Overnight in Port Canaveral

[jason013]

Hi,

 

We are booked on the December 20th Norwegian Bliss itinerary which includes an overnight at Port Canaveral.

According to the schedule, the ship arrives at Port Canaveral at 1pm on the 22nd, and leaves at 5pm on the 23rd.

 

We've never been to Port Canveral/Orlando before so not really sure what to expect with timings.

 

Our ideal plan is to rent a car after getting off the ship on the 22nd, and spend the rest of that day at one of the theme parks (looking at either SeaWord, Disney, or Universal...recommendations?), drive back at night, park overnight and sleep on the ship, and then do the Space Centre the following morning (December 23rd) right when it opens at 9AM. 

 

Does that sound doable or will that be very rushed and leave us constantly worrying about time?

 

Thanks!

[Orlando Vic]

The Space Center is between a 3/4 to full day. Plan accordingly!

[jason013]

1 hour ago, Orlando Vic said:

The Space Center is between a 3/4 to full day. Plan accordingly!

Since the Space Centre is relatively close to Port Canaveral, and the ship doesn't leave until 5pm on the second day, does our plan sound fine or would you advise of an alternative?

[iahawkfan21]

If you're at the entrance right at opening, you can easily fit that into the timeframe you're looking at on day 2.  Just keep in mind the drive back to the port to be there in time for all-aboard.  Even if you plan to be back in the car by 230-300pm you should be able to see the majority of what there is.

 

In reference to your plan on day 1, make sure and check park hours.  Some parks will occasionally close a bit earlier in certain seasons and you do have to factor in travel time.  Doable, but again make sure you pick the right park for the day.

[plum24]

Jason, we are on your sailing and we're doing the Space Center on Day 2. I thought we'd book a car service, but since we may head to SeaWorld on Day 1, your plan for a two-day car rental sounds like a good one... Off to check that out.

What's the nearest pickup point from the cruise port to get a rental car?

[SteerageJoe]

9 minutes ago, plum24 said:

Jason, we are on your sailing and we're doing the Space Center on Day 2. I thought we'd book a car service, but since we may head to SeaWorld on Day 1, your plan for a two-day car rental sounds like a good one... Off to check that out.

What's the nearest pickup point from the cruise port to get a rental car?

 

[jason013]

17 hours ago, plum24 said:

Jason, we are on your sailing and we're doing the Space Center on Day 2. I thought we'd book a car service, but since we may head to SeaWorld on Day 1, your plan for a two-day car rental sounds like a good one... Off to check that out.

What's the nearest pickup point from the cruise port to get a rental car?

https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-guide-to-port-canaveral-car-rental/29755

 

The above site provides a good general guide on car rentals at Port Canaveral. Looks like the National-Alamo-Enterprise building is closest to the port

[jason013]

Another question for the more-experienced cruisers:

 

The itinerary states an arrival at Port Canaveral at 1pm on December 22nd (ship is embarking from NYC). What are the chances that it will arrive earlier, say like 10am-noon, or are the port arrival timings usually pretty accurate?

Thanks!

[StarKat2019]

I do not think you can predict that. It could arrive a bit earlier, but it might arrive later than scheduled too : )

I would definitely rent a car and go Orlando. I am not a fan of KSC and Cocoa Beach is not that exciting in December.

[MonaCK]

We are planning to rent a car for this period also (we are on the same cruise). do you think that overnight parking will be a problem at the port?

[BNBR]

Just throwing an idea out there, since you are overnighting...  There are bioluminescence kayak tours that go out at night in the area.  Check out BK Adventure. Would be something quite different if you end up not wanting to go to a theme park. 

[Capt_BJ]

1 hour ago, MonaCK said:

We are planning to rent a car for this period also (we are on the same cruise). do you think that overnight parking will be a problem at the port?

 

interesting question as the parking is not typically open 24 hours but only when a ship is 'loading/unloading'

 

you might want to call and ask .. this number is for the Port's parking folks: (321) 783-7831 ext. 327 - Monday through Friday. (Eastern time)

 

And if you find something out, let us know for future cruisers . . .

Edited September 10, 2019 by Capt_BJ

[plum24]

On 9/10/2019 at 4:01 PM, BNBR said:

Just throwing an idea out there, since you are overnighting...  There are bioluminescence kayak tours that go out at night in the area.  Check out BK Adventure. Would be something quite different if you end up not wanting to go to a theme park. 

 

That is a great idea! Thank you. We don't really want to do a big excursion on that first day, when we land at 1:00 pm. Thinking of using the $50 per cabin shore excursion credit for transportation to Cocoa Beach that first afternoon, and then this kayak tour sounds good too! (Otherwise, we'll just be wasting that $50 credit x 2 cabins...) 

[BNBR]

20 minutes ago, plum24 said:

 

That is a great idea! Thank you. We don't really want to do a big excursion on that first day, when we land at 1:00 pm. Thinking of using the $50 per cabin shore excursion credit for transportation to Cocoa Beach that first afternoon, and then this kayak tour sounds good too! (Otherwise, we'll just be wasting that $50 credit x 2 cabins...) 

 

Glad you like it!  It's something very different, unique to the area, and nice to get out on the water and explore a bit.

Edited September 12, 2019 by BNBR

[JerseyCruisers2019]

Did anyone find out if it's possible to park for a single night at the port?  We are also on this cruise and had the same idea (rent a car on the 22nd and return it on the 23rd), just haven't figured out where to park it for the night.  None of the car rental places I called will let us park it overnight in their facilities.

[Capt_BJ]

did anyone try calling?

 

you might want to call and ask .. this number is for the Port's parking folks: (321) 783-7831 ext. 327 - Monday through Friday. (Eastern time)