Does anyone pair WDW with a Carnival Cruise out of PC?

[amandajean06]

Hi folks!

 

We are looking ahead at planning our first Disney World trip (me, hubs, 2 boys: 2 and 4) and would love to combine it with a cruise (duh! lol)

 

We typically cruise Carnival but of course I thought this would be a great time for the entire Disney experience, so why not book WDW for three or four days and then a five day Disney cruise?

 

The "why not" became quickly apparent: the cost! Yikes! So, my question is, does anyone regularly do or has anyone planned a combo WDW/Carnival cruise? Looking at the end of March for reference. What are your tips and tricks?

 

Thanks!

 

-Amanda

 

 

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[zdcatc12]

As an official combo with luggage transfer, Disney hotels, etc. not unless you go with DCL. (Premier was the last one that offered the combo, as it was pre-DCL days). I'm sure you could put together a Disney trip with a CCL cruise, just not an official one.

[angiem0217]

We went on our 10 year anniversary cruise out of port Canaveral last year. I am a big Disney freak and could not be that close without visiting the mouse. We flew into MCO and rented a car, Drove to wilderness lodge and checked in, Then took the boat over to MK. We only went to Disney the one day but you definitely could do a few days then head to port Canaveral. We rented the car so we could drive to the port and turn the car in there. There was a lot of people returning cars that day and we did have to stand in line a while. You could also use magic express to Disney then take Uber to the port or set up a private transfer. I did a review of our day at Disney and our 7 day cruise on the magic if you want to check it out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2399612

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[Jsl_pt]

Is there rental car return at port canaveral? Or did I misunderstand? We fly into MCO for the last few years for Disney and have thought about short Disney trip then to port canaveral for cruise (we normally cruise out of Galveston; drive from Tulsa) but just assumed I'd have to park my rental there for duration of cruise and pay parking then eventually return it to MCO after cruise. I have wondered if there were easier logistics for transport for Disney then carnival cruise without having to keep rental car the entire time.

[angiem0217]

Is there rental car return at port canaveral? Or did I misunderstand? We fly into MCO for the last few years for Disney and have thought about short Disney trip then to port canaveral for cruise (we normally cruise out of Galveston; drive from Tulsa) but just assumed I'd have to park my rental there for duration of cruise and pay parking then eventually return it to MCO after cruise. I have wondered if there were easier logistics for transport for Disney then carnival cruise without having to keep rental car the entire time.

 

 

There are rental car locations all by the port. We did a one way rental picking up at MCO and dropping off at port Canaveral. They have shuttles that take you to the ship or you can get a $10 Uber from the rental car company to the ship. We used budget and they were very under staffed the day we returned the car to port Canaveral. I don't think that is normal tho.

 

 

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[Jsl_pt]

There are rental car locations all by the port. We did a one way rental picking up at MCO and dropping off at port Canaveral. They have shuttles that take you to the ship or you can get a $10 Uber from the rental car company to the ship. We used budget and they were very under staffed the day we returned the car to port Canaveral. I don't think that is normal tho.

 

 

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Awesome, thanks for the info!

[Elaine5715]

Is there rental car return at port canaveral? Or did I misunderstand? We fly into MCO for the last few years for Disney and have thought about short Disney trip then to port canaveral for cruise (we normally cruise out of Galveston; drive from Tulsa) but just assumed I'd have to park my rental there for duration of cruise and pay parking then eventually return it to MCO after cruise. I have wondered if there were easier logistics for transport for Disney then carnival cruise without having to keep rental car the entire time.

Florida does not charge extra for one way rentals. There is also a shuttle that runs about $20 each way from MCO to Port Canaveral.

[angiem0217]

Awesome, thanks for the info!

 

 

No problem. It was cheaper to rent the car than it would have been for a private transfer or shuttle to the port. It would have been super easy if it had not taken so long to return the car. But like I said they were understaffed that day so I don't think that is the norm.

 

 

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[Jsl_pt]

Florida does not charge extra for one way rentals. There is also a shuttle that runs about $20 each way from MCO to Port Canaveral.

 

 

 

Also good to know, thanks!

[angiem0217]

Florida does not charge extra for one way rentals. There is also a shuttle that runs about $20 each way from MCO to Port Canaveral.

 

 

We were not at MCO. We were at Disney world and the private shuttle from Disney to a carnival ship was very pricey. Much cheaper to rent the car. I even looked at Uber and it was still cheaper to rent the car. We did the Cortrans shuttle back to MCO after cruise and it was only $20 pp. but they do not pick up from Disney to the port. They only pick up from MCO and hotels around MCO

 

 

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[lennythenose]

I have a combo trip planned for June 2018 for my son's graduation. We are renting a house from a place we've stayed before and absolutely LOVE. We have our own pool, hot tub and washer/ dryer. We are renting a car at the airport and returning it at the port. We also have a one day rental from the port to the airport when we return. It was cheaper than a shuttle for the 4 of us. I love planning trips almost as much as going on them so I wanted to do it myself.

[angiem0217]

I have a combo trip planned for June 2018 for my son's graduation. We are renting a house from a place we've stayed before and absolutely LOVE. We have our own pool, hot tub and washer/ dryer. We are renting a car at the airport and returning it at the port. We also have a one day rental from the port to the airport when we return. It was cheaper than a shuttle for the 4 of us. I love planning trips almost as much as going on them so I wanted to do it myself.

 

 

Did you look at cortrans? It's only $20 pp for one way to the airport. They have a shuttle waiting for you as soon as you get off the ship. Would be easier than having to shuttle to the rental car and pick up the car then return it at airport. I highly recommend cortrans. They were great and so easy. Just jump on the shuttle, let them drive and they drop you off at your airline

 

 

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[lennythenose]

Thanks for the Cortrans suggestion. With 4 of us it was cheaper to rent a car with DH corporate discount. Plus we can be more flexible if we take a late flight.

[sailor05]

I have a combo trip planned for June 2018 for my son's graduation. We are renting a house from a place we've stayed before and absolutely LOVE. We have our own pool, hot tub and washer/ dryer. We are renting a car at the airport and returning it at the port. We also have a one day rental from the port to the airport when we return. It was cheaper than a shuttle for the 4 of us. I love planning trips almost as much as going on them so I wanted to do it myself.

 

This is EXACTLY the way we handle the combo trips which we have done 3 times. Easy to do!

[JinxyB]

I'm getting off the Vista tomorrow and am headed to WDW for a week. I actually found a cheap flight to MCO on Southwest so will be flying instead of driving. I actually wanted to do WDW first and then cruise, but I wanted the 8-day Vista itinerary and it's just how my vacation weeks fell this year. I will def need a vacation from my vacation when we get home!!

[snowskier]

We always use VRBO / Home Away to rent a house when we go to Disney -- much less expensive than staying at a Disney property. The dollars saved offset the inconvenience of driving a few minutes and paying for parking as the dollars saved is significant. Alternatively, one can stay at an offsite hotel with a shuttle.

[disneylover89]

Yes, we flew into MCO, took the Magical Express to Disney, stayed 5 days, took the Magical Express back to airport and then took the Carnival bus to the port for a 5 day cruise on the Ecstasy. We had a great time.

[Purvis1231]

We have done this several times. We taken our own vehicle but the one time we flew, we found it was a little cheaper to keep the renal car and park it and not having to rent another ca to go back to the airport.

[Jajone]

I am a huge Disney fan and travel there frequently. There are several reasons for the high cost. You are planning March which is a busy time with spring breaks and costs will generally be higher. Also, by the time you pay for just 3-4 days of tickets, you have paid as much as tickets for 7 days. Disney is much more cost effective to do for a longer vacation. We combined a short Easter trip a few years ago with a cruise, but did not go into the parks. We ate at a character meal, watched fireworks at the Polynesian beach, played mini golf, etc. They also have waterparks to visit.

[Jamman54]

We combined stays at WDW or Universal with Carnival cruises many times when our kids were growing up. We combined with sailings from PC, JAX, & Tampa. We always had our own car, so we never had to worry about rentals or transfers. The only recommendation I can give you is to schedule the cruise AFTER your time at the theme parks. Perfect way to wind down from the heat and the stress that you can sometimes get at the parks. :cool:

[MissKIA]

We've only taken one cruise to date where we didn't visit Disney as well. We live in Canada, and flights are very expensive, so it only makes sense to combine the two into one trip. There's a reason I've mostly sailed out of Port Canaveral. :)

 

We've done both shuttles and car rentals and it really depends on the situation and how many people we have with us. Car rentals are usually cheaper, especially if you have a family of 4 for example. Shuttles drop you off right at the port though, which is nice, so there's that to consider too. I would just choose whichever is cheaper, or if you want the convenience of having a car while at WDW (we hate the buses and like to do things off property as well, like shop!), get a car.

[cath32]

We did this on our very first cruise in 2010 - but from Tampa.

 

We flew to Tampa and stayed at a hotel with airport/ship shuttles. At the end of the cruise, we rented a car to drive to Orlando. We got a really good deal at the animal kingdom lodge, so dropped everything off and returned the car to a nearby off-site location. They shuttled us back to the hotel.

 

But, we mostly took advantage of non-park activities including a lot of balcony time watching the animals. I believe that the only park time was my 2 teenage sons going to animal kingdom for the day.

 

As a previous poster indicated, park tickets get much cheaper the longer the duration, and we had been to Disney in the past.

 

We then used the magical express to take us to the Orlando airport for our flight home.

[amandajean06]

Wow, thanks everyone! These are some great suggestions.

 

We will more than likely drive down, so a rental car wouldn't be an issue.

 

I think I'm hearing that for the most part, the majority opinion is to try to cruise after WDW? Makes sense to me, as long as it will line up with our Spring Break. I also never thought about 3-4 days at WDW being just as expensive as a week. I'm not sure I could do Disney for a week, and still cruise. That's a long trip for us.

 

Thanks again so much!

[Cruisefanatic71]

We did this pairing of a Carnival cruise and a trip to Disney world a few years back prior to moving to the Orlando area for good. The way we did it was we took our cruise first to the Bahamas. I used the Carnival transportation from MCO to the port and then back to MCO when the cruise was finished. Once back at the airport we went to the Disney transportation counter and rode the free bus from the airport to our hotel since we were staying at Port Orleans for a few days. We then just used the Disney provided transportation around Disney World and back to the airport when we were finished with our stay. It worked out in the end because I didn't have to worry about any transportation issues while on vacation. Now with Uber and all the other methods to and from the airport to the port, you probably could find a car service to use and then still use the Disney bus from the airport when you return from the cruise or vice versa depending on where you are going to place the visit to the mouses house!

[RW20]

We have done this twice with a third planned and booked. We also fly out of Toronto so the flights can be quite pricey.

The last two times we did 2 days of parks with 3 nights at Disney prior to the cruise. Next time we are going for a full week. The key thing to remember with Disney that park tickets after you have 4 days only cost about $10/day to add additional days.

 

We bought our tickets back in May. Disney had a 35% discounted rate for Canadian residents. Even though we will be there a week we are only doing 4 days of parks and planning min-golf and waterparks for the other days.

 

We have rented a vehicle from MCO and dropped off at Port Canaveral and the reverse the last two times. This time we are taking the Magical Express then renting from National at the Disney Car Care Centre the day before the cruise. This gives us a chance to go out and get our carry-on wine and pop for the cruise. Then also go to Olive Garden for dinner.

 

On the day we disembark we also book late flights (about 9pm). This gives us a full day and no worries about delays into port. Last time we went to Blizzard Beach and the time before we went to Kennedy Space Center for the day.