Successful Day Trip to Kennedy Space Center

[drcmk]

During our May trip to WDW, we wanted to spend one day at the Kennedy Space Center. It initially seemed like an overwhelming feat, but with some planning, we managed it very smoothly.

We rented a car from Alamo for one day. I intended to pick up the car at 7:00 am and return it by 8:00 the next day but that is not exactly how it turned out (it turned out better!). The cost of the one day rental was about $55. I also ordered my KSC tickets ahead of time from the KSC website.

I called Alamo the day before our rental to ask about transportation to the Car Care Center, where Alamo is located. They told me that a shuttle would pick me up in front of my resort at 7:20 am, an earlier pick up was not available. It turned out that 7:20 was plenty early. The shuttle showed up promptly and was driven by a very friendly fellow who was able to give us advice for driving and visiting KSC. He told us that we could use the EZPass toll both lanes and would be charged a one time $4 fee for that (and the tolls would be discounted). I did not yet get the bill for the tolls, so I can't tell you the total. The process for renting the care was quick and easy (it WAS a Sunday morning). We were on the road by 7:45. Our drive was about 70 minutes and we arrived shortly before KSC opened at 9:00 am. We saw some alligators along the way.

We loved the KSC, especially the Atlantis Space Shuttle building.

We got back to WDW at about 5:45 (Alamo closes at 6:00 pm) so we were able to fill the tank at the Hess at the car care center and return the car just in time. A shuttle was waiting for us. The shuttle driver offered to take us anywhere on property (both times we were the only family in the shuttle) but we just wanted to go back to our resort. The shuttle driver was again friendly and very helpful. My worries about transportation were completely unfounded. We had a great experience.

 

[Woodview]

Well done.

You have now Hired a car & Explored Florida.

Next Time ..... Plan to Hire a car for a week & see More of what is outside of the Park Bubble

 

[drcmk]

Actually I have no immediate plans to return to Florida. I will be visiting a few other states this summer.

I was just trying to be helpful and informative. Sorry if my post was less than helpful.

 

[sdsatl]

This was helpful! My kids have expressed interest in visiting KSC, and I was wondering what working it into Disney would look like. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Thanks for the review, how did the EZpass work for you?

 

[Woodview]

You Have given ....... Good Helpful Information Re K.S.C...

& I hope it will be acted on by others for their planning .

 

[drcmk]

EZPass (sometimes called Sun Pass or something else in Florida) was effortless. We just drove through. The fee to Alamo was $4.95. Supposedly Florida will bill our credit card (through Alamo) so we expect to get those charges soon (it's been a week). There were three or four toll booths. We did not keep track of the amounts. The EZPass fee is discounted, so we paid a bit less than if we paid cash for the tolls (but probably not $4.95 less) but it was worth it to us to have the convenience of not worrying about finding cash. Since we used Magic Bands for the whole trip, we kind of forgot about cash and I'm not sure we could have dug much out!

 

[Tgrgrl]

So glad you enjoyed KSC! We live five miles from there and I love to hear that people make the effort to spend a day away from Disney to explore the Space Coast.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Thanks for the info on EZPass. After renting for over 20 years I had never come across this and have always paid cash at the toll booths on the 528 to Cocoa Beach and the 417. This would make the journey a bit quicker.

 

[drcmk]

So glad you enjoyed KSC! We live five miles from there and I love to hear that people make the effort to spend a day away from Disney to explore the Space Coast.

Honestly, KSC was the reason for our trip to Florida. My youngest daughter is trying to decide whether she is interested in a career in aerospace engineering and I am trying to expose her to as much information as I can.

My older daughter and I enjoyed the opportunities to view wildlife as well.

 

[Jeremy Earle]

Honestly, KSC was the reason for our trip to Florida. My youngest daughter is trying to decide whether she is interested in a career in aerospace engineering and I am trying to expose her to as much information as I can.

My older daughter and I enjoyed the opportunities to view wildlife as well.

Hi:

Great to hear that you were able to do Kennedy Space Centre in a day. We are from Canada and are planning a trip to Orlando area in July. We would like to work in a day trip to KSC. Would you be able to share more specific details of what you did during your day trip (i.e., the itinerary - what exhibits/buildings/activities you visited, for how long, where you ate, etc.). This would be most helpful.

Thanks!

 

[drcmk]

Would you be able to share more specific details of what you did during your day trip (i.e., the itinerary - what exhibits/buildings/activities you visited, for how long, where you ate, etc.). This would be most helpful.

Thanks!

Sure. We arrived just before the center opened at 9:00 am and decided to tour the Rocket Garden while it was still relatively cool. We probably spent 30-40 minutes in the Rocket Garden. It was fun to take photos of the kids sitting in the tiny capsules and interesting to see the proportions of the various rockets. It was also very cool to walk along the actual catwalk that astronauts used to enter a space ship. We then walked to the IMAX theater (included in admission) to check on the movie times and decide when to come back. The IMAX movie is included and you don't have to reserve a ticket ahead of time, just show up 15 minutes before show time. We then walked to the Atlantis exhibit (my favorite part). We had about 30 minutes before our bus tour, so we only got to see about half of the Atlantis exhibit (a video and the shuttle itself). I was surprised at home emotional I felt viewing the Atlantis (we saw Columbia at the Smithsonian, but it was not open, so we could only see the outside). It was awe-inspiring in the most literal sense. We hustled over to the bus tour area for our 10:30 tour. The tour started late and went long. We took the Up Close tour and this was our least favorite part. The tour was long and dull and we couldn't hear the tour guide for some of the time because many other bus riders were talking over him. The bus dropped us off at the Saturn exhibit (I did not realize this would happen) which is a 15 minute bus ride from the main Visitor's Center and the IMAX theater.

We had lunch in the Saturn Center (mediocre and expensive food) but didn't feel we had time to explore that building at all (my kids looked around the gift shop for a while). We took the shuttle back to the Visitor's Center after lunch (the shuttles only come every 15 minutes and there can sometimes be a line for the shuttle so this can be time-consuming). We ended up seeing a 2:30 IMAX movie (which we loved) and then finished exploring the rest of the Atlantis building, including the simulated shuttle experience. The IMAX movie was 45 minutes. We spent about another hour at the Atlantic building, shopped a bit and left the area by 4:45. There was more to see, but we were pretty worn out at this point. If I had it to do over, I'd either choose a different tour or skip the bus tour altogether.

I hope that is helpful. We bought our tickets ahead of time from the website. I don't think that is necessary, unless you want to reserve a bus tour, those fill up.

 

[Selket]

I thought I'd comment since we visited the KSC over Spring Break back in April and we plan to stop there again on our July Disney trip.

Three of the four tours are called the "Up Close Tour" so I was wondering which one you did? The Launch Control Center, the Cape Canaveral Then and Now or the Explore Tour (the 4th tour is called the KSC Bus Tour and is included with admission - the other 3 are separate admission). https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/tours.aspx

In April we did the Cape Canaveral Then and Now tour and we all thought it was phenomenal! The tour took us to many of the old launch sites and buildings on the Cape and I'd recommend that one in a heartbeat. I'm thinking of booking one of the other tours for July so I was curious which you did.

On our July trip we are going to try to see a launch. We had tickets last time over spring break the launch was moved to the next week and we couldn't stay (it was refunded). The Saturn building is actually very, very cool and I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as much. Just seeing a Saturn V rocket was a thrill for us. I agree that I wish the bus tour would drop you back at the main visitor center where you got on. Having to wait in line for another bus was tiring.

 

[drcmk]

Three of the four tours are called the "Up Close Tour" so I was wondering which one you did? The Launch Control Center, the Cape Canaveral Then and Now or the Explore Tour . . . The Saturn building is actually very, very cool and I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as much. Just seeing a Saturn V rocket was a thrill for us. I agree that I wish the bus tour would drop you back at the main visitor center where you got on. Having to wait in line for another bus was tiring.

We wanted to take the Launch Control Center Tour, but I mistakenly purchased another tour (possibly because it was also called an Up Close Tour) which is part of the reason that we were disappointed. We took the Up Close Explore tour. I wanted to enjoy it. Seeing some of the sites was interesting, but it was much too long. I can't say we didn't enjoy the Saturn V building. We didn't explore that building at all. We wanted to get back to the Atlantic exhibit and IMAX theater since those were priorities for us, so we didn't have time to stay at the Saturn V building beyond lunch, once we were dropped off there. I think if the buildings weren't so difficult to travel between, we would have made time for Saturn.

So those were our disappointments, partly due to my mistake and logistical problems, but overall it was an excellent visit and very worthwhile for my daughter, who now proudly wears her NASA tee shirt. We don't have plans to return to Florida any time soon, so I can't say we'll be returning. I would definitely consider visiting another of the Space Centers if we are near Houston or Alabama. We love the Smithsonian space museums, too.

 

[Mich_Fan]

We are also planning to go to KSC and were debating about which tour to go on. Our 10YO is very interested in this career path and it never hurts to expose them to it. And dad also would like to see it. We probably won't be back for many years so we would like to get the most out of it without wasting too much time watching movies. (we have IMAX here). Glad you posted this.

 

[Jedana]

Don't forget about the Astronaut museum! It's on the outside of the main complex, as you drive in (on the right, if I remember correctly).

 

[purple hippo]

It sounds like there is so much to do that is included with admission that an add-on tour seems like it would be too much for a one day trip. Am I wrong? Are any of the add-on tours a "must do"? Has anyone done the Lunch with an Astronaut? What did you think? Is it worth spending the time for that if you are only going for one day or would you spend the time touring the site? I wouldn't have thought we could fill a whole day there but when we went to the Smithsonian Museum at Dulles we were there for 5 or 6 hours which was more than I would have ever thought we would spend there. We must have spent over an a hour walking around Columbia and it's very emotional seeing a shuttle up close. I would never have guessed it would be. This will be the first visit for DH, DD12, DS10. I want to be sure we don't miss anything "extra" that I didn't know we should have paid for. I am sure we will be back one day in years to come, but we will only have one day this trip.

 

[spiceycat]

thank you great review - and since moving there - just might get an annual pass. the only time we visited the Space center was back in early 90 - after visiting Huntsville - well at the time Huntsville would allow you in all the space crafts -and I mean all of them (not sure now)

got to space center and they had armed guards around them.

so it sounds like KSC has changed.

 

[drcmk]

Don't forget about the Astronaut museum! It's on the outside of the main complex, as you drive in (on the right, if I remember correctly).

Yes, you pass it on the way in. Your ticket to KSC actually allows you to go to the Astronaut museum on the day following your visit as well. Since the Astronaut Museum opens later and closes earlier than KSC, it is tricky to do it all in one day. We did not have time to visit.

 

[Jeremy Earle]

Sure. We arrived just before the center opened at 9:00 am and decided to tour the Rocket Garden while it was still relatively cool. We probably spent 30-40 minutes in the Rocket Garden. It was fun to take photos of the kids sitting in the tiny capsules and interesting to see the proportions of the various rockets. It was also very cool to walk along the actual catwalk that astronauts used to enter a space ship. We then walked to the IMAX theater (included in admission) to check on the movie times and decide when to come back. The IMAX movie is included and you don't have to reserve a ticket ahead of time, just show up 15 minutes before show time. We then walked to the Atlantis exhibit (my favorite part). We had about 30 minutes before our bus tour, so we only got to see about half of the Atlantis exhibit (a video and the shuttle itself). I was surprised at home emotional I felt viewing the Atlantis (we saw Columbia at the Smithsonian, but it was not open, so we could only see the outside). It was awe-inspiring in the most literal sense. We hustled over to the bus tour area for our 10:30 tour. The tour started late and went long. We took the Up Close tour and this was our least favorite part. The tour was long and dull and we couldn't hear the tour guide for some of the time because many other bus riders were talking over him. The bus dropped us off at the Saturn exhibit (I did not realize this would happen) which is a 15 minute bus ride from the main Visitor's Center and the IMAX theater.

We had lunch in the Saturn Center (mediocre and expensive food) but didn't feel we had time to explore that building at all (my kids looked around the gift shop for a while). We took the shuttle back to the Visitor's Center after lunch (the shuttles only come every 15 minutes and there can sometimes be a line for the shuttle so this can be time-consuming). We ended up seeing a 2:30 IMAX movie (which we loved) and then finished exploring the rest of the Atlantis building, including the simulated shuttle experience. The IMAX movie was 45 minutes. We spent about another hour at the Atlantic building, shopped a bit and left the area by 4:45. There was more to see, but we were pretty worn out at this point. If I had it to do over, I'd either choose a different tour or skip the bus tour altogether.

I hope that is helpful. We bought our tickets ahead of time from the website. I don't think that is necessary, unless you want to reserve a bus tour, those fill up.

Thanks so much for providing this level of detail. It is VERY helpful!