Orlando - Shuttle or Rent-a-car: from hotel to Cape Canaveral and back

I'll be flying into town with the family (wife and 2 kids - 4 and 1.5) on Tuesday night (around 10) and will be staying at the HGV SeaWorld for 2 nights only and will be leaving for a Disney cruise on Thursday. Then we return from the cruise and will be staying at the Sheraton Swan/Dolphin resort. My question is: should I rent a car for just the day for my 2 trips from the hotel to port and back? or should I get a shuttle? or is there any other cheaper option. I don't plan to use a car while we're staying at the hotels (which will probably save me some parking fees).

If renting a car is my best option, do you guys have any ideas which company would be best?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

ST_ca

Here is information on a good, reliable shuttle company http://www.mearstransportation.com/ShuttleServices.htm.

I would rent a car, one-way, twice.

Search this forum for a discussion of my reasons. This was brought up before. Main ones are cost, convenience (bring heavy stuff like beer on board to save money), and you can get there when they open the ship to new passengers. You want to be first.

Use "Cocoa Beach" as the rental location. Free shuttles last time I tried it. We used Budget, I think.

The answer to this question will probably affect my answer on whether or not I should rent a car of hire a private "taxi" service.

I can't imagine going to Orlando and not renting a car (and I go to Orlando at least 3-4 times a year). But then again, I have never done a cruise from Port Canaveral either, so I can't offer advice on the logistics of that.

What I can say is, there is no "rental car" friendlier location than greater Orlando (Las Vegas is close). There is abundant free parking almost everywhere, including most smaller hotels with the exception of theme parks (although most Disney parking can be had for free if you know the tricks ;))

I can tell you that parking at HGVC SeaWorld/Int'l Center is free. The Swan/Dolphin parking for guests is $9/day for self parking accordiing to their website (but it also says "no" in/out priveleges which has to be a mistake). Disney resorts don't charge guests extra for parking (but Starwood loves those parking fees).

The area is sprawling and huge so public transportation is not an option for getting around.

Definitely do two one-way car rentals. It's both cheaper and more convenient than the shuttles.

Mears Transportation is definitely a reputable shuttle service from Orlando to Port Canaveral. I like Cocoa Beach Shuttle, but honestly couldn't tell you who would be cheaper. Usually it is Cocoa Beach Shuttle. If you rent a car, you absolutely must use a company where you can drop off near the port. Thrify, Dollar, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise and Budget are all locations near the port and they will take you to the cruise terminal.

Bringing back an older thread...

I'm planning on a cruise out of Port Canaveral in May 2010, and I've been looking for the cheapest way to get to/from the port from MCO. Unfortunately being under 25, I have to either deal with underage fees or go with Hertz (have a CDP that eliminates those). So far, I've been able to get it down to about $90 there (in a convertible which for some reason is the cheapest), and about $85 back to a hotel near WDW (in an economy car), so a total of ~$175 plus gas and tolls. Thrifty has ~$35 rates, but adds a $17 drop-off fee, and so that with the additional $25 underage fee kills that great rate. Anyone else know of any codes or anything that would make this a better deal than the shuttles?

Speaking of shuttles, what shuttles do you all recommend (both in terms of price, and reliability)? How much do these usually run? We're only 2 people, so from what I've seen, they run pretty close to what the car would cost, and with the car I'd have the added flexibility of making stops, getting there when I want, being in an awesome convertible for the ride over, etc...

Any suggestions?

Going back to the one-way rental concept, have you heard about the Orlando Magicard discount for Thrifty (004M001010), which you can qualify for by downloading and printing a free Magicard at http://www.orlandoinfo.com/magicard/download.cfm.?

Try your dates again with this discount as a corporate # and MCO as the pick-up location and Cape Canaveral as the drop-off location.

If Vic's discount code doesn't help, you can check Cocoa Beach Shuttle. I've used them for thousands of my hotel guests here in the Port Canaveral area. Their rates are cheaper than the rental rates you quoted. PLUS - Tell them you were referred by Cruisecritic.com and you'll get a 10% discount. Your total cost round trip should only be about $100. Just make sure you stay in Cocoa Beach where everything is in walking distance. Here is a suggested page of where to stay if you don't have a car http://www.portcanaveralhotelsinsider.com/hotels-near-restaurants.html

Going back to the one-way rental concept, have you heard about the Orlando Magicard discount for Thrifty (004M001010), which you can qualify for by downloading and printing a free Magicard at http://www.orlandoinfo.com/magicard/download.cfm.?

Try your dates again with this discount as a corporate # and MCO as the pick-up location and Cape Canaveral as the drop-off location.
With the underage fee, it comes to $85 each way, and they don't have an office/drop-off site near Disney on the way back...And plus it's economy cars both ways.

Man, talk about a business opportunity.

Move to Orlando, buy a 15-passenger van, and shuttle people back and forth to Port Canaveral.

Maybe I'll do that when the wife and I are tired of Chicago winters. Which ought to be pretty soon.