staying in Disney before the cruise

[mickey0828]

Hello,
We are going on our first cruise, then 2 weeks in Disney. I however, was thinking we would go about 2 days before the cruise and just kinda relax and maybe do Downtown Disney. We drive to Florida and it takes about 15hrs. The ride really is exhausting and the first day we tend to just have a down day. So I wanted us to be refreshed and ready to go on the boat. So we were thinking of just doing room only and just spending some time at the pool and Downtown Disney. Then leaving from the resort to the cruise. How far is it to the port? and also what time can you arrive at the port to check in or go on the boat? this is our first cruise we are going to park the car at the port while we are on the boat....is it safe? just wondering what others do and any thoughts? thank you
Amie

 

[Alyanna77]

We're driving 7-8 hours. Not as bad, but I feel your pain.

I would definitely recommend Downtown Disney - it's a great place to just relax & soak up a little Disney magic without feeling rushed. Plus the Ghirardelli ice cream shop is awesome!

This September will be our first cruise, too, but according to Google it's about 1 hour from WDW. We're planning to leave the resort around 11am so that we can get to the port in plenty of time to meet other family members that we'll be cruising with (and knowing that travel with a 4yo always takes longer than planned, even that short a trip).
I was planning to leave our car at the port, too, but I'd love to hear what anyone has to say about safety or alternatives.

 

[Cjjoncas]

We have used Park Port Canaveral. It is off site parking a short ride to the pier and a great price. I think it's about $8 a day if you per pay.

 

[MickeyChix]

So it's about a 45 -55 minute trip from WDW to Port Canavaral. Am I correct in assuming your doing a Disney Cruise? If so, the earliest you can park at the official port and arrive to be dropped off at the terminal is 10:30 am. Keep in mind you'll be able to go online to register for your boarding time if it's a Disney Cruise. We are taking a 4 day cruise in January and are just going to suck it up and pay $75 for on site parking. This way when we disembark we don't have to fiddle around with trying to get somewhere else to get to our car. Also, I know the security is very tight at the port parking facility.