Ahoy there Nancy, and welcome to planDisney! I'm so excited that you're looking to embark on an adventure on the Disney Dream this fall! I love cruising during September and October, so you're already one step ahead if you ask me!
Your crew will be sailing during the
Disney Dream's new homeporting from Miami after the
Disney Wish makes its debut! It's so exciting that as the fleet grows, we're seeing new home ports and itineraries. I can't wait to see what's next...but let's get back to your question!
Ah, a pre-departure hotel stay! What a great way to ensure you're at the ship on time on embarkation day - that's a planDrew-approved approach for sure. Now, before we had our son, my wife and I used to always fly in the day of embarkation, and now thinking back to that, I can't believe our luck that we haven't missed a sail away. I guess we were just a couple of crazy kids who threw caution to the wind back then!
While there are numerous hotel options at each port, we always start by looking at which hotels are part of the official
pre-and post-cruise hotel stays available to book through Disney Cruise Line at each departure port! These hotels are always top-notch, and serve as a great barometer of how close to the port - or what radius from the airport we fly into - a convenient hotel should be.
There are currently three hotels in Miami listed as pre-and post-cruise options, so I'd suggest starting with those options for your vacation. Each of them looks to be between three and 10 miles from the port - pretty close by Miami standards - and would make a great home base for a few days to let you explore Miami before you embark! If you decide you'd like to book a stay at one of these hotels, I'd
plan on calling a crew member so that your stay can be arranged as part of your vacation package!
Another option is to look at hotels in Fort Lauderdale. The last time we sailed from Miami, our flights actually were into Fort Lauderdale's airport which is just about 30 minutes away (without traffic) from the Port of Miami. While this required us to set up our own transportation to the port on embarkation day, for that particular Disney Cruise Line vacation it allowed us to stay a bit further out and save a bit of money, while still being close enough to get to the ship without issue!
Whichever you decide, I hope these tips help you chart a course for a great pre-cruise stay for you and your crew, Nancy! Thank you so much for your question, and if any of the markings on your map need any more decoding, please drop me a line here at planDisney!
Fair winds and following seas!
Andrew