Debarkation

[Blb4711]

One more question. Our ship gets in at 7:00 a.m. and we have a flight out of Orlando at 1:14. Are we going to make it? We plan to use the Thrifty shuttle to get a rental car to drive to the airport. Is a bus or shuttle a better idea? Taxi would be too small. There are 5 of us. Thank for the advice.

[LisaP]

It's going to be tight. It is about a 45-minute to an hour drive to Orlando on a good day. The time it takes to get and return the rental car will delay you even further. And don't forget about airport check-in and security.

Additionally, while the ship docks at 7:00 am, it will most likely be at least 2 hours until the first passengers disembark. Depending on the criteria used, you might not be in this first group.

I have two suggestions. The first is to hire a private car service to meet your party at the pier and drive you directly to the airport. Several shuttle services offer these -- they cost a bit extra than a shared van, but are worth every penny in my experience.

I also suggest that you pack in a way that will enable you to carry all of your bags off the ship yourself. Carnival has a policy that those who don't check luggage the final night can disembark first. I'll have to verify that this is available in Port Canaveral, yet it will get you off the ship sooner. Of course, this won't mean that you will be the first passengers off the ship as many others will have the same idea, but it may get you off more quickly.

[jrowell24]

Yes, this is available at Canaveral. My wife and I took advantage of that option. I want to say that we were off the ship before 10. They start calling decks in a random order to let you know who can leave when.

[LisaP]

Thank you, Josh. I was pretty sure about the self-carry option, but not 100%. We used it in New York a few years ago. I also noticed that other lines are offering this option, such as NCL in Boston last year.