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NCL Gem 4/29 (Disney magic kingdom worth it??)

toekneec

By toekneec,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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toekneec

toekneec

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I really wanted to do the magic kingdom excursion but noticed we won't arrive at port canaveral till 1pm, the bus appears to leave at 1:30 so I won't get to MK till maybe 2:45-3pm (factoring in monorail/ferry).

 

If departure time of the ship is 9pm, maybe the last bus out is 6pm? That gives me only approx 3 hours for approx $600 in cost (family of 3, I wanted to book transport only and buy my own MK ticket online so I can get magic band before the trip)

 

Just wanted to check if anyone here has experience on this, why are we arriving at Orlando so late (1pm)? Is it possible we may arrive earlier? I checked and some other past NCL ship departing from NY arrived at Orlando in the am. And what's the most likely last NcL shuttle out of Disney? Is it 6pm or maybe later? If the ship departure time is 9pm

 

Thanks!

 

 

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NCLfamily

NCLfamily

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I think you've answered your own question. $600 for 3 hours and no real chance of major rides (the fast passes will be gone) and the park will be busy when you get there.

 

Space Centre? Hire a car and do something yourself?

 

 

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toekneec

toekneec

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I think you've answered your own question. $600 for 3 hours and no real chance of major rides (the fast passes will be gone) and the park will be busy when you get there.

 

Space Centre? Hire a car and do something yourself?

 

 

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Okay thanks, yea we are prob just going to do Kennedy space center.

 

A question, we arrive at port at 1pm, looks like shuttle leaves at 1:30pm

 

If we were to book our own transport and disembark on our own Vs booking an excursion through NCL, do I end up getting off the ship later as NCL excursion guests gets priority to disembark?

 

 

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Andy&Mary

Andy&Mary

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A couple of years ago we had the same dilemma on RCL. Instead we booked private kayak tour through the mangroves near Port Canaveral. Very good time, saw lots of birds, dolphins. Manatees are common but we didn't get to see them that day.

 

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Jaco5NC

Jaco5NC

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I would rent a car and spend 3 hours at Downtown Disney. This way I would get my "Disney fix" walking around and doing a little shopping and grabbing a bite to eat..

 

 

As a local, I agree with this. Disney Springs is fantastic and would give you a Disney fix. I definitely would NOT do the MK excursion...Not enough time at all and way too expensive! If you do end up going to Disney Springs, watch your timing. The Beachline (SR 528) gets shut down frequently due to accidents :(. The KSC is an excellent suggestion too depending on the age of your child. Mine are just now starting to enjoy it at ages 10 and 14. Enjoy your trip!!

 

 

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mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

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My kids are 2 and 3 so we booked the shuttle to cocoa beach. Figure the kids can play in the sand for a few hours.

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No need to book NCL shuttle to Cocoa Beach/Village - wait till ship is docked & then go outside, right on the pier's parking lot - there are plenty of taxi/vans offering shuttles, priced lower (or same) as NCL - travel in a small group or just among yourself. Ask/get the phone number & name of taxi/shuttle company, call them when you are ready to return to the ship ... typically 10 or 15 minutes for them to come back to bring you to the ship, easy.

 

Last time we did this, it was like $6 to $7, might've been as high as $8 p/p one way for the ride. NCL actually dropped their prices onboard to match & compete with shore prices by local ...

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jagsfan

jagsfan

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We also like to go to downtown disney (yes we still call it that!) when we have time to kill in orlando. Disney also has mini golf outside the parks and you could try to get a character meal somewhere if you are looking for more Disney.

 

 

I go back farther than you. I still call it Lake Buena Vista. They change the name constantly.

 

 

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dismama4

dismama4

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I'm trying to decide on this excursion also. I have an annual pass and will be at Port Canaveral on June 5th. I'm really thinking of going just to get a first look at Pandora. I don't think I will be able to resist, but with so little time I might be very frustrated. Just can't decide. My husband and kids are looking at the Arial Adventure Park ropes course. Any thoughts on that?

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goofy4mickey

goofy4mickey

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I'm trying to decide on this excursion also. I have an annual pass and will be at Port Canaveral on June 5th. I'm really thinking of going just to get a first look at Pandora. I don't think I will be able to resist, but with so little time I might be very frustrated. Just can't decide. My husband and kids are looking at the Arial Adventure Park ropes course. Any thoughts on that?

 

I dont know if you looked already but June 5th is EMH AM so AK is going to be a bit busier that day to begin with and out bus didn't get there till almost 1:00.

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trvl_fanatic

trvl_fanatic

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We did this excursion a couple of years ago when we were aboard the Gem. Totally NOT worth it. The cruise was in June, so it was already a pretty busy day at the Magic Kingdom. It was around the time that the little mermaid attraction had just opened so we were on that line for awhile. Luckily we had done entire WDW as a whole, on a land vacation 6 months earlier, so we didn't need to see the entire magic kingdom, per se. For our 3.5-4hrs there, we were able to do only about 25-30% of the park before pick up at 8pm and then we got back to the ship approx 10-15min before sail time.

 

 

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dismama4

dismama4

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I dont know if you looked already but June 5th is EMH AM so AK is going to be a bit busier that day to begin with and out bus didn't get there till almost 1:00.

 

Yes, thanks for the heads up! My plan would be to hopefully get a Fast Pass for one (or both) of the new rides, walk around Pandora (although it will be day time) and spend some time at the Nomad Lounge. I think 3 hours is a good time frame to accomplish that.

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Karmary

Karmary

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I have an annual pass to WDW as I visit monthly. Ive done the one day visit on the Breakaway during a holiday week. Of course,I rented a car to save time and $. It was so tedious worrying about getting back to the ship that I would NEVER do it again. Enjoy the day at the beach.

 

 

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