Port Canaveral with 6 yr old

[Grannycb]

We will be at Port Canaveral during Easter week. I'm pretty sure the Orlando theme parks will be packed so am looking for something else to do. Has anyone taken their 6 yr old to the Kennedy Space Center? Was it a successful trip? We are also thinking about going to the Brevard Zoo. We have been there several times, but it was many years ago. That was a lovely day destination. Any other ideas? We want this stop to be fun for everyone but don't want to break the bank.

Thanks!

[A&Jfamily]

We will be at Port Canaveral during Easter week. I'm pretty sure the Orlando theme parks will be packed so am looking for something else to do. Has anyone taken their 6 yr old to the Kennedy Space Center? Was it a successful trip? We are also thinking about going to the Brevard Zoo. We have been there several times, but it was many years ago. That was a lovely day destination. Any other ideas? We want this stop to be fun for everyone but don't want to break the bank.

Thanks!

 

I would do the space center - there is a full day of stuff just to see there and the advantage is it is so close to the port. You can get discount coupons on line.

[highbridge5]

Just this past Wed. (Jan 20) we did KSC with our 3 boys ages 4, 6 and 9 from a carnival cruise.

 

We did it on our own so that we 1) did not have to leave at 7:45 AM and 2) so we'd have some flexibility on when to get back to the ship.

 

There were 7 of us and we got a van to take us there and back through a co. called Space Port Transport. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

 

We had a very nice time but there was almost no one there at the time. We did not have to wait in line for anything.

 

We did what is now called the "NASA Today and Tomorrow" tour which takes you closer to the launch pads and various parts of the center. In the Carnival shore excursion books it is the "NASA Up Close Tour". The KSC web site calls it Today and Tomorrow, the price list on the ticket booth has the Up Close name. It is the same thing.

 

It is timed ticket (you have an assigned time to go on the tour) and it is 2 hours or so on a nicely air conditioned bus with two or three stops along the way. You end up at a building where there is a cafe (very expensive so you might want to pack your own snacks so you don't have to buy as much to get rid of the hungries.). Then, you can take the regular bus tour back to the main center or off to other buildings/sites along the regular bus tour.

 

We were fortunate, the shuttle was on the launch pad already for the Feb 5th launch. If you are more than 2 weeks or so from a launch, the shuttle will be in its hanger and there may not be much to see on the launch pad. If you are really close to a launch, the bus won't go near the launch pad.

 

Call the KSC with your dates and ask which bus tour might be more appropriate - you pay a premium ($34 or something) for the Up Close tour and if you aren't going to see the shuttle on the pad, it might not make sense to pay the extra.

 

You HAVE TO do the space shuttle experience. It is included and your 6 yo will love it. It is REALLY cool.

 

We were there from around 9:45A to 4PM and the bus tour, the shuttle thing, lunch, a quick trip through a giant shuttle, a quick trip through the rocket garden and a stop at the gift shop were all we could fit in. We did not do an Imax show (they have 2) and did not get to see any of the other exhibits (the robotics one, one about the space station, etc.).

 

This was with no lines anywhere. Over spring break, allow for extra time as there will be lines.

 

hb5

[highbridge5]

I just realized that I did not really tell you that my kids really enjoyed all of it - all three of them. There is so much stuff at "kid level" and things to climb in and on that you really can't go wrong.

 

On the bus, they'll point out the resident alligators, by name, and my kids had fun looking for alligators and other critters out the bus windows.

 

If you time it right, there is a "meet the astronaut" where they have a real astronaut that you can meet and will answer questions etc. about what it is like to be an astronaut. Again, we did not stay for the 4PM one but that would have been cool. There was one at 10:30 AM also (or some time in the morning).

 

hb5

[Grannycb]

HB5

 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience at KSC. This was exactly the information I needed.

 

Cindy