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Okay, we made it!!!

I'm going to post about our other stops elsewhere, this is for Canaveral. We went ahead and booked a private kayak manatee and dolphin tour with A1A Beach Rentals and it was a blast! It was just us, self-guided out of a private launch area nowhere near where the cruise kayak tour went. We found a pod of manatees that were begging for attention and were very playful. The water was stained, but clear enough that we also saw stingrays, horseshoe crabs and lots of fish, even some that jump out of the water. In all, I would say we were on the water about 3hrs and were not worn out, which some of us feared. Paddling was easy and effortless (nearly). It wasn't hot, so that helped a lot.

We rented a car from Payless for $30 and drove right to the kayak launch. After that, we got on some beach cruiser bikes that A1A Beach Rentals gave us at a discount, and rode on the beach. It was a beautiful day. On the beach, we stopped at a bar called the Sandbar and had their "famous fish tacos." They were very good. This area also had the giant surf shops there within a block or two. It looks like biking around is a lot easier and certainly free-er than the cruise ship shuttle buses. We also stopped at the pier which was cool to walk out on and had some drinks, which was about 4-5 blocks north of all the surf shops.

By the way, all of this was within 5-10 minutes of the terminal. In the afternoon, we drove to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center and walked around the rocket gardens, watched an I-max shuttle launch movie and played around with the interactions. We also stopped on the side of the road to get some pics of an alligator just sunning himself right on the side of the road! Crazy! In all, this was our favorite stop, probably because its still in the US and everything is normal and safe. Renting a car was a great decision and saved us some serious money, and the guys at A1A Beach Rentals were very helpful and accommodating. The surf shops attractions are cool for walking around, and if you need sandals or something similar these would be a good place to get them. Our next time in Canaveral, we'll probably do the airboat rides and/or go fishing. The Banana River Lagoon is much closer than we thought, its literally right there just seconds away and has great inshore flats fishing, so that is something new to look forward to.

Oh, reliving the trip is like meditation. Beats work I can tell you that much.

After talking with people down there, Cocoa Beach is just a mile or so from the port and taxis are everywhere. I just posted on another thread about shore activities with local providers at about 1/2 the cost of the cruise ship. No matter what we do, we're looking at saving about $200 on just one day in Canaveral by bypassing the cruise excursions. We found kayak guides, fishing guides, surf instructors, but you have to like the outdoors. If you want to go shopping or to a theme park, then the cruise ship may be the way to go.

I narrowed down our choices to Ron Jon Surf Shop, A1A Beach Rentals and Cocoa Beach Surf Shop for our activity options. They all have good ratings and several things to do.

Ok, so after a month of researching and trying to find a way to save some $$$, here is what I have found out:

1. Taxis can take you anywhere, and unless you're going to Orlando, everything is within 10 minutes of the port. This includes the beach, inshore lagoon (for kayakers and paddleboarders - something we're doing), the mall, liquor stores, etc. They are on site at the terminal to take you anywhere at about $5 per person.

2. There are several outfitters in the area that offer similar services to the cruise ship at about 1/2 the cost. I found surf instructors, kayak guides, fishing guides and more. The good ones are on tripadvisor-just do your homework.

We are either taking a taxi to the beach and getting a lesson and board rental from Ron Jon Surf Shop or A1A Beach Rentals. They are about the same price, but Ron Jon will give us a shopping discount if we want to purchase anything. However A1A Beach Rentals has more rental gear and they offer unguided kayak tours in the lagoon for manatee and dolphin viewing - something my wife is very interested in. We need to decide in the next few days so if anyone has anything to add, that would be great. There is actually quite a bit to do if you like the outdoors. Other things we are interested in are freshwater kayak tours for alligator viewing and bass fishing, bike trail riding in a state wildlife refuge, and fishing. We found a 1/2 day guided flats fishing guide where the taxi can take us right to the launch site. The guide even offered to pick us up. Decisions...decisions

Thanks I'll check those out. But there is definitely some confusion if I have to go to the Florida Departures page if I'm leaving out of Baltimore??? Canaveral is both a departure port and a port of call. For me leaving out of Baltimore it is a port of call, and I suspect more people who are visiting Canaveral as a port of call (such as those departing from Baltimore) and not as a departure port will know more about shore excursions, since they are the forum members here that would have looked into it. I can't speak for your train of thought, but I would not expect someone getting on a boat at Canaveral and going to the Caribbean for their 1st port of call would know much about Canaveral as a port of call.

Are there any independent shore excursion companies? Other ports (caribbean) are teeming with independents that provide the same/similar activities as the boat excursions? I found just one in Canaveral-it has a good tripadvisor rating, but I'd like to find more?

I too am looking. My family is coming in December out of Baltimore. I just got online and searched tripadvisor and found a store called A1A Beach Rentals in Canaveral. Its the first listed company that offers recreation that isn't a fishing boat! I guess Canaveral has lots of fishing. We're looking for something to do without paying $100/person to do it which seems to be the going rate for shore excursions on our boat. Good luck. I'll share anything else I find.

We're looking for something to do at Canaveral without booking a shore excursion. So far through the ship we're looking at $99/person for a kayak trip, or $119/person for a surfing lesson and beach day, both of which seems a bit high. There has to be an alternative without going through the ship. Any suggestions for bypassing the cruise's excursions?

Leaving Baltimore in December. I've already researched water temps in central Florida in December and they are supposed to be in the mid-70s. Can't wait!!!