getting from park to ship

[montlee]

I understand, from my TA, there is no transportation to the ship from the park and vice/versa unless you fly into Orlando. That is tough for we FL residents who drive.

How far is the port from the park?
How much is the parking at the port?
Is there an advantage to doing the cruise first and then the park as far as getting to and from?

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Howdy,
we too live in florida and drive to the port for our cruises.
From WDW it is a little more than an hour to the port. It is an easy drive and I believe there are 2 maybe 3 tolls on the road. I think it costs about $3.50 one way total. The advantage to the toll roads are less traffic and higher speed limits, so it goes faster.
It costs $10 per day to park your car. It is a secured lot.
We like this because when we get back we just hop in the car and go home. No shuttles to wait for , no crowding, no rental car to pick up and drop off. Dont have to hassle with luggage between shuttles.

I dont think it matters much which you do first. I would advise allowing at least 3 hours to get to the port. 2 reasons, traffic could be heavy and most of all if there is an accident you could be stuck in traffic and miss the ship. There are no roads to get off the main road to get around an accident when it happens on that road. It's not often, but something you need to consider.
If I had to choose I would do the parks first, because they are more tiring than the cruise. After all the rushing around WDw you can relax on the cruise and be somewhat rested when your vacation is over. Other wise if WDW is done last, you will be tired when you return home. It will tire you out, and you will feel like you need another vacation to recover from your first vacation.

mom x4,grandma x4

[sologrip]

I understand, from my TA, there is no transportation to the ship from the park and vice/versa unless you fly into Orlando. That is tough for we FL residents who drive.



Do you mean transportation or free transportation, as in the "Magic" bus?

When I stay at a Disney resort before a cruise, regardless of how I got to Orlando, I take a Disney shuttle to the port and often return to the resorts that way for a little post-cruise stay. As I travel alone the cost of the Disney shuttle is reasonable...but larger groups prefer the town car services, cheaper per person for large groups...