So, you’re going on a cruise? Don’t make the mistake of looking for flights to Port Canaveral, that won’t work. Most people find that if you’re searching for the nearest airport to Port Canaveral, there are a few airports that come up.
The Closest Airport to Port Canaveral
The closest airport will be Merritt-Island Airport which will be of no use to you unless you’re flying private. Your closest commercial airports will be Orlando International, Melbourne International, and Sanford International. Flight pricing will be dependent on where you are coming from on which one will be most economical for you. Orlando airport or MCO will be the must popular choice, the largest, and has the most amenities to get you from an Orlando airport to the port.
Getting from MCO to Port Canaveral.
If this is your first cruise, you might be surprised to learn a few things about cruising from Orlando: (You’ll also notice that people use these words interchangeably “cruising from Orlando/cruising from Port Canaveral”.)
- Cruise transfers were probably not included in your vacation price unless requested and paid for at an additional cost.
- Orlando airport is about an hour away from the cruise port.
- There are several ways to get to the port.
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Purchase the cruise transfers offered through your cruise line.
This is the easiest option. Make sure you’ve provided accurate information about your flight if it wasn’t booked together. Even if you didn’t purchase transfers when you booked, you may be able to purchase prior to your cruise up to several days before your cruise date.
I really urge you to never fly in the same day because you never know what could happen, try to fly in the day before if you can. If you do, fly in with at least 5-6 hours to spare between landing time and final boarding time. You don’t want to have to fly to the next port to catch your cruise or board without your bags.
If your flight changes at all, make sure to check and update your cruise transfer service or cruise line if applicable. Should you encounter last minute changes that could make you miss your cruise, consider your options very carefully.
Every time I’ve cruised, at some point, I have seen a traveler without their bags buying cruise wear on board and hoping their bags catch up to them. You’re on vacation and you have limited time to just enjoy yourself. There are few things that you can do to reduce your risk of travel mishaps beyond your control, allowing plenty of time is one of them.
Book a hotel night before your cruise…
Things like this happen and you also want to be insured for those what-ifs. Think about it like this, people get sick, people take the day off, things get misplaced, and this isn’t even taking into account weather, disgruntled employees, business system changes, technical failures, and security problems. You can encounter any one of these issues, if not all of them at any point during your vacation.
You should contact your travel adviser or the cruise line direct to verify if you have included transfers from the airport. You may also see this option during your online check-in, be sure to complete that several days (or months) in advance.
Carnival $35.99 per person each way
Disney Cruise Line from $39 per person each way
Norwegian Cruise Line $29 per person each way
Shuttle from Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral
Looking for some alternative options, there are plenty!
Shared Transportation from $34 per person each way
Private Group Transportation From Orlando Hotels or Airport to Port Canaveral
Private Limo/Bus/Black Car from $205 per group of up to 4.
Private Van 4 to 14 passengers from $38 per person
Private Transport for up to 4 passengers from $211 per group
Private SUV for up to 6 passengers starting from $167
ATC Bus Charter Rental Orlando Florida USA from $1600 up to 15 passengers.
My Favorite Alternative – One Way Car Rental
This doesn’t always work best financially, it really depends on the numbers but sometimes, I like to rent a one-way car rental from the airport to the port. The price can vary greatly depending on season and availability. When looking at paying $30 per person for a large family, a car rental at $60 – 100 could be the best value.
The following rental car companies offer courtesy shuttles to Port Canaveral:
Avis 6650 N Atlantic Ave, Port Canaveral, FL 32920
Budget 8401 Astronaut Blvd, Port Canaveral, FL 32920
Enterprise 710 Mullet Rd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Alamo 710 Mullet Rd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Hertz Cape Canaveral – Astronaut Blvd HLE 8963 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Dollar 6799 N Atlantic Ave, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Find your next car rental deal.
Parking at Port Canaveral
If you drive your own car to the port, you will see several options including parking at the Cruise line port or nearby alternatives with shuttles.
Carnival Port Canaveral parking – $17 per day
If you meet certain criteria as a disabled passenger, you may qualify to have your daily fee waived along with convenient, wheelchair-friendly parking spaces.
Independent off-site parking is available. Remember you will need to take their shuttle to and from the port which may require more transport time.
Go Port Cruise parking charges a shuttle fee instead of a daily parking fee which starts at $45 for 1 traveler and $5 for each additional traveler. You can park up to 15 days at their location when using this service.
Park N Cruise offers low priced parking with a shuttle to the port starting at $11.95 per day (use advance registration on website for lowest price).
Cruisetime Parking & Shuttle is $10 per day with a max of 4 people per vehicle.
Park Port Canaveral offers close secured, paved, parking with shuttle for as low as $10.90 per day.
Using GPS to Get to Port Canaveral Cruise Terminals
For GPS users, the addresses of the terminals are:
- CT1 Terminal — 9050 Discovery Road
- CT2 Terminal — 180 Christopher Columbus Drive
- CT3 Terminal — 32 George King Blvd.
- CT5 Terminal — 9245 Charles M Rowland Drive
- CT6 Terminal — 9241 Charles M Rowland Drive
- CT8 Terminal — 9155 Charles M Rowland Drive
- CT10 Terminal — 9005 Charles M Rowland Drive
Note: All terminal addresses are Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
How to get to Port Canaveral By Rail or By Bus
By Rail
The nearest Amtrak station is in Sanford, FL. About 60 minutes away from Port Canaveral.
By Bus
Greyhound bus has 2 terminals nearby at the Melbourne International Airport and Titusville, both of which are about 30 minutes from Port Canaveral. However, you get to your cruise, have a great time! You’re on vacation!
Still looking for a cruise? Try my Cruise Planner.
Port Canaveral Excursions and Tours
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4 thoughts on “6+ Ways to Get from (Orlando International Airport) MCO to Port Canaveral”
This is great information. This will make it easier for me to get to the airport when I finally take a Disney Cruise.
Thanks! I can’t wait to take a Disney Cruise one day also!
Excellent thoughts on how to get to Port Canaveral from Orlando. I think I would do the one way rental. That seems the most efficient for my family! All about efficiency!
Definitely! And it works whether you stay a night in Orlando or in Cocoa Beach. It definitely keeps things flexible, easy, and on your own timeline.