Looking for recommendations on transportation/hotel to the Harmony of the Seas Terminal in Port Canaveral.

[CruisingGang]

Hello! I will be sailing the Harmony of the Seas very soon with my daughter. We are flying to Orlando International Airport the night before (landing around 7:45ish PM) My question is:   Should we stay at a hotel near the airport, get shuttled back to the airport in the morning, then take the shuttle service provided by Royal Caribbean?  OR. Should I find a hotel close to the cruise terminal the night before and then take a shuttle provided by the hotel?  I'm just curious about what other people do and if you have any transportation services that are highly recommended. I'm not used to traveling alone. (daughter is only 15) Also, the Orlando International Airport looks huge and overwhelming...  (also, I purchased the cruise and airfare separately)

 

Thanks in advance!! Any recommendations would be great!

[GTO-Girl]

Getting in that late I would stay at one of the many hotels around the airport.  There is a Hyatt that is actually attached to the airport…

 

The following shuttles pick up at the airport as well as a number of hotels around the airport.  I highly recommend these be pre-booked:
 

*Cruise Control Transportation 

*Cortrans Shuttle 

*Cocoa Beach Shuttle 

[LGW59]

52 minutes ago, CruisingGang said:

Hello! I will be sailing the Harmony of the Seas very soon with my daughter. We are flying to Orlando International Airport the night before (landing around 7:45ish PM) My question is:   Should we stay at a hotel near the airport, get shuttled back to the airport in the morning, then take the shuttle service provided by Royal Caribbean?  OR. Should I find a hotel close to the cruise terminal the night before and then take a shuttle provided by the hotel?  I'm just curious about what other people do and if you have any transportation services that are highly recommended. I'm not used to traveling alone. (daughter is only 15) Also, the Orlando International Airport looks huge and overwhelming...  (also, I purchased the cruise and airfare separately)

 

Thanks in advance!! Any recommendations would be great!

Uber/Lyft, easy peasy

[poocher]

We are staying at a hotel near the airport in the area of Samoran Blvd & Augusta National Dr.  There are multiple hotels in every price range in this area and are also walking distance to restaurants.  Just about all have shuttles from the airport.  The next morning we’re using Cruise Control Transportation @ $20 per person to get to the port.  We have also used Cortrans with great results.

[skagen]

We may be on the same sailing... we're planning to Uber to cape canaveral right upon arriving in Orlando - I like being right close to the ship the night before personally

[BennyBrun]

I recommend MCO hotel ( usually you can get a decent rate if you plan ahead) and there are plenty with free airport shuttle vs the hotels by the cruise port where the rates are higher when the cruise ship is in town and then book Royal transfer the next day where they will guarantee you make it to your ship if you show up on time for your transfer.

[LeeW]

goport works well.  You can either book hotel/transportation packages or transportation only.  Pickup at various MCO hotel locations and at the airport itself.  Only problem we had with them at Christmas was return from the port they picked up at the Royal pier first.  We were on Disney and took 1/2 hour for the bus to arrive.  When you get off the ship you just check in at the Goport cart and catch the next bus.  Current price is $50 round trip but cheaper when you book hotel through them.

[smplybcause]

The airport isn't that big. And the hotels around it will have a lot more options close for food than coco Beach. You wouldn't be getting to coco until after 9pm (or later if you're flight is delayed. It'll be at least an hour from when you get your bags til coco, more if you have to wait for the shuttle) and a lot of hotels don't have restaurants right next door over there and I'd be worried at that late in these times what's still open. Meanwhile most of the hotels near the airport have an option or two nearby for food plus maybe in the hotel. 

[jalves]

10 hours ago, CruisingGang said:

Also, the Orlando International Airport looks huge and overwhelming..

While it is pretty big, its actually laid out nicely.  Getting off the plane and getting to baggage claim is basically one steady stream.  You get off the plane in a satellite terminal and follow the crowds/signs to the monorail to the main terminal.  After the short ride you follow the crowds/signs to baggage claim for your airline.  That will involve an escalator (or elevator) to go down one floor.  Look for the signs above each carousel to tell you where to wait for bags.  

 

[momneedsvacation]

I am also doing this for a February 27 sailing on Harmony.  Does anyone have a mid priced hotel they recommend?

[JohninDC]

4 hours ago, momneedsvacation said:

I am also doing this for a February 27 sailing on Harmony.  Does anyone have a mid priced hotel they recommend?

Your mid-price might be my splurge -- dollar amount for your target?

 

Hotel near MCO or near the port?

[ericosmith]

16 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

Getting in that late I would stay at one of the many hotels around the airport.  There is a Hyatt that is actually attached to the airport…

 

The following shuttles pick up at the airport as well as a number of hotels around the airport.  I highly recommend these be pre-booked:
 

*Cruise Control Transportation 

*Cortrans Shuttle 

*Cocoa Beach Shuttle 

Just curious, Cocoa Beach Shuttle has terrible reviews on Google.  Why would you recommend them?  Is there more than one with the same name?

[JohninDC]

4 hours ago, ericosmith said:

Just curious, Cocoa Beach Shuttle has terrible reviews on Google.  Why would you recommend them?  Is there more than one with the same name?

Not sure about GTO, but Cocoa Beach Shuttle is often suggested on this board, and we were happy with their service a few years ago (PC-MCO).

[Marie51]

  We stayed at the Hyatt right at the Orlando airport. When you go to baggage claim the hotel lobby is just upstairs. We used Cortrans shuttle to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the ship the next morning.  Everything was very easy. 

[Ashland]

The Hyatt at MCO will be a great option for you. Book Cruise Control to take you to Port Canaveral cruise morning and then to pick you back up cruise day end and take you to MCO for your flight home....This will work out so easy for you. Best of luck and enjoy your cruise.

 

Cruise Control   (888) 416-8830

[CruisingGang]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:15 PM, GTO-Girl said:

Getting in that late I would stay at one of the many hotels around the airport.  There is a Hyatt that is actually attached to the airport…

 

The following shuttles pick up at the airport as well as a number of hotels around the airport.  I highly recommend these be pre-booked:
 

*Cruise Control Transportation 

*Cortrans Shuttle 

*Cocoa Beach Shuttle 

Thank you! Appreciate your advice and will look up those shuttle services

[CruisingGang]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:45 PM, LGW59 said:

Uber/Lyft, easy peasy

Easy peasy if the price is right. But, if you're a planner like me, then I'd like to know ahead of time how much I'd be paying for transportation. 

[CruisingGang]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:53 PM, poocher said:

We are staying at a hotel near the airport in the area of Samoran Blvd & Augusta National Dr.  There are multiple hotels in every price range in this area and are also walking distance to restaurants.  Just about all have shuttles from the airport.  The next morning we’re using Cruise Control Transportation @ $20 per person to get to the port.  We have also used Cortrans with great results.

awesome, thanks so much!

[CruisingGang]

On 1/28/2022 at 8:32 AM, jalves said:

While it is pretty big, its actually laid out nicely.  Getting off the plane and getting to baggage claim is basically one steady stream.  You get off the plane in a satellite terminal and follow the crowds/signs to the monorail to the main terminal.  After the short ride you follow the crowds/signs to baggage claim for your airline.  That will involve an escalator (or elevator) to go down one floor.  Look for the signs above each carousel to tell you where to wait for bags.  

 

Thank you! Any reassurance is great. I don't usually (or ever) travel alone.

[CruisingGang]

On 1/28/2022 at 12:12 AM, LeeW said:

goport works well.  You can either book hotel/transportation packages or transportation only.  Pickup at various MCO hotel locations and at the airport itself.  Only problem we had with them at Christmas was return from the port they picked up at the Royal pier first.  We were on Disney and took 1/2 hour for the bus to arrive.  When you get off the ship you just check in at the Goport cart and catch the next bus.  Current price is $50 round trip but cheaper when you book hotel through them.

great, thank you. Will look into it!

[CruisingGang]

On 1/27/2022 at 11:01 PM, skagen said:

We may be on the same sailing... we're planning to Uber to cape canaveral right upon arriving in Orlando - I like being right close to the ship the night before personally

Wow, I'm reluctant to rely on Uber the day of...  I don't use Uber all that often. Is it possible to plan ahead of time? or can you only request an Uber about an hour or so before you need it? And then if so, you don't really know what the price will be until you put your request in, right?  I'm not so familiar with how it works. 

[poocher]

It’s close to an hour from MCO to the Port.  I expect Uber would be pricey.

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, poocher said:

It’s close to an hour from MCO to the Port.  I expect Uber would be pricey.

And I believe surge pricing might come into play also.

[skagen]

Uber was about $80 today. I might have been unclear, we flew in to Orlando and took an Uber to Cocoa Beach near the pier right after getting our luggage from baggage claim. Uber ride was 45 mins.

Edited January 30, 2022 by skagen

[JohninDC]

11 hours ago, skagen said:

Uber was about $80 today. I might have been unclear, we flew in to Orlando and took an Uber to Cocoa Beach near the pier right after getting our luggage from baggage claim. Uber ride was 45 mins.

$80 for door to door service and that distance sounds fair to me. Most of the shared shuttles would charge about $25 per person.