Port Canaveral Florida

Thanks to my fellow Cruiseline.com contributors, I knew I'd get useful suggestions and money saving tips, better then what I got from the cruise line. The cruise line said round trip would be about $ 80.00 each and only on the the first and last days of the cruise and we would be on our own if I added pre or post stay over.

Cocoa Village in Cocoa is a quaint area and it is nice to browse the boutiques. You can take in a play at the Playhouse. Ron Jon's in Cocoa Beach is a great place for logo tees and beach supplies all teens would enjoy. Jetty Park is a nice flat beach to walk and swim close to the port. Exploration Tower right in the port is a neat place to visit for a couple of hours. Learn about the marine animals, surfing, space program and local industries around the port. The Space Center is a must. Plan on a whole day here. Of course, the beach is the big draw here. The Cocoa Beach Pier has just been renovated. I haven't been here since the renovation. Further afield is the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, an easy drive. See manatees at the Manatee Watch Area. Take a boat ride from Kelly Park or Sunset Grill and see the cruise ships depart or travel through the 1,000 Islands. Take a charter fishing boat out from the port if fishing is your thing. The City of Cocoa a different place from Cocoa Beach has a nice paddle boat with a bar onboard, some sailings offer dinner, too and takes you down the river. Usually you see Dolphins along the way.

Restaurants at the port are fun. Grills is a local hangout with bands playing many nights. Rusty is good as is Fish Lips. Milliken's Reef is a fun place for lunch or dinner. It has its own tiny beach. Bar is busy and fun. Parking is free by the restaurants and the Exploration Tower. Coconuts on the beach in the heart of downtown Cocoa Beach is great especially for lunch. You can dine outside right by the beach. Yen Yen in town is a marvelous restaurant for upscale Chinese food - not your typical Chinese food. I love the Snow White Prawns. Everything is good here. I love this place. Go for Early Bird and get vegetable fried rice, unlimited hot tea and an almond cookie included. The Big Kahuna restaurant near the beach in town is good too as is Florida Fresh Seafood north of the downtown area in a Publix Shopping Center. Ana Capri is a good neighborhood Italian Restaurant between downtown and the Publix Shopping Center. Pizza is good here as is the Stromboli. Prices are good.

We rented a car and spent a few days in Cocoa Beach before the cruise. It's a bit of a drive but we wanted the flexibility of having the car. We brought the same car back to Orlando on our return. Had to call Hertz (I think) directly to avoid being penalized for it being one way rental. It worked out well.

Overstated the cost somewhat. We actually paid under $40pp round trip. Check out http://www.123friendlytransportation.com.

We actually spent two days in Cocoa Beach. My recall is the shuttle from Orlando to the Port Canaveral area was in the neighborhood of $40pp each way. Then we caught the shuttle from the hotel at $12 one way to the cruiseport. I absolutely loved the entire experience. Then, I am comparing to the Manhattan experience.