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3-Nights Hampton Inn & Suites Cape Canaveral Cruise Port

Price: $258 - # of Days: 3 days
Boasting 116 guestrooms and one meeting room, enjoy comfort at the Hampton Inn & Suites Cape Canaveral Cruise Port hotel. With a five-minute drive to Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier and under 30 minutes to the Kennedy Space Center, experience some fun on your next Florida getaway. Get your day sta...

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3-Nights Holiday Inn Express Cape Canaveral

Price: $295 - # of Days: 3 days
With a prime location, the Holiday Inn Express Cape Canaveral hotel is the perfect stay as a pre/post cruise destination, a business trip, or a fun family vacation. Kickstart your day with a free hot breakfast before venturing off for an adventure filled day. Enjoy comfortable accommodations that f...

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A Life-Changing Journey to the Edge of Space

Price: Please call for rates - # of Days: 0 days
Space Perspective, the world’s first carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company, is driven by a desire to share the transformative power of seeing Earth from the blackness of space – the quintessential astronaut experience – with as many people as possible. We know that looking ...

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Overview

Introduction

The NASA Kennedy Space Center dominates Cape Canaveral, so much so that the area is known as the Space Coast. Author Jules Verne envisioned the coast of central Florida as the world's portal into space in his 1865 science-fiction tale From the Earth to the Moon. That prediction became a reality.

But there's much more to do there than admire NASA's ingenuity. There are a string of pleasant oceanside communities, a 72-mi/115-km stretch of uncrowded beach and a first-rate national wildlife refuge to explore.

Must See or Do

Sights—A launch at Kennedy Space Center or a bus tour of its rockets at the Vehicle Assembly Building; wildlife habitats at the Merritt Island refuge; watersports along Playalinda.

Museums—The American Police Hall of Fame and Museum; Brevard Museum of History and Natural Science; memorabilia from space exploration at the Astronauts Hall of Fame.

Memorable Meals—Great seafood at Rusty's; eating on the outdoor picnic tables at Dixie Crossroads; German food and atmosphere at Heidelberg's.

Late Night—Guinness and toe-tapping Irish music at Meg O'Malleys; theme nights at Coconuts on the Beach; a casino cruise.

Walks—Hiking through the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary; strolling through the historic streets of Cocoa.

Especially For Kids—Kayaking through Brevard Zoo; the interactive exhibits at Kennedy Space Center; surfing the small waves off Cocoa Beach; Andretti Thrill Park; surf lessons at Ron Jon.

Geography

History

Sparsely inhabited sandy areas were about all the first Spanish explorers noticed when they arrived in the Cape Canaveral area in the 1500s. The Calusa living along the coast soon disappeared, decimated by conquest and diseases brought by Europeans. The Creek tribes slowly moved into the area from northern Florida. (They became known as the Seminoles, probably from the Creek words ishti semoli, meaning outlanders.) The Spanish ceded Florida to the British in 1763, but Britain gave it back to Spain in 1783 in hopes of keeping it out of the hands of the U.S. Meanwhile, Native Americans struggled with the European settlers until a war in 1821 gave U.S. President Andrew Jackson the excuse he needed to relocate the tribes to areas west of the Mississippi.

Because of the area's extensive wetlands (and clouds of mosquitoes), growth was slower around Cape Canaveral than elsewhere in Florida. But in the 1950s, when the remote area was selected as the nucleus of the U.S. space program under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, large aerospace contractors and hundreds of scientists and technicians began moving in.

The 1971 opening of nearby Orlando's Walt Disney World (only 35 mi/55 km away) sparked further interest in Port Canaveral and in Cape Canaveral's beaches.

Potpourri

If you're a teacher, you can take back souvenirs for the class from NASA's Educators Resource Center at the Kennedy Space Center. Posters, photographs and teaching materials are available. And if you take blank videotapes, you can copy the entire library of space films.

The first Spanish explorers named the area Capo de Canaveral (cape of the cane bearers) after being greeted with a hail of cane arrows. The Spanish left quickly.

The space center actually has had two official names in its lifetime. It was first called the Launch Operations Center; then, in 1963, it was renamed the John F. Kennedy Space Center upon the assassination of the U.S. president.

Shuttle launches attract thousands of space enthusiasts from around the state, country and world. When John Glenn returned to space in 1998, about 500,000 people lined up along Titusville's waterfront (one of the best locations to view a launch), Cocoa Beach and other viewing sites to see him off.

Although the U.S. space program spurred an economic and population boom on Florida's east-central coastline, humans had occupied the area long before the launch pads did. Burial sites discovered in the 1980s in Titusville date back to 6,000 BC. The area was home to people known as the Ais. It was later occupied by the Spanish and then the British.

Location

Port Canaveral is the second-busiest cruise-passenger port in the world, hosting many different cruise lines. Because of its proximity to Orlando, Port Canaveral has become the main departure point for cruise ships with itineraries that combine a few days at central Florida's amusement parks with some relaxation at sea. The most popular stops for three- and four-day excursions usually include the Bahamas and nearby Caribbean islands. Longer seven- and 10-day cruises depart for the Cayman Islands and Mexico.

Port Canaveral is located at the southern end of Cape Canaveral, in an industrial area. The art-deco-style Disney Terminal, with its Mickey Mouse images and glass tower, stands out from the rest of the facilities.

In addition to serving as the point of departure to exotic Caribbean locations, Port Canaveral also hosts Victory Casino Cruises, which offer Vegas-style excursions twice daily.

Cruise lines usually provide charter-bus transportation between the port and airports in Daytona, Melbourne and Orlando. Space Coast Transit also provides limited public bus service to the port area. But the buses don't stop at every terminal, and they have little room for luggage. Phone 321-633-1878 for fares and route information.

Taxis also provide service to the port from the Cape Canaveral area. Fares vary with the exact destination. Among the area taxi companies are AAA Taxi (phone 321-453-8294) and Yellow Cab (phone 321-636-1234).

If you plan to spend several days in the Cape Canaveral-Orlando area before or after your cruise, consider renting a car. Rental cars are available at the Orlando and Melbourne airports, at various Orlando hotels, and in the cities around Cape Canaveral. All of the major rental agencies are represented.

For passengers arriving at Orlando's airport and renting a car, it's a pleasant 35-mi/55-km drive east to the port on the Highway 528 toll road (also called the Beach Line Expressway). Follow the signs to Cape Canaveral/Port Canaveral and your terminal. North-south access is from Interstate 95, Highway 1, Highway 3 and Highway A1A.

Secured parking lots are available near each terminal. You'll need transportation to get from the port to other attractions. It's about 5 mi/8 km from the port to the southern beaches and 15 mi/24 km to the space center to the north. Don't expect to do much sightseeing around the port—it's strictly a place to get on and off your ship. It's also a big cargo port, handling nearly 4 million tons of petroleum, cement, scrap steel, salt, cotton, bananas, newsprint, citrus, lumber and crushed rock annually.

The Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce operates a visitor information center in the port's Exploration Tower at 670 Dave Nisbet Drive. http://www.visitcocoabeach.com.

Tourist brochures are available at Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, Highway 520 at Highway A1A. (The shop is open 24 hours.)

Shore Excursions

Most cruise lines in Port Canaveral offer vacation packages that include accommodations for several days in Orlando and tickets to the various amusement parks and attractions. Since the Space Center is about 10 mi/16 km away, most cruise lines include a visit there, as well as a day or two in the Cape Canaveral area.

Disney will encourage its guests to stay at one of its resorts. The combined cruise and Orlando vacation packages may or may not be the least expensive way to see the area, but they save you the hassle of making arrangements yourself. Check with your travel agent for additional information.