PORT CANAVERAL CRUISE TERMINAL

With five main cruise terminals in Port Canaveral, it is very important to know which terminal your cruise ship will be using or you might try to drop your luggage off at the wrong one. As you near the terminals there are electronic signs on all the roads leading into the port to direct you to the proper location. The cruise lines and ships will be listed on the signs along with the appropriate highway exits to take.

If you are using a GPS or map program (we use Here WeGo) input the following addresses to find your terminal and its corresponding parking garage (if applicable):

CRUISE TERMINAL 1: 9050 Discovery Road

CRUISE TERMINAL 5: 9245 Charles M Rowland Drive

CRUISE TERMINAL 6: 9241 Charles M Rowland Drive  |  Parking Garage: 9240 Charles M Rowland Drive

CRUISE TERMINAL 8: 9155 Charles M Rowland Drive  |  Parking Garage: 9154 Charles M Rowland Drive

CRUISE TERMINAL 10: 9005 Charles M Rowland Drive  |  Parking Garage: 9020 Charles M Rowland Drive

Note: All terminal addresses are Cape Canaveral, FL 32920

View a map of the cruise terminals for Port Canaveral.

PASSENGER & LUGGAGE DROP OFF

EMBARKATION: The port requests that cars proceed directly to the cruise terminal to drop off passengers and bags. Porters will help you with your luggage and parking personnel will direct you to the appropriate parking facility if you are using the port parking lots.

DISEMBARKATION: When returning you can either retrieve your vehicle and return to the terminal to pick up your companions and luggage in the loading area, or take your luggage and companions to your parking lot via shuttle or walking (depending on which parking lot you are using) to retrieve your vehicle.

The area next to the cruise terminal is for loading and unloading only so you should be prepared to unload/load quickly to allow others to do the same.

WHICH TERMINAL DO YOU GO TO?

Cruise Terminal 1: Royal Caribbean International — Oasis of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas

Cruise Terminal 5: Carnival Cruise Line — Carnival Liberty

Cruise Terminal 6: Carnival Cruise Line — Carnival Magic, Carnival Sunshine, and Carnival Breeze

Cruise Terminal 8: Disney Cruise Line — Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wonder

Cruise Terminal 10: Norwegian Cruise Line — Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Sun

*Click on each of the ship names above to learn a little more about the ship you’ll be sailing on. 

PORTS OF CALL FOR SHIPS DEPARTING PORT CANAVERAL

Amber Cove, Dominica Republic  |  Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis  |  Belize City, Belize  |  Bonaire  |  Bridgetown, Barbados  |  Castaway Cay, (Disney Private Island) |  Castries, Saint Lucia  |  Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas  |  Costa Maya, Mexico  |  Cozumel, Mexico  |  Falmouth, Jamaica  |  Freeport, Bahamas  |  Georgetown, Grand Cayman  |  Grand Turk  |  Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian Private Island)  |  Half Moon Cay, Bahamas  |  Havana, Cuba  | Key West, FL  |  Labadee, Haiti (Royal Caribbean Private Area)  |  Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan), Honduras  |  Nassau, Bahamas  |  Ocho Rios, Jamaica  |  Oranjestad, Aruba  |  Philipsburg, St. Maarten  |  Princess Cays, Bahamas  |  San Juan, Puerto Rico   |  St. George’s, Grenada  |  St. John’s, US Virgin Islands  |  St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands  | Tortola, British Virgin Islands

*Please Note: These scheduled ports of call are not guaranteed as the cruise line may make changes to their itineraries due to weather or other reasons. 

MONEY MATTERS

CURRENCY

The currency of the United States is the US Dollar (USD) which is divided into 100 cents. It is printed on paper bills in the following denominations: $1, $2 (uncommon), $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. It also includes the following coins: 1¢ (penny), 5¢ (nickel), 10¢ (dime), and 25¢ (quarter). There are 50¢ pieces and dollar coins but they aren’t common.

TIPPING

Although it’s not mandatory, tipping is customary in the United States and some service industries will expect a tip for a job well done. Visitors from outside the country may also be surprised at how much is tipped as it can be quite a bit more than in, for example, European countries.

RESTAURANTS: It is customary to offer your waiter or waitress a tip between 15-20% depending on the level of service they provided. Usually, you will find the service is very attentive (refilling your drinking, checking on your party etc.) but if the service isn’t great you can leave a smaller tip or even no tip. Typically service that doesn’t warrant a tip does warrant speaking with a manager to voice your dissatisfaction. If you are dining with a large group (usually 8 or more) the restaurant may add an 18% service charge to your bill automatically so check for this before you add your tip. This is usually indicated at the bottom of a menu if the restaurant does this, or it will be indicated on your bill.

BARS: A tip of 10-15% is appropriate at a bar. In some places, you’ll find a “tip jar” on the bar and others you can give the tip to your server directly.

TAXIS: A tip of 10-15% of your fare is customary, especially if your driver helps you with your luggage.

Paying with a credit or debit card is very common and in most restaurants, bars, and even taxis,  you’ll be able to add a tip to the total on the machine when you settle the bill if you don’t have cash. This is so common that many credit card machines now even have buttons with 15% / 18% / 20% on them so it will calculate the tip for you if you choose that option. You are always given the option to select the amount you’d like to tip, or you can opt not to put the tip on your card and give a cash tip instead.

BANKS & ATMS

Finding an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) will not be too difficult in Port Canaveral.  We’ve pinned several ATMs that are near the terminals to the map below.

Generally, in the US, you will find ATMs at banks (some may have drive-thru ATMs), in grocery stores, gas stations, and in pharmacies (of which two common ones are CVS and Walgreens).

GETTING AROUND PORT CANAVERAL

Your options for getting around the cruise terminal area in Port Canaveral will depend on both which terminal you are departing from and what you’d like to do.

If you’re in terminal 1 or 3 then you’ll be able to walk to some activities like Jetty Park, the Cove, and Exploration Tower. To head out to Cocoa Beach you can also catch the local beach bus (for schedule and routes click here).

From the other terminals, you’ll need transport such as a rental car shuttle, or pre-arranged ride with a shuttle company like Cocoa Beach Shuttle, or a taxi/Uber/Lyft to get around the near vicinity.

To get out to Orlando, it would be best to rent a car for the day. We have personally done this and found it an effective way to visit things further afield like Kennedy Space Center. The rental car agencies have shuttles that will get you back and forth from the cruise terminals to their office to pick up the cars pretty quickly.

PORT CANAVERAL WEATHER

In general, weather along this area of the coast typically stays pleasant year-round. During the summer afternoons,  sea breezes cool the barrier islands so outdoor/water activities are popular. In the winter, the humidity drops and temperatures remain nice, so much so that many Canadians and those living in northern US states spend their winters in this area.

The hottest part of the year is from the end of May to end of September with average daily high temperatures above 84°F (29°C).The cooler part of the year is from early December to the beginning of March with average daily high temperatures about 74°F (23°C).

PORT CANAVERAL VISITOR’S CENTER

The Florida Space Coast tourism office is a great place for even more, in-depth, information about all the attractions and events along this stretch of the Florida coast.

LOCATION: 4300 Brevard Avenue, Suite 150, Cocoa, FL 32922

PHONE: 1-321-433-4470 or toll-free in the USA 1-877-57-BEACH (or 1-877-572-3224)

HOURS OF OPERATION: Please call to confirm the office is open.

For the Official ‘Space Coast’ Visitor’s Guide click here to sign up to receive one by mail or instant download.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Looking to combine your interest in space with your cruise? Port Canaveral has you covered with Kennedy Space Center (of course!) but also some special events during the year like rocket launches and meeting astronauts!

They also have many on-going events to take part in like lighthouse tours, Florida beer tours and tastings, and half-day casino cruises that sail seven days a week.

If you are planning to stay before or after your cruise it is definitely worth checking out their events calendar to see if there are any events that catch your eye.

DINING

While you’ll have plenty to eat aboard your cruise, you shouldn’t give up the chance to try some of the great things Port Canaveral has to offer.

Being on the coast, restaurants pride themselves on their fresh seafood some of which may have just been caught that day on one of the daily fishing charters from Port Canaveral.  For those of you that aren’t seafood lovers, or you just want to try something else, Port Canaveral also offers everything from pizzerias, Mexican food, and even an Irish bar!

Directly in the cruise terminal area, you’ll find Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar, Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill, and Rusty’s Seafood & Oyster Bar – both of which get at least 4 stars on their Google review.

SHOPPING

In the immediate area of the cruise terminals, the Cove is a waterfront area with an open-air, village-style marketplace that features locally made arts and crafts such as jewellery, paintings, pottery, sculptures, and Florida souvenirs. This area is within walking distance of the cruise terminals and also includes dining options.

If you have driven your own car (or rented one) you’ll be able to venture a little further to one of the following:

• The Avenue Viera – About 30 minutes from the port, this is an upscale open-air retail, dining, and entertainment centre that includes a movie theatre and shops such as Kohl’s, Belk, Talbots, and Old Navy.
• Merritt Square Mall – About 15 minutes from the port in Cocoa Beach, this mall includes department stores like JC Penney, along with many speciality stores.
• Orlando International Premium Outlets – About 1 hour from the port, this is Florida’s largest outlet shopping area with over 180 outlet designer and name-brand stores.

MAP

The map below shows the points of interest mentioned above in relation to the cruise terminal.