Port Canaveral Excursion advice/opinions needed

[pearle1]

Any suggestions on what to do in Port Canaveral Mid July??

I am taking my 13 year old daughter on her first cruise. We love them theme parks, but only have a day there.

I already have tickets for universal (from a previous trip), but I am concerned about getting back to the ship on time (traffic,etc)

I am thinking of doing Magic Kingdom through carnival, but is it worth it to do this in just a day in the middle of July ~ looking for opinions ~ thanks!

[kurukthemal]

We are also going on the Pride at the end of July. We are a group of eight with one octogenarian in our party. Most likely we are going to cab it to Cocoa Beach and spend a little time doing touristy stuff, e.g. salt water taffy and lunch.

 

We were in WDW last August in the middle of the week. I thought that August, middle of the week would be less crowded. It was packed. So, given the amount of money you would spend, I am not sure you would be able to get your bang for the buck. Just my opinion and good luck!

[RuthlessBoss]

We are also going on the Pride at the end of July. We are a group of eight with one octogenarian in our party. Most likely we are going to cab it to Cocoa Beach and spend a little time doing touristy stuff, e.g. salt water taffy and lunch.

 

We were in WDW last August in the middle of the week. I thought that August, middle of the week would be less crowded. It was packed. So, given the amount of money you would spend, I am not sure you would be able to get your bang for the buck. Just my opinion and good luck!

 

WDW PACKED and HOT!!!! Long waiting lines not only to get through the first door of an attraction, but there's lines inside. Do not waste time and money to go there when your time is so limited. It can be a day from Hell.

[Bookbug53]

I have done the parks and I would not try to do it in the time you would have.

 

Travel time alone is going to eat up 2 1/2 to 3 hours not to mention loading busses,

standing in lines, and the inevitable hurry up and wait all day. :(

 

WDW should be a vacation in itself.

 

While in port why not just do a beach day or head to Cape Canaveral if you have

an interest in space history. It is really fascinating! A couple of hours there and

then the beach can make a lot more enjoyable day. :)

[TerReuv]

I agree with Bookbug. Do the space center. It will be fn and interesting. You can always do Disney and Disney at that time of year will be a madhouse. Why not do something not as crazy, but still fun. We will be heading down there next year and we plan to spend a day at Kennedy.

[JohninDC]

We had a port call in PC last Jan and the girls travelling with us enjoyed mid-week during school season day at Universal -- during summer vacation and heat your experiences will vary.

 

We walked off the ship about 7:30, shuttled to our rental car (Avis) and were at Universal about 9:30. We picked the girls up about 3:45 and were back at Avis (with a stop for gas) just after 5:00 - and were quickly shuttled to the ship.

 

You will find the traffic slightly worse, the temps hotter, and the lines longer. If you already have Universal tickets and are prepared to only spend half a day there instead of a long day capped by fireworks, then go for it. Skip the ship's WDW trip - it will be VERY expensive and suffer from the same limits (likely even more crowded).

 

It can be done - but it is your call. IMHO KSC or the beach are good options in July. :)

[NJBill]

If you like fishing, there is a fishing Pier in Cocoa Beach. You can rent everything you need at reasonable prices. We did it a few years back and had fun.

[vavasmom]

With my daughter now 18 but we have done port stops for the last 4 years we always rent a car. Successful and fun days include:

- The ziplines at the Brevard Zoo.

- Visiting Kennedy Space Center

- A day at Aquatica (make sure your rental allows after hrs return). The trip each way is just over an hour.

- A day a Seaworld (across the street from Aquatica)

- An airboat ride (I used Midway Airboats) 30 - 35 minutes from the port in Christmas

 

We had platinum passed to Busch Gardens so the cost of the two amusement park days was the rental car, gas, and food. Compared to most other locations the ziplines are a bargain - the zoo is small but was a nice tour (and the staff was super friendly).

[jam&tea mom]

My 13 year old son & I were on the Gem last May and we did an excursion with Fin Expeditions. Kayaking in the mangroves. It was a fabulous excursion, it was about 3.5 hours at a leisurely pace and there were only 4 of us plus Tim. He accommodated our cruise schedule. Scenery was beautiful, lots of birds and manatee sightings. I would highly recommend it, even my hard to please teen thought it was a great day. We used Cocoa Beach shuttle but I would recommend renting a car, the cost is probably the same and then you can also do other things. They were also late and made several extra stops on the way back. The meeting spot is about 15 minutes from the port.