NCL excursion to Kennedy Space Center

[kurdav]

Anyone that has done the excursion can you give me an idea of when you head to the airport?  We will be doing it when we depart the ship but am a little worried that we will get back super early for our late flight.   

[hallux]

I've been contemplating this excursion myself, for my Escape cruise in March.  The description says you should have a flight no earlier than 6 PM so I'm guessing it gets to the airport around 3:30 or 4 PM, possibly as early as 3 PM.

 

Here is the need to know portion (you should see this in your cruise planner also) -

It is recommended to book this excursion AFTER you have your flight information in order to avoid cancellation. Tour begins approximate 1 hour after ships’ arrival with a duration of about 6 hours. Suggested flight departure should begin no sooner than 3 hours after tour completion. This tour is only for guests with domestic or international flights departing after 6:00 pm from Orlando International Airport. Guests are responsible for ensuring their debark tours are compatible with their departure flight times. Guests have the option to book their flights through our Premium Air Department to ensure that flight departure times do not interfere with debark tours. Guests who go ashore do so with the understanding that they will be mixing with members of the general public.

[TSUmom]

We are considering this tour also and plan on booking the airport hotel for the night and then an early morning flight home.  I don't want to end our vacation with stress about making it to the airport in time and DH really wants to see the Kennedy Space Center.  

[bumble12]

went on this tour and it is not worth it. you get there about 1030 and most of the shows are an hour long and do not really start till noon and then you have to be back on bus by 130  and to the airport by 2:45 so up to you

[smillerholmes]

I've done it.  Fabulous - one of those places that makes you proud to be an American.  There's ALOT of stuff there.  If you like to go through all the buildings (like I do) pick what's most interesting and plan to go back, you simply cannot do it all.  Hard to say how the time factor stresses individual people.  I went as part of an excursion during my cruise so even with a full day, you can't do it all.  If you decide to go definitely check out Artemis.  Awesome! 

[hallux]

36 minutes ago, bumble12 said:

went on this tour and it is not worth it. you get there about 1030 and most of the shows are an hour long and do not really start till noon and then you have to be back on bus by 130  and to the airport by 2:45 so up to you

There are two different experiences at the space center.  There's the visitor's center, which has the shows, Atlantis, the rocket garden, etc. and is basically a self-guided experience.  Then there's the tour that takes you to the pads and other buildings where the NASA work was done.  This is the latter.  I did the former on my trip in 2018, it took 3 hours to get to KSC as it was during a popular spring break week for grade schools AND there was a SpaceX launch.

 

This is the description of the tour in question (which can't happen if a launch ends up scheduled for that day, and there are several SpaceX launches and a ULA launch projected for March 2023 so we may lose it anyway) -

The Kennedy Space Center provides a day of discovery for the entire family as you experience the exciting past, present and future of America’s space program. Your tour begins with a short ride to Kennedy Space Center, where upon arrival, you can participate in the Shuttle Launch Experience which replicates the sights, sounds and feelings of a shuttle launch and orbiting Earth aboard a Space Shuttle. Guest crew members strap in and go vertical for launch in a one-of-a-kind motion-based simulator, the only realistic simulation of a launch ever created.

 

The five-minute experience sequence culminates with a breathtaking view of Earth from space. You’ll then board an exclusive coach for a tour of NASA’s restricted areas. Ride out to the Space Shuttle launch pads, closer than other guests are allowed and see the vehicle assembly building and visit the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Here you’ll relive the launch of the massive Saturn V rocket and enjoy a front-row seat as man lands on the moon. Upon conclusion of your personal tour of Kennedy Space Center, you’ll be transported by motorcoach to the Orlando International Airport.

 

[dizzyr]

On 1/10/2023 at 4:30 AM, TSUmom said:

We are considering this tour also and plan on booking the airport hotel for the night and then an early morning flight home.  I don't want to end our vacation with stress about making it to the airport in time and DH really wants to see the Kennedy Space Center.  

We are doing this after our RCL cruise that ends on May 26th. Our flight was originally scheduled for 2:30 and then got changed to 1:00 and then 11:50. It was starting to stress me out that we wouldn't get to the airport on time particularly since it's an international flight so I decided to end on a relaxing note. We are doing the tour and then will chillax at the hotel for the evening and then we have a mid morning flight home so we don't have to get up at the crack of dawn either.

Edited March 18, 2023 by dizzyr