Each year, millions of visitors travel through Orlando International Airport on their way to the nearby Port Canaveral cruise terminals. While Orlando International Airport and Port Canaveral do appear relatively close, nearly an hour of driving time separates the two destinations. To help fill this gap, visitors have a number of options for transportation between Orlando International Airport and Port Canaveral.
While cruise lines specialize in transportation across open ocean waters, many larger cruise lines also either supply land transportation themselves or partner with local bus lines to provide transportation for their guests. Disney cruise line, for example, employs a proprietary fleet of Disney buses to transport its guests from the airport terminal to the cruise terminal; competitors Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruise lines partner with local providers to ensure their passengers arrive at the port terminal on time. Cruise passengers who take advantage of transportation offers from the cruise lines enjoy an added benefit of priority disembarkation, as cruise lines often get their land transportation guests off the ship first to ensure no one misses a flight.
A number of entrepreneurs operate out of the Orlando area, and this enterprising community quickly capitalized on passengers' need for transportation between Orlando International Airport and Port Canaveral. For this reason, numerous private car, town car and limo services exist solely for the purpose of transporting passengers between the airport and the cruise terminal. Prices vary considerably from car company to car company, but most charge a single flat rate for transportation between the airport and cruise port. )Before agreeing to private car service, be sure to verify whether the company's rates include the tolls incurred when traversing the Beachline expressway en route to Port Canaveral). Some passengers may also consider loading themselves into one of the hundreds of taxi cabs licensed to serve the airport, though the per-mile charge of taxis often costs more than the much more posh car services.
For more economy minded passengers, express cruise line transportation and private car services may seem somewhat extravagant. Such visitors may, instead, prefer to catch a ride with one of the more than two million Orlando area residents. Online services such as Craigslist and local newspapers including the "Orlando Weekly" allow users to set up ride shares with friends, usually for some small compensation or contribution for gas. Because many individuals commute between the Orlando area and jobs or homes along the coast, rides along the popular Beachline expressway are both plentiful and easy to pick up. Visitors should not arrive in Orlando without a pre-existing connection, though, so be certain to connect with a reliable ride share before boarding a Florida-bound flight.
