Thoughts on Orlando to cruise port?

[Pwrmaster7]

I am arriving the night before for my cruise April 13th on the Epic around midnight to MCO (Orlando). Any thoughts on the best way to go? Should i get a hotel by the airport and uber/shuttle the next day or just uber it upon arrival and get a hotel closer to the cruise port? I am just wondering if there are any benefits I may be missing here in my decision. Thanks everyone I appreciate it!

[ColeThornton]

If it was me I'd get a hotel right at the airport.  I guess the decision may be based on how tired you think you will be.

 

 

Check out the Florida departures forum for lots of good info on hotels and transportation.  Here is the link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/386-florida-departures/

Edited March 1, 2019 by ColeThornton

[kfnesq]

Personally, coming in that late, I would get a hotel as close to the airport as possible, then uber it the next day (which is what we have done in the past).  Usually once I land I am in no mood to wait around for a shuttle/uber/taxi and drive another 30 minutes to get to a hotel.  Just my two cents.  You can still sleep in the next morning and get to the port at your leisure.

 

That said, is there more of a benefit either way?  I don't think so, just personal preference.

[dexddd]

We've gone out of PC many times.  We always stay near the airport, especially if we were coming in that late.

[Mike_DeA]

See if you can get a decent price at the airport (if you're price sensitive).  if not, try hotels near the port.  If you're a night owl you may be fine traveling to the port after your flight.  Some people would prefer to get to the hotel sooner and rest up for the next day.  It's only about a 45-60 min drive from MCO to the port.

[mymirabella]

Doing a one way car rental can sometimes be very economical for transport to the cruise port and allows you to book your hotel anywhere in between so you have potential for savings and more choices there.

[emdia43]

I would get an airport hotel then cbshuttle.com in the morning to the port.

[DaCruiseBug]

Book at a hotel by the Orlando airport as they're much more economical and better quality than what you'll find near Port Canaveral. Wake up in the morning and just take an Uber and it will cost you $40-45. Why people still take shuttle is beyond me. Unless you're traveling solo you'll find Uber to be a better deal and you don't have to worry about going at their selected time and with a bunch of other people but going when you want and with just your party.

 

I would suggest you check out Priceline or Hotwire and book 2-3 days out. You can generally get a nice hotel for under $100. Last time we were in Orlando we got the Doubletree by the airport for $95 out the door.

[newmexicoNita]

20 hours ago, kfnesq said:

Personally, coming in that late, I would get a hotel as close to the airport as possible, then uber it the next day (which is what we have done in the past).  Usually once I land I am in no mood to wait around for a shuttle/uber/taxi and drive another 30 minutes to get to a hotel.  Just my two cents.  You can still sleep in the next morning and get to the port at your leisure.

 

That said, is there more of a benefit either way?  I don't think so, just personal preference.

Me too, hotel near the airport for sure then either use Uber or a transfer service. We used a transfer service but I don't remember which one. I know the price was not bad. 

[dexddd]

We've done one way car rentals between Orlando and PC.  With so many ships and people there now, that has become a train wreck.

[Maplemoose]

CORTRANS is a great shuttle service. Google them. We paid $20 pp one way from airport hotel to ship.  So unless there are more than 2 people I would choose it over uber. There are many other good references for CORTRANS on here if you search. 

[mymirabella]

On 3/2/2019 at 1:41 PM, dexddd said:

We've done one way car rentals between Orlando and PC.  With so many ships and people there now, that has become a train wreck.

Thanks for the input we haven't used this method in a couple years so I will keep that in mind when planing next time. 

[kochleffel]

I got a rental car (from Orlando Sanford, not MCO) because I was arriving early in the day and wanted to have the car available for the rest of the day and the evening, but if I were arriving late at night at MCO, I'd choose a hotel near the airport that has free shuttle service and then reserve one of the shared-van shuttles from the hotel the next morning. A rental car is only an economy if several people will ride together, and with a late arrival you won't have any other occasion to use it.

 

BTW the financial aspect is different at Sanford (SFB) because, while the shared-van shuttles will go there, they charge as much for one person as rental car or Uber.

[kochleffel]

On 3/2/2019 at 6:41 PM, dexddd said:

We've done one way car rentals between Orlando and PC.  With so many ships and people there now, that has become a train wreck.

 

My experience as well, at the Port Canaveral end: difficult even to get into the car-rental office to hand over the keys because it was packed with people, just off their ships, wanting to pick up cars, of which none were available because the company needed people like me to return the cars.