Opinion on Doing WDW and then Miami Cruise

Looking at thanksgiving 2015 and see some great prices for a 5 nt Magic cruise ( less than the 3 nt Dream cruise same week). I definitely want to do WDW for 3-4 days prior to or after cruise. We are going to have 6 adults ( parents 50th anniversary) and three kids-( 8,5,16).

I have looked into a private van shuttle from WDW to Miami port and it isn't terribly priced. Around $400.

We'd fly into MCO and then out of Miami after the cruise.

How awful do you think the WDW- Miami drive would be? Worth it?

It is about a 4 hour drive. You know your "crew" better than we do--how do you feel about 4 hours in a car with this gang?

4 hours isn't bad if the company is good. See what amenities you'll have in the vehicle. Many have DVR players to keep the kids happy. Some have beverages and/or munchies (you might consider bringing some if these are not included.)

Also watch for Port Canaveral deals - I would personally do the cruise after Disney. Usually have a nice sea day to rest the feet.

It could be the 5 nt cruise first then 4 WDW nights (with Thanksgiving and actual 50th in WDW)or WDW 4 nts and then a 4 nt cruise (with Thanksgiving and actual 50th on the cruise) due to the schedule the week I am looking. I would also prefer the cruise after but before gets us a longer cruise for exactly the same price. I will watch specials but given t is Thanksgiving week, I just don't see Dream coming down much if at all.

Well. I don't want to be with two of the adults at all so not sure it matters about the car ride LOL But fr parents' 50th, I do want all of us together so I'll suck it up.

WDW at that time WILL be crowded to the level of stopping people from coming into parks. Means looooooooong crowds even to use the bathroom, let alone rides.

People can rent scooters too if need be.

Good luck on what ever you choose.

No one needs a scooter. Yes, I realize it will be crowded. We go to WDW every year so no need for any commando style or concern if we miss a ride or two. Mostly just about the experience of being together for the anniversary. And kids have never gone at Christmas holiday time to see those decorations and shows so that will be lots of fun.

My one and only concern was whether the 4 hr ride was worth it to cruise for an extra 2 nts.

I think the 4 hour drive is definitely worth 2 extra nights on the cruise. I did the 4 night Dream and I'm taking the 5 night Wonder from Miami next. The 3 night Dream is too short.

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What the heck, take the 4 hour drive down after WDW and enjoy the 5 day cruise.

I am only 1.5 hours from Port C, but am looking at a 10 day cruise with X out of Ft Lauderdale due to the itinerary (4 hour drive). Beats what is offered out of Port C that month.

Enjoy what the ship or WDW has to offer food wise for Thanksgiving.....You will not be disappointed I am betting.....:)

So maybe I'm a speed demon, but I've done the drive between Disney and Miami a few times and have always found it to be more around 3.5 hours. I would say that the drive time is definitely worth it, but that shuttle seems a bit pricey. Would it be a better value (but perhaps loss of time) to rent a car and do the Orlando-Miami drive yourself? Also, I've always found one-ways to be incredibly more expensive than roundtrips. How much is the additional cost to return from a different airport? Don't forget to factor that into the total cost.

Longer is always better. Sorry, I can't address shuttle costs, etc. $400 for a 9 passenger vehicle doesn't strike me as bad. You can't fit that many people + luggage in a standard size rental car, and in my experience, 10-12 passenger vehicles are expensive to rent. The convenience of not having to drive may well be worth the cost.

As to round trip vs. one way air fares--SOUTHWEST.

we are doing something similar. We are taking a 5 night cruise out of Miami and then driving up to Orlando for 3 nights at WDW.

Our boy is a good traveler and we thought we ought to take advantage of already being in Florida.

Also, we booked a 1 way car rental for pretty cheap ($85) but there are only 3 of us.

Good Luck and Happy Planning!

Have you looked into Amtrak?

Amtrak, unfortunately, leaves around 8:20 am and connects with a bus in Winter Haven (near Legoland). I'd be tempted to do that, go to Legoland and then rent a car the rest of the way to Orlando the next morning... but sounds like a hassle.

I also looked at flying Silver Airways ($100/person) out of FLL, but between that and pricy Disney tickets I could go on a longer cruise for less.

I'm thinking of renting a car too... just having trouble justifying it.

I'm with LittleMissMagic's 3.5 hr estimate. I grew up in Miami, and a trip to WDW was a "night before decision" thing with us. Typically mom and dad would prep a cooler and a change of clothes for all us kids, and we'd all get in the car by 5 AM. We would be rolling into the gates of the Magic Kingdom before 9 AM. That was 35 years ago, of course, when it didn't cost $100 per to get in the gate for a day. In my later years when I was driving, I've made it from MIA to WDW in 3 hours.

If you want to go Uber-cheap, look into Megabus. They have daily frequencies between Orlando and Miami, with transit times as little as 4.5 hrs. Its a bus, but they are equipped with wi-fi and in-seat power stations. Booked early enough, it can be as little as $5 per person each way.

-E

Ok, so what is the most convenient rental car facility to use during disembarkation in Miami? If we leave the ship at 7:45-8:00 by what time do you suppose we could have a car and be on the road?

It's a shame Disney doesn't offer a shuttle of some sort, I'd be tempting to opt in.

Rented from Alamo. Plan to drop the car at the Car Center in Disney and then use Magical Express to get to the airport when we are done... OR, should we just keep the car and return to MCO. What say you?

I would do longer at the parks...they are HUGE and take a long time! Skip the cruise this time, and on the next vacation, take a cruise only... You don't have time to do both in proper fashion!

We've been to WDW several times and Disneyland several times. So we aren't really missing out on the whole experience. Little man has never seen Haunted Mansion without the Nightmare before Christmas overlay (DL) so he asked if we could visit MK and ride it after the cruise. Hard to say no to such a simple request. Now it's simply about logistics.

Last year we sailed Dream from Port Canaveral and did two night, one day at animal kingdom afterwards. It was a nice transition from the cruise back to real life.

We are doing the same in Feb. WDW for 3 nights then driving to Miami for the Wonder. We just rented a car for $223 for the entire week and will drive down. It was cheaper to rent it for 8 days then it was for just our cruise dates. :)

We are also looking to do the same drive almost. Although we are not sailing Disney, I found a great deal on a balcony on RCCL Liberty of the Seas 5 days out of FLL. We also enjoy the Very Merry Christmas party at Magic Kingdom, so our cruise would be first and our drive would be out of FLL and I'm thinking that would be a little bit less of a drive, but we love the Christmas party and uncrowded park. We will then just fly out of MCO.

Anybody know how often the Alamo bus runs at MIA on disembarkation day?