Torn on what to do in Port Canaveral

[orkaren1]

As many people have said you just do not have enough time to try to do a trip to any of the Disney parks or Universal. Do something closer to the port and make Disney World/Universal an entirely different vacation.

Kennedy Space Center is interesting.  Cape Canaveral National Seashore is a great beach and there is a nature center and bird observation drive within the National Seashore area. Also Broward County zoo is not far from the port and is a nice place to visit.

 

[YouthD]

I would recommend the Zoo

[orkaren1]

2 hours ago, LivLove2Cruise said:

We are on the Anthem in April and booked the transfer to Seaworld.  I have been holding off purchasing tickets because of the timing concerns.  

You would have the same travel time issues going to Seaworld.  Over an hour drive each way, crowded time of the year so you would be limited in what you would get to do,  and August in Florida is very hot. 

[mo&fran]

3 minutes ago, orkaren1 said:

As many people have said you just do not have enough time to try to do a trip to any of the Disney parks or Universal. Do something closer to the port and make Disney World/Universal an entirely different vacation.

Kennedy Space Center is interesting.  Cape Canaveral National Seashore is a great beach and there is a nature center and bird observation drive within the National Seashore area. Also Broward County zoo is not far from the port and is a nice place to visit.

 

Brevard county. Broward county is Ft. Lauderdale.

[orkaren1]

Just now, orkaren1 said:

You would have the same travel time issues going to Seaworld.  Over an hour drive each way, crowded time of the year so you would be limited in what you would get to do,  and August in Florida is very hot. 

Oops, sorry I see you are traveling in April.  Weather is much nicer but you still have the travel times and spring break crowds in April.

[orkaren1]

Just now, mo&fran said:

Brevard county. Broward county is Ft. Lauderdale.

Computer auto correct, sorry.

[DukeASUGirl]

1 minute ago, orkaren1 said:

Oops, sorry I see you are traveling in April.  Weather is much nicer but you still have the travel times and spring break crowds in April.

The first post says traveling in August. Either way, super crowded in the parks and way too much travel involved to get to Orlando, making this option not the least bit worth it.

[mo&fran]

5 minutes ago, orkaren1 said:

Computer auto correct, sorry.

They have a tendency to do that.

[onefishtwofish]

Being a Floridian, I say NO to trying to do the theme parks....they will be crowded, hot and expensive for the little time you will get there.  I definitely recommend the Kennedy Space Center - it is amazing!  Also close to the port.  And of course a visit to Ron Jon Surf Shop if you have time! LOL

 

https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

[monorail81]

5 hours ago, rolloman said:

Sorry but it is so annoying when I hear people say "do it when the kids are older".  Fact is, you make memories as a family. The memory of taking my little ones over the years to attractions and cruises are just as important to me, wife, grandparents and money well spent. That being said,  there are several things to do in the local area. The zoo is top notch, space center, Andretti theme park, putt putt, go carts, shopping, world famous beach, surf shop and pier, multiple museums...however if you really have to go to a theme park, Sea World is the closest and easy on/easy off 528 (road which leads into the port).  Please just understand traffic can be an issue in the event of an accident and 528 does not have many escape alternate routes. For the record, I am local and drive it everyday.

All of this. For people who don’t think kids remember things when they are younger, I remember things from when I was two years old and beyond. So,  kids remember!

 

528 can be absolutely horrendous if there is an accident. So can I-4 or 417, depending on which way the bus goes to WDW. August is a very hot, humid, and rainy time in FL. The crowds at WDW have been terrible for quite a while now with no end in sight. 100% not worth doing a tour when it is that short of a timeframe.

[Knights on the Beach]

7 hours ago, mtsublueraider said:

As others have said, I wouldn’t do a park. IF you REALLY want to get some of that Disney feel you could rent a car or Uber to Disney springs to catch a meal and do some shopping.

 

however, depending on your kids I would strongly suggest the Melbourne, Florida zoo. You could probably Uber there and it’s one of the best we’ve been to. 
 

otherwise you could take the “free” option and walk across the parking lot and down the road to the jetty park beach. They’ve got a small restaurant and you get some great views of your ship and some time to spend in the sand, 

 

for reference we always stay at the homewood suites and walk from there to the ship to board. Really fun to do as a family. 

 

6 hours ago, cunnorl said:

 You did not say how old the kids are, but living in Florida for the past 40 years, I would strongly advise against Disney in August. If you are not used to hot, humid weather it can be very unpleasant. If the kids are old enough to enjoy, go to the Space  Center. Otherwise, try Jetty Park. Close by, nice beach. Has a long walkable jetty to walk out on. Great breezes! You often see giant turtles, dolphins and manatees. There is a small restaurant there and a large picnic area.  It would make for a very pleasant low cost day.

 

The above posts mention a restaurant, but the Fishlips Pavilion at Jetty Park is now closed.  There's a small cafe at the Water's Edge Bait Shop, but it's outside the entrance to Jetty Park.

[annmarz]

DO Not, repeat, DO NOT waste time and money going to Orlando theme parks.  Go to the Space Center.

[billslowsky]

10 minutes ago, annmarz said:

DO Not, repeat, DO NOT waste time and money going to Orlando theme parks.  Go to the Space Center.

If you don't arrive to the port until 3pm or later  what kind of experience will you have at the space center?  For an hour or two?  The Port Canaveral stop is almost pointless. 

[John Reid]

14 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

If you don't arrive to the port until 3pm or later  what kind of experience will you have at the space center?  For an hour or two?  The Port Canaveral stop is almost pointless. 

When I was on two PC stops that were late, they had to rework the Space Center excursion from its normal format. If I remember correctly, quite shortened.

[Tin can]

Seems like we might have had a different experience to most. 

 

We took the Royal excursion coach to Universal Studios, bought our tickets in advance and had a great day. No crowds and went on most of the main rides and spent time in Harry Potter land.

 

It was later in August so local children were back in school and it was a Monday so that may have had something to do with it but it was a great day.

[cargopilot]

Easy thing to do would be to walk out to the corner, then catch the #9 bus to Shepherds Park with a very nice beach, and walk to Ron Jons and catch the same bus back from the same location where you were dropped.

[exm]

Nothing really to ad here, I agree with most posters:

- don’t waste money and time on WDW. You will spend $600 or so son tickets alone for 2 rides at most?

- the ship will most likely dock at 3pm making WDW not feasible anyway. Kennedy closes at 5pm so that won’t work either

 

I recommend to take an Uber to one of the nearby beaches for a few hours.

 

(note that I was on PC on Anthem about 2 weeks ago).

[time4u2go]

3 hours ago, Tin can said:

Seems like we might have had a different experience to most. 

 

We took the Royal excursion coach to Universal Studios, bought our tickets in advance and had a great day. No crowds and went on most of the main rides and spent time in Harry Potter land.

 

It was later in August so local children were back in school and it was a Monday so that may have had something to do with it but it was a great day.

What time did your ship arrive and depart?

[matj2000]

Port Canaveral is not a cruise destination.

 

It is an embarkation.

 

People have been getting fooled for years.

 

 

[mk-ultra]

As others have said: Kennedy Space Center.  It's a short ride from the port to KSC, and even your abbreviated stop is enough time to check it out.  With your ship's schedule, you'd get 3-3.5 hours there.

 

Another option, if you just want a relaxing beach day, is the Cocoa Beach pier.  The water is warm and stays shallow for quite a way out with a nice no-rocks sandy bottom, so kids can splash around more than in most Caribbean ports.  No sargassum seaweed either.

 

If you want new ocean fun goodies like swimwear or gear, Ron Jon's (huge) surf shop is close by.  They literally have everything.

 

You definitely won't have time to do anything worthwhile in the Orlando area (it's about 1 hour away if traffic is OK).

 

The only real way to mix a cruise with Disney / Universal etc. is to take a cruise that begins or ends in Cape Canaveral, and then bookend either end of the trip with a few days in Orlando.

Edited March 26, 2022 by mk-ultra

[Jaedog105]

Looks like the Oasis 8/21-8/28 sailing only has the Space Center shuttle excursion available. Is that because the tour options are sold out or were never offered? Any chance the tour might be available to book onboard?

[Vacationlover2]

How long is the walk from the ship to Jetty Park?  And can you walk to Ron Jon?

[billslowsky]

17 minutes ago, Jaedog105 said:

Looks like the Oasis 8/21-8/28 sailing only has the Space Center shuttle excursion available. Is that because the tour options are sold out or were never offered? Any chance the tour might be available to book onboard?

Don't book ANYTHING until you are no more than a month away.  That's when the cruise I am taking changed the arrival time to 3pm.

[exm]

17 minutes ago, Vacationlover2 said:

How long is the walk from the ship to Jetty Park?  And can you walk to Ron Jon?

it depends where you ship is docked. We were docked on the south “good” side and it still a 1.2mile walk to the beach. If you are docked on the North side you definitely need an Uber

Edited March 26, 2022 by exm

[John Reid]

20 minutes ago, Vacationlover2 said:

How long is the walk from the ship to Jetty Park?  And can you walk to Ron Jon?

Less than a mile and a half to Jetty Park on foot.

7 miles to Ron Jon, but on the spot shuttles there are available at the main RCI terminal parking garage area. They dropped off at the Four Points Sheraton near Ron Jon. $18 r/t when I went in November.

 

However, all bets are off if we dock at any terminal in the area used by Carnival (as we did in September without any advanced notice of the change). Too far from everywhere and there were no on-the-spot transportation choices other than UBER.

 

An UBER to Jetty Park would be worth it for 2 to 4 people but I'm solo so I hoof it.

Edited March 26, 2022 by John Reid
Correction