R.J. Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I have a 7 Night Perfect Day Bahamas Cruise in October this year on the Oasis of the Seas. Day 3 is a stop in Orlando from 13:00 - 21:00 I used to live in Jacksonville, however I don't know much about things to do in Orlando that can be done on an afternoon day trip. The shore excursions offered by RCI range between approx.. $50-85 per adult. There is myself, partner and two daughters 10 and 12. Am I better off staying on the ship ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmsmith Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I have the same question. We have traveled to Orlando many times but for the parks only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I'm not sure it would be cheap, but I recommend, if you have a full day in Cape Canaveral, that you spend it at the Space Center. There is so much to see. I would definitely NOT try and see any theme parks. They are too far away and the time is too limiting to really do much. Snotarni, Baked Alaska, Mrs. RoyalMoyal and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Normally I would suggest Kennedy Space Center as mentioned, but it seems like you have a later port stop. I feel that KSC is best done as an all-day thing. I don't know what their hours will be but arriving at the port at 1:00pm will likely get you to KSC 1:30-2:00pm with them closing around 6:00pm. WAAAYTOOO and KristiZ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Yes but it’s a way better choice than trying to get to Orlando (45-60 minutes away each way) when you only have 4 hours to begin with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Pooch said: when you only have 4 hours to begin with But they have an 8-hour port stop. They just arrive so late that they miss the entire morning and KSC usually closes around 6pm. I'm not sure it's worth the admission price x4 to only get a half a day at KSC. It might be more cost effective to rent a car for the day and explore the Cape Canaveral/Cocoa/Melbourne area if you are really itching to get out and do something at this port. It will keep you much closer than trekking all the way to Orlando. The area has a lot of public parks and river/mangrove areas that you can find a kayaking tour-- some where you may be able to see manatees and dolphins up close. You can drive out to Cocoa Village which is a quaint little shopping area. One of the more touristy things to do is take a visit to Ron John Surf Shop up on Cocoa Beach. You could spend a few hours at the beach even if you like. There's also the Brevard Zoo up in Melbourne. Otherwise stay on the ship and enjoy it. Snotarni, monctonguy, Mrs. RoyalMoyal and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted January 11, 2021 Report Share Posted January 11, 2021 We enjoyed going to a nearby shopping area, I believe it is Cocoa Village or something like that -- took a bus from Ron Jon's, I think. There are lots of gift shops, restaurants, art galleries, etc. We have also just taken a bus to Cocoa Beach to enjoy the sand and water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted January 12, 2021 Report Share Posted January 12, 2021 Oops sorry, senior moment!! Yes 8 hours is a totally different story. There’s a fabulous seafood restaurant right around the corner from the port- best fish tacos EVER!! Gonna go google it & will add the name. Its Grill’s!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMCD Posted February 11, 2021 Report Share Posted February 11, 2021 We did Magic Kingdom - the bus ride is about 1 hour - with your time in port the theme parks are 100% do-able, I would recommend though if you choose to-do any of the parks to wisely use fast passes, we did this and we only had 5 hours. Enjoy! R.J. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizard of Oz books lover Posted April 30, 2021 Report Share Posted April 30, 2021 You should be able also to visit a new The Wizard of Oz museum in Cape Canaveral with kids. Hopefully they will be open in October, since they are waiting for pandemic to be over. It should be less than two miles ride from the port on taxi or uber. If interested to learn more about it, visit their website https://www.wizardofozflorida.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted May 1, 2021 Report Share Posted May 1, 2021 We did KSC once, but we had an early enough stop to spend the day there. The second time, we just hung out at Grills then went back to the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneyraven Posted May 6, 2021 Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 On 1/12/2021 at 6:15 PM, Pooch said: Oops sorry, senior moment!! Yes 8 hours is a totally different story. There’s a fabulous seafood restaurant right around the corner from the port- best fish tacos EVER!! Gonna go google it & will add the name. Its Grill’s!!! Another great restaurant that we love is called Squid Lips waterside grill. It's in Cocoa Beach (the south side of town) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpdahmer Posted July 6, 2022 Report Share Posted July 6, 2022 On 5/6/2021 at 4:38 PM, coneyraven said: Another great restaurant that we love is called Squid Lips waterside grill. It's in Cocoa Beach (the south side of town) coneyraven: We will be on the Anthem OTS in November doing the same itinerary. I look forward to hearing your take on this trip after you return. We have been to all of these ports over the years and we are pretty sure we know what we are doing in Nassau and Coco Cay is a no brainer but we are looking for suggestions on Port Canaveral. My brother lives in Melbourne and we have met him on past trips just not sure it will work with his schedule. I have been reading that even though our scheduled time of arrival is 12:00 they have been getting there around 3:00PM. Not sure we will want to even get off the ship at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 6, 2022 Report Share Posted July 6, 2022 We were just at Squid Lips a few weeks ago ! Some friends of ours from VA were going on a charter cruise (Royal Caribbean) and a bunch of us went up to see them off. We had dinner at Squid Lips the night before they left on their cruise. We had a great time. Snotarni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snotarni Posted July 7, 2022 Report Share Posted July 7, 2022 Probably not good for OP's trip; but we spend (a lot some) time at the Carib Brewery; within a mile or so of the port... 'cause, you know... beer. mpdahmer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maegan Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 On 2/11/2021 at 11:10 AM, DTMCD said: We did Magic Kingdom - the bus ride is about 1 hour - with your time in port the theme parks are 100% do-able, I would recommend though if you choose to-do any of the parks to wisely use fast passes, we did this and we only had 5 hours. Enjoy! Did you do this trough the cruise ship excursion or on your own? We have an 8 hour stop next year and considering this. Nervous about having enough time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IzzyB Posted July 19, 2022 Report Share Posted July 19, 2022 On 7/15/2022 at 7:42 AM, Maegan said: Did you do this trough the cruise ship excursion or on your own? We have an 8 hour stop next year and considering this. Nervous about having enough time. Honestly I wouldn't try this right now. Fast passes don't exist anymore and the genie system is pretty bad. Until Disney works out all the bugs, 8 hours with 2 hours of travel is just not feasible to be worth the high price of MK. WAAAYTOOO and Rackham 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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