Any suggestions what to do in Orlando?

[happylady]

And another question, what are the temps like in late December at the beach?

 

I host a scrapbooking weekend every January in Cocoa Beach. The last 3 years have been.....comfortable for the beach, cool at night....so hot that you don't want to leave the A/C, but need a sweater at night, especially after getting a little sun burned......so cold you don't even want to drive to Starbucks (which is way south of Cocoa Beach on Atlantic Ave. ). Best thing is to watch the weather channel and just be prepared for any scenario.

 

If you drive around Cocoa Beach, don't forget to stop at Ron Jon's Surf Shop. It's only about 5 minutes south of the port on Atlantic Ave.

[cruisenuts4life]

Thanks for all you suggestions.We were at Disney last year and did all the parks including water parks . The only thing we didnt see was Universal Studio.I didnt realize that it was an hours drive there from port.I guess thats why its not offered as an excursion on ship.Is Kennedy space center just as far?

[yst347]

The Kennedy Space Center property is adjacent to the Port Canaveral cruise facility.

[yst347]

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths people go to to cheat companies out of money. The pools at any resort are meant for the people STAYING there, not for someone to drive up, lie and then use them. What an example you are setting for your children.

 

People that do that, to me are not only dishonest, but really cheap. You are also the reason that the rest of us pay more for things. I know, you feel that you are entitled because you aren't asked for any proof of what you say. You know the saying what goes around comes around and who is to say when it's your turn.

 

I do have my flame retardant big girl panties on so you can flame away, but my opinion won't change.

 

Don't worry, I won't try to change your mind.

[singbluesilver1]

dont even bother with disney...too busy and crowded..

 

why waste an hour driving there and back? just do something local and relax

[pickypeg]

I was wondering how I can get from Animal Kingdom to other disney parks if I have no car. Our ship will be in port for 12 hours. Like to know how that will work. We will be there i Oct. Thank you.:o

[ehfl]

Disney, Universal, Sea World and Space Center are all great alternatives.

[ehfl]

I was wondering how I can get from Animal Kingdom to other disney parks if I have no car. Our ship will be in port for 12 hours. Like to know how that will work. We will be there i Oct. Thank you.:o

 

Yes, they have busses to all the other Disney parks, as well as the other areas in the resort. Doing 2 parks in one day is a bit much in 12 hours, but if you know exactly what you want to do/see, and focus on doing it, you can probably do it.

[happylady]

I was wondering how I can get from Animal Kingdom to other disney parks if I have no car. Our ship will be in port for 12 hours. Like to know how that will work. We will be there i Oct. Thank you.:o

All the parks and resorts are linked by buses. You might have to take one bus to the transportation center then switch. The transportation center is also where you can board the monorail and the water ferries. If you ride the monorail you can ask if you can ride with the driver. I think there is a 5 person limit, but he/she will also give you a certificate saying that you drove the train. We did this with our son when he was 7 or 8 and he got a big kick out of it. If there are others waiting to do the same, you might have to wait 2 or 3 trains, but the kids love it.

[crazcane05]

Universal Studios is very fun and 7pm is plenty of time for one of the parks and some time at City Walk, which is great. I would go with Islands of Adventure....if you like the thrill rides, otherwise go with Universal. If it is not on the weekend you may even have time to hit the best rides at both parks for only a little more $$. :D

[zqvol]

I was wondering how I can get from Animal Kingdom to other disney parks if I have no car. Our ship will be in port for 12 hours. Like to know how that will work. We will be there i Oct. Thank you.:o

 

Disney transportation. Grab the bus which is free and you can get to any other Disney property. There are busses at each park that go to every other park. Never a need to go to the transportation center.

 

Depending on how familiar you are with the parks you can easily visit all four in a 12 hour day. The key is knowing what you want to do at each one and not try to do anything else. You also may have to skip some attractions to avoid the lines.

 

If you want to ride Expedition Everest and the Safari at Animal Kingdom plus Soarin and Test Track at Epcot, and Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster at Disney Studio you are not going to be able to do it, but if you want to visit and just see each park it is easy to do.

 

You say that you have 12 hours but is the ship docked for 12 hours or do you have 12 hours at Disney (BTW except in the summer it is rare that the parks are open that long). If the ship is docked for 12 hours you are only going to have about 8 at Disney when you actor in transportation and being back to the ship 30 minutes prior to departure. (Disney is 90 minutes from the pier).

[aussie2324]

The Aerosmith roller coaster is Hollywood Studios at Disney. Universal will have shorter lines. Are you on a weekday or weekend? What time will you be there? You can do Universal easily in less than a day if you are there at opening time.[/quote

 

We did the aerosmith roller coaster last year. It was so much fun. Just wish the lines were shorter so we could have done it again and again and again.:eek:

[happylady]

There are busses at each park that go to every other park. Never a need to go to the transportation center.

 

You are correct about the buses going to each park, but if you want to jump on the monorail (for example to go to the Contemporary) or jump on the ferry (for example to Fort Wilderness) then you do need to switch at the transportation center.

This is off the WDW website:

 

Q: What is the best way to get around within the Walt Disney World Resort?

A: There are many modes of transportation within the Walt Disney World Resort, including Bus, Boat and Monorail. A rundown of transportation within the resort:

 

By Bus:

Most areas of the Walt Disney World Resort are accessible by bus from other areas within the Resort, including Theme Parks*, Water Parks, the Disney Resorts and the Downtown Disney area. Buses travel on routes throughout the Resort and do not provide direct service between all destinations.

*Magic Kingdom Park is not accessible by bus from Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney's Polynesian Resort. These Resorts provide monorail transportation to the park.

 

By Boat:

The Magic Kingdom Park is accessible by water launch from Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The Disney ferryboats connect the Magic Kingdom Park to the Transportation and Ticket Center (adjacent to Magic Kingdom parking).

 

Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios are accessible by boat from Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Villas Resort, Disney's Yacht Club and Disney's Beach Club Resorts and the Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotels.

 

Downtown Disney is accessible by ferryboat from Disney's Port Orleans Resort, Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort.

 

By Monorail:

Disney's monorail runs between the Magic Kingdom Park, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Resort and the Transportation and Ticket Center (adjacent to the Magic Kingdom parking lot). A connecting monorail takes Guests from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot.

[ptg]

We will be on the Carnival Pride and will be there July 6th, the ship does alot of excursions to all the disney, seaworld and Cape Canaverl. However it does not do one to Universal, so we hired a transportation company to pick us up (13) of us and take us there. It is about an hour drive and between the (2) park ticket and transportation it will be around $120 per person. This cost is lower then what is offerd by Carnival.

[kaykels]

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths people go to to cheat companies out of money. The pools at any resort are meant for the people STAYING there, not for someone to drive up, lie and then use them. What an example you are setting for your children.

 

People that do that, to me are not only dishonest, but really cheap. You are also the reason that the rest of us pay more for things. I know, you feel that you are entitled because you aren't asked for any proof of what you say. You know the saying what goes around comes around and who is to say when it's your turn.

 

I do have my flame retardant big girl panties on so you can flame away, but my opinion won't change.

 

Don't really care what you think and my opinion won't change either. I spend almost every vacation dollar several times a year with Disney. So a quick dip in their pool doesn't bother me a bit. I cruised with them, and spent a week at the WLV's, and bought annual passes for my entire family, which doesn't "entitle me" to anything, but while I'm at the resort, I always plan on eating at Boma Jiko or Mara (and dropping big bucks there ), buy drinks at the bar, and everytime we visit we bring home a little something from the gift shop since I have an animal inspired room. They get plenty of money from us.

 

Enough said.

OP asked what to do in Orlando.

Personally I think the drive to the Disney area is worth it for a 12 hour day. There are so many fun things to do there, the buses will take you around Disney, and car rentals from the port are only about 50.00.

[steveaaaaa]

The Kennedy Space Center property is adjacent to the Port Canaveral cruise facility.

 

 

That is very misleading info. Yes the property is next door but the visitor center is a half hour away and its probably 20 miles.

 

Steve

[calgarygary]

For those that are considering Universal, try to book a room onsite. There are usually some significant discounts in the room rate and that will provide you front of the line for almost all of the attractions. The ability to skip the lines will give you the most out of a one day visit and be well worth the $ spent on a room.

[D3m3nt3dB3atz]

For those that are considering Universal, try to book a room onsite. There are usually some significant discounts in the room rate and that will provide you front of the line for almost all of the attractions. The ability to skip the lines will give you the most out of a one day visit and be well worth the $ spent on a room.

 

You don't have to stay at a Universal resort anymore for this. When you buy your ticket you can by the pass that will allow you to skip the lines. You will be only be able to do this once per ride. Altho we always stay at the Hard Rock Hotel for just this reason ... skipping the lines.

[retpoda]

Hi, just be aware, that if you do your own transport to orlando, and don't get back to the ship, when it sails at 7PM, can be pretty expensive to get to the next port, Nassau? Me and DH doing the 11/15 sailing on the DREAM, and will take carnivals transport to majic kingdom for the day.Just to do all the resorts would be ok too, as we have stayed at the floridian, two years ago.

[calgarygary]

You don't have to stay at a Universal resort anymore for this. When you buy your ticket you can by the pass that will allow you to skip the lines. You will be only be able to do this once per ride. Altho we always stay at the Hard Rock Hotel for just this reason ... skipping the lines.

 

That particular pass has been available for years but in peak times, they are very stringent about not using it repeatedly. I can't imagine doing ********* just once! Economically, getting a room is often the best way to go.

[Granny1]

With being in port for approx 12 hours ,what is the time frame to be back on board ship if it leaves at 7:00pm..Is it still the 90 minute window?

Was just wondering...