? about paying for rt transp from airport to port

[soon2bcruising]

I have been worrying myself thinking about how you pay for the round trip transportation from the airport to the port. I am posting the ques. here because I am on a Carnival cruise. I was quoted a round trip cost of $165 from Orlando airport to Port Canaveral. Do I pay the whole thing the day they take me to the ship??? How do I know they will show up to pick me up at the end of my cruise if I have paid in advance??? Does anyone have experience with this? Also, there will be 5 of us and probably 5 bags, how much would you tip this driver? 5 bags, hour ride, we would tip more than 1 to 2 a bag I would think, would it be like 15 or 20 percent of the cost of the ride??? Plus the bags??? Or with the bags. Man, I am really obsessing aren't I??

[soon2bcruising]

Helloooooo friends and experts, any advice for me? Too dumb a question?

[serene56]

If you got the shuttle tickets through the cruise lines they should be included in your documents. Your agent should know. These shuttle tickets can be had at the pier. Yes, you can buy one way or round trip-- payable before you get onboard the bus.

at 165 is that for round trip?? for how many people>?>> Maybe looking into a private limo company may be a cheaper thing.

[PlaneJoy]

Look into renting a car and dropping it off near the port. The rental car company will have a shuttle to and from the port. We have used Avis and Budget (I believe) in the past at a rate of around $30 each way plus taxes. For our family of 4, it saved us about $100. If you have a choice, you might consider flying into Melbourne as well. They have an airport shuttle that will take you to the port, but I don't remember how much it was.

Good luck!

[TrqoisWtrs]

Are these transports something you included at the last minute? Because usually the charge is included with your cruise payment.

I haven't done Carnival's transport, just Royal Caribbean, but would assume they are done the same. After getting your baggage, even if you don't have a reservation, we were able to just walk up to the Royal representative and she signed us up for a round trip right there. No cash necessary - it was charged to our Sail & Sign card (or whatever Royal's is called). Don't have to worry about the return trip either, there are huge buses parked outside the port terminal and I think they usually board people by their airline.

And $165 comes out to $33 a piece for the five of you so that doesn't seem too bad. Tipping is usually $1 per bag.

The only down side to taking the cruise transfers is that you have to wait for the bus to fill up. But that usually doesn't take a long time, unless you have an early flight home. Then you might want to think of another way.

[chipperberg]

We are planning to rent a car from Orlando airport to the port. There are 2 of us, and the car was about $40 one way, so it only ends up being $40 pp.rt. Not too bad. I have been told that the ride is really easy to navigate. Plus we have a little more freedom to go anyplace we want and not be herded like cattle on a busy shuttle. Hopefully it will all work out. I am sure it will. There is a place to drop the car off near the port and the company will then shuttle you (quick ride) to the ship. You can then get shuttled after your cruise too to get a car.

[soon2bcruising]

Sorry, I didn't give enough info. I have a reservation with a private company to go from Orlando airport to Port Canaveral. I haven't paid anything yet. The cruise ship transportation for us would have been $250 round trip, so $165 didn't seem bad, but I started worrying that I would pay the $165 on the day we arrive and then when we get back, no driver would show up! I was wondering if anyone that has used a private service knows if you pay the whole price up front. The company I have reserved with is American Luxury Transportation (but it's not a limo or anything). Now, renting a car is sounding much better, although it would be nice to be driven and not get lost, we've never been to this area before. And the tipping would be on the bags and not the cost of trip I think someone said. Thanks for your help, please let me know if you have done a service and paid the whole amount or half each way!

[GOTTA CRUISE NOW]

You might want to give them a call for a quote. We used them from Miami airport to the port. They were very professional. There were 8 of us and they picked us up in a 15 passenger van. It ended up being about $40 RT pp. They picked us up at the airport & on the return trip were waiting for us when we got off the ship. They are nationwide, so I'd think it'd be worth a try to just get an estimate.

[serene56]

I used a limo sevice roundtrip. We paid per each trip. Take a cell phone with you to call the car company when your color is called. This way he can be outside waiting when you are about to walk off and he isnt waiting for a long time either.

[TinafromNJ]

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