Ahoy, Cheryl - welcome back to
planDisney!
My most recent sailing was in January on the
Disney Wish, Concierge Level, and I had the exact same question as you. Let me share what I learned and what my crew ended up doing! First, I think it's important to acknowledge how much of a benefit sailing
Concierge is when it comes to embarkation and debarkation days. Being one of the first to board the ship is a huge perk, and it wasn't something that we wanted to risk missing out on!
For that reason, we decided to forego our usual convenient Disney Cruise Line
Ground Transportation and instead booked a one-way rental car from the Orlando International Airport that I could drop off at the rental agency located at Port Canaveral. This also made it convenient for us to get from the airport to our
Disney Resort Hotel at the beginning of our vacation!
For the end of our cruise, we again booked a one-way rental because we had other travel plans that necessitated it. If we were going back to the airport or the Walt Disney World Resort instead, I definitely would've used Disney Cruise Line Ground Transportation. For shorter sailings, I know some friends who will rent a car and park it at the Terminal garage. This saves them a bit of time because they don't have to take the quick shuttle to and from the car rental agency, but they end up paying for parking and additional rental days while the car sits parked. On a 3-night sailing, that's not too bad, but it would quickly add up on a longer sailing!
So, that's what we did, now let me tell you why I made that choice! Disney Ground Transportation to Port Canaveral is more of an art than a science because Guests on each sailing are coming from different destinations, at different times, including the airport and various Disney Resort Hotels. If you are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, you'd typically learn about your Ground Transportation departure time upon checking in. This time can vary depending on what other Resorts the bus needs to stop at, so there's no guarantee that you would arrive at Port Canaveral by 11:00 a.m. From the airport, there are multiple departures, but things can get busy if a lot of passengers are taking this transportation option to Port Canaveral. For this reason, I don't recommend spending the time traveling back to the airport - just take Ground Transportation directly from your Disney Resort Hotel to Port Canaveral.
So, long story short, you have several great options, and you're already in a great position by sailing Concierge. Whenever you arrive you'll have an expedited boarding process and will be enjoying the Concierge Lounge in no time!
Ryan J.