Pre Hotel Pt. Canaveral

Hello,

I don't mean to sound like my nose is up in the air but I never stayed at a hotel that was less than 4/5 stars. We decided to drive the night before our cruise which leaves from Pt. Canaveral, there are no hotels around that area that I would normally choose, therefore, need your advice please. We are planning on parking at the port.

We want clean, not very outdated and not far from the port, and rather stay way from the beach area as it gets us further. We found the Radisson, Country Inn & Suites and La Quinta. I don't want to see a bug in my room can you please give us any advice even if it is to stay away we just need your help and want the truth whether these places are fine, thank you.

We've stayed at the Radisson and La Quinta with no problems. The Radisson has a great pool area with a waterfall and the La Quinta is right at the Cocoa Beach pier.

A Google search for 4 star hotels in that area showed the four points Sheraton. Don't know how close/far that is from the beach. We've only stayed in Cocoa Beach once. Don't remember where but the hotel was fine. Most of the time we stay in Orlando. I hate bugs too but even the Waldorf Astoria had bed bugs. Lol

We stayed at the Doubletree Cocoa Beach. Nice property about 10-15 minutes from the port and right on the beach. There's also a Hilton nearby. Those may be your best bets if you're looking for something a bit more upscale.

With that said, I stay at hotels all over the country on a weekly basis and these hotels, although nicer, are not quite up to the caliber of other Hiltons or Doubletrees. It doesn't seem as if the Cocoa Beach/Port Canaveral area caters to the more "upscale" tourist.

On our last cruise out of Port Canaveral, instead of staying in the Cocoa Beach area, we stayed in Orlando and then drove the 45 minutes to the port the next morning. Many more options, and definitely more upscale hotels to choose from! We stayed at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort. Wonderful resort and it cost us less than a dumpy hotel in Cocoa Beach.

On our next cruise, we are staying at Fairfield Inn in Titusville. It is about twenty five minutes to the port and they do off a 40% coupon for port parking.

A Google search for 4 star hotels in that area showed the four points Sheraton. Lol

Don't know where they get the 4 starts, but that Four Points is not 4 stars. It's a dumpy hotel attached to a Ron Jon Surf Shop.

Don't know where they get the 4 starts, but that Four Points is not 4 stars. It's a dumpy hotel attached to a Ron Jon Surf Shop.

lol. That came from Expedia. But I agree with you. Been to Cocoa Beach many times. Definitely nothing there very upscale. And that's not a dig on the area. Just the type of area it is. We prefer to sail out of Port Canaveral as far as Florida ports go and we almost always stay in Orlando pre-cruise.

We want to stay in Pt. Canaveral for two reasons first being we won't arrive until around 9pm due to the fact my other half, daughter and her bf work on thursday and then we want to go to Fishlips. :D

I am pretty picky about hotels as well and we have stayed at the Country Inn & Suites a few times now and have always had great service, very clean and close to Port.

I've stayed at both the Residence Inn - Marriott & Country Inn & Suites (both are in the same parking lot, closest to the port). My vote, HANDS DOWN! would be for the Residence Inn - Marriott. Their rooms are more updated, larger and the inclusive hot breakfast is definitely a few steps above the one that is served at the Country Inn.

We have stayed at the Best Western in Cocoa Beach twice. We liked it and they give you a coupon for 40% off for parking at the port.

My family and I have stayed at the Radisson many times. As mentioned in earlier post they have a nice pool area and shuttle to the cruise terminals, which are very close by. There are nearby restaurants facing the channel the liners travel on their way out of port. DW and I love to go there cruise eve to eat and watch the ships go out. We once stayed at a hotel in Coco but we still like the Radisson.

We want to stay in Pt. Canaveral for two reasons first being we won't arrive until around 9pm due to the fact my other half, daughter and her bf work on thursday and then we want to go to Fishlips. :D

I feel the same about hotels and we chose the Residence Inn. It was clean, modern, had a complimentary breakfast, and we parked our car there for $6/nt. I would not hesitate to stay there again.

Short drive to Fishlips...the guy at the front desk printed out directions for us and gave us a coupon(I think it was 10 or 15% off our meal).

We booked a 2 bedroom suite which also had a living room. Each bedroom had a bathroom and it was less than booking 2 separate rooms.

does the Radisson have balcony to sit and watch the ships or just windows. ould love a hotel where we could sit outside and sip wine with a view.

does the Radisson have balcony to sit and watch the ships or just windows. ould love a hotel where we could sit outside and sip wine with a view.

Hampton or Doubletree have southeastern balconies.

does the Radisson have balcony to sit and watch the ships or just windows. ould love a hotel where we could sit outside and sip wine with a view.

There are only 4 hotels where some rooms have views of the ships.

The best views (by far) are from the top floor north facing rooms (especially on the north-west corner) at the Holiday Inn Club. These rooms have balconies so you can watch the ships come and go very close to you! I was told by the Front Desk you do not have to be a club member to book a pre-cruise stay.

The second best views are from the north-facing top floor rooms at Country Inn & Suites. Unfortunately none of the rooms have balconies!

The third best views are from top north rooms at Residence Inn but again, no balconies in.

A few of the top floor north rooms at the Radisson can see ships in the distance but this is an older pink hotel with 2-storey motel-style rooms (doors face outside) so you have to stand outside for views! However some of the newer and higher block extensions (3 floors) offer windows!

If you are also interested in ocean views then we can have a follow-up discussion!

Hampton or Doubletree have southeastern balconies.

this is typical of the views from Hampton and the east facing rooms at Doubletree. The first pic is heavily zoomed :o

I stayed at the Doubletree on the executive level. It was a 3-4 star hotel, but it was fine and it took no time to get to the port from there. The rate included free happy hour drinks/snacks and continental breakfast in the lounge on our floor, as well as a tin of cookies and breakfast in the first floor restaurant. Parking is free there during your stay, and we had nice beach views. I prefer higher end hotels, but I would stay there again, as it looked nicer than anything else I saw in the area. There is also a Sheraton and Hilton in the same area.

We have stayed at the Best Western in Cocoa Beach twice. We liked it and they give you a coupon for 40% off for parking at the port.

Do you know if they will give you the coupon if you book through a third party site (like Expedia).

Im leaving tomorrow staying at the Radisson and cringing here because I generally stay at 4/5 star rated hotels and this one is low rated, but its close to the pier and as long as I don't see a bug I just have to deal with it. There are no 4/5 star rated hotels in the entire area. :(

Do you know if they will give you the coupon if you book through a third party site (like Expedia).

Not sure about that

(This is my first post on CC; I hope I'm correct in guessing that my questions are a good fit for this existing thread rather than starting a new thread. If not, please forgive the newbie.)

I'm interested in the question of hotels near Port Canaveral as well as the general issue of transportation if one flies into Orlando. I haven't cruised before and was surprised to see cruises listed as leaving from Orlando. Reading the details, I saw that they meant Port Canaveral. So, questions:

1. Do cruises offer transportation from Orlando to the coast, or is that up to the cruiser?

2. If they offer such transportation, what if I want to stay at a Cocoa Beach area hotel the night before the cruise?

3. Is it important to stay at a hotel close to the port the night before embarking because it's good to board the ship as soon as you can? How early can one board?

4. If I take a shuttle from Orlando to Port Canaveral, will I need to get a taxi from the port to my hotel?

5. If the cruise line offers a whole package with flight, ground transportation, hotel, and cruise, is it generally a good deal? Or will I end up paying more than it's worth that way?

(This is my first post on CC; I hope I'm correct in guessing that my questions are a good fit for this existing thread rather than starting a new thread. If not, please forgive the newbie.)

 

I'm interested in the question of hotels near Port Canaveral as well as the general issue of transportation if one flies into Orlando. I haven't cruised before and was surprised to see cruises listed as leaving from Orlando. Reading the details, I saw that they meant Port Canaveral. So, questions:

 

1. Do cruises offer transportation from Orlando to the coast, or is that up to the cruiser?

2. If they offer such transportation, what if I want to stay at a Cocoa Beach area hotel the night before the cruise?

3. Is it important to stay at a hotel close to the port the night before embarking because it's good to board the ship as soon as you can? How early can one board?

4. If I take a shuttle from Orlando to Port Canaveral, will I need to get a taxi from the port to my hotel?

5. If the cruise line offers a whole package with flight, ground transportation, hotel, and cruise, is it generally a good deal? Or will I end up paying more than it's worth that way?

1. The cruise line does offer transportation from the airport for a fee.

2. I don't think the cruise line does from Cocoa Beach but there are several shuttles you can catch (search this board) OR you can stay at a hotel that offers a pack and cruise rate and the hotel will shuttle you over and you can leave your car parked in their parking lot. Thats what I am doing for my next cruise

3. Yes and no. I chose a hotel in Cocoa Beach that has a shuttle that leaves at 9:30 so I'll be there no later than 10 for sure. Most hotels have shuttles that leave between 10-12.

4. Most likely

5. I have no idea- I did my own research and found the best deal out there that met my needs.

Welcome Newbie!!

Where you stay is up to you. Your options are that your ride the morning of the cruise is shorter if you choose to stay near Cocoa Beach. You can choose to stay in Orlando and have a longer ride in the morning of your cruise.

Personally I find planning the cruise a lot of fun. So I start looking for reviews from people who have sailed out of the port/ship we plan on going out of next. Most of the people who post reviews of their cruise include all sorts of details on what they did pre-cruise. Such as their cost for incoming fights, costs of hotels, which shuttles they used and where they ate the night before.

I know the cruise line can schedule your flight and ground transportation but from what I’ve read, a lot of people were not happy with the flights Carnival picked for them. Happy sailing

Thank you, HalfPint and AnyIsland! I appreciate the welcome and the answers.

I've been reading reviews like mad and making copious notes. It's fun, but I feel a little bit of pressure, too, because I want to make it the best possible experience without going bankrupt, lol.