Port Canaveral - snooze and cruise hotels

What is a good "snooze and cruise" hotel close to Port Canaveral? I know there are a TON of different hotels that group together to offer packages, but I want to know your experiences, ie, breakfast included or not, shuttle okay or not, cost of the package, would you book again or not (and why), etc..overall thoughts on your stay.

After all, we are only going to sleep there and possibly eat breakfast the next morning.

The three closest to the port are Country Inn & Suites, Residence Inn and Radisson At The Port. There is also a brand new Homewood Suites in the same area but last time I checked it had not yet opened.

All offer the park, cruise & shuttle packages. CI&S and RI both offer free breakfast.....the Rasisson does not but has a restaurant on site, a family restaurant next door and a McDonald's across the street.

All are very popular with cruisers......

What is a good "snooze and cruise" hotel close to Port Canaveral? I know there are a TON of different hotels that group together to offer packages, but I want to know your experiences, ie, breakfast included or not, shuttle okay or not, cost of the package, would you book again or not (and why), etc..overall thoughts on your stay.

 

After all, we are only going to sleep there and possibly eat breakfast the next morning.

The great news is this: all the popular cruise hotels within say 10 miles of the Port enjoy good reviews according to TripAdvisor. This is despite the challenge of servicing hundreds of guests every night before cruise day. So pick one and you will be fine.

To find the perfect hotel is more challenging because every family is different. So are the packages offered by the hotel. Some packages offer breakfast for example while others do not. The Radisson is an example because some guests choose a package with breakfast and others decide to walk to McDonalds instead!

Are you driving in or not? Do you need parking?

If you can be more specific with your needs then we can offer suggestions. Do you want the cheapest or one with an oceanview or one with suite rooms , a kitchenette or an exciting pool for the kids or what?

In the meantime, please read this page about the different hotel clusters to help you select an area and a hotel within a price range. Good luck!

When we first started cruising 10 years ago, we stayed at the Radisson, and we did it again this past fall, after about a 9 year break. We've always had nice rooms, there's a nice pool/bar for the evening. They have the shuttle service, and it's pretty cheap and handled just fine. The restaurant isn't cheap, but it's typical hotel type breakfast. We did book the room where we had 2 included breakfast buffets, or something like that. Plenty to pick from at the buffet though.

The great news is this: all the popular cruise hotels within say 10 miles of the Port enjoy good reviews according to TripAdvisor. This is despite the challenge of servicing hundreds of guests every night before cruise day. So pick one and you will be fine.

 

To find the perfect hotel is more challenging because every family is different. So are the packages offered by the hotel. Some packages offer breakfast for example while others do not. The Radisson is an example because some guests choose a package with breakfast and others decide to walk to McDonalds instead!

 

Are you driving in or not? Do you need parking?

 

If you can be more specific with your needs then we can offer suggestions. Do you want the cheapest or one with an oceanview or one with suite rooms , a kitchenette or an exciting pool for the kids or what?

 

In the meantime, please read this page about the different hotel clusters to help you select an area and a hotel within a price range. Good luck!

Very good advice, Thanks for sharing.

Homewood Suites is going to open May 1st.

I have stayed at Country Inn & Suites several times. It is the closest to the port. Homewood is right across the street. CI&S has good service, an OK breakfast buffet and great shuttle service to and from the port.

We stayed at Residence Inn a couple of years ago with the fly/snooze/cruise package! Everything went very smoothly.

If I remember correctly it was 220.00 total for the 2 of us.

Wow, I did not see that page you referred me to. Yeah, our family will be a mix of 2 teenagers, 2 49/50 year olds and my mother in law, 70's I think. We are driving in and either want to park at the port (after seeing that some of these hotels offer a discount voucher) or ideally, stay in a hotel with a shuttle package.

We will most likely be getting in around 6pm or 7pm or later, so really all we need is a place to get a meal and a much needed drink(s). Pool is okay, I am sure our kids would make use of it, and I may take a dip as well. Who knows. Since it will be too late, we probably would not benefit from a beach front place either.

Thanks for your suggestions so far!!

The great news is this: all the popular cruise hotels within say 10 miles of the Port enjoy good reviews according to TripAdvisor. This is despite the challenge of servicing hundreds of guests every night before cruise day. So pick one and you will be fine.

 

To find the perfect hotel is more challenging because every family is different. So are the packages offered by the hotel. Some packages offer breakfast for example while others do not. The Radisson is an example because some guests choose a package with breakfast and others decide to walk to McDonalds instead!

 

Are you driving in or not? Do you need parking?

 

If you can be more specific with your needs then we can offer suggestions. Do you want the cheapest or one with an oceanview or one with suite rooms , a kitchenette or an exciting pool for the kids or what?

 

In the meantime, please read this page about the different hotel clusters to help you select an area and a hotel within a price range. Good luck!

We usually stay at the Radisson because they have a great pool, a tiki hut outside for poolside drinks and we can walk next door to either Kelsey's (good pizza, Italian, etc) or on the other side, Zachary's which had a variety of foods.

We always use their shuttle service which for us has been very smooth.

We usually stay at the Radisson because they have a great pool, a tiki hut outside for poolside drinks and we can walk next door to either Kelsey's (good pizza, Italian, etc) or on the other side, Zachary's which had a variety of foods.

 

We always use their shuttle service which for us has been very smooth.

Same with us! As I said, we started staying there 10 years ago and did again this past fall after a long hiatus from cruising down there. Still running great! We usually don't get in until dinner time either, so we don't need beachfront, just a place to crash, grab some dinner, and a shuttle to the cruise in the morning.

We usually stay at the Radisson because they have a great pool, a tiki hut outside for poolside drinks and we can walk next door to either Kelsey's (good pizza, Italian, etc) or on the other side, Zachary's which had a variety of foods.

 

We always use their shuttle service which for us has been very smooth.

I agree with GTO-girl. The mid-budget Radisson should meet most of your check-points including convenient shuttles. The tiki bar next to the waterfalls at the pool is great on nice evenings for a sundowner. Nothing wrong with food either!

But you can walk across the parking lot and you have Kelseys as mentioned with the coolest bar/restaurant (Preachers) in Canaveral next door. You whole family should enjoy the family-seating tables at Preachers and the colorful menu!

Try Zachary's for breakfast! You also have McDonalds, Subway as well as a great Thai restaurants across A1A.

If you are thinking about using the 40% parking discount, however, you need to look a bit further south to the Cocoa Beach Pier area where you have the Days Inn and Best Western - both close to bars, restaurants, shops and the beach (the family may enjoy walking a block to the pier even after dark. It is a safe area)

We ended up reserving with Go Port Canaveral due to deciding too late that we were going to do the snooze and cruise. Wanted to use another company but this saved us some money (like $88 for the two of us and one car parking for the 5 days). Just hoping the parking area we're going to be using is ok, a place I haven't heard of infront of DoubleTree. Hotel we're using is in Titusville, but that's ok, we can't go on til one of the last check ins anyways. Will let y'all know how it goes :)

Wow, I did not see that page you referred me to. Yeah, our family will be a mix of 2 teenagers, 2 49/50 year olds and my mother in law, 70's I think. We are driving in and either want to park at the port (after seeing that some of these hotels offer a discount voucher) or ideally, stay in a hotel with a shuttle package.

 

 

 

We will most likely be getting in around 6pm or 7pm or later, so really all we need is a place to get a meal and a much needed drink(s). Pool is okay, I am sure our kids would make use of it, and I may take a dip as well. Who knows. Since it will be too late, we probably would not benefit from a beach front place either.

 

 

 

Thanks for your suggestions so far!!

You should definitely consider Residence Inn. They have a two bedroom suite with a sofa bed in the living room area for just a little more than a single room. Includes breakfast as well and they do have park and cruise packages.

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Trying to find the best hotel for 5 of us pre cruise in January. I was looking at the Country Inn and Suites and was wondering about the "family Suite". One place it says two twin beds and in another it mentions bunk beds. Which is it?

Trying to find the best hotel for 5 of us pre cruise in January. I was looking at the Country Inn and Suites and was wondering about the "family Suite". One place it says two twin beds and in another it mentions bunk beds. Which is it?

We just stayed there few weeks ago. Had a 2queen room and the family suite. Our family had a queen bed with 2 twins, no bunks. The twins were in an almost separate room but no door. And it was decorated in space ships.

If you're driving down, consider staying in Titusville, exit 215 right off I 95 and about 15 minutes to the port. There are three hotels, Marriott Fairfield Inn, Hampton, and Holiday Inn Express. We stay at the Fairfield since we are Marriott rewards participants. Usually very reasonable unless there's a launch. They offer a discount on port parking, I believe it's 40% off. There is a Cracker Barrel right next door and several other restaurants very close by. They offer free breakfast with the usual stuff. They have an outdoor pool. Very clean hotel and we've stayed there many times. The Holiday Inn Express is the newest of the three hotels. Never stayed there but I assume it's the usual.

I'm interested in staying at the Radisson as I can use points.

Does anyone know how I would get there from MCO. Do they have an airport shuttle system?

Yes! The Radisson has shuttle packages ($50 for two one-way for shared service, but it is best to call and check the rates for your dates and package).

I believe they contract to Cocoa Beach Shuttle and/or 800-transport Shuttle so you can compare various companies but $50 for two is not bad!

Here is a list of other options: http://cruiseportcanaveral.us/transportation/

Thanks Joe

Wow, I did not see that page you referred me to. Yeah, our family will be a mix of 2 teenagers, 2 49/50 year olds and my mother in law, 70's I think. We are driving in and either want to park at the port (after seeing that some of these hotels offer a discount voucher) or ideally, stay in a hotel with a shuttle package.

 

We will most likely be getting in around 6pm or 7pm or later, so really all we need is a place to get a meal and a much needed drink(s). Pool is okay, I am sure our kids would make use of it, and I may take a dip as well. Who knows. Since it will be too late, we probably would not benefit from a beach front place either.

 

Thanks for your suggestions so far!!

How important are these "much needed drinks"? :D My suggestion is getting to Orlando and staying at the embassy suites. https://www.goportcanaveral.com/snooze-park-cruise/embassy-suites-orlando/ Call them I am sure you can set something up for a shared shuttle from there to Port Canaveral or just take advantage of that package it includes free cruise parking. Either way you get free drinks from 5:30 to 7:30 and the kids can enjoy the pool and amenities before and after the cruise!

we stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in May. We enjoyed it. Very comfortable beds, nice breakfast the next morning. And the shuttle to the port was very well planned. No confusion on the return shuttle , either. Just called the hotel and they were there w/I 15 minutes. We would definitely stay here again.

This is first time we're going to try driving down day before sailing and stay close to the Port. I'm reading about a 40% discount some of the hotels give when you drive your car to the Port the following day, but need some advice. Should we get the pkg which includes hotel and shuttle to Port or use the coupon and we drive ourselves? Can I use a AAA discount for the hotel and still get the discount for the Port parking? Any advice would be appreciated for these two very senior citizens....

We have never paid extra for the "park & cruise". We just book at the lowest available rate. Have stayed several times at the Radisson and also at a few other hotels. At Radisson we parked in the cruise parking area behind the hotel and called a cab for the cruise transport. It is cheap and we don't have to deal with the shuttle lines. Admittedly, this has been a few years ago so things may have changed but it was no problem at the time (staff were aware of our plans and even recommended a cab company). We are going back next month so we can find out if it is the same.

This is first time we're going to try driving down day before sailing and stay close to the Port. I'm reading about a 40% discount some of the hotels give when you drive your car to the Port the following day, but need some advice. Should we get the pkg which includes hotel and shuttle to Port or use the coupon and we drive ourselves? Can I use a AAA discount for the hotel and still get the discount for the Port parking? Any advice would be appreciated for these two very senior citizens....

You only need a "package" that includes your room (with breakfast) and parking during your stay (some hotels charge for parking while others offer free parking during the stay). You do not need a package that includes hotel parking with shuttles during your cruise . You only need the 40% voucher.

The official requirement for both is usually a minimum of a one-night stay booked at the best-available rate and not a discounted rate such as AARP, etc. and there can be a few holiday blackouts for packages at some hotels.

To manage the rates, the hotels request that you notify them at time of booking about the 40% voucher (and not at checkout time).

HOWEVER, in reality I do not believe things are this strict! In the past friends of mine booked cheap online rates and still managed to get the 40% voucher. It all depends on the person at the front desk perhaps? Who knows.

We have never paid extra for the "park & cruise". We just book at the lowest available rate. Have stayed several times at the Radisson and also at a few other hotels. At Radisson we parked in the cruise parking area behind the hotel and called a cab for the cruise transport. It is cheap and we don't have to deal with the shuttle lines. Admittedly, this has been a few years ago so things may have changed but it was no problem at the time (staff were aware of our plans and even recommended a cab company). We are going back next month so we can find out if it is the same.

Nowadays you will be charged $12 per person for the return shuttle and you have to pay for the parking! In total, budget between $35 and $45 per car (plus tax) for 3 to 9 night cruises.