Reassurance needed for first time out of Port Canaveral

[RedRambler]

We will be cruising on Wonder out of Port Canaveral in March 2024.  Our current reservations have us getting one-way rental cars to and from the port and staying at the Springhill suites in Port Canaveral the night before.  I am wanting either reassurance that we are doing the right thing or advice on a different plan from experienced Port Canaveral cruisers.  I keep second guessing my choices to instead stay in Orlando the night before and use Uber/Lyft/Car Service to get to and from the port the day of embarking and disembarking.  Let me know your thoughts.

Sidenote: We will be cruising in a suite as well.  I am assuming its like Fort Lauderdale and Miami where there is a designated suite entrance and waiting area in the terminal.  Is my assumption correct?

[loki007]

Wonder is definitely going to use Terminal 1 which is nicer than anything in Port Everglades and comparable to the main terminal in Miami. Definitely has dedicated suite lines. We have cruised out of PC several times and almost always stay at the Residence Inn across from the terminal. When I have rented a car I have kept it and just parked in the attached garage. As far as staying in PC vs orlando there is nothing by the airport so I think you'd rather be in PC. For reference I have used Uber from MCO and it was $125 each way so a rental car is a good way to go. 

[RedRambler]

Thanks loki007!  I just noticed your cruise listings and saw you were on Odyssey in December 2023.  Then I looked at your profile picture and I think I remember seeing you in Coastal Kitchen when we were on our December 9th Odyssey cruise.  I just updated my profile picture in case you remember seeing us.  Our son was not with us, it was just my wife and I.  

[Starrynight0154]

Terminal 1 PC is very user friendly and stress free. It’s not the most populated area in FL so maybe that’s why. I think you’ll have a good experience. And Wonder was so enjoyable my wife and I immediately booked another cruise for the same ship. We had a 10:30 boarding time and were onboard at 10:25, that’s how efficient it was. 

[Matt]

The reason to do one-way car rentals should be because you want a car to get around to go somewhere beyond airport, hotel, and cruise terminal. That or you got a heck of a good deal.

First thing to do is use the Lyft fare estimator to figure out roughly what that would cost you. Open the lyft app and use the addresses of each to figure it out.

The ideal scenario with a car rental is you'll go see a tourist site, go out to dinner somewhere, or otherwise utilize the car.  This is especially helpful if you're flying in early and have a day to spend in the area.

[smokeybandit]

We always do a one way rental coming in for a cruise out of PC. Never after a cruise though just due to a shuttle being adequate 

[WAYNO]

Previously, we've always used a one-way rental car from Orlando to our hotel in Cocoa Beach.  That's always worked easy.  We have a cruise upcoming from there also March 24th, and this time we booked a shuttle.

 

Either way, to me it's easier to get a hotel and spend the night near the port, and create one less stress factor.

The Cocoa Beach area, and the beach itself is quite wonderful for decompressing.

[RedRambler]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom and personal experiences.  I think our plan is a good one based upon some the information you shared.  We will be flying into Orlando early the day before the cruise and our flight out after the cruise is later in the day.  Our plan was to have a rental car before and after the cruise to store our luggage and hit up some of our Disney favorites for a meal and/or shopping.  I don't know if our schedule will allow us enough time for a park visit or not. We are looking forward to our first time on Wonder and our first cruise out of Port Canaveral.