Port terminal- Royal Caribbean wins when it comes to the port terminal and embarkation. Our party arrived by local taxi and had to only deal with carry-on items as the luggage was taken away as we stepped out of the van. We waited in what looked to be a long line outside the terminal, but it moved swiftly indoors and on through security. After security, we followed the signs up the escalator to the second level where you had two lines, one for decks 1-8 and the other for decks 9 and higher, plus members of Royal Caribbeans programs that award frequent travelers. Our stateroom was on deck 9, so off the line on the right we went. I would estimate the wait time to be less than 3 minutes for us and the total time at the desk to be less than 5 minutes. That includes taking I.D. photos of the three individuals in our party and giving us our Sea passes. From there we were boarding the ship and off to lunch. We found the Promenade to be open and sat down for some pizza at Sorrento.

The three previous cruises with Disney Cruise Lines we used Disney ground transfers from Orlando International Airport to the cruise terminal. This was always seamless and well organized. Check-in with Disney isnt as fast, but it has never been so long that it was a nuisance. The part that Disney could improve on is getting passengers on the ship once checked in. With Disney, you check in and sit for what can feel like an eternity waiting on your group number to be called. This is especially true when it comes to loading the much larger than Magic, Disney Dream. For this trip we arrived one day early and stayed one day late. For that reason, I arranged all the ground transfers to and from MCO to LaQuinta Oceanfront in Cocoa Beach with Executive VIP Limo Service. I highly recommend their service as we found them to be prompt, courteous and more than reasonably priced. It only took an email to Executive VIP and Michael called me to finalize everything. We even added a person to our return trip and this service accommodated without any issues. You can search this site to find the same great reviews that led me to use this service.

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