Kennedy Space Center

[Silverspringcruiser]

Do you have to stay for the whole length of the excursion, or are there shuttles running all day back to the ship?

[Shmoo here]

Do you have to stay for the whole length of the excursion, or are there shuttles running all day back to the ship?

 

If you on a ship-sponsored excursion, the bus you take to the space center is there waiting for your group to complete the excursion. There's no back and forth.

 

Now, whether there are actual shuttles that run back and forth (not an excursion), I don't know.

[Maraprince]

Do you have to stay for the whole length of the excursion, or are there shuttles running all day back to the ship?

 

 

You may be better off either renting a car or doing a private tour where you can control the amount of time you spend there. But you have to reserve a time with Kennedy Space Center ahead of time to do a tour...just can't show up.

 

MARAPRINCE

[moxie99]

There is no shuttle back and forth - but, it takes more than one day to see the entire place with any depth. Yes you can run from one exhibit to another but, to take time to SEE the exhibits will take the entire day. Plus, you might have to stand in line for a few things. We have been twice and it took 2 times to really experience all Kennedy has to offer.

[thomarvin]

We rented a car, it was about $50 for the day. We had "lunch with an astronaut" I think that was $25 pp and well worth it. Buffet with a Q&A session. After KSC we ran to a grocery store and grabbed some things we had forgot to pack (aloe, more sunscreen and some snacks and extra soda). KSC was easy to find but I would bring a GPS if you have a portable one (just in case)

[snc_cam]

If you are interested in NASA, it is definitely a place to go. And for rental cars, the major ones are all within 10 minutes of the port and offer free shuttle service back and forth. We do this when we leave from Port Canaveral since I have family near Orlando and stay with them before/after the cruise; getting a one-way rental each direction.

[Sailor_Sally]

The Space Center is an all day tour to do it right . I would suggest renting a car since it is only an easy 23 mile drive . We were there a few weeks ago . It was great . A free tour to the launch site is included as is two I max films . Lot's to see and a much easier drive than Disney .

[thomarvin]

10 Miles? We used Enterprise (They pick you up :) ) and it was probably a 5 minute ride.

[Nic6318]

Do you have to stay for the whole length of the excursion, or are there shuttles running all day back to the ship?

 

 

We rented a car as well. It would give you quite a bit of flexibility and if you are more than a couple it would save you a lot of money.

 

We used up all our time and didn't see everything, but if you are on your own you are not tied to other peoples' schedule. *** except for the ships' schedule***

 

If you tend to get lost, a GPS might be a good idea. Good directions or a map should be enough since its not a very long distance.

 

We used Budget and the ladies that worked there were very pleasant and helpful, I picked them only because of the price. Check the prices online for all the companies and see if you can use any discount codes... book early if you find a good price, if the prices drop you can usually rebook and get the lower price. Their shuttle was waiting when we arrived in the morning and they were waiting for us when we were done. I think they close up for the day when the last of the ships passengers return.

 

Have a great time

Ian

Edited April 21, 2014 by Nic6318

[Carnival_Brides]

We did KSC on our own my first cruise on the Pride. We took a cab over and bought tickets at the space center. I'd been before, my physicist wife hadn't, so it was a fun day for us. It was about a 25 minute cab ride each way and we were charged $40 for roundtrip service. He gave us his number and we called him to pick us up for our return trip.

 

If you go through Carnival you're stuck for the duration of the time--there is no continuous shuttle.

[RWolver672]

You may be better off either renting a car or doing a private tour where you can control the amount of time you spend there. But you have to reserve a time with Kennedy Space Center ahead of time to do a tour...just can't show up.

 

MARAPRINCE

 

Unless things have changed since Feb, 2013, you don't have to reserve times. You just walk up, pay for your admission and walk in. Then you're on your own to walk around or get on one of the shuttles that takes you to the launch area. You can stay out there as long as you want, then hop on one of their shuttles that takes you back to the main area. Those shuttles run non-stop.