KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

Kennedy Space Center is the home of the launch arm of NASA’s space programs and since the retirement of the space shuttle is open for business with private space companies such as SpaceX. It’s also the only place on Earth where you can see one of the three Saturn V rockets AND a real space shuttle on display. Learn about the history and future of the US space program at a real live space facility.

DON’T MISS:

• Space Shuttle Atlantis.
• The enormous Saturn V Rocket.
• Your chance to touch a piece of actual moon rock.
• The shuttle launch experience.
• The IMAX cinema.
• Rocket Park.
• The bus tour behind the scenes.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $53.50 for 12 years old and over, $42.80 for children 3-11 and free for under 3s.
• Open every day of the year, even Christmas Day, from 9:00 to at least 17:00. For more details click here.
• Buying tickets in advance allows you to skip the line at the entrance.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, SR 405 Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 | 855-433-4210 | Attraction 1 on Map Below

WALT DISNEY WORLD

The self-described Happiest Place on Earth will certainly keep the kids (and the big kids) occupied before your cruise! Meet your favourite Disney characters, ride the roller-coasters, relive the Wild West and discover an intergalactic city; and that’s all before lunch! Rides from famous movies or a cruise down a jungle river before conquering mountains will keep you occupied for the rest of the day and looking forward to that first full day at sea to recuperate.

DON’T MISS:

• Meet your favourite Disney character, from Mickey to Elsa, Ariel to Pluto.
• Fly over London with Peter Pan on a magical pirate ship.
• Check out ‘It’s a small world’ and see the whole globe on a single ride.
• Stay for the ‘Happily Ever After’ Laser and Firework display.
• Watch the 3D musical starring Disney characters.
• Ride the famous Space and Splash Mountain Rides.
• See Cinderella’s Castle come alive in ‘Once Upon A Time’.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are from $141.20 for 10 years old and over, $132.95 for children 3-9 and free for under 3s.
• Ticket prices can vary depending on the date you visit.
• Parking is $20 for self-parking.
• Opening times vary by day and season, for full details click here.

Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL 32830 | 407-939-5277 | Attraction 2 on Map Below

MANATEE SANCTUARY PARK

Situated on the Banana River, Manatee Sanctuary Park offers 10 acres of riverfront beauty, and as a designated protected Manatee habitat, you might be lucky enough to see one of these gentle creatures.

The park is less than 2-miles from the port and is a great way to relax, exercise or maybe have a picnic whilst remaining close to the cruise terminal.

DON’T MISS:

• Enjoy 10 acres of a riverfront park.
• Chance to see a Manatee.
• Having a picnic at the Picnic Tables.
• Playground.
• Riverside Boardwalk.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Entry and parking are FREE.
• Open every day of the year, even Christmas Day, from 9:00 to 19:00. For more details click here.

701 Thurm Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920 | 321-868-1226 | Attraction 3 on Map Below

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

With three different theme parks on offer, from Volcano Bay water park to Islands of Adventure and of course the original Universal Studios itself, you could spend your entire holiday here! With many rides and attractions themed around Universal’s enormous back catalogue of movies, you may find yourself enjoying your favourite movie from a whole new angle.

DON’T MISS:

• Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and ride the Hogwarts Express.
• Enjoy Shrek in 4D.
• Learn the secrets behind Hollywood’s top make-up special effects artists.
• Hop on to your bike and help E.T save his dying planet.
• Take a ride through Krustyland on The Simpsons Ride.
• In Island’s of Adventure explore Kong Island, Jurassic Park, Seuss Landing and much more.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $165 for 10 years old and over, $160 for children 3-9 and free for under 3s.
• Tickets are for admission to both Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
• Ticket prices can vary depending on the date you visit.
• Parking is $20 for self-parking.
• Opening times vary by day and season, for full details click here.

6000 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819 | 407-363-8000 |  Attraction 4 on Map Below

WINTER PARK

Originally built as a winter resort for the wealthy, Winter Park is now one of the most scenic small towns in America. Filled with arts, culture and independent shops, coupled with over 70 parks that are home to various festivals and events throughout the year, Winter Park could be the ideal way to relax before your cruise.

If you can’t get enough of boats, then the Scenic Boat tour that operates daily is a 1-hour cruise through the Winter Park Chain of Lakes, experience lush local scenery and outlandish waterfront mansions along with plenty of wildlife.

DON’T MISS:

• Central Park, or some of the other 70+ parks in the area.
• The Scenic Boat Tour of the Lakes.
• Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of Natural Art.
• Explore over 140 shops and boutiques.
• Enjoy world-class dining at one of the independent restaurants.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Winter Park is 20-25 minutes from Orlando.
• Trains run every half hour from Orlando Station to Winter Park Station.
• Scenic Boat Tours run hourly from 10:00 to 16:00 (Except Christmas Day) from 312 E Morse Blvd.

Winter Park, FL 32789 | Attraction 5 on Map Below

WONDERWORKS

The quirky, upside down, building that Wonderworks is in is apparently due to an experiment that went awry and lifted the building from the Bermuda Triangle to Orlando, where it, unfortunately, landed upside down. Filled with over 100 hands-on exhibits across six zones, Wonderworks bills itself as an amusement park for the mind.  Experiments include being a Tesla Coil, experiencing a bed of nails and feeling the force of a hurricane.

DON’T MISS:

• Natural Disasters zone where you can experience an earthquake and a hurricane.
• Physical Challenge zone and lie on a bed of nails and blow enormous bubbles.
• Four more zones, light & sound, space discovery, imagination lab and far-out art gallery.
• 4D XD Motion Theater.
• Indoor Ropes Course.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $31.94 for 13 years old and over, $25.55 for children 3-12 and seniors and free for under 3s. Price includes one game of laser tag.
• Parking is at Pointe Orlando and costs $4 for 2 hours, then $2 per hour up to a maximum charge of $10.
• Open every day of the year, even Christmas Day, from 9:00 to midnight. For more details click here.
• This attraction is on the Orlando Explorer Pass.

9067 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 | 407-351-8800 | Attraction 6 on Map Below

EPCOT

The iconic Epcot sphere, which contains the Spaceship Earth attraction, is just the start of this theme park. Explore the future in future worlds east and west and then explore the world without leaving the park. From the United Kingdom, through France, Italy and Germany before heading north to Norway in Europe. Then head to the Far East to see China and Japan and finish with the USA’s neighbours by taking in Canada and Mexico.

DON’T MISS:

• Spaceship Earth, showcasing the history of innovation from the Stone Age to the Digital Age.
• Taking in ten countries in the World Showcase.
• Meeting your favourite Disney characters.
• Creating your own virtual concept car and putting it through its paces.
• The ‘Reflections of Earth’ Parade.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are from $105.44 for 10 years old and over, $99.05 for children 3-9 and free for under 3s.
• Ticket prices can vary depending on the date you visit.
• Parking is $20 for self-parking.
• Opening times vary by day and season, for full details click here.

200 Epcot Center Dr, Orlando, FL 32821 | 407-939-5277 | Attraction 7 on Map Below

GATORLAND

Billed as the ‘Alligator Capital of the World’, Gatorland offers visitors the opportunity to see alligators of all sizes up close. But despite ‘gators being the primary attraction, there is plenty more to see, from rare white alligators to crocodiles, birds, wild cats and snakes and other critters. For an additional cost, you can ride the Scream’ Gator Zip Line or take the Stompin’ Gator Off-Road drive too. 

DON’T MISS:

• Gator Jumparoo Show.
• Up Close Encounters with snakes, insects and other exotic animals.
• Stompin’ Gator Off-Road drive.
• Screamin’ Gator Zip Line.
• Baby Gators, crocodiles, emus, snakes and many other animals.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $31.94 for 13 years old and over, $21.29 for children 3-12 and free for under 3s.
• Open every day of the year, even Christmas Day, from 10:00 to 17:00. For more details click here.
• This attraction is on the Orlando Explorer Pass.

14501 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32837 | 407-855-5496 | Attraction 8 on Map Below

SEAWORLD

SeaWorld is part marine zoo and part theme park, so you can be looking at killer whales and turtles one minute and riding roller-coasters the next. Split into seven zones, or ‘seas’, the park covers all manner of marine life, interspersed with live shows and adrenaline-pumping rides.

DON’T MISS:

• Dolphin Theater for live shows.
• Manta roller-coaster which mimics the movements of giant rays.
• Sky Tower for a 400-foot view over the park.
• The interactive Stingray Lagoon.
• Shark Encounter where you can see sharks up close in the aquarium tunnel.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $95.84 for all guests aged 3-years and over.
• Open every day of the year, even Christmas Day, from 9:00 to at least 18:00. For more details click here.
• Buying tickets in advance allows you to skip the line at the entrance.

7007 Sea World Dr, Orlando, FL 32821 | 407-545-5550 | Attraction 9 on Map Below

HOLYLAND EXPERIENCE

The Holyland Experience aims to bring the Bible to life through interactive stories. The theme park is based around Jerusalem as it would have been in the 1st century and through live shows and the display of artefacts brings biblical stories to life. It also provides church services and bible studies for the general public.

DON’T MISS:

• The Church of All Nations.
• Jerusalem Model A.D. 66.
• The Great Temple.
• The live shows which re-create biblical events.
• For an additional charge, the backstage tours.

PLAN YOUR VISIT:

• Tickets are $50 for 18 years old and over, $35 for children 5-17 and free for under 5s.
• Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 to at least 17:00. Closed New Years Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For more details click here.

4655 Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32811 | 800-447-7235 | Attraction 10 on Map Below

MAP

The map below shows all the above attractions in Port Canaveral in relation to the cruise terminal.