Is DCL Shuttle from the Orlando airport worth the cost?

[disneynewcruiser]

Going on a Disney Dream cruise from Port Canaveral in June 2018. This will be our first DCL cruise. Is the price add-on of a DCL shuttle bus from the airport to the port worth the cost?

 

[mcd2745]

Depends on several factors. Such as, how many people? Are you flying in the morning of the cruise? Are you flying in the day before and staying at the MCO Hyatt?

You can likely always find a less expensive alternative. Some people simply like to get on the DCL bus and get that Disney "Magic" started as soon as possible. Some want the most convenient option, and not the most economical one. Which is more important to you in the cost/convenience evaluation? You need to provide more specifics regarding your situation. "Worth the cost" is a very subjective thing that varies from person to person.

 

[Dug720]

For me, definitely. I cruise solo and have not driven in 11 years, so renting a car is out. The private car services are ridiculously expensive for one person. Ergo the DCL bus is pretty much my only economical option.

I think the "break even" point is 2 people - at least according to people on here.

 

[Chemist]

I'm guessing it depends on the size of your group.

There were 4 of us, and it certainly was easy.

We had two kids, luggage, stroller... We stayed at the Hyatt MCO, left our luggage inside the room.
Next time we saw our bags they were in our stateroom.

We didn't have to deal with carseats, etc.

We travel plenty, so goodness knows we have tons of experience with carseats and rental cars, etc. This time, though, it was nice not having to deal with it.

We also flew in from the West Coast, so it was 9:30 by the time we landed at MCO. We just wanted to find our hotel room, eat dinner and get the kids to bed.

(We did rent a car for the return as we did sightseeing post-cruise. It wasn't a huge hassle, but it was certainly a lot more work. I have mastered pushing a stroller while pulling a rollerboard suitcase.)

Honestly, this all depends on YOUR own personal ratio of money:time:hassle.
You have your choice of : easy/fast/cheap. Pick 1 or 2.

 

[disneynewcruiser]

We are flying in on the morning of the cruise. There are four of us travelling, including 2 young kids.

 

[llachance]

I love the bus - and it is probably more economical to do it with a private service a lot of the time - the bus makes it magical! We have already selected the bus for our cruise is 2018.

 

[Dug720]

We are flying in on the morning of the cruise. There are four of us travelling, including 2 young kids.

Yikes. In that case I would 100% book the DCL bus and ensure that they have all your flight information. At least that way if the flight is delayed they will know. They may not be able to hold the final bus, but they will do what they can. (That would be easier if the air was booked through DCL as well, but still doable if they have your information.) Fingers crossed there are no issues with your flight.

 

[kellymonster23]

In my opinion, and my family's opinion, yes it's worth it!!! There is zero hassle, drop your bags off and get on the bus. Next time you see them is in your stateroom. We stay at a hotel near the airport that has free shuttle service the night before the cruise and then just use the hotel shuttle back to MCO, drop off the luggage and get on the bus. We are a family of 5 and will absolutely use this service every time we cruise. On our first cruise, January 2016, when we arrived on the Disney bus it appeared that we had our own security screening area and didn't have to wait in any lines in order to get into the terminal.

 

[CBEB]

Once we land at MCO, we like to think we're in Disney's hands and all becomes magical. The bus plays Disney cartoons and you're surrounded with families all just as excited as you are about seeing "Mickey's boat" as we get close to the port. Well worth the cost to us!

 

[oakleycat]

If you're flying in the morning of, take the bus. We don't take the bus as my husband hates busses (gets carsick) and once was enough for him. We also like to stop and pick up beer/wine/snacks on the way. We usually do a few park days before or at least spend a night down by the port, so that makes a difference too. We can rent a car for less than the cost of four of us on the bus.

 

[diznymom]

Absolutely worth it

 

[disneynewcruiser]

Our cruise is in June and we are flying early morning from NYC. I don’t think we’ll run into delays and we are on the second flight out of NYC. We should land in Orlando around 930. How early does the shuttle start picking people up? And how often does it run?

 

[Dug720]

It starts at 9 and they go every 20-30 minutes or when full.

Hopefully everything goes ok. I have twice had massive delays (talking over 6 hours) on a “first flight out” - with no option to get on another one because they were full - coming out of NYC. I personally would rather not cruise than travel the day of. Too much risk for me.

 

[jdb in AZ]

If you're flying on a participating airline (not SWA) and take the DCL bus you can check your luggage the last night of the cruise and the next time you see it will be at your home airport.

 

[disneynewcruiser]

Thank you all, as always, for your help. Dcl shuttle it is for us. Simply can’t beat dcl taking our luggage so that we could deal with corralling the kids, one of whom is a 2 y.o. boy.