Port Canaveral and Disney

[zincman]

just booked an 8 day cruise on the grandeur of the Seas for thanksgiving week 2015. Is there an excursion or a shuttle to Disney? I really want to get my family there for the day..

[BillB48]

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=cruiseDetails&packageCode=GR08Y012&date=&selectedCurrencyCode=&ProductCode=PC11&DestinationCode=BAHAM

[zincman]

thank you, Bill

[HiCSailor]

You might do better renting a car for the day and doing Disney on your own, as the Disney excursion is transportation only. [emoji590]

 

The Orlando theme parks also seem to discourage one day visits with their pricing structure, and I suffered a bit of sticker shock. [emoji33]

[TravelerThom]

You might do better renting a car for the day and doing Disney on your own, as the Disney excursion is transportation only. [emoji590]

 

The Orlando theme parks also seem to discourage one day visits with their pricing structure, and I suffered a bit of sticker shock. [emoji33]

AND each of the Disney parks is BIG and crowded, and it is impossible to see more than a fraction of one park in the time available after traveling there and back. IMO you would do better going to Cape Kennedy off the ship, and plan on spending several days in Orlando next year or sometime.

 

Thom

[Philly Steve]

Our past two cruises included stops at Port Canaveral so we decided to visit Universal Studios one year and the Magic Kingdom the next. These trips were during the month of May.

 

We utilized cruise line transportation for both trips and enjoyed leaving the driving up to someone else. It's about an hour-long ride and there were no worries about missing the ship.

 

We saw pretty much everything we wanted to see at Universal (including two visits to the chief Harry Potter ride) with a stop down for a Hard Rock Café lunch.

 

Disney was another matter. Much more crowded but with the timed ticketing we managed to enjoy a handful of rides. You could probably see a lot more of the park with the right strategy.

 

Some feel a cruise that includes a theme park stop is the perfect vacation. We tend to agree! :)

[Clarea]

AND each of the Disney parks is BIG and crowded, and it is impossible to see more than a fraction of one park in the time available after traveling there and back. IMO you would do better going to Cape Kennedy off the ship, and plan on spending several days in Orlando next year or sometime.

 

Thom

I agree. Considering the cost of the park, time for transportation, and time waiting for rides, I think it would be a waste to go to Disney as a one day cruise ship excursion.

[Plumbcrazy]

We have done this twice. Once to another mal kingdom and last year to universal. Both times used the excursion bus. Enjoyed each trip, saw plenty and a great break from the ship. Our son was 7 at disney and 8 at universal. He had a blast. Both times where in February months, not crowded at all. Have fun.

[Lionesss]

This would probably be a great excursion on off season and non holiday weeks, but at peak periods the lines and traffic would be painful.

 

Heard a news story that the Magic Kingdom parking lot was closed this past Dec. 26th no spots. The theme park had lonnngggg waits for all the rides.

It was filled to capacity.

 

If you do it, please come back and post about the the day.

 

Safe journey

[matj2000]

Just go to Ron Jons like everyone else...

[DaKa2002]

Toll roads - from Port Canaveral to Orlando and back; long lines at the toll booths for those without e-passes. Parking is costly at WDW, unless you leave the car in a free lot at Downtown Disney and ride the busses (waisted time).

From a cruise ship, I recommend their transportation so you minimize worries (like missing the ship). A park at WDW on a one day ticket will be expensive and holiday visit very crowded. So will most other area attractions.

Best suggestion - visit the space complex!

[zincman]

thank you all for the advice.. My daughter will be 3 1/2 and my son will be 2 when we sail.. I think they, (my daughter especially) will just love seeing all the charcaters and other things in magic kingdom..Shes not a big fan of rides so the long lines wont be an issue. I know tickets are pretty pricey but I get pretty good discounts through work.. im sure seeing how excited shes going to be will make it well worth it..

[Redsfan]

Instead of discouraging you like others have, let me add my Canadian loonie. We took our FOS cruise the week of Nov 30th this year, and due to saving cash not going to a couple of ports we decided to surprise our kids with a day at Magic Kingdom. Yes, the price is crazy, but we managed to get a good amount of time there, see below what worked:

 

-Self debarked a family of 5 at 6:30am. No lines out of port in a snap

-Returned a camera to Walmart on Merritt Island with our Budget Rental we picked up at 8am first thing when the office opened by the Port

-Drive was a Breeze that early in the morning, no traffic. Pulled up to the ticket counter at 10:00am or so and spend the day until 7:30pm at night, and would have longer if the park was opened later for day pass guests.

-Cost is crazy, we spent $500 but gave 2 of our kid's that do not remember Disney the thrill of a lifetime. Did many rides, lines were not bad as it was off season. Greeted 3 of their favourite Princesses, watched the parade at 6:30pm, watched Anna and Elsa light the castle

 

Come that time the park was nuts, but if you have little kid's I don't think they will mind much. I just suggest you do this on your own, do not do it through the cruise ship as time is limited.!

Edited January 1, 2015 by Redsfan

[reallyitsmema]

thank you all for the advice.. My daughter will be 3 1/2 and my son will be 2 when we sail.. I think they, (my daughter especially) will just love seeing all the charcaters and other things in magic kingdom..Shes not a big fan of rides so the long lines wont be an issue. I know tickets are pretty pricey but I get pretty good discounts through work.. im sure seeing how excited shes going to be will make it well worth it..

 

Another option is Downtown Disney, especially since they are so young and don't like rides. No huge admissions price, lots to see and many restaurants.

[Clarea]

Another option is Downtown Disney, especially since they are so young and don't like rides. No huge admissions price, lots to see and many restaurants.

I like this idea. No waiting in line either.:)

[ciera123]

I agree. Considering the cost of the park, time for transportation, and time waiting for rides, I think it would be a waste to go to Disney as a one day cruise ship excursion.

 

Totally agree. We go to Disney a lot, and visiting for such a short amount of time would be frustrating to me, and I know the parks extremely well. Just my opinion....

[olszie]

Just go to Ron Jons like everyone else...

 

If you are talking about the Ron Jon's by Port Canaveral, Holiday Inn Vacation Club purchased it in April 2014.

[MisterBill99]

I agree. Considering the cost of the park, time for transportation, and time waiting for rides, I think it would be a waste to go to Disney as a one day cruise ship excursion.

It's really not that simple. If you are likely to get back to Disney in the foreseeable future, then going for a day is a waste. If you live far away and all your recent vacations have cruises, and you are unlikely get back to Disney anytime soon, then it may be worth doing.

 

We (me, wife, 2 kids in their early-mid 20's) were in a similar quandary a couple of years ago. We were on Explorer and were in PC from 1pm-midnight. We had already done the KSC tour a few years earlier and had not been to WDW in several years. I considered renting a car to go to the park (or even just Downtown Disney) but did not want to have to deal with the hassle of parking at Disney and then getting back to the ship in time and disposing of the rental car. In the end, I decided to do the ship's excursion because 6 hours at WDW was better than nothing.

 

In the end, we had a great time. We got to do most of the rides we wanted to do, and the lines were relatively short because it was early January. You need to be creative to maximize your time. Get a Fastpass at one ride and then go to look for rides with short/no lines that you can do while waiting. The Magic Kingdom was open until 9, so we got to see the castle light show and fireworks (although as I recall, my family was shopping in the Main Street shops during that time) before heading back to the bus.

 

The biggest problem we had was that I decided to spend the few extra dollars to get the tickets included, as opposed to buying tickets at the park. I figured it would save us a few minutes when we got to the park and would be worth it. But then our bus did not leave until several minutes after the excursion that did not include tickets because we waited 15 minutes for a couple of idiots who were late (they had not looked at the time on their tickets), rather than leaving on time without them. And of course, when we got to WDW, there was a relatively short line to purchase tickets, so I would have been better off buying on my own. I had considered purchasing tickets in advance, but I didn't want to commit to going just in case the weather was bad, or if we arrived late at the port.

 

So, to the OP, you need to look at how long you will be in the port, and how much you want to go to WDW, and decide whether it's worth it. For us, it was.

[MisterBill99]

Totally agree. We go to Disney a lot, and visiting for such a short amount of time would be frustrating to me, and I know the parks extremely well. Just my opinion....

How about if it were the only time you were going to be at WDW for the foreseeable future?

[Clarea]

How about if it were the only time you were going to be at WDW for the foreseeable future?

I would still pass. Disney is just not that big of a deal to us.

[TravelerThom]

How about if it were the only time you were going to be at WDW for the foreseeable future?

If I came from Australia and this was maybe my only trip to the USA then I might go for it. If I came from NY and really wanted to do Disney, I'd at least consider if there were better options within the next few years.

[MisterBill99]

I would still pass. Disney is just not that big of a deal to us.

Then in that case, and don't take this personally, I don't see how your opinion is relevant here. The OP said "I really want to get my family there for the day.."

 

My response was based on the same feeling, and I felt that 6 hours at WDW was better than nothing. I should also add that we had gotten a very good deal on the cruise, didn't have any other excursions planned, and had enough OBC to cover some of the excursion. But I don't know that the last two really matter.

Edited January 1, 2015 by MisterBill99

[Merion_Mom]

just booked an 8 day cruise on the grandeur of the Seas for thanksgiving week 2015. Is there an excursion or a shuttle to Disney? I really want to get my family there for the day..

 

zincman, a lot of people have given you very heartfelt advice.

 

Now listen to me. ;)

 

Your port time is 10:30 to 9:30. Renting a car will be an exercise in frustration, because of the time that this will eat up in four spots: getting the car, parking the car, retrieving the car and dropping off the car. So forget renting a car.

 

I have done this itinerary several times, with those same port times.

 

The relevant fact in your question is that you are going Thanksgiving week.

 

My son works in all three theme parks: Disney, Universal and SeaWorld.

 

He has told me that the parks are BEYOND insane during that week. Not quite as bad as this past week: The time around Christmas is even worse. "Good" worse, for the workers who depend on the income, but still insane in terms of crowds.

 

At Disney, the more people, the more diminished the experience.

 

Your kids are very very small. They will barely - if at all - remember this visit. If they remember anything, it will be the pushing, shoving, waiting and cursing that they will unfortunately overhear.

 

For what it's worth, Universal Studios is generally not "quite" as crowded as the Magic Kingdom. Not Harry Potter World - that will have five hour waits that week! :eek:

 

I did the ship's bus to Universal on one cruise. It worked VERY well, and if I wanted to go to Universal again, I would do the ship's excursion again. It's the best possible way, given the port time of 10:30 to 9:30.

 

With kids that small, I truly would NOT take them to Disney during Thanksgiving week. Ouch. Just OUCH.

 

SeaWorld is much more low-key. I would recommend that. (even though they just laid off my son. :mad:) Go now, before the company goes belly up! :eek:

 

The little ones will love seeing the animals. Don't miss the sea lion & otter show. Utterly adorable. The orcas and dolphins are amazing, too. They will absolutely ADORE the penguins, too.

 

Some nice rides there, too. Not just the animals.

 

The one thing about SeaWorld: No ship's bus. THEN you will have to rent a car. (I was tempted to ask the bus driver if he would drop me off at SeaWorld on the way to Universal. ;) I also considered taking the bus then grabbing a cab. I still think that THAT would work.)

 

Good luck, zincman!

 

:)

Edited January 1, 2015 by Merion_Mom

[HiCSailor]

zincman, a lot of people have given you very heartfelt advice.

 

Now listen to me. ;)

 

Your port time is 10:30 to 9:30. Renting a car will be an exercise in frustration, because of the time that this will eat up in four spots: getting the car, parking the car, retrieving the car and dropping off the car. So forget renting a car.

 

I have done this itinerary several times, with those same port times.

 

The relevant fact in your question is that you are going Thanksgiving week.

 

My son works in all three theme parks: Disney, Universal and SeaWorld.

 

He has told me that the parks are BEYOND insane during that week. Not quite as bad as this past week: The time around Christmas is even worse. "Good" worse, for the workers who depend on the income, but still insane in terms of crowds.

 

At Disney, the more people, the more diminished the experience.

 

Your kids are very very small. They will barely - if at all - remember this visit. If they remember anything, it will be the pushing, shoving, waiting and cursing that they will unfortunately overhear.

 

For what it's worth, Universal Studios is generally not "quite" as crowded as the Magic Kingdom. Not Harry Potter World - that will have five hour waits that week! :eek:

 

I did the ship's bus to Universal on one cruise. It worked VERY well, and if I wanted to go to Universal again, I would do the ship's excursion again. It's the best possible way, given the port time of 10:30 to 9:30.

 

With kids that small, I truly would NOT take them to Disney during Thanksgiving week. Ouch. Just OUCH.

 

SeaWorld is much more low-key. I would recommend that. (even though they just laid off my son. :mad:) Go now, before the company goes belly up! :eek:

 

The little ones will love seeing the animals. Don't miss the sea lion & otter show. Utterly adorable. The orcas and dolphins are amazing, too. They will absolutely ADORE the penguins, too.

 

Some nice rides there, too. Not just the animals.

 

The one thing about SeaWorld: No ship's bus. THEN you will have to rent a car. (I was tempted to ask the bus driver if he would drop me off at SeaWorld on the way to Universal. ;) I also considered taking the bus then grabbing a cab. I still think that THAT would work.)

 

Good luck, zincman!

 

:)

Great advice and in line with my thoughts about the kid's ages, holiday crowds and SeaWorld. Besides, who could ignore that commanding tone. [emoji123]

 

I went to SeaWorld this Thanksgiving during Quantum's stop in PC. We had am earlier arrival that made the rental car easy. I still think a rental is manageable on your timeline.

 

Alternatively, there may be a private shuttle you can book. I recommend checking the Florida departures board and also asking what those in your roll call are doing for transport as you may be able to collaborate.

 

SeaWorld had the added advantage of a great "company" discount, so the car, gas, tolls, parking, and food was all that was sucked from my wallet. WDW and Universal offer discounts too, bit they seem much better for multi day visits, so we're sailing from PC next to spend a few days with the mouse and movie house. [emoji106]

[Jandie]

Have you been to Disney or Kennedy Space Center? My kids were 9 and 11 when we went to KSC instead of WDW after our cruise. It was a busy time of year and it was a great choice for us. We had been to Disney before and the kids actually wanted to go there but had so much fun! Definitely worth looking into.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=shorexByPort&ProductCode=PC01&DestinationCode=

 

Have fun!