Orlando, the beautiful city, is most famous for its theme parks, but as a city of more than two million people there is considerably more to see and do than just Disney World, and Universal Studios. There is a thriving nightlife downtown, at Pointe Orlando, and at Citywalk. Shopaholics can find retail release at the Florida Mall, Mall at Millenia, and Premier Outlets. The intellectual itch can be scratched at the Orlando Science Center, and the Morse Museum. There are even collections of exotic flora at the Leu Gardens. Cruisers who reserve a Go Port package at one of our Orlando hotel partners do not lack for choices of things to do the day before their cruise departs.
And, of course there are always those famous theme parks.
If you’ve booked a Snooze Park Cruise package through Go Port package through Go Port then picking a diversion, and getting to it, isn’t a problem. Orlando is a car friendly—if crowded—town. If you have flown in, as part of a Fly Snooze Cruise package then you don’t have a four-wheeled-roller handy, and getting to a local attraction the day before your cruise is slightly more problematic.
Getting Out and Around
Orlando’s theme parks are what you’re probably wondering about. Well, if you don’t have a car and Universal Studios, the Islands of Adventure sub-park, or Sea World are your idea of vacation joy you’re in luck. Orlando’s public transportation system caters to tourists, and the city’s Lynx Buses make regular runs from Go Port’s hotel partners to Universal Studios, Sea World, and the surrounding areas. The Lynx Route Number is 51, and you will have to walk to a stop at either T.G. Lee Boulevard, or Hazeltine National Drive. The trip will require one transfer at the Downtown Orlando bus station—which is better than what you picture when you hear downtown bus station—and the total trip time is about an hour. Easily managed the day before your cruise. Our Lake Nona hotel partners, the Courtyard and Residence Inns, have a bus that connects directly with the Florida Mall, number 418, and downtown Orlando, number 406, from both of which you can catch a connecting bus to Universal. To catch the bus from both these hotels requires making it to the bus stop in front of the University of Central Florida’s college of medicine, only about a quarter of a mile away.
Entertainment and shopping districts like Orlando’s downtown, International Drive, Pointe Orlando, the Florida Mall, the Mall at Millennia, and Citywalk are actually on the way to Universal. We should point out that International Drive is very close to our partner hotels by the airport, and we have a hotel partner within walking distance of the Florida Mall. The Econo Lodge Florida Mall is only a quarter of a mile away from the mall it takes it’s name from, and the Florida Mall is a major hub for Lynx Buses. Other places of interest like the Harry P. Leu Gardens, Morse Museum, and Orlando Science Center are a similar time and distance away. Although they’re to the north of downtown Orlando in and around Winter Park.
A fixed route all-day pass on Orlando’s Lynx Bus will cost about $4.50 per person, and can be purchased online, but you’ll need to allow 5 to 7 days for them to arrive. You can also buy a bus pass when you arrive in Orlando. The nearest seller of bus passes to the Orlando Airport is only about a mile away from our hotel partners. You can check online at Lynx’s website to find a retailer near you. The prices for Lynx Bus passes follows:
-
Lynx Bus Passes
- $4.50 Fixed Route All-Day
- $2.00 Fixed Route Single-Ride
- $16.00 Fixed Route 7-Day
There are other discounted passed available, and if you’re interested then you should check to see if you qualify for the discounted price at the Lynx Website. The company’s trip planner is also an invaluable asset when planning an Orlando vacation.
You’ve probably noticed that we haven’t mentioned Disney World. That’s because Disney World is considerably farther away than the other Orlando attractions. One-way trip time to the Walt Disney World Resort from Go Port’s partner hotels is nearly 4 hours when you take the bus, and close to 8 hours for a round-trip. That isn’t a manageable travel time for the day before you embark on your cruise. There is an alternative, however.
Taking the Cab
Hailing a Taxi reduces your travel time from near the Orlando Airport to Walt Disney World to about an hour. It will cost approximately $68 dollars to get there, and a similar amount to get back. It’s approximately the same price for a private car, or a limo service. It is also close to the price the cruise lines charge for a Disney World Excursion when you book a cruise that has Orlando as a port-of-call rather than a port of departure.
Taking a cab to Universal Studios, or to any of the attractions we mentioned before reduces the travel time to around 20 minutes, and costs around $50 to $55 dollars. Not a bad trade off in time, but possibly more than you want to spend. Once again that price is one-way. Estimates for cab fare to popular Orlando attractions are:
-
-
Cab Fare Estimates
- $135 Orlando Airport Area to Port Canaveral:
- $53.00 Orlando Airport Area to International Drive:
- $55.00 Orlando Airport Area to Sea World / Discovery:
- $68.00 Orlando Airport Area to Magic Kingdom:
- $46.00 Orlando Airport Area to Mall at Millenia:
- $55.00 Orlando Airport Area to Downtown Orlando:
- $40.00 Orlando Airport Area to Florida Mall:
- $59.00 Orlando Airport Area to Universal Orlando Resort:
-
$35 Go Port Shuttle: Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral Starting at:
These are estimates and the price may vary, and there are some other caveats though. The first is that it may take some time for a cab to be dispatched to you. That can add a significant amount of time. If you’re traveling with a child who needs a car seat then you’ll need to be aware that many cab companies do not provide them, and will expect you to bring your own. You may want to opt for a limo service which will provide one.
A Fair City of Fairs, and Fares
Orlando is advertised as a vacation paradise, and it really does have everything that’s needed to build a dream vacation, or at the very least a memorable one. However, many people underestimate the size of Florida, the size of Orlando, and the size of the theme parks. It can be easy for visitors to plan more than they can do, and end up footsore and waiting more than they should.
If you keep these things in mind and work out what you want to see and do the most, budget your time and money wisely then it isn’t all that hard to get around. If you don’t plan ahead, or plan without looking deeper then its easy to take on too much, and potentially miss a connection.
Instead plan ahead, book with Go Port, and plan to have the time of your life.
Recommend
