SteerageJoe

Home2Suites or Hampton Inn Channel District. Dual-brand property. Free Hot Breakfast. Parking – $25 per day. Cruise Parking is available – book with Parkway Parking – $12 daily. FREE cruise shuttle. Walking distance to streetcars and Port. The street is loud so book rooms on the 8th floor or as high as possible. Lovely views from the pool above the parking garage.

There are two clearance areas: As you enter it says 13'5 for the drop-off area, then when you actually turn left up the ramp to park the crossbar is set to 8'2 - so 8'2 is your answer!

There are two clearance areas: As you enter it says 13'5 for the drop-off area, then when you actually turn left up the ramp to park the crossbar is set to 8'2 - so 8'2 is your answer!

Since you only have one night, I suggest keeping things simple! Check if there is a rocket launch during your hours at the hotel. If so, then the very best option is the new Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center. The rooftop bar and restaurant are excellent with fabulous views of the launch. If no launch then go for one of the great new hotels in Cape Canaveral. Just pick one - all are a short walk from several restaurants or just a quick Uber from the Port restaurants.

Both hotels offer great cruise ships views from the Bayview rooms on high floors: Hilton Doubletree

yes, but how close depends on your Terminal. Rates depend on whether you use Valet or not. Here is a map of the parking options. Rates for ship-side parking and Off-Port Parking are discussed in this article - it is too comprehensive to list here but you may be able to park for much less very close to the terminals. Port Tampa Bay Parking Rates and Options

You are correct! I also see great rates for Titusville Budget and some Melbourne locations too! The area in Titusville is fine for a drop-off. Easy to get to and little traffic (unless there is a rocket launch). I do not know about the office hours but I assume they will be there if you call to say you are on your way. After-hours drops are not available at Titusville.

Holiday Inn Express. - Nov 2023? https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/cape-canaveral/

Spring Hill Suites recommend Cocoa Beach Express. It should be $28 per person but it depends on the time of your MCO arrival. After hours cost more. May want to compare with Uber/Lyft. Cocoa Beach hotels and Cape Canaveral Hotels are the same when used as destination hotels by the transport companies. No problem

$65 for UberX? The most accurate estimate will be with the app but the key is to check around the same time of day as your planned travel. In other words, if you plan to travel at 10 am on a Saturday, then check the App at 10 am on a few Saturdays before your trip!

You ask a difficult question - convenient, cheap, and great? The most dependable will be Uber/Lyft or a one-way car rental. The cheapest will be Disney area shared shuttles but you have to take a chance on outfits like the one mentioned, Grays, or Port Canaveral Quick Shuttle. The last option (not convenient) is to make your way to an airport hotel that's on the list of shared shuttles, or MCO itself and use the recommended outfits - Cortrans, Cruise Control, Airport Canaveral, etc.

Here is one I heard of but have not used myself. Hopefully, the website is accurate - they still call it Downtown Disney! https://portcanaveralconnection.com/disney-transportation-book-now/

I think the idea is to walk away from the terminal to make it easier to spot the driver in the crowd or perhaps to shorten the wait time due to port traffic? Regardless, the hotel is a nice marker or waypoint for the drivers so it makes sense but it is not necessary IMO. Especially when it rains or you have lots of bags. The walk is flat and easy but you must cross a busy road with no zebra crossings right there. There is a way for the driver to avoid the actual terminal traffic by approaching the hotel from the south along Shorewood Dr but whether or not he/she wants to drive through a neighborhood depends on the app they use! Here is a picture of the road you must cross. The terminal is on the left and the hotel is in the distance to the right.

I seem to remember the Mardi Gras wants folks off by 9 am but it can be stretched to 9:30 am before the Captain announces a final demand! There is nothing to do or see at Terminal 3 but you can walk over to the Holiday Inn Club - the issue is your luggage. The normal shared shuttle option will be challenging for you because they will be waiting with other riders and you have to be off the ship on their schedule, not yours. The cheapest will cost about $80 for 4 - Airport Canaveral. BUT - there will be folks with signs for shared hop-on airport shuttles - 888 transportation is one - for $30 a person last time I saw them. They totally pack every van, however. You can ask them if they have a private van and the costs. Unless you require car seats or have tons of luggage, UberXL or Lyft will be a great option at $105 or so - if not less. You can also call one of several transport companies for a private ride quote. Beach Line Cocoa Beach Shuttle Cocoa Beach Express Airport Canaveral Port to Port Shuttles Cruise Control Orlando Port Shuttles

You have many more options than the ones you listed, so the question is: what do you plan to do when you arrive early at MCO? You can sit and wait at the terminals or perhaps try for a dayroom at the Hyatt. I would rent a car and explore a bit. Avoid Budget but Avis, National, Enterprise, or Alamo will be efficient and easy. With 4 people, the cost of a shared van or bus is almost the same as a rental car or private van. At the very least, ask about a private van instead of shared (such as GoPort).

Gone are the sometimes hour-long wait to exit the garage after a cruise! A few weeks ago Terminal 5 joined Terminals 1, 3, 8, and 10 in accepting payments (credit cards only) as you enter the garage. Let's hope Terminal 6 is happening soon!

I am always hesitant to answer “what is best” questions because we do not know the available budget. Assuming you do not want to drop a fortune, then Amtrak is a comfortable consideration. Unfortunately the options can be a bit confusing and too long to type here so so suggest to read this article: https://lets-see-america.com/riding-amtrak-trains-to-florida-cruise-ports-port-canaveral-port-everglades-port-miami-tampa-palm-beach-and-jacksonville/

UberX ranges from $62 - $68 in the mornings on cruise days. If more, just wait a few mins for surge to end. UberXL ranges from $82 to $88 on cruise mornings. An excellent choice for 3 or more pax GoPort is getting too expensive IMO. $30 pp for a large bus? It is almost the same as the cruise line buses. In fact I think MSC bus is only $27 pp for a direct ride instead of circling the port to drop people. if you want cheaper for only 2 pax then Airport Canaveral shared shuttle is only $20 pp

Taking Uber between Orlando and the Port Canaveral area is perfectly fine and acceptable. If the trip is available in the App you can book it. Drivers can see the destination and accept the ride if they want it. This is a new feature in Uber announced in mid 2022 Riders can also still txt the driver after acceptance to make sure all is good. https://www.uber.com/newsroom/only-on-uber/

Since you mentioned cost-effective and car rental is not an option, either a train or scheduled bus. There are some blue and green vans I see on 95 all the time but they travel at high speed and I just don’t trust them, but that’s me. Either way, you will have to manage the transfers from Port to Station. In Orlando the family can meet you or you have to book that transfer as well. Brightline will run by then and will be very convenient.Will take you to Terminal C at MCO. Red Coach has nice buses and their depot is just to the northwest of MCO. I was at MCO two days ago and ESCOT buses were dropping and loading large groups. Do look at them too as a long-distance option. I know they have weird schedules and routes

Amtrak is 5h20 mins from Kissimmee to Miami for $38. So Brightline is certainly “faster-speed rail”!!!

Unfortunately most of the shuttles mentioned here won’t work for you! They are good but not in your case! Can you confirm you want? 1. MCO to Cape Canaveral Hotel then Port Canaveral the next day 2. Port Canaveral to MCO Hotel then MCO the next day which hotels and time of time are also important. Many vans do not run after dark it looks like Uber is your best bet but you can do things like shared shuttle Port to MCO and free shuttle to the hotel, etc but it depends on which hotels!

I assumed the OP meant the Holiday Inn Club but maybe the Holiday Inn at Publix?

One way - $79 Smart, $149 Premium. Family of 4 or less - $199 Hourly First departure from MCO - 5 am, last departure - 8:50 pm Earliest arrival in Miami - 8:30 am First departure from Miami - 5:45 am on weekends and 6:50 am on weekdays Earliest arrival at MCO from Miami - 9:15 am on weekends, 10:15 am on weekdays Tickets go on sale in May - no start date yet!

Since you are only there for one night, and if you can get the right room, then many of the bad reviews are not applicable. Book one of these rooms (see room numbers in the pic) and you will have the best cruise ship views in Cape Canaveral / Cocoa Beach!