Land/Sea in April ... Rent a Car?

[Mikemenn]

Okay, the last time we went to Disney, we drove down and really enjoyed the convenience of our van. We could drive to whichever park when we wanted to without relying on WDW

transportation and the throngs of humans.

 

Now, we are strongly considering taking the 4 Night Land/3 Night Cruise and was thinking we could fly in to Orlando, rent a car, toodle around, drive over to Port Canaveral, board the boat, drive back to Orlando and return home by plane.

 

So, my questions to all you fine Disney fans are these:

Is it worth it to rent a car?

How easy is it to drive and park at Port Canaveral?

Is there a parking fee while we are on the boat?

Are there problems driving to the boat?

Is parking free if we stay at the Carribean (Moderate) resort?

 

Anyone else with experience driving on this kind of cruise?

 

Thanks.

 

MikeMenn

[outahere2]

Okay, the last time we went to Disney, we drove down and really enjoyed the convenience of our van. We could drive to whichever park when we wanted to without relying on WDW

transportation and the throngs of humans.

 

Now, we are strongly considering taking the 4 Night Land/3 Night Cruise and was thinking we could fly in to Orlando, rent a car, toodle around, drive over to Port Canaveral, board the boat, drive back to Orlando and return home by plane.

 

So, my questions to all you fine Disney fans are these:

Is it worth it to rent a car?

Depending on how many people are in your party, it may be cheaper to rent a car than to take the DCL transportation to/from the port. Certainly more convenient to have a car.

 

How easy is it to drive and park at Port Canaveral?

It is a very easy drive from WDW to the port, a little over an hour.

 

Is there a parking fee while we are on the boat?

Yes.... they just raised the fee to $15 per day, payable when you go into the lot. The parking lots are run by the port, not DCL, so DCL has no control over the fee.

 

Are there problems driving to the boat?

None that we've ever encountered. The parking lot is just across the street and less than a 5 minute walk to the terminal.

 

Is parking free if we stay at the Carribean (Moderate) resort?

I've never stayed at that resort, but don't recall a fee for parking (except valet) at the Poly or Wilderness Lodge.

Anyone else with experience driving on this kind of cruise?

The past couple of cruises, we have rented a car, driven to the port and parked it while on the cruise (and we're doing it again in April). It was so easy to just walk across the street, jump in the car and be on our way, within a few minutes of leaving the ship. Given the price of the DCL transfers, for 3 people, it is almost the same price. Maybe a few dollars more, but we think the convenience is worth it.

 

Thanks.

 

MikeMenn

 

Hope that helps......

[psklak]

Having been to WDW many times, I have always found it more convenient to have a car. In spite of the "free" transportation available, it can use up a lot of your vacation time.

 

Parking is free at all of the resorts. They will give you a parking pass when you check-in. This pass is also good for parking at any of the theme parks.

 

That said, Disney transfers to the port from WDW or from the Port to the airport are pricey. Depending on the number of people in your party, car rental may be the way to go.

 

If the cruise is first - Arrive at airport, rent a car from a dealer that has an office in Port Canaveral (I know Avis and Thifty, possibly others), drive there and they usually will transport you to the terminal. When you get back to Port Canaveral, call the rental company (or they will be waiting), get a car for your WDW vacation, and return it the the airport when leaving.

 

If WDW if first, use the same logic. The cost of rental cars in Florida is relatively inexpensive and certainly less than Disney transport. Just make sure the company has the office in Port Canaveral.

 

I usually don't recommend parking at the terminal. Besides the cost of keeping the rental car, you're paying $15/day for parking.

 

Have a great trip!

[outahere2]

 

I usually don't recommend parking at the terminal. Besides the cost of keeping the rental car' date=' you're paying $15/day for parking.

 

Have a great trip![/quote']

 

Just be sure to price a weekly rental versus two separate rentals. We've found that a weekly rental (usually cheaper than 2 rentals) plus the cost for 4 days parking is about the same money as the 2 separate rentals. Also, keep in mind that daily rental rates for cars picked up in Cape Canaveral are higher than the daily rates for cars picked up in Orlando. Whichever way you do it, if you have more than 3 people, it will probably be cheaper than round trip DCL transportation to the port (around $40 per person each way).

[tae1218]

We like to rent a car for our Land/Sea cruises. We like being able to get to the port whenever we want as well as leaving the ship when we want. Even with paying for parking charges at the port the price was not much more than what we would pay for DCL transfers. We will be renting a car again for our next land/sea cruise in August.