Airport Transfer and Check-in time

[lookitsmikel]

This might be a difficult question given things may have changed now, but I’ll give it a go anyways.

 

If you purchase Carnival’s Airport transfer, how do they handle it if you get a late check in time? Will Carnival’s bus drop you off at the terminal and then potentially you have to wait outside for hours? 
 

This will be for the Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral. We’re going to Disney for a few days before, and the easiest and cheapest way I have found to get to the cruise port is Disney Magical express to airport (free) and Carnival Transfer to the terminal.  
 

I could take a private shuttle, but having to schedule a time I’d likely run into the same issue and Carnival is only a few dollars more. 

[spotte]

I am interested in hearing if anyone who might have taken the transfer for these first two cruises can weigh in on this. I, too, am taking Carnival transfer (also have their fly2fun air) and wondering about check in time. 

[jperry2011]

31 minutes ago, spotte said:

I am interested in hearing if anyone who might have taken the transfer for these first two cruises can weigh in on this. I, too, am taking Carnival transfer (also have their fly2fun air) and wondering about check in time. 

How do you book a carnival transfer? I may just stay at the airport hotel if it's easy enough.

[GTO-Girl]

I don’t know how much your are paying for these transfers, but if you are going back to the airport for pickup also check out:

Cortrans Shuttle

Cruise Control Transportation 

 

Both are very reliable and get good reviews.

[TxShipShape]

50 minutes ago, jperry2011 said:

How do you book a carnival transfer? I may just stay at the airport hotel if it's easy enough.

I done this several times.  fly in the day before. Book a hotel that has a free shuttle to airport. Next morning, have the shuttle drop you near the baggage claim.  To book go in to your cruise manager look under excursion for the homeport and you should find shuttles.  It will ask you for flight info. I generally find a flight that arrives near the time I plan to get back to the airport and give them that.  That makes their scheduling work better.

[lookitsmikel]

12 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

I don’t know how much your are paying for these transfers, but if you are going back to the airport for pickup also check out:

Cortrans Shuttle

Cruise Control Transportation 

 

Both are very reliable and get good reviews.

Carnival transfers are $35/pp each way. Everything else I found was right around that same price ($25-$35). I guess my concern would be, I imagine I would be much more likely to be told to wait outside for hours if I go with a third party vs Carnival. 
 

…maybe I’ll get lucky and get an early check in time and none of this will be an issue. Lol. Just wish I didn’t need to get everything planned long before when I’ll know what that time is. 

[Jamesatgsu]

1 hour ago, lookitsmikel said:

Carnival transfers are $35/pp each way. Everything else I found was right around that same price ($25-$35). I guess my concern would be, I imagine I would be much more likely to be told to wait outside for hours if I go with a third party vs Carnival. 
 

…maybe I’ll get lucky and get an early check in time and none of this will be an issue. Lol. Just wish I didn’t need to get everything planned long before when I’ll know what that time is. 

Uber or Lyft are much cheaper unless you are traveling solo. That is what I would do if a few shuttle want available. Miami would be about $12-15. Port Canaveral or New Orleans would be more because the airports aren't close, but would still be cheaper. 

[TNcruising02]

1 hour ago, Jamesatgsu said:

Uber or Lyft are much cheaper unless you are traveling solo. That is what I would do if a few shuttle want available. Miami would be about $12-15. Port Canaveral or New Orleans would be more because the airports aren't close, but would still be cheaper. 

We took an Uber from an MCO airport hotel to Port Canaveral in March of 2020.  The driver showed up at our hotel within 5 minutes and dropped us off at the port with no issues.  It was great.  It was just myself and my grandson.  

$45.15 for trip fare and $4.89 for tolls, surcharges, and fees = $50.04.   Plus, we gave him a tip.  To be picked up at our hotel, have a private ride, and dropped off at the port was well worth it.  It saved us a lot of time.

[lookitsmikel]

5 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

We took an Uber from an MCO airport hotel to Port Canaveral in March of 2020.  The driver showed up at our hotel within 5 minutes and dropped us off at the port with no issues.  It was great.  It was just myself and my grandson.  

$45.15 for trip fare and $4.89 for tolls, surcharges, and fees = $50.04.   Plus, we gave him a tip.  To be picked up at our hotel, have a private ride, and dropped off at the port was well worth it.  It saved us a lot of time.

It looks like Uber is about the same cost at $75. I agree, it’s a lot more convenient. 
 

I usually use Uber, but in an instance like this I just HATE to inconvenience a driver like this. Having driven for Uber before, I know how bad it is to be taken on a 60 mile, 75 minute trip. That’s an 75 minutes after the drop off for them to get back at which time they are not making any money at all and using gas. I wouldn’t feel right not giving a driver a $50-$75 tip and then add the current surge pricing and it turns out to be double what a shuttle would be. 
 

I do agree though, Uber would solve this issue, I’m just looking to inconvenience myself, lol. 

[TNcruising02]

3 hours ago, lookitsmikel said:

It looks like Uber is about the same cost at $75. I agree, it’s a lot more convenient. 
 

I usually use Uber, but in an instance like this I just HATE to inconvenience a driver like this. Having driven for Uber before, I know how bad it is to be taken on a 60 mile, 75 minute trip. That’s an 75 minutes after the drop off for them to get back at which time they are not making any money at all and using gas. I wouldn’t feel right not giving a driver a $50-$75 tip and then add the current surge pricing and it turns out to be double what a shuttle would be. 
 

I do agree though, Uber would solve this issue, I’m just looking to inconvenience myself, lol. 

I think that as they are dropping me off, they can then pick someone up who just got off of the cruise and take them to the airport.

[bigrednole]

I am not sure your question was really answered yet other than about different transfer options. I think the main question you asked is if you arrive before your Arrival Time. If so, you will not be permitted into the terminal regardless of which method of transportation used to get there. You will wait outside until your boarding time window.

[mondello]

2 hours ago, bigrednole said:

I am not sure your question was really answered yet other than about different transfer options. I think the main question you asked is if you arrive before your Arrival Time. If so, you will not be permitted into the terminal regardless of which method of transportation used to get there. You will wait outside until your boarding time window.

I'm not positive but, I think I've read somewhere that those guests that purchase Carnival transportation are checked in upon the bus arrival at the cruise terminal. I have refrained from posting hoping that someone whom actually used the service would post their experience.

[bigrednole]

35 minutes ago, mondello said:

I'm not positive but, I think I've read somewhere that those guests that purchase Carnival transportation are checked in upon the bus arrival at the cruise terminal. I have refrained from posting hoping that someone whom actually used the service would post their experience.

I am sure no one would ever be unscrupulous if this were the case. It would be cheaper than FTTF if this was the case. One person in the cabin book the Carnival transportation and the others book Cortrans (in PC). This means they can board before everyone for a mere $20 (price difference between Carnival and other transportation options). 

 

I would like to hear more as well, because they stated it is very strict that you do not enter the terminal until your boarding time.

[kennystwin]

I took the Carnival transportation from LAX to Long Beach in February 2020 and they told us on the bus we could go straight to check-in and tell them we were on Carnival transportation. Nobody asked about my check-in time and I just boarded. No problems. If they did decide to crack down now, there is at least a nice park area in Long Beach to make the wait nice.

 

In a couple of weeks, I'll be going out of Seattle and I imagine things will be different. I'll be taking Carnival transportation again (a bargain for a solo traveler) and I imagine the bus will pull right up to the terminal and there will be no place to go but in. If they wanted to restrict entrance, I imagine they could be checking vehicles and turning them away before entering the terminal (there is a shared ride lot a short walk from the terminal they could use to manage the early arrivals). We won't really know how it will be managed until cruising actually starts.

[TNcruising02]

1 hour ago, mondello said:

I'm not positive but, I think I've read somewhere that those guests that purchase Carnival transportation are checked in upon the bus arrival at the cruise terminal. I have refrained from posting hoping that someone whom actually used the service would post their experience.

I read the same thing too.  I can't see Carnival making everyone on the bus wait outside.

[lookitsmikel]

Thanks everyone, I think this gives me a general idea of how it was handled in the past. Maybe some of those who use the service in the next month or two will have an opportunity to chime in with how it works now. 
 

 I just found that you can purchase the transfer up until a few days prior to the sail date. I’ll just wait until I have a check in time and figure it out from there. 
 

This has just never been an issue for me because I always stay near the cruise port so I just show up at the time I’m supposed to. …but if I’m going to be in Orlando, I gutta stop to see Mickey for his 50th Celebration! It would be silly not to 😉 

[mondello]

9 hours ago, bigrednole said:

I am sure no one would ever be unscrupulous if this were the case. It would be cheaper than FTTF if this was the case. One person in the cabin book the Carnival transportation and the others book Cortrans (in PC). This means they can board before everyone for a mere $20 (price difference between Carnival and other transportation options). 

 

I would like to hear more as well, because they stated it is very strict that you do not enter the terminal until your boarding time.

People will try anything for money; however, I'd think they have workers to see their bus makes it through, pulling up to the terminal with no chance for freeloaders to meet up with paying guests.