A Shuttle Bus to Walmart!

[LadyL1]

I really felt that I should put fingertips to keyboard, and share with you the most novel idea of Cunard yet!

We disembarked the QV last week after a fantastic "Homecoming" trip from Fort Lauderdale. One of our stops was Port Canaveral: the terminal building being very light, modern & clean. The shuttle buses were running into the town as advised with extremely efficient organisation.

However, once on the bus, the driver advised us that the Hop-On Hop-Off route that we were being taken on was as follows;

 

First Stop - Ron Jon's Surf Shop

Second Stop - TJ Max

Third Stop - Walmart

Fourth Stop - A rather down-at heel shopping mall

Fifth Stop - Publix!

 

It was such a shame that they could not have included Cocoa Beach or some other suitable place to enjoy a dip in the Atlantic. We were on holiday, the last thing we wanted to do was to go shopping for food!

 

For other passengers, this port of call was a great success with tours to Orlando & the Space Centre. But alas, we were slightly at a disadvantage with a temporary mobility problem I had, and we took the the least exciting option of the day. If Cunard visit here again I truly hope that the shuttle bus route will be a little more adventurous.

[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]

Sounds to me like it was the port authority or another local administration that provided the shuttle as opposed to it being solely a Cunard service, hence your "interesting" stops. It maybe that Cunard had to take what they were given as opposed to having a say in the matter.

[Ray66]

The shuttle buses have been mentioned on here before. We don't think they are put on by Cunard but rather by the local commerce so that they take you to the local shopping centres where they hope you will spend your money.

 

The one in Le Havre takes to you to a shopping mall.

[Boytjie]

It sounds like shuttles that the crew may favor.

[Maryandi]

You could have gotten off the shuttle at RonJon's, walked about 1.5 blocks East and been at the beach to have taken your 'dip'. Did you bring and wear beach things ? Did you ask the driver where to go to the beach ?

 

Many people in many ports spend alot of time shopping for trinkets, supplies, sodas, and whatnot. I don't think it was a bad thing to have those stores to choose from - if you needed something or wanted to buy something, there it was.

 

Where, adventurous, would you rather a free shuttle take you ??

[Jimsgirl]

You could have gotten off the shuttle at RonJon's, walked about 1.5 blocks East and been at the beach to have taken your 'dip'. Did you bring and wear beach things ? Did you ask the driver where to go to the beach ?

 

Many people in many ports spend alot of time shopping for trinkets, supplies, sodas, and whatnot. I don't think it was a bad thing to have those stores to choose from - if you needed something or wanted to buy something, there it was.

 

Where, adventurous, would you rather a free shuttle take you ??

 

Not a very friendly answer. It was obvious that the OP was not local to Port Canaveral. Seems that lately some posters take a delight in being very cutting in their responses.

 

How about the driver mentioning that the beach was within walking distance of RonJon's "for those interested in going there"?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Not a very friendly answer. It was obvious that the OP was not local to Port Canaveral. Seems that lately some posters take a delight in being very cutting in their responses.

 

How about the driver mentioning that the beach was within walking distance of RonJon's "for those interested in going there"?

 

While it would have been nice if the driver had pointed out the beach access, shuttles like this are often paid for by the local chamber of commerce, so they take you to places where they hope you will spend money.

 

I don't remember which Cunard cruise it was, but we had a similar shuttle offered in that port. It only went to the mall, so at least OP had more choices than that. IIRC, we were told in advace what the route was, so nobody was surprised on the bus. Now that I think about it, I don't believe we have ever been offered a shuttle bus without being told in advance where it was going.

[Jimsgirl]

While it would have been nice if the driver had pointed out the beach access, shuttles like this are often paid for by the local chamber of commerce, so they take you to places where they hope you will spend money.

 

I don't remember which Cunard cruise it was, but we had a similar shuttle offered in that port. It only went to the mall, so at least OP had more choices than that. IIRC, we were told in advace what the route was, so nobody was surprised on the bus. Now that I think about it, I don't believe we have ever been offered a shuttle bus without being told in advance where it was going.

 

You may or may not be correct. We you an I ) were not on the shuttle bus , so cannot say if any informationa was given before bus started its journey.

 

My real concernm is the tone of the the answer, as I stated too many posters seem to enjoy "scoring off others on the board".

 

In this case the OP was not from the USA, and as a stranger could not possibly know that the beach was within walking distance of a store.

 

The person who answered in such a caustic manner was fairly local.

 

How many of us know where to find the beach in a town thousands of miles away from where we live?

[3rdGenCunarder]

You may or may not be correct. We you an I ) were not on the shuttle bus , so cannot say if any informationa was given before bus started its journey.

 

My real concernm is the tone of the the answer, as I stated too many posters seem to enjoy "scoring off others on the board".

 

In this case the OP was not from the USA, and as a stranger could not possibly know that the beach was within walking distance of a store.

 

The person who answered in such a caustic manner was fairly local.

 

How many of us know where to find the beach in a town thousands of miles away from where we live?

 

I'm sorry if you think I'm trying to "score off you" with my answer. My point was that the bus driver wasn't obligated to give directions to the beach because the route was designed for shopping. The people who most likely paid for the bus had a vested interest in getting people to the stores, not the beach.

 

The OP said she didn't know what the route entailed before getting on the bus, which I find surprising. Passengers should have been told the route before boarding. But once on the bus, she could have asked the driver if any of the stops were convenient to the beach.

[lannp]

In Hawaii, there were local shuttles to Hilo Hatties and WalMart when we arrived in Nawilili and if my British cousin had been on the QV and they mentioned WalMart, he would have been delighted. That's on our to-do list whenever he visits:D.

Linda

[3rdGenCunarder]

In Hawaii, there were local shuttles to Hilo Hatties and WalMart when we arrived in Nawilili and if my British cousin had been on the QV and they mentioned WalMart, he would have been delighted. That's on our to-do list whenever he visits:D.

Linda

 

Does your cousin live anywhere near an ASDA? They're owned by WalMart.

 

I have to say, the time we did the shuttle to the mall, I had forgotten a couple of things and I was happy to have the opportunity to do some practical shopping.

[LadyL1]

I am surprised there are so many Walmart fans!

If I remember correctly (re my original thread/post) we were advised that we would be taken to a shopping mall.

A further poster asked would I have gone to the beach. Most certainly if I knew there was transport. I was one of the few swimmers on board who was still still taking a daily swim in the the cooler latitudes come rain or shine.

I was aware of previous posts re shuttle buses and that they are often provided by the local commerce centres. However, I have to say some people just did not get off the bus, and it was quite a subject of conversation that evening.

Florida has some beautiful malls with very up-market individual shops, and if we had visited one as such, I would have been very happy to part with my $$'s as nearly everything is less expensive than here in the UK. Also coming home by boat we would have had no limitations.

I am not sure if Cunard has any more itineraries with this port of call, but it does not hold out to being too memorable. Also I think it is largely used for embarkation/disembarkation, so most of the traffic surely heads straight to the very impressing terminal.

Perhaps in the future if this becomes a major port for visitors, the investment in coastal boardwalks, sea-food restaurants and an areas for local craft displays would be much more interesting, to those who do not want to, or are unable to travel far.

I feel many readers have missed my gist here, but you all have the right to say what you wish. For me Walmart and Publix have no appeal when I travel, and this shuttle bus service to the town just did not have the appeal of those we have used in other cities (Lisbon, Bergen to name a few).

I still enjoy Florida after many many visits, and hope to go back sometime soon, but not necessarily to Port Canaveral!

[pompeycruiser]

Was also on the same cruise but we opted for the AirBoat Adventure and that was fun and we saw some great wildlife too - I mean alligators, birds etc, not locals. The compulsion to want go shopping though is interesting as I heard from some others who went on the island tour of Bermuda that there was much unrest amongst some people on one of the buses as there was only supposed one 40 min stop in Hamilton for 'free time'. Seemingly this was considered by some to be inadequate for their retail therapy needs and a motion was proposed to alter the tour schedule to allow more shopping. I think it was overturned though.

[alita]

WOWZO

 

"You could have gotten off the shuttle at RonJon's, walked about 1.5 blocks East and been at the beach to have taken your 'dip'. Did you bring and wear beach things ? Did you ask the driver where to go to the beach ?"

 

If you had taken the time to read the OP's post carefully you would know that she had a mobility problem and couldn't walk a block and a half.

 

As it happens I was also on this cruise and did a couple of outings with her; as she had a broken foot and mostly used a wheelchair her mobility was indeed compromised.

 

Play nice please:rolleyes:

[southwestie]

Not a very friendly answer. It was obvious that the OP was not local to Port Canaveral. Seems that lately some posters take a delight in being very cutting in their responses.

 

How about the driver mentioning that the beach was within walking distance of RonJon's "for those interested in going there"?

 

 

I dont see whats wrong with the answer, no one is trying to nasty, I would say that I would not wish to go to the malls, but I know many people do, one poster mentioned Le harve and it is true that one of the stops is a mall, the chamber of commerce there wants people to vist, the bus than goes on to the main square on the town, I can assure you that 90% got off and shopped in the mall and the could have gotten the same thing in the UK cheaper.

 

I can see though if the OP had a problem walking, but I feel sure if it was meantioned to the driver he would dropped the OP off somewhere, I always find them helpful.