Hey, howdy, hey, Christine!
Yeehaw! It's going to be a rootin' tootin' time aboard the Disney Destiny for you and your little one. My family has a Disney cruise out of Fort Lauderdale scheduled for later this year too. We are so excited for our adventure "where magic meets the sea."
Here are some options I would recommend for your travel needs from the airport, to the hotel, to the Disney Cruise Line terminal, and back.
Airport to Hotel
Because Disney Cruise Line only offers ground transfers on the day of embarkation and the day of debarkation, you will obviously need to find your own transportation from the airport to your hotel before your cruise. Besides checking with your hotel to see what shuttle options they may have, I have a couple more thoughts. First, you can try an Internet search for "rideshare service for families in Fort Lauderdale" to find several family-friendly transportation services that may be able to offer the use of car seats for your brief drive to the hotel. Another option to consider is to simply bring your own car seat along with you on your travel experience. I've noticed many families doing this lately. I would check with your specific airline to find out their policies for use or checking of your car seat. There are also several compact, travel-friendly options for car seats. When I do an online shopping search for something like "travel car seat for 3-year-old," I see quite a few options for child car seats that are quite portable and convenient. Traveling with your own car seat opens up a lot of options to get to the hotel, including rideshare services, taxis, limousines, and more.
Hotel to Port
My personal preference for transportation to the port on embarkation day is to book Disney Cruise Line ground transfers. I appreciate the convenience, of course. But I mostly love how it makes it feel like our Disney cruise vacation starts even earlier. If you are staying at a Disney Cruise Line partner hotel, there is usually an option for motorcoach transportation straight from the hotel to the port. When we stay at non-partner hotels, we like to first travel to the airport, then ride Disney Cruise Line transportation to the port. If you use the Disney-provided motorcoach service, child car seats are not required. Of course, options similar to what I mentioned for airport-to-hotel transportation above would also work for your hotel-to-port travel needs.
After Your Cruise
Sadly, our Disney cruises don't last forever. But that doesn't mean that we can't end things with ease and convenience still. Again, we like to take a Disney Cruise Line ground transfer to the airport, if we are flying out that day, or to a partner hotel. And naturally, the family-friendly rideshare services or personal child car seats are other options to consider for this leg of your trip too.
I hope you and your little Oceaneer have a magical cruise, Christine. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Bon voyage, Christine!
~Tony