SteerageJoe

Jolyroger, I agree with the restaurants at the Port but think Millikens Reef is the most kid-friendly during the day. They have the best views of the ships and if it is a nice day you can sit outside while watching your younger kids play in the clean white sand next to the tiki bar. They even put out toys!

Fishlips (outside) can be a challenge with smaller kids because they have high tables/bar stools. Grills has the best food of the three (and regular tables) and would be my 2nd choice after Millikens.

After dark, however, the Port is not really kid-friendly and the Shark Pit in the Sheraton is a great place to take kids. The round shark tank is really fun to watch and the older kids can browse the connecting surf shop.

Cab will work fine, also the SCAT bus to Publix as Montana mentioned.

The nearest liquor store has a good selection of wine - about 0.5 mile from the Radisson. Better yet - they deliver!

http://www.capecanaveralliquors.com

We love the cheap drink specials at Time Out Sports bar and Siam Orchard at La Quinta! And it is an easy walk to the beach.

For Park & Cruise I would ask them where your vehicle will be parked? They have an open dirt/grassy area next door where cruisers seem to park but how do they secure the area is my concern? The 40% off shipside parking may be a safer bet at La Quinta.

Oh, plenty of good dinner choices!

Dixie Crossroads is perhaps over its prime (in our opinion). Old-timers tell us it is not nearly as great as it once was and we have to agree. Went once and will not return because the food was just not that good for what you pay. It gets plenty of traffic because of the name though. It was nearly full when we visited.

We like Chops - but it gets crowded too. Portofino is good. Shiloh's has the views but is a bit of a hit or miss when dining. Honeysuckles keep pulling us back because of the home-style cooking and friendly local service.

The hotels are all different and clustered in different areas and it may help to state what your interests are?

If you have young kids then I will suggest a different cluster than a group of adults who may be looking for a choice of restaurants & bars. If you want beach then you need to focus on a different cluster than folks looking for pools with waterfalls!

With such a large group I would be thinking at private shuttles if you want to stay together. Or I would also consider hotels that offer 40% off ship-side parking and just park at the port! And so on...

I was actually hoping for ideas because we are still looking for a gem ourselves!

We've only tried three breakfast joints in Titusville and one is part of a chain (I believe).

Village Inn (chain?) is the most popular place we've been to and it was very good despite the wait. Nearby across the street there is Steve's Diner which was OK.

For lighter continental fare we enjoyed the Sunrise Bread Company (in town).

Hope this helps!

And the fun Cocoa Beach Pier area has several hotels nearby - La Quinta, Best Western, Days Inn and Holiday Inn Express

It is tough to recommend a hotel without knowing if you are traveling with kids, looking for beachfront versus shopping, want to see the ships from your room, etc!

In general, the busiest hotels are the triplets closest to the Port - Country Inn, Residence Inn, Radisson.

Holiday Inn Club has beachfront rooms, as do Best Western Cocoa Beach, La Quinta Oceanfront, Doubletree, International Palms.

Comfort Inn, Sheraton 4 points, and Inn At Cocoa are in the shopping/activities hotspot around Ron Jon's.

Map of hotels here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zH-7o_mJABR0.kguiZnGCjDj0

Hopefully some answers to your questions!!!

1 - I assume you mean the Port and not Cocoa Beach Pier? Here is a link to an excellent map of all the hotels in Cape Canaveral & Cocoa Beach. Holiday Inn Club Vacations is technically closest to the port then Country Inn & Suites

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zH-7o_mJABR0.kguiZnGCjDj0

2 - Cannot help with group rates, sorry but I assume the chain hotels have this covered!

3 - Hilton and Resort are neighbors about 6 miles from the Port.

4 - Most of the hotels on N. Atlantic Ave are close to a gas station or something!

Indeed, the 4 or 5 off-site parking locations such as the one listed ($8.95, etc.) are cheaper than the shipside parking at the Port ($15 per day)!

Some of the hotel parking options are even cheaper at $6 per day, or when you opt for a 40% shipside parking discount when staying at a partner hotel - meaning you only pay $9 per day instead of $15.

It is a matter of costs versus convenience! It is mighty nice at the end of a cruise (with a tired family in tow) to just walk over to your car and drive away rather than lining up in a long line waiting for the off-site parking shuttles.

We paid $15 per day at Port Canaveral a few weeks ago for a 3-night cruise. $15 x 4 = $60 in total.

All the off-site parking works this way too - remember you pay for 4 days of parking on a 3 night cruise.

For a 8-night cruise you will pay $15 x 9 days = $135 at the Port.

You can also look at this way - $20 per night for a 3-night cruise (as per the Port website) but it remains $60 in total. I wish they would just indicate the parking days instead of nights which confuses the issue.

Yes, it is very easy to navigate to Terminal 1 and using Grills as general destination is a good idea!

However, coming from Orlando, once you make right turn from 528 and the sharp left under the bridge onto George King Blvd, please stop listening to the GPS!

Go straight and keep the tall white Exploration Tower to your left. Only turn left when you see the big bright blue neon sign (on the left) for Royal Caribbean at a traffic light.

Then drive up to the terminal where someone will show you the drop off area. Drop your luggage and passengers (porters will help them) and park your vehicle in the garage above you. Then you meet up with your friends.

It gets busy between 11am and 1pm so you can either try to be early (most people opt to go early though) or wait (at nearby Grills) for the early waves to settle in before showing up!

Most beach-based shore trips (including surf lessons) go to the Cocoa Beach area just south of Captain J's or Sandbar restaurants. The shuttles park in the big parking lot between Ron Jon Surf Shop and the beach.

You can join one of those trips or you can arrange your own shuttles. Either way, you can rent beach chairs, learn to surf, etc. You are just a block away from Sandbar restaurant/bar (a very popular locals hangout) and two blocks from Sheraton Four Points and several shops and restaurants. If it is a rainy day you have plenty of options here.

There are beaches closer to the Port (lovely Jetty Park for example) which you can easily walk to (Quantum docks nearby at CT 4) but with limited choices in terms of restaurants (only the Park Shop & Grill - which is quite good actually). The Holiday Inn Club has a restaurant and bars which you can also walk to. On a rainy day the Jetty Park option may not be the best.

The Cocoa Beach Pier is another option if you have your own shuttles but a bit pricey nowadays with several restaurants and hotels nearby.