Port of Call - Orlando (Port Canaveral)

[pgerbphoto]

We are sailing out of Cape Liberty, NJ, and our first port of call is Orlando (Port Canaveral). I can't seem to find much of anything on the boards about Orlando (Port Canaveral) as a port of call - just as a departure. Looking for ideas/suggestions - we are traveling with our 6 year old, 4 year old, and 1 year old. Not Disney World. The ship will be docked from 12pm to 9pm. Thanks in advance!

[Clarea]

The Kennedy Space Center is a popular nearby excursion.

[wilmingtech]

We are sailing out of Cape Liberty, NJ, and our first port of call is Orlando (Port Canaveral). I can't seem to find much of anything on the boards about Orlando (Port Canaveral) as a port of call - just as a departure. Looking for ideas/suggestions - we are traveling with our 6 year old, 4 year old, and 1 year old. Not Disney World. The ship will be docked from 12pm to 9pm. Thanks in advance!

 

Not much at the port. A couple restaurants. Jerry Park has beach access but is a long walk with little ones.

 

An uber gets you to Cocoa Beach. The pier is there with a few shops and restaurants and of course the ocean. Ron Jon's is a half mile or more down the road from the pier. Oversized tourist shop and a couple other stores and restaurants. There is also the Kennedy Space Center.

 

Otherwise you can rent a car and drive somewhere. Orlando is not close, 45min - 1hr drive with tolls there and back. Florida mall (nothing special) and International Drive are places you could walk around. You could also walk around at Downtown Disney or Universal Studios City Walk if you wanted to stay out of the parks but have something to do. Both an hour+ from the port.

 

We lived in Orlando for quite a few years and I grew up surfing in Cocoa beach. We are on this stop in December and are renting a car to visit friends In Orlando. Honestly if we didn't have friends to visit we would probably walk down to the beach and jump in the water and get back on the ship.

 

If it was our first time there Ij may be tempted to rent a car and drive to Citywalk or maybe downtown Disney. Not enough time to do the parks but let the kids run around in those places for free.

 

When my kids were that age they loved running around downtown Disney in the little splashpad they have there and visiting the Lego store and a free piece of chocolate from Ghiardelis. And sometimes they have live entertainment for the kids.

 

Maybe others will have more creative ideas for you. But it's not a whole lot there at the port.

 

-Sean

 

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[caribsun]

We are sailing out of Cape Liberty, NJ, and our first port of call is Orlando (Port Canaveral). I can't seem to find much of anything on the boards about Orlando (Port Canaveral) as a port of call - just as a departure. Looking for ideas/suggestions - we are traveling with our 6 year old, 4 year old, and 1 year old. Not Disney World. The ship will be docked from 12pm to 9pm. Thanks in advance!

 

I am assuming you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise. A list of excursions -- http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/destinations/shoreExcursions/subGateWayByPort/search.do?LocationCode=PCN

[reallyitsmema]

Not much at the port. A couple restaurants. Jerry Park has beach access but is a long walk with little ones.

 

 

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Slight correction, that is Jetty Park.:)

[wilmingtech]

Slight correction, that is Jetty Park.:)

Dang auto correct!

 

Thanks Mema!

 

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[deltableh]

As an Orlando resident, just know that you'll pay for parking at Universal CityWalk, but parking is free at Disney Springs.

That said, I wouldn't come into Orlando or the area. While it's tempting to do a Disney-day, one day tickets to the parks are heckka expensive and frankly, I'd be clock-watching too much worrying about reboarding the ship to really enjoy myself. I would recommend the Space Center, as well. Keep an eye here closer to your trip to see if you might be able to see a rocket launch, too. You'll have a great view right from the ship: https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events/events-calendar?pageindex=1&categories=Rocket%20Launches

[jswdlw]

Here is a list of things to do.

 

Manatee Sanctuary Park

Cherry Down Park

Exploration Tower

Kennedy Space Center

Banana River Park

Cocoa Beach Marketing Inc

Fishing on/off shore

[island lady]

I always find it very annoying when RCI calls our local port "Orlando". :mad:

 

We are 45 miles from Orlando, which is land locked and in the middle of the state. It is not even in the same county!

 

So what you could do is research on travel sites the many things to do in the area.

 

Here are a few I could suggest: Kennedy Space center is fun and educational. The beach is popular which runs from Jetty Park (less than a mile away), all the way down to Melbourne and can be accessed very easily by taxi. The little town of Cocoa Village about 8 miles away is a walking town with delightful shops and cafes. Kayaking is one of my favorites and we have two rivers, the Banana and the Indian River (Intercoastal waterway) within a mile of the port. Airboat tours located just 5-10 miles away. There are fishing tours that leave right out of the port there. The port area also has many nice waterfront cafes, plus the addition of Exploration tower.

 

And of course this thread may be moved by CC to the "ports of call" section, which is also a good research area.

 

No matter what you do, enjoy and welcome to our area! :)

[sjb317]

Your children may be more patient than ours were, but personally, I would not have taken our 3 boys there at the age of 4 or 1 as I think at that age, they would not have been happy spending much time there. And, it's a little pricey, $50 for adults and $40 for children over 3. My husband would have felt like he needed to see everything and the boys would have been miserable. We took our 11 year old grandson there last year and he liked it, but Grandpa got a little frustrated at times as he wanted to spend more time in some areas than grandson did.:')

 

Your cheapest way to go would be to Uber to Cocoa Beach and I would suggest the area around the pier. Nice beach for young children and restaurants for snacks, etc. You can rent an umbrella and chairs. Jetty Park is a nice beach, too. It's been a few years since we were there but I think you could rent an umbrella/chairs and there was a small restaurant but it was closed the day we were there.

 

Brevard Zoo in Melbourne is a decent zoo to spend a few hours in and is good for young children. It is about 30 minutes south of the Port. If you rented a car, you could visit the zoo for a few hours, then spend some time at the beach.

 

When my boys were 6, 4 and 1, my vote would be for the beach!:D

[reallyitsmema]

If you do decide to walk to Jetty Park, make sure you check the cruise schedule to see which terminal you will be using. We are coming in on Anthem on November 13th and we are at terminal 6 which is on the other side of the channel from Jetty Park, is over three miles away and is not walkable.

 

https://www.portcanaveral.com/Cruise/Cruise-Lines-Schedules

[mjkacmom]

If you do decide to walk to Jetty Park, make sure you check the cruise schedule to see which terminal you will be using. We are coming in on Anthem on November 13th and we are at terminal 6 which is on the other side of the channel from Jetty Park, is over three miles away and is not walkable.

 

https://www.portcanaveral.com/Cruise/Cruise-Lines-Schedules

You can uber.

[island lady]

If you do decide to walk to Jetty Park, make sure you check the cruise schedule to see which terminal you will be using. We are coming in on Anthem on November 13th and we are at terminal 6 which is on the other side of the channel from Jetty Park, is over three miles away and is not walkable.

 

https://www.portcanaveral.com/Cruise/Cruise-Lines-Schedules

 

That is why I suggested a taxi. :confused:;)

[reallyitsmema]

You can uber.

 

We are renting a car and going to visit family. Was just making sure people understand that Royal Caribbean uses different terminals that are farther away from Jetty Park,

[island lady]

We are renting a car and going to visit family. Was just making sure people understand that Royal Caribbean uses different terminals that are farther away from Jetty Park,

 

Which is very helpful! Thanks! :)

 

Though even from terminal #1, I would still hail a taxi. That road to Jetty park is very busy with trucks, etc.

[reallyitsmema]

I always find it very annoying when RCI calls our local port "Orlando". :mad:

 

We are 45 miles from Orlando, which is land locked and in the middle of the state. It is not even in the same county!

 

So what you could do is research on travel sites the many things to do in the area.

 

Here are a few I could suggest: Kennedy Space center is fun and educational. The beach is popular which runs from Jetty Park (less than a mile away), all the way down to Melbourne and can be accessed very easily by taxi. The little town of Cocoa Village about 8 miles away is a walking town with delightful shops and cafes. Kayaking is one of my favorites and we have two rivers, the Banana and the Indian River (Intercoastal waterway) within a mile of the port. Airboat tours located just 5-10 miles away. There are fishing tours that leave right out of the port there. The port area also has many nice waterfront cafes, plus the addition of Exploration tower.

 

And of course this thread may be moved by CC to the "ports of call" section, which is also a good research area.

 

No matter what you do, enjoy and welcome to our area! :)

 

That is why I suggested a taxi. :confused:;)

 

Jetty Park is not less than a mile away from all the terminals that Royal Caribbean uses for ships there on a port of call. I was making sure people understand that since some on my rollcall were planning on walking to Jetty Park or Fishlips, thinking we would be at terminal 1.

[island lady]

Jetty Park is not less than a mile away from all the terminals that Royal Caribbean uses for ships there on a port of call. I was making sure people understand that since some on my rollcall were planning on walking to Jetty Park or Fishlips, thinking we would be at terminal 1.

 

Thanks! My bad! :( And don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate your added information! :)

 

And in fact always appreciate the information you provide. :)

[dvond]

We rented a car and going a day at Epcot, have done this before and all it takes is some planning to do as much as you can

[muskrat191]

I don’t know if it is feasible, but your kids are a good age for Legoland.

 

 

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[clochette]

We are going to be there in April and plan to take the bus to Disney world to walk around and go to Disney Springs, our excursion says 12:30 - 10:30 p.m. the ship is schedule to depart at 9:30 :) has anyone taken the bus and what was your experience in terms of time, when did it leave from Disney

[knbcruisers]

I don’t know if it is feasible, but your kids are a good age for Legoland.

 

 

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Yes they are the right age but Legoland is an additional 35-45 minutes west of Disney Parks. And it’s not cheap either, figure on 100$ pp if you include food souvenirs etc plus transportation costs. The traffic and construction on I-4 makes any non ship sponsored travel to Orlando or beyond a real risk, you might miss the ship.

 

 

Having lived near Melbourne for 2 years I would vote that you rent a car and go to the Brevard Zoo in the am when animals are active, with a beach stop at Cocoa Beach on the way back.

 

 

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[tinatark]

Go to the beach a few hours then back to the ship. I would suspect many will just stay on the ship. With apologies to those who live there and love it, it's not a great "port" - which makes it a great place to live!

[Ginamarie]

I came to the RCCL board to ask this very question. We are sailing Anthem next October. I'm very familiar with the area, since we visit FL regularly. We have only been there as a "port of call" once, and wound up renting a car and spending time at Disney Springs with breakfast at the Polynesian Resort. What is different this time, is that we are only visiting in the afternoon (12:30-9:30). I was thinking about Kennedy Space Center, but if it's only open until 6 or 7 pm, I'm wondering if the cost will be worth having just a few hours there. We have visited Jetty Park a couple of times, and it's a nice quiet beach with views of the port.

 

I have to check the car rental places because when we were last there, most of them closed around 7 pm, which would limit our time in port even more!

 

I'm curious for more suggestions and will be following this thread.

[reallyitsmema]

I came to the RCCL board to ask this very question. We are sailing Anthem next October. I'm very familiar with the area, since we visit FL regularly. We have only been there as a "port of call" once, and wound up renting a car and spending time at Disney Springs with breakfast at the Polynesian Resort. What is different this time, is that we are only visiting in the afternoon (12:30-9:30). I was thinking about Kennedy Space Center, but if it's only open until 6 or 7 pm, I'm wondering if the cost will be worth having just a few hours there. We have visited Jetty Park a couple of times, and it's a nice quiet beach with views of the port.

 

I have to check the car rental places because when we were last there, most of them closed around 7 pm, which would limit our time in port even more!

 

I'm curious for more suggestions and will be following this thread.

 

Hertz does allow you to drop off the car after hours. That is what we are doing.

[Ginamarie]

Hertz does allow you to drop off the car after hours. That is what we are doing.

 

Thanks! I have to think this will work out cheaper for my family than a RCCL excursion since we're 6 people. We rented cars at all of our ports while sailing on Disney Magic last week and it saved us a ton.