Port Canaveral, Florida is located about 60 miles east of Orlando and is often a destination
port for cruises sailing along the East Coast of the United States.
We usually rent a car when visiting Port Canaveral since they tend to be inexpensive and give
us the most flexibility.
During our visit in April 2019, we rented a car for just $35 a day using the
“Book it and Check it” technique we described in our video: “Top 3 Tips to Save Money
on a Rental Car.”
Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld in Orlando are top destinations
for cruise passengers visiting Port Canaveral.
However, since most ships don’t spend a lot of time in port, the two-hour round-trip
to Orlando and back can often leave you with very little time to enjoy the parks.
Because of that, we tend to stay a bit closer to the port and enjoy the many nearby attractions.
One of the top nearby attractions is NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The working spaceflight facility is located roughly 20 minutes north of the cruise port
and you can often see parts of it from your docked ship.
The Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex requires a paid ticket for admission and is
an ideal destination for space enthusiasts, with opportunities to get a close-up view
of the Space Shuttle Atlantis,
view rockets from NASA’s Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Programs, meet a real astronaut,
and ride the Shuttle Launch Experience, which simulates a space shuttle’s launch into orbit.
Other attractions include hands-on activities for kids, a five-and-a-half-story-high IMAX
theater showing various space movies, exhibits that portray past and future space exploration,
dining venues, and a shop selling space memorabilia.
During our visit in April 2019, parking for a standard rental car at the complex cost
$10 and an Uber rideshare from the port cost about $40 each way.
South of the cruise port, there are several popular destinations for beachgoers and surfers.
Cocoa Beach is touted as the Surf Capital of the East Coast and is located about a 10
to 15 minute drive south of the cruise port.
The historic Cocoa Beach Pier is the center of the action with restaurants serving up
food and drinks, regular events throughout the year, and plenty of opportunity for surfing,
fishing, shopping, and relaxing.
During our visit in April 2019, flat-rate parking was available at the lot for $15 -- which
included admission to the end of the pier for all passengers -- or metered parking was
available outside the lot for $2.50 per hour.
An Uber rideshare from the port cost about $20 each way.
Further south, the world-famous Ron Jon Surf Shop is located about 15 to 20 minutes from
the cruise port.
The surfing retailer’s flagship store is the largest surfing shop in the world.
It is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and features over 52,000 square feet of clothes,
surfboards, surfing supplies, and more!
On the facade between the bottom and top levels of the store, you’ll find an interesting
history of surfboards, including many surfboards shaped for Ron Jon founder, Ron DiMenna.
During our visit in April 2019, free 90-minute parking was available at the store and an
Uber rideshare from the port cost about $20 each way.
Directly behind the Ron Jon Surf Shop parking lot -- and across Ocean Beach Boulevard -- is
Alan Shepard Park and Beach, named after the first American to travel into space and one
of just 12 people who have walked on the moon.
The park features several picnic tables and pavilions, showers, and restroom facilities.
A short walk along the boardwalk takes you to the beach, which tends to be less crowded
than Cocoa Beach.
During our visit in April 2019, metered parking was available for $2.50 per hour, or $15 for
the entire day.
Further south, Lori Wilson Park is located about 20 minutes from the cruise port.
The park has similar features to Alan Shepard Park -- including restrooms -- but the parking
is free of charge.
A “Take-a-Toy, Leave-a-Toy” bin is available along the palmetto-lined boardwalk to the
beach, in case you have kids and forget to bring beach toys with you.
And the beach area itself tends to be even less crowded than Alan Shepard Park.
During our visit in April 2019, an Uber rideshare from the port cost about $25 each way.
Finally, if you want a fun place to visit closer to the port, consider going to Manatee
Sanctuary Park, which is located about a 10 minute drive from the cruise port.
Even if you have other destinations in mind, the park can be a fun place to stop before
or after your other plans.
The park features a Manatee Observation pavilion with boardwalk that overlooks the Banana River,
a brackish water lagoon between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island.
As the name of the park and the pavilion suggest, the lagoon is sometimes visited by manatees,
though we’ve only seen them on one of our trips to the park.
Even if you don’t see any manatees, you might be able to see your cruise ship from
the pavilion, depending on where it’s docked.
In addition to the observation pavilion, the park features a playground with swings, a
slide, and climbing structures,
a shaded picnic bench pavilion,
a half-mile LifeTrail that circles most of the park and includes workout stations along
the path,
many benches, including ones located in the shade,
and restrooms and a water fountain.
Limited parking is available for free.
Although the park can get busy during the weekends, there tends to be plenty of parking
available on the weekdays.
If you’re interested in a bike ride while visiting the park, Zagster bike shares were
available for a nominal fee.