hoping to get some insight on transportation to port canaveral from a local hotel or the airport. Also wondering if you think getting the spa pass would be worth it. And lastly if you have any advice or tips about the epic. It will just be me and my boyfriend cruising this march. Any advice is greatly appreciated :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandancer Posted October 23, 2016 #2 Share Posted October 23, 2016 (edited) There is a very informative thread already on this NCL forum on hints and tips for the Epic. I have printed it and plan to take it with me on our next Epic cruise. Also you can get Info on hotels etc checking out the Florida forum and searching for Port Canaveral. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Edited October 23, 2016 by sandancer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted October 23, 2016 #3 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Hi everyone! I was just wondering if someone could give me some tips. This will be my first time on the epic. I've cruised on the breakaway, getaway and the escape. I was really hoping to get some insight on transportation to port canaveral from a local hotel or the airport. Also wondering if you think getting the spa pass would be worth it. And lastly if you have any advice or tips about the epic. It will just be me and my boyfriend cruising this march. Any advice is greatly appreciated :) We always arrive in the port city the night before the cruise. In the case of the Port Canaveral, we flew into Orlando and stayed at an airport hotel the night before the cruise. (We sailed in April 2016. The Spirit was sailing the same itinerary as the Epic will). On the morning of the cruise, we took the free hotel shuttle back to Orlando Airport (MCO) around 9:30 a.m. and caught the NCL transfer from the airport to PC. It's about an hour's ride in full size motor coaches from MCO to PC. We got boarding group numbers and as we got on the motorcoach, the driver took our suitcases and that was the last we had to deal with them until they showed up in our stateroom. wrt the Epic Thermal Suite, it is one of the best in the fleet IMHO. Large windows in the sauna so you can watch the ocean as you "cook". An outdoor balcony on the aft of the ship (not found on any other ship). It was the first large thermal suite that NCL built and it was well done. Enjoy the Epic, we have sailed on her 5 times in the Caribbean, Europe, and the Mediterranean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayness Posted October 23, 2016 #4 Share Posted October 23, 2016 There is a very informative thread already on this NCL forum on hints and tips for the Epic. I have printed it and plan to take it with me on our next Epic cruise. Also you can getInfo on hotels etc checking out the Florida forum and searching for Port Canaveral. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Me too. The thread I think is called epic tips and tricks. I saved the tips to a word document and will print it out and take it with me. Have fun OP! I'm traveling on Epic in December. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamilycruise Posted October 23, 2016 #5 Share Posted October 23, 2016 In case you can't find it, here's the link to that thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2388683 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie3fan Posted October 23, 2016 #6 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I found a website where I booked our hotel, including transportation from the Orlando airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to the ship, then from the ship back to the airport after the cruise. They have quite a few price points to pick from, depending on which hotel you want to stay at. We're also cruising in March, and quite a few of the hotel choices were already sold out, so you might want to check it out soon. Their cancellation policy is good, so you can book something now, knowing you can cancel if you find something better. And their price is per room, not per person, so you'll know that when you're looking. goportcanaveral.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcup24 Posted October 23, 2016 Author #7 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Thank you all so much for the tips :) I will definitely check out the epic link. And I will look into hotels and transportation asap. You guys were very helpful :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutontow Posted October 23, 2016 #8 Share Posted October 23, 2016 We travel out of Port Canaveral a couple of times a year. We prefer staying at a hotel that offers a parking voucher rather than a shuttle. I like leisurely driving to the port rather than being herded onto a shuttle. Also when I get off the ship I don't want to have to deal with a shuttle. Each to their own, different stroke for different folks. I like staying at La Quinta which is close to the port and offers a 40% off coupon for parking. Here is a link to all of the hotels who have a "stay and cruise package". https://www.portcanaveral.com/PortCanaveral/media/Cruise-Assets/Parking-Voucher-Program_3.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTruth79 Posted October 23, 2016 #9 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Me too. The thread I think is called epic tips and tricks. I saved the tips to a word document and will print it out and take it with me. Have fun OP! I'm traveling on Epic in December. Sent from my iPhone using Forums I'll be on the epic in dec too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted October 23, 2016 #10 Share Posted October 23, 2016 We're on epic in dec too. Staying at Wyndham near airport and then taking cortrans shuttle to port. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfan43 Posted October 23, 2016 #11 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I found a website where I booked our hotel, including transportation from the Orlando airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to the ship, then from the ship back to the airport after the cruise. They have quite a few price points to pick from, depending on which hotel you want to stay at. We're also cruising in March, and quite a few of the hotel choices were already sold out, so you might want to check it out soon. Their cancellation policy is good, so you can book something now, knowing you can cancel if you find something better. And their price is per room, not per person, so you'll know that when you're looking. goportcanaveral.com We are also using that for our cruise in February. I'm hoping it works as good as they say it does. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhalliv Posted October 24, 2016 #12 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I found a website where I booked our hotel, including transportation from the Orlando airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to the ship, then from the ship back to the airport after the cruise. They have quite a few price points to pick from, depending on which hotel you want to stay at. We're also cruising in March, and quite a few of the hotel choices were already sold out, so you might want to check it out soon. Their cancellation policy is good, so you can book something now, knowing you can cancel if you find something better. And their price is per room, not per person, so you'll know that when you're looking. goportcanaveral.com Have you traveled with this service yet? I've been looking for reviews as I booked a cheap transfer with them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippeedee Posted October 24, 2016 #13 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Have you traveled with this service yet? I've been looking for reviews as I booked a cheap transfer with them! I will be using their shuttles and hotel service in less than 3 weeks. I will report back. So far they have been very responsive and helpful. Everything is detailed with times and instructions for each part of the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhalliv Posted October 24, 2016 #14 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I will be using their shuttles and hotel service in less than 3 weeks. I will report back. So far they have been very responsive and helpful. Everything is detailed with times and instructions for each part of the trip. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie3fan Posted October 24, 2016 #15 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Have you traveled with this service yet? I've been looking for reviews as I booked a cheap transfer with them! I haven't travelled with them yet. I'm going with the attitude that everything will go as expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildfan43 Posted October 24, 2016 #16 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I will be using their shuttles and hotel service in less than 3 weeks. I will report back. So far they have been very responsive and helpful. Everything is detailed with times and instructions for each part of the trip. Yes thank you. I will be interested to know how it goes. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkay1211 Posted October 24, 2016 #17 Share Posted October 24, 2016 We travel out of Port Canaveral a couple of times a year. We prefer staying at a hotel that offers a parking voucher rather than a shuttle. I like leisurely driving to the port rather than being herded onto a shuttle. Also when I get off the ship I don't want to have to deal with a shuttle. Each to their own, different stroke for different folks. I like staying at La Quinta which is close to the port and offers a 40% off coupon for parking. Here is a link to all of the hotels who have a "stay and cruise package". https://www.portcanaveral.com/PortCanaveral/media/Cruise-Assets/Parking-Voucher-Program_3.pdf We are also doing that! We also enjoy being able to go straight to our car after the cruise is over and not have to deal with a shuttle. It's worth it to us. Love that we found this program! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katiecat Posted October 24, 2016 #18 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I haven't travelled with them yet. I'm going with the attitude that everything will go as expected. Yes thank you. I will be interested to know how it goes. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app I used Go Port Canaveral for transportation and hotels in Feb with no problems at all. They'll email you a detailed reservation after booking. They ask for 50% up front to reserve and 30 days before cruise they automatically charge the half owing. I have them booked again for January Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombec1 Posted October 24, 2016 #19 Share Posted October 24, 2016 We're flying in the day before our cruise, and I'm renting a car from MCO and driving it to Port Canaveral. We're staying the night in Port Canaveral. The car was $32 all inclusive. There are 4 of us, and I couldn't find a shuttle cheaper than $20/person. Even with gas and tolls, I'm still coming out ahead, and I've got the car for any last mintue stuff. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhalliv Posted October 24, 2016 #20 Share Posted October 24, 2016 We're flying in the day before our cruise, and I'm renting a car from MCO and driving it to Port Canaveral. We're staying the night in Port Canaveral.The car was $32 all inclusive. There are 4 of us, and I couldn't find a shuttle cheaper than $20/person. Even with gas and tolls, I'm still coming out ahead, and I've got the car for any last mintue stuff. :D That's a great deal! One of the parts that being under 25 isn't so fun is restrictions on renting cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombec1 Posted October 24, 2016 #21 Share Posted October 24, 2016 (edited) That's a great deal! One of the parts that being under 25 isn't so fun is restrictions on renting cars If you become a member of the frequent renter programs (Avis, National , Hertz ,etc) , many of them will allow you to rent under 25 without dinging you. It's been a long time since I was 25, but I see that benefit listed quite often combined with special rate codes. Edited October 24, 2016 by tombec1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhalliv Posted October 27, 2016 #22 Share Posted October 27, 2016 If you become a member of the frequent renter programs (Avis, National , Hertz ,etc) , many of them will allow you to rent under 25 without dinging you. It's been a long time since I was 25, but I see that benefit listed quite often combined with special rate codes. I didn't know anyone did this, I'll have to check it out! Thanks for the great tip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombec1 Posted October 27, 2016 #23 Share Posted October 27, 2016 I didn't know anyone did this, I'll have to check it out! Thanks for the great tip Yeah.. google search it. Even affiliations like USAA can get you a 25 and under waiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binturong Posted October 28, 2016 #24 Share Posted October 28, 2016 We're flying in the day before our cruise, and I'm renting a car from MCO and driving it to Port Canaveral. We're staying the night in Port Canaveral.The car was $32 all inclusive. There are 4 of us, and I couldn't find a shuttle cheaper than $20/person. Even with gas and tolls, I'm still coming out ahead, and I've got the car for any last mintue stuff. :D We are doing the same - flying in the night before, and staying at the Residence Inn near the port. What rental company are you using? And what do you do with the rental car when you get to the hotel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombec1 Posted October 28, 2016 #25 Share Posted October 28, 2016 We are doing the same - flying in the night before, and staying at the Residence Inn near the port. What rental company are you using? And what do you do with the rental car when you get to the hotel? I'm using National. I've got National Exec status, and you can pay for a midsize and get a full or bigger in the Exec Aisle. I normally use Hertz, but they were much more expensive. I'm parking the car at the hotel overnight, and dropping it back off in the morning at the port lot before 11am. They've got a free shuttle to the port. I may drop my wife & kids off first if it looks like a madhouse. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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