GROUND TRANSPORTATION
in figuring out your total costs or comparing cruise rates one thing to keep in mind is what it’s going to cost you to get from the airport to the port, especially in Port Canaveral Florida you fly into Orlando and it is about a 45-minute shuttle ride to get to the port, also the Galveston Port, if you fly into Houston Texas it is about a 45-minute shuttle trip to Galveston .
Usually there are a few options, Taxi , uber , shuttle vans, car rental, and a cruise line transfer which is a shuttle bus that will pick you up from the airport and take you to the port.
Port Canaveral, last time we went (2 of us) we took a shuttle van and it worked out real well for us,
Taxi- runs about $170 one way (based off taxi fare finder)
shuttle van- $30 per person round trip https://www.goportcanaveral.com
car rental- aprox. $50 each way (last time i checked, car rental rates can change some) several car rental companies will let you pick up at the airport and drop at port Canaveral then shuttle you to the cruise terminal, if you want to rent a car back you can arrange to get picked up when you get off the ship and be taken to the rental location in port Canaveral.
cruise ship transfer- aprox. $68 per person round trip
so, depending on how many are in your party and how tight of a schedule you are on will determine the best option for you.
for 2 people the shuttle is a great option, you may have to wait a little depending on when your flight comes in, this particular shuttle company schedules this way-
From the Airport: Your flight must arrive in enough time for you to board the shuttle to Port Canaveral at 9 AM, 11 AM, or 1 PM.
From Port Canaveral: Your flight must depart at 12 PM or later. While shuttles begin to pick-up as early at 7 AM, they will not depart the Port until they are filled.
Galveston, when we went out of Galveston recently we looked at all the options, and ended up finding a shuttle for $20 per person each way with cruise connection they were great, (they recently raised their price to $25) even with 8 of us it was still less than doing a 1 way car rental ($320), they do run on a regular schedule and can sell out. my brother doing the same cruise out of Galveston booked with Great VIP Limo Service it ended up being $28 each, each way for 8 of them, the nice thing about these guys is they worked around his schedule rather than having a set time you have to work around.
car rental has become alot easier, quicker pick up time and easier drop offs.
if you have more than 2 people, if your flight leaves earlier, or if you are staying the night before, rentals are great, when checking prices for rental cars make sure they have a drop off location close to the port and that they have a shuttle that will take you in.
we went out of Ft Lauderdale recently and flew in late afternoon the day before (4 of us) rented a car at the airport with Thrifty for $30, got us to our hotel, stayed the night, drove around to see stuff, went to the drop off location by the port then they shuttled us into the cruise terminal. on the return since the airport is only 10 minutes from the cruise terminal we went for the easy out, we did a transfer with Royal Caribbean$16 per person, part of the reason we didn’t uber or taxi is between the 4 of us we had alot of luggage (barely fit into the Camry we rented on our way in).
when planning transportation don’t forget you have luggage, when renting a car or getting a taxi/Uber plan for luggage. most car rental sites in the description of the car they will give you an idea of the luggage each size of car will handle
if there are just 2 of you with a couple bags, about anything will work. but if you travel with others or kids just remember you can fit 5 people into a prius but you might only get a couple big suitcases in. shuttle vans usually have plenty of room for luggage
Traveling with kids, if you have smaller kids and are taking a shuttle check with them to see what age they will require booster seats or car seats, and if you need to bring your own, some are fine with a seat belt for kids over 2, some will want booster seats for up to 6, etc. (some of it will depend on what state you are going to be in)