alex-goportcanaveral

It's a great place to kill time, and even stay before cruising. Check out the events and shows they have for the dates around your cruise. Fantastic entertainment, dining options, and great for any gamblers.

I had checked go port canaveral,but I was hoping for some feed back from what others had thought of the hotel they had stayed in & what they had done when it came to parking.I was looking at reviews of hotels & really cant tell if they are honest.I trust reviews of fellow cruisers.So if anyone has any info it would help

Go Port Canaveral just (put up less then a day ago!) partnered with Florida Hotel, the first partner to offer secure gated parking for cruisers. Plus, the hotel is attached to the Florida Mall :) perfect for anyone wanting to do some shopping for bathing suits or anything else before their cruise. You get gated parking and transportation to the cruise ship and back to the hotel after sailing.

Thats a great idea thank you! We've been showing our DD8 videos on youtube that have tours and videos of experiences. Will definitely include her on the planning when I find some guidebooks for those dates

Wife and I are taking our DS3 and DD8 on the Norwegian Epic to Eastern in November. I've got a couple questions to help maximize their, and our vacation.

1. Does anyone have a picture of the family inside stateroom that has the pullout beds? Been looking everywhere and no luck. How did you feel about the room? Any tricks to being more comfortable?

2. What family activities are there for the 4 of us?

3. What was your kids favorite part of the trip?

4. Recommended on shore excursions for the family

5. Extra tips, advice, things you brought or would recommend bringing! Everything is appreciated.

Also we just found out they don't do the Nickelodeon themes/characters anymore, pretty bummed about that, did they replace it with anything worthwhile?

Definitely risky flying in on Spirit the day of. I understand they are very low priced but if you want to stick with them consider coming in the night before.

Just looking for an inexpensive, but nice, place to sleep the night before our cruise that will allow us to leave our car there during our cruise. And have shuttle service to/from ship.

 

Bill

Ocean Landings resort is very nice priced nicely and in a great location Go Port Canaveral has packages for cruisers driving in, every single one of them has parking and roundtrip cruise transfers included, check out the package for Ocean Landings https://www.goportcanaveral.com/snooze-park-cruise/ocean-landings-cocoa-beach

There are definitely other locations if you need to meet a lower budget, but this one is probably the nicest and most affordable hotel on the beach!

Booked there for my bachelor party. It was amazing, definitely a nice and safe location (from what I can remember :D ) They had happy hour and gave us complimentary beer and some food to snack on. Not too far from Las Olas or the port either. Clean hotel and great customer service.

Hi,

 

My husband, 16 year old (at time of cruise) son and 14 year old daughter and I are planning on taking our first cruise in July. We're planning on going out of Port Canaveral and go to the Caribbean on Freedom of the Seas/Royal Caribbean.

 

What's better, the Eastern or Western Caribbean? There are 2 Western Caribbean cruises one leaves Port canaveral, day 2 is cruising, day 3 is Labadee, Haiti, Day 4 is Falmouth, Jamaica, 5th is George Town, Grand Cayman and Day 6 is Cozumel, Mexico then back to Canaveral. The other Western Caribbean is day 1 port Canaveral, 2 cruising, 3 George Town Grand Cayman (for 7 1/2 hours), 4 Roatan Honduras (for 5 1/2 hours), 5 Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, 6 Cozumel, Mexico, 7 cruising and 8 back in Port Canaveral. The Eastern Cruise leaves Port Canaveral, day 2 Coco Cay, Bahamas, 3 cruising, 4 Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, 5 Philipsburg, St Maarten, day 6 and 7 cruising and arrive back at Canaveral day 8.

 

I've no idea how to judge. It seems that 2 straight days of cruising wouldn't be the best. Days at sea are amazing, make your own schedule, watch amazing shows, take a nap whenever you please, etc. There is so much to do on the ship you'll wish you had a bit more time.

 

How do you pick a room? I think I'm pretty set on having a balcony. I think we'd be much more comfortable with 2 rooms, but not sure. Is it better to be on a higher deck? Toward the front, middle or back of the ship? All preference. Going to have a walk a ton anyways. If you plan on doing a certain activity more, get a cabin on that side of the activity. Walking a lot will help with the calorie burning though :D

 

We are going through a travel agent my husband had been referred to, but I don't know what to say I want.

 

What do I need to make sure I do? Do you live near Port Canaveral? If not I'd suggest booking a hotel a night before the hotel if you're flying in.

 

Do they have French Vanilla Coffee creamer? Can't help you here, I don't think they do

 

How much is a soda? Over $2 per drink from what I remember. A soda/drink package is usually worth it.

 

How much is wi-fi? We've got Verizon phones, it may be nice to have one phone accessible to family somehow, either through text or email in case something happens, death or major family illness (or if something happens, can they contact Royal Caribbean who would then contact us).Wi-fi is pricey, when you're on land you can get to a McDonalds and get free wi-fi. Like sparky said, if theirs an absolute emergency have your family contact the ship and they'll get ahold of you

 

What's the best way of keeping track of or in touch with teenagers if we're doing separate things on the ship?Set schedule, know where they will be for the most part. For example: "We'll be at the pool for now, if not then we will either be getting pizza or playing ping pong. Meet you back at the room at 4."

 

Do you book the excursions through Royal Caribbean or outside places? I suggest doing it with RCL since it's your first cruise. If you want to just go to the beach or something like Atlantis, I think outside places would be okay.

 

Oh, and what's the deal with tipping?Gratuities are about 10-12 a day, that goes to your cabin stewards and wait staff. Beverages already have tip included, so adding more is your choice.

 

Thanks for the help. I'm clueless.

 

Janelle:confused::confused:

Make sure all the travel docs are up to date and packed, bring things like ponchos, jackets, and A waterproof card carrier thingy like this, just in case, you never know how the weather will be!

You're going to have an amazing time with your family, happy cruising!

This is a great question, I'd pack the extra pants just in case!

I overindulge when I cruise, I pack on weight very easily also. I tend to diet before cruising as well knowing i'll prob gain 10-15 pounds mostly temp water weight. I pig out on multiple entrees and drink like crazy. But I always take the stairs and try to go to the gym once or twice when im on the ship.

Rustic Inn is a staple for Seafood in Fort Lauderdale, there are definitely some meals over 20 but you can get some amazing food for under 20 as well :)

I recommend getting in a day before. The airport isn't as close so traffic on the trip to the port and flight delays do happen. You are getting in fairly early so everything *should* be fine, I wouldn't risk it though. ;)

Based off of http://www.studentcity.com/when-is-my-spring-break

It looks like you should be in the clear! :D Few colleges have spring break at the end of Feb, a lot start March 5th. Wednesday shouldnt be crowded in my opinion. As a Floridian, I always take the kids during tuesday and wednesday because we can do everything in each park easily within a day.

March is a pretty busy and pricey season for hotel stays due to spring break. I hate to put in a plug but I do hope it could help. Go Port Canaveral has packages that offers airport shuttle to the hotel, a night at the hotel, shuttle to the terminal, and then a shuttle back to the airport when you return from the cruise.

La Quinta Inn West is right by the airport, but if with a package you could always get a hotel closer to the Port and better for your budget. Econolodge is probably best. Best of luck! Should be an awesome and fun cruise, let me know if you want to know more!

If your going during the high season the lines will be long. Get the FastPass worth every penny. If your Harry Potter fans get there when it opens and hit that first. Have fun

This x100

It all really depends on the time of year you're going. Universal has really grown a lot and Diagon Alley for Harry Potter fans is just amazing. I used to prefer Islands because of the rollercoasters but because of all the expansion at Universal I prefer going to Universal studios now.

Get FastPasses for the family if you are traveling during the holidays or March. If not, you will be fine getting a regular ticket.

Purchase a mealplan, $20 that gets you a drink, meal(with drink), and a snack (that could be used towards Butterbeer!)

There are plenty of hotels to choose from in or near Port Canaveral. For a nice hotel on the beach you can get a package for 2 at Oceans Landing for $91 that includes free parking and shuttles to and from the cruise.

Best Westen, La Quinta, International Palms, Wakulla Suites, Holiday Inn, Hilton, The Inn, DoubleTree, there's plenty of options for cruisers and each of these hotels offer different amenities, so it's all preference.

Can find great deals on cruise packages with these hotels from go port canaveral. And you're not limited to one night, 2 people, etc. Everything is completely customizable

South Beach CAN be 24/7 party but it can also be a romantic weekend with your wife.

 

The reason we like South Beach so much aside from the beach, is because the hotels, shopping, and dining are far superior to anywhere else in Miami.

 

If you are trying to compare South Beach to the Holiday Inn Port of Miami your bar is set pretty low.

This right here.

South Beach is, in my opinion, the nicest location to be around Miami. The dining options are top of the line, the beaches are beautiful, the clubs are a fantastic way to have a great time with the wife. Miami is nice but some locations can be hit or miss, I've yet to have a bad experience in South Beach. Check up for events as well, there is always something going on there, who knows, it could be enough incentive to sway your decision.

Theres a few options here. I believe you stayed at the La Quinta in Cocoa? Right across from there is Oceans Landings as well, either way they are both fine places to stay and just a block south is a Dollar General to pick up any last minute toiletries and I believe some wine :)

The Econolodge of Port Canaveral is very centralized, so if you also want some good dinner you have plenty of options there like Carabbas, Chilis, Red Lobster, and more. A BJ's wholesale club is there if you have a membership they've got great deals on good wine. Or just across the street is a publix.

I could go on and on but these are great places to stay. And its your preference ultimately, stay by the beach or something a little more centralized. There is also Orlando hotels, let me know if youd like to know more I could go all day! :D