Hi ,I have a few questions Id like to see if you can help me with. Firstly- can you do a 3 day cruise with Disney to Bahamas without having to obtain a passport for it- (Expensive for a one time 3 day trip) also, we are considering leaving one evening ,flying to Orlando,renting a car, driving to Port Canaveral to save on transfer fees and staying a t nearest hotel to terminal (any recommendations???) then like to return car next morning but need ride to terminal- do rental companies nearby there pick up? When return to Pt Canaveral we will do one way transfers as we will be heading to WDW for a week. I appreciate any help and insight you can give me.

Let’s break this down.

Question: Can you do a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas without a passport?

Answer: Yes, in most cases you can do a Disney cruise to the Bahamas if you’re a U.S. citizen without a passport. U.S. citizens traveling to the Bahamas by sea (not air) can use a valid U.S. passport or passport card, a valid Trusted Traveler Card, or a government issued photo ID along with a state-issued birth certificate. I just double-checked this on the DisneyCruise.com web site, too.

Question: Do you have any recommendations for a hotel near the Port Canaveral terminal?

Answer: I’ve stayed in a bunch of hotels: Radisson Resort, Cocoa Beach Suites (formerly Quality Suites), Motel 6, Residence Inn, Holiday Inn Club Vacations (formerly Ron Jon Cape Caribe), etc. They were all fine for what they are — a place to sleep the night before. I’ve got them all detailed in the PassPorter’s Disney Cruise guidebook. I may stay in one again this February. I recommend you pick the one that fits your budget — you probably won’t spend much time there.

Question: Do any rental car companies in Port Canaveral give rides to the cruise terminal?

Answer: Yes indeed. Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, and Thrifty all have complimentary shuttles from the offices to the terminal. I recommend you shop around for a good rate with one of them, and then call to confirm that their shuttle details. I just double-checked with Avis, and sure enough they still have their complimentary shuttle service and no advance reservations are required for it — you can read the details here: http://www.aviscapecanaveral.com/shuttle.php

I’m greatly looking forward to my visit to Port Canaveral in just a little over a month!