Three options to consider for overnight accommodations before or after your cruise.

 It was all a Dream, that was my Notorious BIG impression. The Disney Dream is a great introduction for first time Disney cruisers. It is normally a short itinerary-3 or 4 days. It sails out of Orlando and gives you the opportunity to visit some sites before your cruise. Also, for first timers being out in the middle of the ocean with children for 7 days or more can seem frightening. Boy I know because we were nervous nillies! All kinds of thoughts ran through our heads. “What if the kids get sick?”, “What if we get sick?”, “What if everyone gets us sick?” “What medicine do we pack”, “Do the ship have a pharmacy”, “Should we pack the medicine cabinet just in case?” You may not have known but my wife is a nurse which all the questions came from. Although 3 days on a cruise is a great, it may not be enough vacation time for your family. Here are some options to consider before you set sail.

1.  Stay on a Disney property. Some of the resorts can seem expensive especially after chucking out the money for the cruise but for Disney theming and the Disney feel, consider a Disney Value Resort. Depending on the time of year they can start as low as $99 per night. Rooms are on the smaller side but the properties are huge. If you are flying in, the Magical Express can take you from the airport to the resort for free and you can catch the Disney Cruise Line bus from the resort to the port (for a fee). Scheduling DCL transport is convenient and stress-free on the DCL website.  Magical Express scheduling is as easy as calling
   407-939-1936 with your flight, resort, and party information.
   
   

2. Stay in a non Disney property. Orlando has so many great areas to visit. Disney may not be your only cup of tea. There is Sea World, Universal Studios, and many gator tours for you gator lovers. Websites like goport.com allows you to select a hotel and be shuttled to that hotel. After your stay the company sets you up with a shuttle to the port and from the port to the airport afterwards.  Disney Partnered hotels are not Disney properties, but have benefits like transportation to Disney theme parks, proximity to theme parks, and the ability to buy theme park tickets onsite.
   
   

3. Stay at the Hyatt hotel in the airport (I recommend calling to ensure the same rules apply). This is a great option if you come down the night before. The cool thing about this hotel is they will deliver your luggage directly from your room to the port. You get up, get dressed, and roll out with just your carry-on items. Leave your bags in your room, tag it with the special tags and head over to concourse B for the Disney Cruise Line bus. Later through the magic of Disney, your bags magically appear in you cabin!  It is pricey for one night but very convenient. They also offer day rates for your return if you have a late flight home.

 
My family and I have tried all of these options and they each have its benefits and can be combined in many ways.  Land-Sea, Sea-Land, Cruise only with resort stay, Cruise only…do some research and see which would benefit your family.