The Best Hotel for Before Your Disney Cruise
The Best Hotel Before Your Disney Cruise
I’ve been staying here for almost 2 decades before my Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral!
I cannot tell you how many times per day I get asked about the best hotel to stay at before a Disney Cruise leaving from Port Canaveral. It’s a lot! I am very excited to be sharing this because my family has been staying at this hotel as a pre-stay and even sometimes a post-stay for our Disney Cruises from Port Canaveral for nearly two decades! So, when I tell you this is my go-to Disney Cruise hotel, I mean it. We have stayed here with family, friends, and even made friends at the hotel that were sailing with us on our Disney Cruise the next day. There are so many reasons that I think this is the best hotel to stay at before a Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral, and I can’t wait for you to stay there to see it for yourself.
Let’s do a quick reminder here that you should always fly in at least one day before your Disney Cruise. I know getting a hotel for an evening is an additional cost; I absolutely understand that. But after these last few years, we know that on the day of your cruise anything could happen: flight crew is delayed, plane needs maintenance, flooded highways, flat tires, baggage didn’t make the connection. I know that sometimes due to work, family commitments, or funds that flying in a day early for your Disney Cruise isn’t an option. If that’s you, then I would take the earliest possible flight out and definitely consider buying travel insurance just in case something happens. You have been waiting so long for this cruise, so the stress just isn’t worth it. We have been in situations where weather has delayed our flights for hours upon hours, but thankfully we always give ourselves at least one whole travel day. If you can do two (especially if you have a substantial time change), then why not start your vacation early and give yourself some peace of mind?
When it comes to finding a hotel to stay in near Orlando or Port Canaveral, you definitely have options. Disney Cruise Line has a partnership with the hotel in the airport, you have choices near the port (remember that the Orlando airport [MCO] is about 45-60 minutes from the Disney Cruise Port Canaveral Terminal), and there’s always staying at Walt Disney World Resorts. If you’re wondering where to stay before your Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral, I cannot recommend Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport (or as I’ll refer to it – Embassy Suites MCO) enough.
Embassy Suites MCO is the perfect pre-Disney Cruise hotel in Orlando for so many reasons that I have below. If you’re trying to figure out what hotel to stay at before your Disney Cruise, look no further. My family loves staying here before our Disney Cruises and sometimes even after because of the shuttle, proximity to anything you need, amenities, the staff, the rooms, the food offerings, and so much more!
Let’s start by discussing where the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport is. Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport is located at 5835 T G Lee Blvd, Orlando, FL 32822 which is just a few minutes from Orlando’s MCO airport (hence its name). For your Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral, the most common airport to fly into is MCO. You have other options like Sanford, but we love MCO (you should definitely follow them on Instagram! They are HILARIOUS!).
When you fly into MCO, you’ll find that the airport is very easy to navigate. There is signage everywhere, so it’s not hard to get from your gate to baggage claim. Once we have our bags, we call the team at Embassy Suites MCO (save the number in your phone or screenshot in case you’re having signal issues). Depending on which terminal you fly into (A, B, or C), they will tell you to go outside and wait at a certain number (example: B42) for their complimentary airport shuttle! Be sure that you have all your bags before you call. The luggage teams at MCO are working extremely hard to get all the bags from all the flights to baggage claim as quickly as possible, but sometimes that involves a little bit of a wait.
When the hotel shuttle arrives, the driver will help you with all your bags (be sure to bring cash for tips!). They are always super friendly, so don’t be afraid to chat. We have made great friends with some of these drivers! They’ll bring you to Embassy Suites MCO which is just a few minute drive away. Note: keep in mind that they might be picking people up from other terminals and bringing them back to the hotel if the shuttle is full, so please be patient.
I love this hotel because of its proximity to the airport and also because of how close it is to everything else! From the hotel, we have easily walked to restaurants, stores, nail salons, liquor stores, or hopped into a rideshare to head to Walmart. I often get asked how you’re supposed to buy bottles of wine or cans of beer to bring onboard (more on Disney’s alcohol policy here) if you stay at the airport hotel, but staying nearby allows you to have the convenience of the airport without the hassle of airport parking, wait times, etc.
When you enter the hotel, you’ll see that it is modern, clean, and staffed by friendly faces. Upon walking in, you’ll find the check-in desk on the left. Hilton Honors members (you can join for free) may receive a complimentary bottle of water per guest. When you explore the hotel, you’ll find a small gym (with a Peloton!), outdoor pool and hot tub, bar, conference rooms, and balconies going all the way up to the ceiling. We also like to put our name down for the shuttle back to the airport if we are taking Disney transfers from MCO to Port Canaveral the next day. You don’t have to do this, but it works for us. If you’re looking for a non-Disney transportation option to Port Canaveral for your Disney Cruise, I wrote this review comparing different options.
One of the BEST parts of this Orlando hotel are the rooms! These rooms do justice to the name – Embassy Suites MCO. It’s not a small hotel room where you’re crawling over each other to use the sink or cram onto the couch. These are truly suites. There’s typically a “living room” area with a sofa sleeper, mini refrigerator, coffee maker, dining table, and TV; then there’s a nice-sized bathroom with a hairdryer and upgraded bath amenities before you enter the bedroom area which has another TV. I have to call it out, but the pillows here are my FAVORITE! I always sleep like a baby the night before my Disney Cruise when I’m at Embassy Suites MCO. So comfy! The bedroom is separated from the living room area, so parents can put the kids to bed and still have their own space. They also have accessible room options, pet-friendly stays for our service animal friends, and connecting rooms for larger parties or even family reunions.
Disney Cruise Pro Tip: pack everything you need for embarkation day in one suitcase. This way, you’re not having to open up every suitcase to find what everyone needs for that one day. We typically use a carry-on bag that has the whole family’s outfits, toiletries, pajamas, and embarkation day things in it so that way we don’t even need to touch the rest of the bags once we get into the hotel room. I also wouldn’t recommend putting the luggage tags from Disney Cruise Line on your luggage until after your flight. They have extras at the port if you need it, but this way there’s less of a chance of them being damaged.
Okay – back to the best Disney Cruise hotel in Orlando and my favorite topic: food.
Embassy Suites MCO offers a complimentary breakfast every morning! How AMAZING is that?! Yogurt, fruit, cereals, pancakes, potatoes, custom omelets, baked goods, and more are all included in your night’s stay. And on top of that, they also have a complimentary evening reception at the bar where you can have complimentary beverages from the bar (get your vouchers from the front desk). We usually fly in quite early, so we get to the hotel, grab lunch somewhere nearby, eat poolside, freshen up, head to the reception where we order dinner (the hotel’s restaurant has a great variety of food!), and then turn in for the night.
When we wake up, we take turns with people going downstairs to get breakfast while others shower and get ready for the day. The rooms have several outlets for charging devices like phones, MagicBand+, etc. and also have multiple mirrors, vanities, and sinks to help in brushing teeth, doing makeup, hair, etc. These rooms are seriously the BEST whether you’re traveling with family or friends because you have space to do your own thing or be together. Once we are ready to check-out (check-out is at 11 AM which is great not having to rush out the door, especially with a later Port Arrival Time), we head downstairs where we either take the complimentary shuttle back to the airport for Disney transfers or to rent a car or you can have a private Disney Cruise transportation take you directly to Port Canaveral from the airport.
I have to call this out because it’s such a misconception. You do NOT have to stay at the Hyatt MCO or WDW Resorts in order to use DCL transfers to and from the port. Let me say that again – if you want to use Disney transfers for your Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral, you do NOT need to stay at Hyatt MCO or Walt Disney World Resorts. When the driver of the Embassy Suites MCO shuttle is bringing you and your luggage back to the airport the day of your Disney Cruise, just tell them that you’re cruising with Disney. They’ll bring you right up to the Disney section where you can check in, hand-off your luggage, and wait to board the Disney buses to Port Canaveral. Again, remember to bring cash for tips for all the drivers and porters. I would also always recommend booking transfers ahead of time. If we do Disney Cruise Line transportation, we have our amazing travel agent add it to our reservation. We also love private transportation options like this that we can book in advance and have pricing locked in (plus they have strollers, car seats, and stop at Publix if we need!).
Embassy Suites MCO feels like it was MADE for families and adults going on Disney Cruises because the team there is up to Disney level service. They’re kind. They’re great with the kids. They start your vacation off on the best note! Plus, those breakfast potatoes and pillows are enough to keep me coming back for more! There are great hotels all over Orlando or near Port Canaveral, but we come back to Embassy Suites MCO time and time again because of the service, cleanliness, proximity, and amenities. If you’re taking a Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral, Embassy Suites MCO is our absolute favorite hotel. I’m so excited for you to visit this hotel and see what we love so much about it!
If this review has been helpful and you decide to book, underneath the ADDITIONAL COMMENTS section, please mention you saw the review on the DCL Community website from Rebecca Sutcliffe. I don’t get anything from it, but it just lets the hotel know that I was helpful in your vacation decision-making process.
A big shoutout to the amazing team at Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport for sponsoring this review. As always, I would never recommend something that I wouldn’t use myself and all the opinions and information in here are based on my personal experience. I was so happy to get to utilize this hotel and be able to share with Disney Cruisers from around the world before they book their hotel before or after their Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral.
