If I learned one thing this summer, it’s that Disney cruises aren’t cheap.
I recently took a three-day trip on the Disney Wish, the company’s newest ship, and paid over $2,700 just to get on board. After plane rides, a hotel stay, buying souvenirs, and other costs, my total for the trip was almost $4,000.
Still, I was able to save a little money in a few places, most notably on transportation.
Disney charges $39 to take people to and from Port Canaveral, so I looked for other ways to get there.
My Disney cruise was supposed to be at the end of July, but when my sister tested positive for COVID-19 at the port, we were both turned away.
So, when I changed our new sailing date and booked it only four weeks ahead of time, most private shuttles were already full. Lucky for us, there was a service called Go Port, and one-way tickets cost $30 per person.
That’s less expensive than Disney tickets and a lot cheaper than an Uber or Lyft.
My sister and I also saved money by taking the free shuttle from our hotel to the airport, where Go Port picked us up.
The $30 Go Port shuttle was full but easy to use.
My sister and I went straight to the Go Port desk in the ground transportation area when we got to the airport the day of our cruise.
At Orlando International Airport, the Go Port desk.
We checked in, got a number card, and were told that a Go Port worker would be with us soon to take us to the next bus.
On pickup days, Go Port shuttles run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and it takes about an hour to get to Port Canaveral.
Checking in for our cruise shuttle took less than two minutes.
About 10 minutes later, a new Go Port representative called and walked us to the bus, where workers helped us load our bags underneath.
The bus quickly filled up with restless tourists, and my sister and I were the only ones wearing Mickey Mouse shirts. But since we got there early, we were able to sit together.
At the Orlando International Airport, people get on a Go Port bus.
The bus was a little old-fashioned, with yellowed windows and worn fabric seats.
Still, the ride was comfortable, and there were working ports for phone chargers above our heads, so I had no complaints, especially after we got to Port Canaveral.
Everyone else on our bus was dropped off where their ships were docked in the main part of Port Canaveral. But because Disney has its own section, we were driven all the way across the port so we wouldn’t have to walk with our luggage.
Even though the bus was a bit old, it was still nice to sit in.
So, our trip didn’t start with “Disney magic,” but we were safe, comfortable, and even saved a little money.
At the end of my trip, when I looked at all the receipts, that was really all I could have asked for.