Why Port Canaveral??

[Dalewood]

Personally----I do not get Port Canaveral as a cruise stop. (As a homeport for a cruise ship, I understand.) I would rather spend the day in the Bahamas or even at sea. Am I just being too hard on the place?? I guess Key West is out of range from Baltimore and New York?

 

Come on folks, tell me why I am wrong.

[6rugrats]

I am not sure why anyone would debate this.

 

Lots of previous discussion if this is a topic in which you are interested. You can use the search function to pull more up:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/shore-excursions/port/40/

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1352409

Edited February 15, 2015 by 6rugrats

[cb at sea]

I agree...at least, for most of us! If I can easily drive to it, why would I sail to it? But, for those who are from other places...maybe it's a good deal. I would use it as a "sea day" in port! Without the crowds, staying on the ship is nice!

[loubetti]

Um.... how do I say this....

 

Have you ever heard of Orlando, Florida, along with Disney World and Epcot?

 

Guess what the home port of these venues is, along with Disney Cruise Line?

 

Also there are people who live in that area who like to cruise from there, and for those who have a stop at Port Canaveral, they just might want to visit the attractions in Orlando.

 

Also, Port Canaveral is not far from some other attraction. Have you heard of the Kennedy Space Center?

 

I've been to them both on a cruise stopping there, and aside from the wonders of Epcot, seeing a Saturn V rocket (the one that got us to the Moon) laying on its side is a sight to behold. Not to mention seeing the old launch control facility.

 

Sometimes it is wise to look up a port and see what is near it.:cool:

 

Do I make any sense? :cool:

[Essiesmom]

I think it is added because so many people want more ports and fewer sea days and it's about the only option along the way from the Northeast.. EM

[kelkel2]

OP, I agree with you. But I think I am in the norm with those who enjoy sea days. I love cruising, I cruise because I love the sea. My port days are accessories to the cruise. Honestly Port Canaveral doesn't excite me at all. I guess if you had kids you could do a quick day to disney or something? I don't know. I DO however get it as an embarkation port, I'm not debating that, because people can extend their vacations either before or after their cruise at disney or any of the other attractions near there. But yeah as a port of call, not that exciting...

[RSLeesburg]

Personally----I do not get Port Canaveral as a cruise stop. (As a homeport for a cruise ship, I understand.) I would rather spend the day in the Bahamas or even at sea. Am I just being too hard on the place?? I guess Key West is out of range from Baltimore and New York?

 

 

 

Come on folks, tell me why I am wrong.

 

 

Grandeur sails to Key West on its 8-night Bahamas itinerary from Baltimore, but you also have to stop in PC. :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[ATC cruiser]

Do I make any sense?

 

Sorry, doesn't make sense to me. Your correct, there is a lot to do around Port Canaveral, but the weather from December thru March can be a bit iffy. It could be in the 80's, but it could also be in the 50's. If I'm going to spend the money and get on a ship from New York or Boston, in the winter, I want to go someplace where I know it's going to be warm. I think Port Canaveral is just a way for the cruise lines to save money on fuel costs.

 

 

Aft Cabins Rule

[RSLeesburg]

Do I make any sense?

 

Sorry, doesn't make sense to me. Your correct, there is a lot to do around Port Canaveral, but the weather from December thru March can be a bit iffy. It could be in the 80's, but it could also be in the 50's. If I'm going to spend the money and get on a ship from New York or Boston, in the winter, I want to go someplace where I know it's going to be warm. I think Port Canaveral is just a way for the cruise lines to save money on fuel costs.

 

 

Aft Cabins Rule

 

 

Not every cruise stops at PC. For example, Grandeur has an 8-night itinerary that does, but also offers a 10 day Eastern and 10 day Western that does not stop at PC. I am pretty sure that both Pride and NCL Gem also offer itineraries that do not include PC either. So, I do not think it's purely driven by fuel costs. As Lou mentioned, PC offers families a brief visit at Disney or Universal, plus two or more other stops with beaches and sun. They also offer other itineraries that include more islands and beaches for those that do not want to go to PC. However, there are only so many ports that can be reached from the NE on a 7 day or 8 day itinerary, so the cruise lines try to provide a good mixture to please the widest number of people. I know we stopped, the buses to Disney and Universal were full, so there must be some people who look forward to this port...lol

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Hlitner]

Not sure I "get" the OPs point. There are dozens of different cruise ships and lots of different cruise lines do all kinds of various itineraries. If one line, or ship, is doing an itinerary you do not like simply book something else. Personally, we do not like Port Canaveral, dislike the Bahamas even more, and realize that the cruise ships go to all 7 continents and hundreds of ports. So many choices if you simply open your mind (and wallet).

 

Hank

[Davechipp74]

I use Port Canaveral, to top off my rum-runners, thats about it.

:eek::p

[Dalewood]

To All:

 

1. As I said above, I can understand PC being a homeport.

2. As far as visiting Disney, etc., it seems like too much of a rush, between the bus ride and getting on and off the ship.

3. To each their own :)

 

My last cruise was out of Miami (with friends), so I had to get up at 3:30 AM to make our flight. This time I am going Carnival out of Baltimore, which will be a thirty minute drive. I intend to do one of the Grand Turk, Half Moon, Nassau cruises, probably after April to avoid cold days.....

[kimlovesfl]

There is a lot to do in that area-beaches, Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Village, Canaveral National Seashore, Brevard Zoo, and if you want to travel the hour each way, Disney, Universal, and Sea World. There is a lot to do in Orlando proper if you want, like Leu Gardens, Winter Park, Morse Museum, Orange County History Center, etc. True, the weather in winter can be anywhere from 50-80, but as long as you aren't planning on spending the day at the beach, does that matter a whole lot?

[meggie711]

DH, DS, and I drive 3+ hours to Port Canaveral for a day trip a few times out of the year. We spend the afternoon at Fishlips, eat yummy food, drink even better drinks, listen to Freddy play, and watch the cruise ships. This is exactly how I would spend my day at PC. :cool:

[msmayor]

Do I make any sense?

 

Sorry, doesn't make sense to me. Your correct, there is a lot to do around Port Canaveral, but the weather from December thru March can be a bit iffy. It could be in the 80's, but it could also be in the 50's. If I'm going to spend the money and get on a ship from New York or Boston, in the winter, I want to go someplace where I know it's going to be warm. I think Port Canaveral is just a way for the cruise lines to save money on fuel costs.

 

 

Aft Cabins Rule

 

You have to realize, though, that when sailing from NY (I don't think anything sails from Boston Dec-Mar) there is only so far that ship can travel and return to NY in 7 days...the Bahamas is pretty much it (Bermuda, but that's in the summer). Even the Bahamas can have cooler weather this time of year because its just not the Caribbean.

 

Anything that goes to the actual Caribbean from NY needs at least 8-9 days to do so, and that eliminates a lot of folks who can only get 7 days off from work.