Capt_BJ

exactly why the fed up population of Key West got local government to make rules limiting numbers of cruise visitors .... Venice too . . we did not experience this last year but our excursions took us well out of town / walking distance (Viking Ocean 'included excursion')

'worth it' is a very subjective question .... it is up to you to decide.

IMO at $25 per person per day they are giving it away.

For me

- I like a drink b4 dinner and often a drink after, maybe more than one.

- beer and wine IS included with lunch/dinner - I often like a coke or a been outside of meal times. I could go to the room and get the coke, the beer would cost me. With the package I just wave at a waiter or hop to a bar.

- wine at lunch dinner is a selected white or red and IME changes daily. With the package we order from the wine list .... our choice. Not always a fan of the 'selected for us'

-  description mentions 'specialty coffees' but since we're not big fans have never really pursued. I know the 'machine' in world cafe can make capa' and expresso so I guess they are talking about the coffee bar. I've had at Explorer bar too, dunno if they charge normally - I already had the package.

- I put in same category as pre-paid tips. One less thing to worry about at the end of the trip.

- last time I sailed RCCL they wanted $65 per person per day for the same ..... that was an EASY decision  😵‍💫

if one drink a day or less is your thing, are happy with the 'included wine', and are of the 'grab a can and take it with when leaving the Cafe club' then NO the SS is not worth it.

78 or 79

my experience with flybus last July ... they use a 'local' bus to collect folks from around town and bring you to the bus terminal where you transfer to a 'long haul' bus for the ride to the airport. The extra time wasn't A LOT but it did add time. The trip to the airport was nearly 90 minutes from downtown hotel (near the port ... actually one of the hotels Viking Ocean uses)

It is possible your cruise could book special bus based on demand but if you are considering flybus as an OPTION to a booked transfer I'd say it would be longer time wise . . 

there is a hop on / hop off bus that's decent ... not the best we've used but decent. It will take you to the cluster of attractions I've circled after a tour of the city ... obviously not the only place you can get on/off

https://www.shuttleserviceinmelbournefl.com/  this is Melbourne Airport Express ... been around for many years operating primarily from Melb/Orlando airport .. they serve the port.

newer is

https://airportcanaveral.com/

UBER is usually not a problem BUT this is a small town with a port versus a big city with a port .... availability can be an issue occasionally . . 

I agree this seems to be seldom used and somewhat 'wasted'. Each of our VO cruises this WAS where a meet and mingle happen tho . . VO will still support these ... last July one pass' took the initiative to coordinate with VO and collected names via a roll call here . . .

in other word the rental car places are pooled into one big building with a big taxi stand ..... no worries

suggest taking a shuttle into Cocoa BEACH, going to Ron Jon, and checking out the pier. We really like Cocoa Beach.

Cocoa is 'inland' on US-1 .... Cocoa Beach is 'beach side' as we say locally.

some local geography ....  

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Save the Disney trip when you have more time. Seven hours isn't enough time to do anything at Disney World 

Disney Springs is not like going into one of the parks ... there's no <outrageous> admission fee for one thing! So question becomes is it worth the time and expense to go to what's just a themed open air shopping center. We go there for just a few hours on occasion, but in conjunction with something that took us to Orlando for other reasons and NOT a special / dedicated trip.

I make NO recommendations .... just trying to give you some perspective so you can decide.

Wanna try something different: https://www.spacecoastslingshot.com/

what a cruise line charges varies by line ...  ~$50 is common . .

As others have said UBER is an option (as is a taxi) but an UBER will run $70 or more .....<UBER can be cheaper for 2 or 3 or 4 traveling together as the price is per vehicle, not per person>

there are a BUNCH of 'third party' SHARED shuttles that serve the MCO / PC route like https://cbshuttle.com/port-canaveral/

just google it

NOT A RECOMMENDATION

only an example

nothing ruins an early try at snorkeling like a mask that doesn't fit well ....

our VO cruise last July had a M&M and 'someone' had taken the initiative to coordinate and collected name via Roll Call ..... VO host just like pre-covid

there is a WIDE range of price in the 'drink package' across various lines.  On my current preferred line it is $25 per day .... last time I sailed RCCL when it went 'on sale' at a reduced price it was $65 per day . .  .  😬

verified

this pretty much shows everything in FLAM ... at the top of the mountain is the train station (connect to Bergen <> Oslo) and that's it ... On the Flam railway is one ski resort near the top and a zipline attraction. One popular activity is to take the train up then bike DOWN which can be combined with the zip ... but the bike ride is not ALL on roads so be aware . .  .

I just ran it for UBERXL and get $109 .... Terminal 1 to Contemporary .. 

where are you going when you get off?

Straight to the airport <probably not as you'd not need bag storage!>

airport same day but time to kill <no good idea from me on this one>

hotel for an 'extension' but too early to check in: our hotel took our bags and held them while we went out and explored .... came back, claimed our bags while checking in and all happy happy.

different answers for these situations . . .

in general I'm not aware of a storage option at the port or near by save a hotel that would hold your bags ... a booked tour MIGHT have space to carry your bags but I rate that as LOW probability and would VERIFY ahead of time and STILL be dubious . . . 

we did this 

picked up and returned to our hotel <FOSS>

restrooms were available at every stop and food at least 3 times available for purchase . . 

editorial comment.  our cruise ended in Rey' last July and we extended for a couple of days and booked a 'Golden Circle' on our own.

This may be obvious to you but I found that 'Golden Circle' can still have a lot of variations not only in the type of transportation but the places visited. Our tour vehicle was a large tourist van sort of thing with maybe 16 total folks .... "small group"

in addition to the standard Golden Circle sites of the geysers, water falls, rift we stopped at Secret Lagoon, a smaller thermal pool area were a swim was included in the tare. 

So shop around .... they are NOT all the same . . .

we had one rolling bag and small back pack each. Kept our bags with us ... there were racks on the train but everything stayed in sight. Bought tickets from the machines with a tap VISA

we did this last July

encountered no 'serious' seas .... but I may not be a fair judge . .  . I patrolled the Bering Sea for a while .... summer and winter ...

I'd pick FLAM for the train ..... been to most place mentioned ...   Flam train

Flam with no cruise ship<s>

But then again I'd not pick a Norway cruise with begin / end in South' ...

2018

we did return as Bergen Flam <over nite>  Oslo via train/bus/ferry/train/train <Norway in a Nutshell>

2023

we took the train and did a similar walk .... it is totally flat. Only problem I had was getting my bearings for directions. And a wee bit of traffic in immediate vicinity of the station . . 

Hint, use google maps or earth and 'street view' ... you can 'walk' your entire route virtually!!!

cuz the port is SMACK downtown in a big city ....... when Norfolk was trying to establish a cruise port the problem was NO PARKING AVAILABLE as the pier is smack down town.

how's the parking around port of New York?

On the other hand a place like Canaveral is a sleepy tourist town OTHER than the port ..... which is not to say parking is free ... but there are a BUNCH of off site parking options which don't exist in Miami, Lauderdale, Tampa .....