cruise_newbie
August 4th, 2004, 10:38 AM
Just wondering on the departure day what time the ship departs the port--trying to plan our flight and want to make sure we leave enough time. We are taking the Eastern Carribbean cruise Sept. 4
Senor Ferrari
August 4th, 2004, 10:44 AM
The ship actually departs at around 5:00pm. However, you have to be on board by 4:00pm for the lifeboat drill.
You actually want to get there much earlier than that, since all the ships services (pools, bars, restaurants, etc.) are up and running when boarding begins, at around noon. The cruise actually starts when you board, rather than when the ship leaves.
Depending on where you're flying from, I would try to arrive in the mid-morning, or fly in the day before. Since we fly from the west coast, we always arrive the day before and spend the night at the Hyatt at Orlando airport. We then catch the DCL bus to the port on the morning of the cruise. I think it makes the first day of the cruise less hectic, and I like not having to worry about the plane being delayed for whatever reason.
You can also fly in the day before, rent a car, and head out to the coast that night. There are a few hotels near the port, and a few rental offices where you can drop your car on the morning of the cruise. Most of the rental car companies have a free shuttle to the port, or will reimburse you for cabfare.
cruise_newbie
August 4th, 2004, 10:51 AM
thanks, I think we will likely fly in same day as we can save a couple of hundred $$ on a charter flight on the Saturday that isn't available on the Friday. It gets in at 10:30 am so I think we should be ok. I've been looking into transfers to the Port from Sanford Airport where this charter flight will take us and found one for $40 pp one way--sounds like maybe we could do better renting a car for one day as you recommended.
Senor Ferrari
August 4th, 2004, 12:18 PM
10:30am should be fine. Sanford's a bit further than MCO, but you should still get to the port by around 12:30-1:00pm. Avis has a desk in Port Canaveral which has a free shuttle to the port. I did a quick search on their website, and you can rent an intermediate sized car for a base of $66 (with no insurance or LDW) one way from Sanford to Port Canaveral, so it would be cheaper. However, depending on how many are in your group, the shuttle may just be easier and the rental car won't save you a great deal. For an extra $100, I'd personally just have someone else drive and not deal with the rental counter on each end.
Good luck!