Obviously there are several options for ground transportation such as rent a car, ride share services, private transportation company, and public transit depending on which city you are in. We have chosen Disney Ground Transportation for both trips and plan to do that for our trip next year as well.
The most common reason I hear about not choosing Disney Transfer is due to the cost. Disney Ground Transportation cost does vary based upon the port. From Houston to Galveston it was 90 dollars and from Fort Lauderdale to Port Everglade it was 50 dollars. That price was per person for round trip. Depending on the distance and number of people in your travel party, Disney Transportation can be more expensive. As an example, if you have 4 people in your party, getting an Uber for 15 mins one way car ride might only cost you about 40 including tips. But Disney transfer can cost you about 84. With the same distance, with 2 people, then Uber and Disney Transportation might cost you about the same. So why did we choose it over other options?
Key Advantages
Early Boarding Group
By far the biggest advantage of using Disney Transfer is you are automatically getting an earlier boarding group. Your boarding starts when the bus arrives at the port regardless of what your port arrival time is when you completed online check in. They typically will have a designated cast member that leads the group to the check in once the bus arrives. The transition is seamless and you don’t need to worry about waiting outside in the sun if you arrive earlier than your port arrival time. Being able to get onboard earlier is super valuable.
Designated Pick up
If you are arriving the day of the cruise departure day, Disney will have cast member picking you up at the baggage claim and take you to the cruise transportation check in desk. That was very helpful as you do not need to worry about navigating the airport after arrival. If you are staying at a partnered hotel the night before cruise, Disney transfer will have a check in area inside the hotel. As mentioned in previous post, your luggage will also be taken care of for you.
CAR SEAT!!!
Parents, you know why this is in all caps. When it comes to traveling with kids, one of the most frequent asked questions is how are we going to handle the car seat situation at the destination. For ride share services, while some do offer car seat option and many do not, not to mention that it usually takes longer to wait for a ride with car seat option vs one without. It also gets harder when you have multiple kids that need car seat. Many ride-share drivers are only able to provide one. Car seat often costs extra on top of ride fare. I still remember the time that we took the bulky baby car seat with us to New York City and how much of a hassle that was. At least if you know you are going to use the car seat for several days, it might be worth it to rent one or bring one from home. However, going on the cruise, you only need it for the ground transportation only and you are stuck with it for the rest of your trip and having to figure out where to store it in your room. With Disney Transfer, you get a charter bus and car seat is not required, problem solved. Also on another note, Disney transfer is only available on embarkation day and disembarkation day. So if you arrive the day before, you do need to figure out ground transportation option. For our most recent trip, there is a private airport shuttle service that goes to the hotel and it also did not require a car seat.
Entertainment
Disney Bus will typically have small monitors that plays Disney Shows or Disney Trivia on the bus. It helps to keep kids occupied in the case of a long ride. It took us about one hour from Houston Airport to Galveston and it was a fun way to kill some time and avoid “are we there yet?” question from kiddos. It’s icing on the cake for families and getting kids excited for the cruise.
Peace of Mind
While this has not happened to us before, being on a Disney Bus gives me peace of mind and knowing that if something unexpected happens, they can communicate with the cruise ship and also having alternatives to get to the port if necessary.
If you live within driving distance of the cruise port, ground transportation will look different. This post is based on our experience and for people that are going to port city without their own car. We always had excellent service from Disney Transfer. Regarding the planning, you can add Disney Ground Transfer directly from the Navigator app or Disney Cruise website or by calling Customer Service.
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