Walt Disney World

[SteerageJoe]

Great! The next step is to get there in the fastest way. The cruise line will offer buses or you can get a private ride from Uber, etc.

 

In a previous post I read a reference to I-4.

Please know you do not use I-4 when traveling to Disney from the Port.

 

• Exit the Port and head West on FL-528. It is a toll road – pay $1.00 + $1.00 = $2.00 (change available).
  
• Take exit for I-417 West towards Disney World. It is a toll road – pay $1.50 + $1.50 = $3.00 (change available).
  
• Take exit 6 toward Epcot/Disney Springs even if going to the Magic Kingdom! (the signs say use exit 3 for Magic Kingdom but we prefer exit 6)
  
• Follow the signs to Magic Kingdom
  

Afterwards – Retrace your route to return to Port Canaveral and the Airport. Simply follow the Airport Signs back to I-417 and look for the airport exit after the 2nd toll booth or continue straight for the Port.

UberX costs about $100 for one-way from the Port to the Disney area.

[shirlden]

Thank you Steerage Joe you are awesome!!!

[Doggielover68]

Thank you Steerage Joe this is exactly what I was looking for I can actually care less about the rides we take her to six flags and other amusement parks all the time, however I would like her to get a few rides in. It's more about the magical experience.

 

 

I have to chime in and say the rides at Disney are much different than what you experience at Six Flags. Disney rides are very unique...and even the queues themselves are themed.

 

 

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[ozscotart]

I have to chime in and say the rides at Disney are much different than what you experience at Six Flags. Disney rides are very unique...and even the queues themselves are themed.

 

 

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I agree totally, I think it would be a shame if the child missed Peter Pan (my favourite) or Winnie the Pooh ! The parades and character experience are terrific for a child but a lot of the Magic is in some of the rides.

[shirlden]

So as I explained my situation sounds like most are in the opinion that even though this would probably be the only opportunity I have to take her to just not let her experience it at all. I am much better now off than when my kids were little (but still can't afford a lot) and I remember my son always wanted to go to Disney World. He is now 25 years old and I still think he feels that was something he missed out on in life. I will probably save my money and stay on the boat which we will be on for 7 days so I don't think that will be as exciting as Magic Kingdom for her but I also don't want to throw money away. Thanks for all of the great advice.

[Doggielover68]

So as I explained my situation sounds like most are in the opinion that even though this would probably be the only opportunity I have to take her to just not let her experience it at all. I am much better now off than when my kids were little (but still can't afford a lot) and I remember my son always wanted to go to Disney World. He is now 25 years old and I still think he feels that was something he missed out on in life. I will probably save my money and stay on the boat which we will be on for 7 days so I don't think that will be as exciting as Magic Kingdom for her but I also don't want to throw money away. Thanks for all of the great advice.

 

 

Now I am wondering if this is your (or your granddaughters) first cruise. Cruises are a lot of fun for all ages. I don't think missing out on Disney as a kid makes a big impact on someone's life. I didn't go to Disney until I was 22 and had a great time. I also didn't get to go on a cruise until my late 20's with my own money. I think at an older age it will be more appreciated. My suggestion though is to use the money you would have spent to do an unforgettable excursion, such as swimming with the Dolphins, in another port depending on where you are going. I don't think there are very many people who can say they got to do that when they were a kid.

 

 

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[GTO-Girl]

So as I explained my situation sounds like most are in the opinion that even though this would probably be the only opportunity I have to take her to just not let her experience it at all. I am much better now off than when my kids were little (but still can't afford a lot) and I remember my son always wanted to go to Disney World. He is now 25 years old and I still think he feels that was something he missed out on in life. I will probably save my money and stay on the boat which we will be on for 7 days so I don't think that will be as exciting as Magic Kingdom for her but I also don't want to throw money away. Thanks for all of the great advice.

 

Maybe at some point you can take her on a Disney cruise. We have taken our granddaughters 3 times now and they loved it very much.

 

You get to have a lot of up close and personal interaction with the characters. The shows are outstanding, the food is great and the kids club is so wonderful.

 

Although is was expensive for the 4 day, it was worth every penny.

 

You sound like a wonderful grandmother. I hope you enjoy your cruise!!!

[AmeliaAtSea]

...Stay at one of the multiple hotels that has free shuttle service (not only to DIsney but to all the Orlando attractions if not directly on Disney property) for 2-4 nights getting the flex tickets, then take 3-5 day cruise out of Cape Canaveral.

 

"The Orlando FlexTicket will not be available in 2017." https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/orlando-flexticket/

 

Also just to be clear the flex ticket did not include the Disney parks.

 

Since when did Disney stop offering the multi-day flex park tickets over the multi-day single park ones? Or did they change back to being only available to just on property guests like it was in the late 80's & early 90's.

The Orlando Flex Ticket was just for Universal Studios parks & waterpark and Sea World & waterpark. It has drastically changed. Last I saw it did have an option for 2017 for 1 day at Disney, in combination with a couple of days at Universal and/or Seaworld. http://www.officialticketcenter.com/discount-flex-tickets-orlando.aspx

 

Maryred--you're thinking of the Disney multi-day tickets or perhaps the park hopper (which you can get with the 1 day or multi-day tickets).

[shirlden]

Now I am wondering if this is your (or your granddaughters) first cruise. Cruises are a lot of fun for all ages. I don't think missing out on Disney as a kid makes a big impact on someone's life. I didn't go to Disney until I was 22 and had a great time. I also didn't get to go on a cruise until my late 20's with my own money. I think at an older age it will be more appreciated. My suggestion though is to use the money you would have spent to do an unforgettable excursion, such as swimming with the Dolphins, in another port depending on where you are going. I don't think there are very many people who can say they got to do that when they were a kid.

 

 

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Actually this will be my 4th cruise and my son has problems so yes I think this still bothers him. We did the Swimming with dolphins on our last cruise. Going to Disney at age 5 and age 22 are totally different experiences, you will have fun either way however it will impact you in different ways. This is just a shore Excursion something to do in a port of call. I figure we can do and see about a dozen things in 7 hours parades rides etc. All I wanted was some suggestions however all everyone is saying is it's not a good idea. I think everyone thinks this is the highlight of the adventure; it is not the cruise is it is just something to do at that port.

[SteerageJoe]

Actually this will be my 4th cruise and my son has problems so yes I think this still bothers him. We did the Swimming with dolphins on our last cruise. Going to Disney at age 5 and age 22 are totally different experiences, you will have fun either way however it will impact you in different ways. This is just a shore Excursion something to do in a port of call. I figure we can do and see about a dozen things in 7 hours parades rides etc. All I wanted was some suggestions however all everyone is saying is it's not a good idea. I think everyone thinks this is the highlight of the adventure; it is not the cruise is it is just something to do at that port.

 

Here is basically a complete list of the most popular things to do during a Port Canaveral cruise stop. Hopefully you see something exciting and that will be it. Decision made!

http://cruiseportcanaveral.us/shoretrips/

 

However, if nothing stands out then Disney remains an excellent option despite the shorter day!

[pa6860]

I would like to plan a day at Walt Disney World when we are in Port Canaveral, I have a few questions I hope some of you can help with. My understanding is because there is only about 7 hours in the park you need to go organized and know what you want to do. We have never been and will be taking my 5 year old granddaughter. Any must see or must do for a 5 year old? We are going in February on a week day should we waste our money on a fast pass. Does anyone have a itinerary that they did that seemed like they got the most out of such a short visit? Any other suggestions is greatly appreciated.

 

 

Shirlden, are you still interested in attempting WDW as an excursion? If so, I'd love to help. I'm just not sure if you're still following this thread.

 

I absolutely believe that with realistic expectations (crowded, tired, a lot of waiting around, expensive, etc), and detailed planing well in advance, you can still have a magical time that can hopefully be well worth the time and effort.

[anonmom]

I think sometimes people with more money don't understand those of us who have less money. I think going to WDW for half a day is a lot more fun than not going at all.

 

Of course you won't get to see *everything* but who cares? 5 year olds have no concept of what they are missing. They only know that they want to do things that they see. If you plan everything down to the minute with the fast passes, then every time your grand daughter sees something she wants to do, you will have to rush her past it so that you can get to the rides you have booked.

 

Just let her lead the way. When she sees something she wants to look at, stop and let her look at it. She'll be excited just walking down the street and seeing whatever characters you happen to run into.

 

Buy her some plastic junk and some crappy overpriced fast food and she'll be thrilled.

 

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[bUU]

I think sometimes people with more money don't understand those of us who have less money.

I'm not one of those who have said, "don't go," but the comments of those posters who have said that do not read to me the way you are implying here. Rather, their advice seems to be coming from a place of knowledge and experience, and from the perspective of getting enough value from money spent.

 

As a matter of fact, I'll suggest to you that you've got it 180° backwards. The people (including me, to some extent) who are saying, "Go!" are the ones who aren't considering those who have less money. To say, "Go!", knowing what many of us know about WDW from having brought our own relatives on their first visits to WDW in the past (and in my case, in February as a matter of fact), is to some extent throwing caution to the wind, spending money without a truly conscientious regard for value.

 

I think going to WDW for half a day is a lot more fun than not going at all.

That's a false dichotomy. There are many things to do in Central Florida that lend themselves to half-day visits. WDW is not one of them, and that's due to deliberate operational decisions by WDW to try to force visitors into week-long visits. It has been a very successful strategy for WDW. It has allowed them to capture a lot more revenue than if they ran WDW to best serve day guests. Don't miss the message here: WDW deliberately degrades the day guests' experience in favor of week-long guests and in favor of their own hotel guests. It's not incidental. It's tactical.

 

Of course you won't get to see *everything* but who cares?

Many people do care about whether the money they spend is worthwhile. That's the crux of the issue here: Is this excursion worthwhile? Reasonable people disagree, and some who have visited WDW many times are saying that this is not a good value. There is a lot of very undeniable truth in that.

 

5 year olds have no concept of what they are missing.

This is part of the equation, I'm sure. Our Rachel probably could have appreciated a few hours at WDW at 9, if we prepared her for how short our visit would be, but at 5 it would have just been torturing her. (Even the end of a full week at WDW at age 5 was a bit torturous for Rachel, overshadowing some of the good of the week.) Different children are different. Our Benjamin would have been great with a short visit at 5.

 

They only know that they want to do things that they see. If you plan everything down to the minute with the fast passes, then every time your grand daughter sees something she wants to do, you will have to rush her past it so that you can get to the rides you have booked.

I don't think you understand. The first thing that your child may see that she wants to do is a meet and greet with Jasmine. You could wait, even in February, for a half hour, an hour, or even longer. Poof, 1/4 of your time is gone and you've effectively paid $100 for a family of four to have a photo taken with a costumed character. The waits for having your photo taken with some characters have gotten so long that some of them actually offer Fastpasses. This is a big part of what the nay-sayers are pointing out: An inadequately planned first visit to WDW is bound to be a waste. Again, we don't necessarily have to all agree about that, but the point is valid and has more foundation than the carefree "Go anyway!" that big fans of WDW may instinctively offer instead.

 

Revisiting our Rachel: We didn't have admission for our check-out day on that first visit when she was 5. We took her to what was then called the Disney Marketplace to buy t-shirts and such. She was almost inconsolable until we came to a fountain. She played in the water for almost an hour before we had to leave for the airport. It turned around what was shaping up to be a terrible experience that day. And that was a simple fountain at a venue that had free admission and free parking. Like you said, a 5 year old won't know what she's missing.

[Rhea98]

You've booked fastpasses already for the fall? I've never heard of anyone being able to book fastpasses more than 60 days out. We are staying on property in August before our cruise and our fastpass window opens next month. It's been like this for years. :confused: 60 days for resort guests and 30 days for non-resort guests.

 

I seriously wonder about this, too. I have reservations at the end of August (FL Resident annual passes, and I go at least 25 days out of a year--staying on property about three times annually). Since the Fast Passes have started, it has been IMPOSSIBLE to grab a pass before 60 days out. I've read other reservations (mostly dining, I believe) are available 90-180 days out. Even DVC members have a 60 day wait so I really don't know what the secret is here.

 

to OP: FWIW, in my experience, the two most difficult fast passes to get at MK are The 7 Dwarfs Mine Ride and Peter Pan. If you can swing getting to the park at rope drop (I couldn't find a ship for Port Canaveral on Feb 6 ? so I really don't know your docking time), you have an hour of relatively short waits on the rides. By 10, the lines will increase. By 11, they will remain peak for several hours. I ditto the suggestion about touring plans. Please know that for Feb. 6, 2018, the reported park info could change. I've already read that the 3 PM parade will be at 2 PM starting August 20. Feb 6 is actually a day I would/will go (lower crowds for sure but likely better temps--although this year was a day-to-day situation to avoid 90 degree temps throughout the winter!).Very few of us want to waste money; however, one of the perks of earning/saving it is we can do what we want with it. This will give you immeasurable pleasure and, hopefully, some warm memories for those cold PA nights. If you go into it understanding the limitations (which it seems you do), whatever happens, it should work for you. Good luck.

[anonmom]

I guess I don't see what would be wrong with a child spotting Jasmine, wanting her picture taken, waiting an hour for that, then getting lunch at the first place the child likes the look of, going on one ride the child wants to go on, and then buying a souvenir and calling it a day. As you pointed out, at that age your daughter spent an hour playing in a water fountain. My daughter is 6. There is no way a child would have a concept of how big WDW is. Say, "we're going to a fun place for a few hours!" and don't pass by things she wants to do without doing them. That's what is hard for kids. If she thinks the first 4 things by the gate are the whole park, she won't miss what she's missing.

 

I do hear you about WDW changing things to increase revenue. I just don't think that spending thousands of dollars on a multi-day stay is in OP's budget. However, she feels like her son has been scarred for life by not going to WDW as a child, and would therefore like to spend a few hundred dollars to save her grandchild from this fate. Her only choices are go to WDW for 7 hours next February, or don't take granddaughter to WDW.

 

Now, if OP (or anyone) thinks they can go to WDW for half a day and see a large percentage of even just the MK, she is going to be disappointed. But if she just goes with the flow and does whatever attracts her granddaughter's interest, they can have a nice excursion together.

 

Her granddaughter will not know that there were other princesses there that she *didn't* get to meet. But she will have the picture of her and Grandma and Jasmine, and I bet she will think that is pretty special.

I'm not one of those who have said, "don't go," but the comments of those posters who have said that do not read to me the way you are implying here. Rather, their advice seems to be coming from a place of knowledge and experience, and from the perspective of getting enough value from money spent.

 

As a matter of fact, I'll suggest to you that you've got it 180° backwards. The people (including me, to some extent) who are saying, "Go!" are the ones who aren't considering those who have less money. To say, "Go!", knowing what many of us know about WDW from having brought our own relatives on their first visits to WDW in the past (and in my case, in February as a matter of fact), is to some extent throwing caution to the wind, spending money without a truly conscientious regard for value.

 

That's a false dichotomy. There are many things to do in Central Florida that lend themselves to half-day visits. WDW is not one of them, and that's due to deliberate operational decisions by WDW to try to force visitors into week-long visits. It has been a very successful strategy for WDW. It has allowed them to capture a lot more revenue than if they ran WDW to best serve day guests. Don't miss the message here: WDW deliberately degrades the day guests' experience in favor of week-long guests and in favor of their own hotel guests. It's not incidental. It's tactical.

 

Many people do care about whether the money they spend is worthwhile. That's the crux of the issue here: Is this excursion worthwhile? Reasonable people disagree, and some who have visited WDW many times are saying that this is not a good value. There is a lot of very undeniable truth in that.

 

This is part of the equation, I'm sure. Our Rachel probably could have appreciated a few hours at WDW at 9, if we prepared her for how short our visit would be, but at 5 it would have just been torturing her. (Even the end of a full week at WDW at age 5 was a bit torturous for Rachel, overshadowing some of the good of the week.) Different children are different. Our Benjamin would have been great with a short visit at 5.

 

I don't think you understand. The first thing that your child may see that she wants to do is a meet and greet with Jasmine. You could wait, even in February, for a half hour, an hour, or even longer. Poof, 1/4 of your time is gone and you've effectively paid $100 for a family of four to have a photo taken with a costumed character. The waits for having your photo taken with some characters have gotten so long that some of them actually offer Fastpasses. This is a big part of what the nay-sayers are pointing out: An inadequately planned first visit to WDW is bound to be a waste. Again, we don't necessarily have to all agree about that, but the point is valid and has more foundation than the carefree "Go anyway!" that big fans of WDW may instinctively offer instead.

 

Revisiting our Rachel: We didn't have admission for our check-out day on that first visit when she was 5. We took her to what was then called the Disney Marketplace to buy t-shirts and such. She was almost inconsolable until we came to a fountain. She played in the water for almost an hour before we had to leave for the airport. It turned around what was shaping up to be a terrible experience that day. And that was a simple fountain at a venue that had free admission and free parking. Like you said, a 5 year old won't know what she's missing.

 

 

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[bUU]

I guess I don't see what would be wrong with a child spotting Jasmine, wanting her picture taken, waiting an hour for that, then getting lunch at the first place the child likes the look of, going on one ride the child wants to go on, and then buying a souvenir and calling it a day.

If you feel paying roughly $600 for a family of four to spend a port day that way, then more power to you. All I'm saying is that I've never had so much money that I would consider that a good use of that much money.

 

We don't have to agree and you can voice your perspective independent from others having voiced a different perspective.

 

As you pointed out, at that age your daughter spent an hour playing in a water fountain.

My point was that after a full week at WDW the most memory-making experience for our family was something else.

 

However, she feels like her son has been scarred for life by not going to WDW as a child...

Then let's work on that. My first visit to WDW was when I was 22. I was taunted by my friends' experiences while we were children. Lasting damage, nil.

 

It's a great place. We have visited at least 30 times since so we aren't detractors of the place. Given sufficient time, I still think it is the "best" place for a family to visit. However, there are friends who have never been and never taken their children there, and have had memory-making experiences for their family that have been just as good if not better elsewhere.

 

Some of them on cruises, as a matter of fact.

Edited June 5, 2017 by bUU

[bUU]

(I couldn't find a ship for Port Canaveral on Feb 6 ? so I really don't know your docking time)

I was curious about this as well, because my concerns would be mollified to some extent if the arrival time was, say 7:00 AM, thereby putting the passengers at the park perhaps at 8:30 AM. So I went searching. All I could find was Grandeur of the Seas on the 4th.

ARRIVES 10:30 AM DEPARTS 9:00 PM.

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/9NightSoutheastCoastBahamasCruise-GR9BH002?currencyCode=USD&sCruiseType=CO&sDateMin=2018-01-28&sDateMax=2018-02-10&sailDate=02%2F01%2F2018

And Carnival Pride on the 7th.

ARRIVE 7:00 AM - DEPART 6:00 PM

https://www.carnival.com/itinerary/7-day-the-bahamas-cruise/baltimore/pride/7-days/eco/

So I'd definitely avoid this excursion on Grandeur of the Seas, and be wary of it on Carnival Pride.

Edited June 5, 2017 by bUU

[AmeliaAtSea]

Is this a ship excursion? Then the 7 hours would include travel time to & from the park. Just wondering if OP is aware of that. If it includes travel time, then you'd likely have no more than 4 hours at the park.