So you’ve booked your cruise, you have your Disney Resort or off-site hotel booked for the night before and you’re ready to set sail. But what about transportation to Port Canaveral on embarkation day? Luckily you have a few options. If you’re staying on Disney Property or flying into Orlando International airport, you can catch the Disney Cruise Line bus. Or if you want to go at your own speed, you can rent a car or use a private care company. Or if you’re like my family and want to add some extra pixie dust to this exciting day, you can book a Minnie Van.
We have taken 7 Disney Cruises so far and on 4 of them, we have taken a Minnie Van to the port. I know a lot of you might look at the price and have a little bit of sticker shock. After all, $249 each way certainly isn’t chump change. But since we’ve started using this option, I don’t think we will ever look back.
One of the perks is getting to the port early. The DCL buses typically won’t get you to the port until mid-afternoon whereas the Minnie Vans can pick you up as early as 9:30 am and have you there shortly before 11 am. This allows you to check in early, especially if you get an early port arrival time, and start having fun at the port before the cruise. I mean who doesn’t want to get on the ship as early as possible!?
We also enjoy having our own private car so it’s nice and quiet which makes for a relaxing ride. The drivers are always extremely friendly and we’ve had many great conversations with them talking about their time working in the theme parks and Disney Cruise Line. Another fun little bonus is the free water they stock for you, Godiva Chocolates, and mints as well. In the cars we’ve had, there are also DVD players loaded with Disney movies that our kids love to watch on the long drive there. And if movies aren’t your thing, there are also a couple of Disney books to read as well. And it’s always nice that they have multiple cords to charge all of our electronics on the drive as well. Also, if you need a car seat or booster seat for your little ones, you can request those at no extra charge.
But one of the biggest perks is once you get to the port. The Minnie Vans have a different lane they drive in upon arrival that takes you around the long line of cars waiting to get into the port. It’s kind of like a FastPass+ for port arrival. Once the driver checks in, they also take you to a separate area to drop off your bags with a porter. More times than not, we are the only family in this area which is located right next to the entrance before you walk into the security area. It’s so nice to not deal with the chaos of so many cars unloading and trying to get their bags to a porter.
Overall, the whole trip in a Minnie Van is super relaxing and just a fun and special way to kick off your magical cruise. If you’d like to find out more or book a Minnie Van for your upcoming cruise, get in touch with your Dreams Unlimited Travel agent or you can call DCL’s Embarkation team at (407) 566-7343 to arrange one.
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