things to do at Port Canaveral (9am-9pm cruise ship docked)

[Johncn]

what is the dollar shuttle and where do I go to get a ride on it?

 

Hi,

 

I think I just came up with the plan I would carry out if my wife and family with two teens was visiting Port Canaveral as a port stop. I had to think a little like frugal tourist, as I am when I visit ports on a cruise. We leave in a few days for a Carnival Dream 9-night cruise, so I just had to switch modes!

 

I think the "dollar shutle" referred to is the Space Coast Area Transit Authority's (SCAT) Cocoa Beach Trolley. The trolleys are actually buses designed to look like trolleys, and shuttle folks up and down the beach from Cocoa Beach proper, to and from Port Canaveral (George King Blvd. stops).

 

The service runs Monday through Saturday from 7:00am to 9:00pm and on Sunday from 8:00am to 5:00pm from Port Canaveral to 13th Street in Cocoa Beach.

 

 

Beach Trolley Map:

 

 

Download Current Schedule & Fare Info:

http://routefinder.ridescat.com/maps/english//printable.pdf

 

A ride on the Beach Trolley costs $1.25 with a special rate of .60 for seniors, veterans, disabled and students. There is no charge for children under 5. You do need the exact fare ready when riding a bus/trolley, since the trolley drivers are not equipped to make change. Bikes and surfboards are welcome. Stops are scattered up and down the beach, and include:

• Shepard Park
  
• Cape Canaveral Plaza
  
• Banana River Square
  
• Cocoa Beach Public Library
  
• S. Atlantic Ave. & 12th Street
  
• Banana River Square
  
• Canaveral Plaza
  

Bikes welcome? Got me thinking. It is POSSIBLE - if you a frugal traveller who does not mind a 20 minute walk - to walk from the cruise ship docks to Cape Marina and rent a bicycle. Seriously. From another thread I wrote earlier this year:

 

 

Cape Marina

321-799-3271

 

The building right across the boat slips infront of the bikes below is the cruise ship terminal used by Royal Caribbean. :cool: You can see it in the photo above as the cruise ship terminal with Enchantment of the Seas (I think) docked.

 

 

You can then bicycle around The Cove, and / or put the bike on the Beach Trolley's rack for a $1.25 trip down to the Cocoa Beach Pier area. This opens up the ENTIRE beach and pier area for exploration, and you can bike around there to the many beach shops and restaurants

 

Or, you can put bike on bus to get down to Cocoa Beach, and then just pedal your way about 2.5 miles back up the beautiful, hard-packed sand of the beach to Jetty Park and the Port area. Bikes work great on our beaches. The fine sand is so packed you could easily drive a car on the beach, but this is thankfully prohibited in Brevard County.

 

Actually, if you have a full day in Port Canaveral, you could even squeeze in a brief detour to the Port Canaveral Locks to view manatees and dolphins before returning bikes to Cape Marina. To find the locks, just keep going past Cape Marina to the end of the road.

 

Although this is unlikely to appeal to the OP of this thread, for my family and I, at least, a Bike-Bus-Beach adventure would make an EXCELLENT and inexpensive day trip involving a little exercise, beach bumming on a goregous beach, beach bar visits, a good lunch, and maybe some wildlife viewing at the locks. Your mileage may vary. :D

 

We tried to go to The Surf (formerly Bernard's Surf) that I had recommended to the OP for dinner last night, and it apparently closed its doors in mid November. I hope another owner opens it soon. After milling around on the corner for a few moments, we did discover a that a Chinese restaurant which we thought had closed, had reopened. Yen Yen has linen table clothes, a nice atmosphere, and good food. We ate in a booth, and enjoyed our dinner. Good portion size. It is right across from the former Bernard's Surf, a few doors from Heidi's Jazz Club, as well as just across the street from the Beach Shack (blues and rock bar), and Coconuts on the Beach.

 

Yen Yen Chinese Restaurant

2 North Atlantic Avenue

Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

(321) 783-9512

 

Hope this helps,

 

Johncn

[royalcruz]

Johncn, If we park near 520 and Atlantic Ave, can we walk around from there to find the restaurants that you mentioned and lots more? It might be nice to find an atmosphere that we like and look at the menus. I'm hoping that it isn't cold or rainy.:cool:

[Johncn]

Johncn, If we park near 520 and Atlantic Ave, can we walk around from there to find the restaurants that you mentioned and lots more? It might be nice to find an atmosphere that we like and look at the menus.

 

Royal,

 

Not really....the 520 / A1A (Atlantic Blvd.) intersection is by some surf shops, and not far from the Cocoa Beach Pier. However, the "downtown" Cocoa Beach is s couple miles south of the 520 causeway.

 

Johncn

[royalcruz]

Royal,

 

Not really....the 520 / A1A (Atlantic Blvd.) intersection is by some surf shops, and not far from the Cocoa Beach Pier. However, the "downtown" Cocoa Beach is s couple miles south of the 520 causeway.

 

Johncn

 

So downtown is on A1A at ________? And a bunch of the restaurants you mentioned are there within walking distance of each other?

[Johncn]

So downtown is on A1A at ________? And a bunch of the restaurants you mentioned are there within walking distance of each other?

 

Hi Royal,

 

Yes, that is correct. A1A splits before "downtown Cocoa Beach" and is separated by a city block. They are one way, with one street going south, and the other going north.

 

 

The Minuteman Causeway (which goes to Cocoa Beach Country Club and High School) terminates at the beach after passing City Hall. The place where that ends is sort of the center of Cocoa Beach proper, and has eight or nine restaurants (maybe more) within walking distance.

 

Several of them are ones I discussed in my post are within a two or three block area, including The Surf (closed), Yen Yen, The Beach Shack, Heidi's Jazz Club (where the map says "Club Zion" for some reason), and Coconuts on the Beach.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Johncn

[royalcruz]

Thanks, John, that is perfect!