Hotel night before cruise?

[akemom]

We will be flying in the night before our first cruise, trying to decide where to spend the night . Where do you like to stay? Airport hotel? Disney hotel? Cocoa beach? Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 7:30 pm if there are no delays. We are a party of 8 so we need 2-3 hotel rooms so we need to keep the cost down! If you like to stay close to port the night before what transportation do you recommend? Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We will be flying in the night before our first cruise, trying to decide where to spend the night . Where do you like to stay? Airport hotel? Disney hotel? Cocoa beach? Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 7:30 pm if there are no delays. We are a party of 8 so we need 2-3 hotel rooms so we need to keep the cost down! If you like to stay close to port the night before what transportation do you recommend? Thanks!

I like the Hyatt. Easy, convenient, and no travel required back to airport to catch DCL transfer. But we're not a party of 8.

Just be aware, flight lands at 7:30. By the time the plane reaches the gateway, you get off, get luggage, and head out whereever, it's going to be close to 9:00. I wouldn't want to have to travel an additional hour (at least) to the port area for a hotel. Or to WDW resort.

 

[squirk]

We will be flying in the night before our first cruise, trying to decide where to spend the night . Where do you like to stay? Airport hotel? Disney hotel? Cocoa beach? Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 7:30 pm if there are no delays. We are a party of 8 so we need 2-3 hotel rooms so we need to keep the cost down! If you like to stay close to port the night before what transportation do you recommend? Thanks!

I honestly don’t think a Disney hotel is worth it. The hotels are not cheap. And as Shmoo said, you’re probably not going to get into your hotel until 9:30-10:00 at the earliest. Why make the trek to resort property and spend that extra money just to crash for the night?

The Hyatt certainly is convenient - you’ll be in your rooms within an hour of landing - but it’s probably not the most economical option. A quick search on Kayak (or whatever your travel-aggregation website of choice is) should give you cheaper options within a 5-mile radius of the airport.

I, personally, would just grab a few Ubers/Lyfts to a port-area hotel that same night. Just get the travel over with, and then you can sleep in a little more the next morning.

As for economical lodging options at the port, I’d have to punt on that one, as I always stay on Hilton points and never shop for cash reservations. All the major chains are represented, but there are several “off-brand” (often, cheaper) hotels that get good reviews on TripAdvisor. Some of them are suite hotels, which might be a cost-efficient way to lodge your larger travel party.

Good luck!

 

[Keyser]

We've always stayed in a Port-area hotel and had a rental car (it's the cheapest way there for more than a couple people, there are no 1-way drop fees, and we like the "control" it gives us to have our own transportation). It's worked well for us and i'd recommend it, though this year we are flying into Tampa, and just driving halfway (to Orlando), the night before - we will be arriving very late.

But, the port area tends to close down early, especially compared to Orlando. Will you want to eat when you land? If your flight gets in at 7:30, you wouldn't get into Port Canaveral until 9 (unlikely!) - 10. There aren't a lot of restaurants, and I bet most will be closed by then. Given your arrival time, you might want to consider staying somewhere in Orlando - get dinner (assuming you didn't eat on the flight) and drive out the next morning. I'd personally skip a Disney hotel, unless you just really want to take Disney transportation, since you would be paying a premium for an on-site hotel without gaining much benefit.

 

[clten]

Coming in that late, we would stay at the airport. We usually stay at the Hyatt at the airport for convenience but if you are looking for something more economical, there are plenty of choices nearby and most will have a shuttle to take you to/from the airport.

 

[hcox31]

Phone DCL and ask for their rate at the Hyatt. It's significantly cheaper than anything you'll find yourself for that same hotel.

 

[Mitura]

We stay at the Country Inn and Suites. Close and has a port shuttle.

 

[iivye]

I prefer to stay at the Hyatt in the airport. I love just waking up and heading to the bus.

 

[ajo]

We recently took a cruise with 11 people in our group. We stayed at the SpringHill Suites Orlando Airport. There is a free shuttle to the hotel from the airport, the rooms sleep up to 6 people, and there is free breakfast. We booked Happy Limo to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the ship, which worked out great and was much cheaper than the Disney bus given our group size. We would have considered the Hyatt MCO but it cost more than double the SpringHill Suites, so it wasn't worth the convenience.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

When we arrive in the evening we stay near the airport. Just easier. We have stayed at the port and at WDW, but only when our flights arrive earlier in the day. We tend to rent a car, wander and have fun. At night, by the time we land, collect bags and drive-just too late. Def consider some of the the pp suggestions as you have a large group and we were just a party of 4. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Momof4DisneyLuvrs]

Phone DCL and ask for their rate at the Hyatt. It's significantly cheaper than anything you'll find yourself for that same hotel.

I didn't know this was possible. What number do we call?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I didn't know this was possible. What number do we call?

Just call the regular reservation number. Tell them you have a cruise booked and you'd like to see how much it would cost to add a night stay at the Hyatt MCO.

 

[hnthomps]

Another vote for the Hyatt. It makes everything so easy. We even stayed there last week before heading to WDW the next morning (our flight landed at 10pm, we didn't want to pay the upcharge to get to our resort that night). My husband and kids were in the room 20 minutes after we landed, I was there with our checked bag within the hour and our kids were already asleep. We were on DME at 730am and in the MK practically at rope drop. Easy-peasy.

 

[akemom]

Phone DCL and ask for their rate at the Hyatt. It's significantly cheaper than anything you'll find yourself for that same hotel.

Thanks! I had no idea you could do this. The rates I’m getting are $240 range plus tax times 3 rooms! I’ve taken this flight the last two times I’ve been to Disney and it’s at least 9:30-10:30pm before we actually got to our Disney hotel. I’m sure it would be just as late if we went somewhere close to Port Canaveral the same night. Staying at the airport would be the easiest for sure! But we would need food/dinner. And we could book the cruise line bus for the next morning to get to port. Is it any cheaper to book private transportation or a non Disney shuttle to port for a party of 8 plus all our luggage?

 

[akemom]

Another vote for the Hyatt. It makes everything so easy. We even stayed there last week before heading to WDW the next morning (our flight landed at 10pm, we didn't want to pay the upcharge to get to our resort that night). My husband and kids were in the room 20 minutes after we landed, I was there with our checked bag within the hour and our kids were already asleep. We were on DME at 730am and in the MK practically at rope drop. Easy-peasy.

It does seem like he easiest option. Was it that much cheaper than your Disney hotel for the night?

 

[Fyrefly]

Orlando is a pretty major airport. There are hotels of every brand clustered around to pick your favorite and most of them have free airport shuttles. We stayed at the Hampton Inn - they sent a shuttle to pick us up when we landed (maybe 10-15 minute ride?), there was an ihop and something else I can't remember that was across the street where we grabbed dinner, and free breakfast. We grabbed an airport shuttle back in the morning, asked them to take us to the lower area and we walked right over to the airport shuttle queue for DCL transportation. Easy-peasy and about $150 a room or so. With 2-3 rooms you might want to look into hiring a private car to take you to the port. The DCL bus is $70 pp round trip and I've heard that it stops being a better deal once you hit more than four people. So even easier, have a car come to your hotel and pick you up.

I think the main advantages to Hyatt are the convenience of walking upstairs from the airport to your room, and not having to handle your luggage the morning of the cruise. For some families maybe that's worth it - for mine I can't see spending $100+ more a night per room and the cost of dinner, breakfast or both at airport prices just for that.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

Thanks! I had no idea you could do this. The rates I’m getting are $240 range plus tax times 3 rooms! I’ve taken this flight the last two times I’ve been to Disney and it’s at least 9:30-10:30pm before we actually got to our Disney hotel. I’m sure it would be just as late if we went somewhere close to Port Canaveral the same night. Staying at the airport would be the easiest for sure! But we would need food/dinner. And we could book the cruise line bus for the next morning to get to port. Is it any cheaper to book private transportation or a non Disney shuttle to port for a party of 8 plus all our luggage?

We used the Smart-Two shuttle last time 5 of us went from the airport to Cocoa Beach. If you fill in your information for 8 people on their website, www.smart-two.com , the price that shows up is $189 (not including tip) which is less expensive than the DCL bus. We used them because they were very highly rated on TripAdvisor. Their van was quite spacious and we found the service to be first rate. We are planning on using them again this summer.

 

[lizzyb]

We always stay in Cocoa beach but based on your arrival time I would stay at the Hyatt.

 

[justafigment27]

We recently took a cruise with 11 people in our group. We stayed at the SpringHill Suites Orlando Airport. There is a free shuttle to the hotel from the airport, the rooms sleep up to 6 people, and there is free breakfast.

We stayed here prior to our last cruise and it was about $100 less expensive than the Hyatt, plus the free breakfast saved even more money. It seemed like everyone eating breakfast that morning was heading out on a Disney Cruise, so there was even a little cruise excitement vibe going on in the lobby. There are a bunch of hotels clustered in that same area and I’m sure others offer a free shuttle - it’s really close to the airport. We had a rental car and drove ourselves to the port the next morning.

That being said, we stayed at the Hyatt a few years ago and just took the Disney shuttle in the morning. It was a very relaxing way to start the trip and we plan to take that route next spring. We are a party of 4 though ... with 5 or more, I don’t think I’d really consider the Hyatt when there are so many decent options nearby that sleep 5-6 in one room.

 

[TestingH2O]

We like staying at the Hampton Inn or Homewood Suites by the airport. (Hilton points.) They both offer a free shuttle to and from the airport. When our party is small, we take the shuttle back in the morning to take DCL transportation. If we are a large party, we do FL Tours or Happy Limo. We've found that 4 passengers is the breaking point in terms of budget.

In terms of taking the shuttle to the airport in the morning, this is obviously a common thing. The last time we did this the people on the shuttle with us explained they were starting a parks trip, but it didn't make sense to pay for an extra night at a resort when they got in so late. Smart!