Orlando Airport (MCO) to the port, anyone know how far and how much

[mhugcat]

We are flying into Orlando Airport night before our cruise and were considering staying overnight in Orlando and then getting a taxi or shuttle to the cruise terminal, Port Everglades, the next morning.

 

I know this has been on other threads but we are not sure exaclty how far Orlando airport is from the Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal.

 

I have looked on some internet sites and it looks like and hour's drive but other half thinks more like 2-3 hours.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this, any advice would be great.

[Toto2Kansas]

Heck, I didn't even know Princess had any cruise ships that left from Orlando. Did I miss something?

You might try the East Coast Departures board, there might be more information available there as I have never seen a question asked about Orlando here on the Princess board before.

 

It has been a lot of years since we sailed out of Orlando, but I do remember we booked transfers as it was quite a drive from the airport to the cruise port. Something like an hour or more if memory serves me correctly.

[mhugcat]

Oh yes should have said the cruise terminal in Fort Lauderdale. Will try and change the thread.

[thechandlers99]

The port is a little over an hour from the airport. You should have no problem driving to the ship the morning of your cruise. Check with the hotel. They may be able to arrange a transfer for you. I have no idea how much it will cost.

[GeneTN]

You're gonna have a bit of a drive in front of you....I would think you'd be better off using a one-way car rental.. It's just over 200 miles from the Orlando airport to Port Everglades. So, more than likely at least 4 hrs travel time, plus needing to allow for any delays or such, would figure near a full day of traveling.

[cruisecrazylady]

If you are going out of Cape Canaveral.....which is by Orlando. That is only like 45 minutes away. However, Ft. Lauderdale is more 250+ miles away and would take 3.5 hours.

 

Have fun!

Julie

[Pam in CA]

As has been said, the distance between Orlando and Pt. Everglades is quite large -- definitely not an hour's drive; perhaps an hour of flying time. Unless you're planning a pre-cruise stay at Disney World or visiting friends or family, I wouldn't fly into Orlando. It'll cost you quite a bit extra to either drive (renting a car) or flying to Ft. Launderdale (Pt. Everglades).

[comfortcove]

mhugcat, I believe we are on the Emmie together, from the roll call, Nov 6. Orlando has a nearby port (Canaveral), but we are sailing from Port Everglades, very near to the Fort Lauderdale airport. Why don't you fly in there? If that doesn't work Miami is much closer than Orlando, and you can reserve a car service, or rent a car. Good luck, Nancy

[ahracer]

The port is a little over an hour from the airport. You should have no problem driving to the ship the morning of your cruise. Check with the hotel. They may be able to arrange a transfer for you. I have no idea how much it will cost.

 

Perhaps in a Ferrari with no traffic.

 

Since the OP is coming from England it is understandable she wouldn't know the distance. As others pointed out this is a long way from Orlando to Port everglades and I suspect tranportation would be very expensive. You really should fly into FLL or MIA.

[thechandlers99]

When I was posting my reply, the OP must have been posting her reply as well. I meant it was about an hour from Orland to Port Canaveral. Now, Orlando to Port Everglades is a totally different story. I would not advise doing this. It is an easy drive but it is about 3.5 hours. Much easier to fly into FLL.

[Toto2Kansas]

LOL, Now that got very confusing. The OP changed the original post which really makes some of these answers sound insane now. LOL

Sorry for the confusion, I was answering the first post, not the corrected one. lol

[ahracer]

When I was posting my reply, the OP must have been posting her reply as well. .

 

 

LOL, there should be a rule about that....

[SueM.]

We are flying into Orlando Airport night before our cruise and were considering staying overnight in Orlando and then getting a taxi or shuttle to the cruise terminal, Port Everglades, the next morning.

 

I know this has been on other threads but we are not sure exaclty how far Orlando airport is from the Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal.

 

I have looked on some internet sites and it looks like and hour's drive but other half thinks more like 2-3 hours.

 

It is a 3 or 4 hour drive from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale which is where Port Everglades is. If at all possible you should fly into the Ft. Lauderdale airport which would be a quick and inexpensive cab ride to the port.

 

sue

[drpack]

You can rent a car from Budget and drop it off in FT Lauderdale at the Quay Shopping Plaza less than a mile from the port. They will drop you off at the ship for free. There isn't even a one way drop off fee. It's about 210 miles which is an easy 3 1/2 hours from the Orlando Airport to Port Everglades.

[shellbeachjim]

Since the OP is from England, they may find it easier and cheaper to fly to Orlando than to Ft. Lauderdale. I doubt there are any direct flights from Heathrow to FLL. There are direct flight from London (Heathrow or Gatwick) to both Miami and Orlando. I guess the question is which is shorter time-wise?

1. Fly direct to Miami and drive/taxi/limo to Pt. Everglades.
2. Fly direct to Orlando and drive to Pt. Everglades.
3. Fly to FLL with a change of planes somewhere and taxi to Pt. Everglades.
   

I'd predict that the overall times aren't significantly different - probably within an hour or two of each other.

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

We've made the trip from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale many times.I would give myself at least 4 hours to travel. Also take into consideration time of day and rush hour traffic. Actually leaving from Disney World rather than Orlando will also add about an extra half hour.You may be able to get a one day car rental with no extra charge for dropping off at a different location. This shouldn't cost that much so shop around...

[mhugcat]

Thank you for all your comments. They have been very helpful.

 

Unfortunately we can not change our flight plans as we booked our flight at the same time we booked the cruise - April. Cruise is November 07. We have a late afternoon flight from Gatwick UK into Orlando and will therefore miss the last flight from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale.

 

Looks like the best thing to do is stay in Orlando the night before and leave a good 4 hours the next morning to drive to the ship. :)

[-Lew-]

Since you're not cruising until November, why not consider changing your flight destination to either Ft. Lauderdale or Miami? Even with a hefty fee to change the flight, it would more than make up for the hassle assicationed with flying into MCO and then driving to Ft. Lauderdale...and back after the cruise. I did a quick check and there are a number of flights form Gatwick to both FLL and MIA.

 

Also, there is a 9:55pm Southwest flight from MCO to FLL. Could you possible make that connection?

 

Lew

[mhugcat]

Hi Lew

 

We are flying with Virgin from Gatwick and have paid for flights in full now.

 

But yes we could make the Southwest connection and will look into this as this would make life easier.

 

Thanks for taking the time to check this out :)

[drpack]

We live about an hour north of the Airport. We usually drive to Palm Beach Gardens the night before and stay in a hotel. From there it's only an hour drive to the port. You can take your time, have breakfast and still get there by 10:30. It makes for a much less hectic embarkation day.

 

About a week or two before the cruise, I bid on Priceline for a 3 star hotel in Palm Beach Gardens. There are three of them and all are nice. The last two cruises we got the Double Tree for less than $60. As a backup we always make a hotel reservation in West Palm Beach months before with the option of canceling up to the day of arrival with no penalty. If I get the Priceline bid, I just cancel the other reservation.

[ggprincess2004]

Princess run bus service throughout FL to get people to the port. I would suggest you check with them about the Princess bus transfer from the Orlando area. I don't know the price tag, but they will get you there. Reservations are necessary. That might the simplest way to go.

[cruisinalong001]

Princess run bus service throughout FL to get people to the port. I would suggest you check with them about the Princess bus transfer from the Orlando area. I don't know the price tag, but they will get you there. Reservations are necessary. That might the simplest way to go.

 

We have used the bus service several times and have found it really easy and reasonably priced. The busses are comfortable and will also show a DVD to help pass the time. The BEST thing is that once you put your luggage on the bus, you don't have to hassle with it again. It just shows up at your room. Also, you don't have to hassle with parking or rental car drop off.Sometimes you have to change busses midway down, but the company handles that for you. There is usually one stop for food and rest room break (facilities are available on the bus).

 

I agree though that the easiest thing for you would be to try to get a connecting flight to Ft. Lauderdale.

[Love to Cruise DS]

I have done this drive many times as I live in fort lauderdale and visit orlando on business frequently. It is at least a 3.5 hour drive (if no traffic). You would have to hire a private shuttle to take you. I think that can be quite $$$. You might just want to rent a car one way, it might be cheaper!:D

[sunsetbeachgal]

If renting a car also look into Hertz...their location in Ft. Lauderdale is right by the pier and they will drop you off/pick you up at the pier for free...very convenient. Good luck!

[mhugcat]

Thanks Sunsetbeachgal.

 

We looked into dollar but will also look at Hertz.:)