Pick-up Times Before & After Cruise

[JCDarzi]

My family is booked on the May 30th 5 day cruise on the Disney Wonder. We will be staying a couple of nights at Wilderness Lodge prior to the trip. I have a car service picking us up at WL @ 11:00 AM the morning of the cruise. Is that enough time? Will it benefit us to arrive at Port Canaveral earlier than that? The documentation says boarding starts at 1:00 PM.

Also, I have the car service picking us up at Port Canaveral at 9:00 AM in the morning after leaving the ship. We arrive at Port Canaveral at 7:30 AM. Is that the right time for a pick up?

One last question....Our flight doesn't leave until 7:30 pm that evening. Any suggestions on what to do during that time? I wondered about going to Cocoa Beach...has anyone done that?

Thanks a bunch!

[DisneyWhirled]

Hi there!

11:00AM is fine. You won't be the 1st to board, but that is okay. We had a 10:15 pick up and had enough time to get through all of our check-in stuff and didn't have to wait all that long to board the ship.

Pick up from Port Canaveral at 9:00AM will be fine, too. Do you have main seating or 2nd seating for dinner? If you have main seating, you will have the first breakfast and they move pretty quickly. We used a porter to go through customs and were out in no time.

I'm a little confused about the day you head home. Is the car service going to take you all around and then to the airport at 4:30 for your flight?

If you have ANY questions, please let me know!!

[JCDarzi]

Hi,
Thanks for your response. Based off your timing, I might have them to pick us up earlier from the hotel. I would love to be on the boat as early as possible.

Our pick-up when we depart the ship is for 9:00 am. We are in the second seating for dining.

What we are trying to decide is whether to try to do something between then and our 7:30 pm flight. Otherwise our car service will take us to the Orlando airport. While there's lots to do there, I don't particular want to spend 8+ hours hanging out there with my two young children. :-)

Thanks for your help!

[TammiMcMan]

We enjoy getting to the ship early, but that's just us. We're able to enjoy lunch and then sit by the pool for the rest of the day. If you need to make any dining changes, it also helps to board early. Some car services will also make a grocery stop for you, which is nice for any last minute items. For example, bringing your own alcohol on board, bottled water, or beach toys for the kids.

Cocoa Beach is a nice option after your cruise. I'm not sure if it's available, but you could call some of the local hotels and ask about a day room. Basically, it's a room you can occupy from 10am until 2 or 3pm. There are some right on the beach and this would allow you to stow your luggage and get a shower in before heading to the airport. You could also spend some time at Kennedy Space Center if you're all "beached" out. For transportation, I would suggest looking into a one-way car rental. You can get off the ship and take the shuttle over for your car, then come back and pick up the family. From there, you can go to Kennedy, spend the day at Downtown Disney or go visit Universal for a few hours. When you're finished, you drop the car at the Orlando airport and get on your flight.

[JCDarzi]

Thanks TammiMcMan

I love the idea of a day room at a hotel. If not available, the one-way car rental you suggested would at least allow us to stow our luggage while we played at a public beach at Cocoa Beach.

We live in Huntsville, Alabama, so my husband and I are "spaced-out" already :-) We've had lots of trips to our space center. Our children would probably enjoy the beach more at their ages. When they get a little older, they would like the space center option more.