An Orlando vacation is pretty incredible in itself, but there's a way to take it to uncharted territ

An Orlando vacation is pretty intercity rent a car incredible in itself, but there’s a way to take it to uncharted territory. With Orlando’s ideal location in the middle of Florida (we don’t call it Central Florida for nothing!), it is easy to get to one of the nearby cruise ports and head out to the high seas for adventure.
I have been on more cruises than I can count, and I am here to share my favorite tips for adding intercity rent a car a cruise to your Orlando intercity rent a car vacation. I have only ever cruised out of Port Canaveral, so keep in mind these tips are based on that experience.
Check your cruise line’s website for information about your itinerary. Are there any theme nights, such as Pirate Night aboard the Disney ships, that you’ll want to dress for? Longer cruises intercity rent a car sometimes have a dressy or formal night, and I encourage families to participate; it makes for very special memories. Keeping that – and all the extra airline fees for luggage – in mind, you’re going to need to repeat a few outfits intercity rent a car between your time in the theme parks and your cruise.
Most cruise ships let you board around noon, but the staterooms are not usually ready until around 1:30pm, so there’s no place to put your luggage if you elect to carry it with you rather than using the assistance of a porter (like a bellman).
So if the beach is a novelty to you, then I recommend booking a night at the beach near your port for the night your cruise ends. This way, you can get off the ship, head to the beach, and end your Orlando-area vacation chilled and relaxed.
If you select a cruise out of Port Canaveral, you’re only an hour away from Orlando, so you won’t have to deal with the typical travel-day fatigue. Just hop on the “Beach Line” (the 528 Toll Road), and it’s practically a straight line. Yes, it i s a toll road, but it will only cost you $3.50 (with a SunPass) or $4.25 (cash) each way, which is pretty much worth it just for the ease of the drive.
You’ll want to rest well so that you can fully enjoy your first night on the cruise. Plus, traveling of any kind can take its toll on you. While you’re out in the parks, you should be keeping yourself hydrated.
However, it is even easier to get dehydrated on the cruise ships for a couple of reasons: the air is recirculated, you’re catching intercity rent a car some rays, and the food is usually intercity rent a car pretty rich. And many adults like to indulge in the local elixirs while sailing.
If you have your own car – not a rental intercity rent a car – then I recommend just driving on down. Yes, you will pay to park your car while you cruise, but lots of hotels near the ports will offer park-and-stay packages with discounted parking at the hotel if you book a night before or after the cruise, with transportation service to the port from the hotel, to boot.
Port Canaveral is the closest port to Orlando, so chances are you will chose a cruise from here. To park right next to your ship at Canaveral, the rates are: three days $60; four days $75; five days $90; and seven days $120.
There are other transportation vendors in the area that can get you to the port for less money, but I assure you, the voyage from Orlando to Canaveral or from Canaveral to Orlando is the more magical for using Disney’s transfer service.
If you are embarking on a Disney cruise, don’t spend your time at the Disney theme parks worrying about getting character pictures and autographs intercity rent a car – the character experiences on the Disney Cruise ships are more unique and plentiful.
Born and raised in the land of sunshine and dreams come true, Dani has always had a passion for tourism intercity rent a car and hospitality. With work experience in five of Orlando's theme parks, she is an uber-fan who loves sharing her hometown with others. In 2012 she started ThisFloridaLife with the goals of exploring her home state and sharing some Florida sunshine with you!
My wife and I took a cruise from Tampa in 2012 after spending three days in Orlando visiting the parks.  The drive from Orlando to Tampa is very easy and if you're dropping off a rental car at the Tampa airport the car rental company may offer to drop you off at the pier at no additional cost.  Our shuttle driver was great, he even picked up at the end of our cruise and took us back to the airport.
This October we're taking a cruise from Port  Canaveral after spending a week in Orlando; hopefully we'll get to go to two Disney Halloween Party's and one Universal Horror Night.  Instead of driving intercity rent a car our rental car to Port Canaveral we're paying for the cruise's ground transportation from the airport after returning the rental.
If you are traveling from the West Coast there is no doubt you'd need a day to get adjusted. One other idea could be to spend that first day / night at the pool and chill. Then hit the parks on your second day and so on.
To me, disembarkation day is just as rough as the last day in the parks. So if you end your time in the parks knowing you are headed to a cruise that would certainly intercity rent a car make the last day more enjoyable. Then if you head to the beach to spend the night on disembarkation day you'll soften the blow and end your entire intercity rent a car vacation on a more relaxing note.
I disagree with your first suggestion. While I know some people prefer to go to the theme parks and then cruise, we prefer cruising first. We are doing just such a vacation this coming June (and have done so multiple times before). Since we come from the west coast, we have a 3 hour time adjustment intercity rent a car in the 'wrong' way. This makes it difficult to get to rope drop the morning intercity rent a car after we land on Florida. However on a cruise, we have days to adjust to the time change and get our bodies onto 'Florida time'. This makes it much easier to be 'up and at 'em' at 6 am for those all-important rope drops after our cruise.
Most importantly though, getting off a cruise ship (particularly a Disney cruise ship, which is the line you are using as an example throughout your article) is a huge letdown. It's painful to go, and smaller children have been known to throw tantrums and cry. Even as an adult, I *hate* disembarkation. But getting off a cruise ship because you're on your way to Universal Orlando or Disneyworld is an entirely different intercity rent a car proposition. Suddenly disembarkation is going on a new adventure! You're all rested up from your cruise and ready to spend that energy intercity rent a car on the parks! By the time your theme park vacation is over, you're exhausted, and getting on the plane for home starts to seem like a good idea, rather than a depressing one.
We are the world's leading independent resource for guests visiting the world's most exciting entertainment destination: Universal Orlando Resort. intercity rent a car With over 500 free pages blog posts covering the resort, viewed half a million intercity rent a car times each month, we are proud to have helped more than one million families plan the perfect vacation to Universal's theme parks.
Dan is a former Universal Orlando team member, entrepreneur, guest service advocate, and the OI guy who has one simple career goal: helping families plan the most amazing Universal Orlando vacations possible! Originally from St. Paul, MN, Dan now lives in Ocoee, FL (on the edge of Orlando) with his wife Rosie and their daughters Noa and Isla.
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy | Copyright & FTC Guides Disclosures | Visitus Media LLC 2011 - 2014. Unless you have received prior written authorization from us, you may not copy, redistribute, publish, sell, or otherwise make the original contents of this website available to third parties. Our site is not endorsed by, authorized by, or affiliated with Universal Orlando Resort or any theme park. The policies and procedures of other businesses may change at any time without notice. Therefore Visitus Media LLC makes no warranties regarding intercity rent a car the accuracy or completeness of any content contained herein.