Port Canaveral: what to do if arriving very early?

[Amandine]

We will be driving roughly 16 hours straight through the night to get to Port Canaveral. Leaving a day earlier isn't an option due to work schedule. In order to give ourselves a good safety buffer (we know from past experience that 16 hour drives can *easily* come with unforeseen complications -- last time we drove clear to FL, there was a multi-hour delay from a battery that died at a gas station in the middle of the night, and we only barely made it to the boarding area on time!), we plan to leave as early as possible on Friday afternoon -- so if all goes smoothly and we *don't* have complications, we'll arrive in the vicinity of Port Canaveral around 6-7am.

Where would you suggest going/what would you suggest doing to 'hang out' in the nearby area until the terminal opens? Are there any parks nearby where the kids could stretch their legs, public playgrounds, etc? We'll have multiple small children with us.

We're also considering off-site parking if in fact we arrive without any significant delays, since there'd be plenty of time to drop kids/luggage/some adults at the port and then let the driver go park before rejoining the rest of us.

 

[mcgluvint]

We will be driving roughly 16 hours straight through the night to get to Port Canaveral. Leaving a day earlier isn't an option due to work schedule. In order to give ourselves a good safety buffer (we know from past experience that 16 hour drives can *easily* come with unforeseen complications -- last time we drove clear to FL, there was a multi-hour delay from a battery that died at a gas station in the middle of the night, and we only barely made it to the boarding area on time!), we plan to leave as early as possible on Friday afternoon -- so if all goes smoothly and we *don't* have complications, we'll arrive in the vicinity of Port Canaveral around 6-7am.

Where would you suggest going/what would you suggest doing to 'hang out' in the nearby area until the terminal opens? Are there any parks nearby where the kids could stretch their legs, public playgrounds, etc? We'll have multiple small children with us.

We're also considering off-site parking if in fact we arrive without any significant delays, since there'd be plenty of time to drop kids/luggage/some adults at the port and then let the driver go park before rejoining the rest of us.

You could go to the beach or shop around. Get a good lunch. I would do do something like fish lips so you can see the ship. Are you planning to get a day hotel?

 

[NoNotMe]

We will be driving roughly 16 hours straight through the night to get to Port Canaveral. Leaving a day earlier isn't an option due to work schedule. In order to give ourselves a good safety buffer (we know from past experience that 16 hour drives can *easily* come with unforeseen complications -- last time we drove clear to FL, there was a multi-hour delay from a battery that died at a gas station in the middle of the night, and we only barely made it to the boarding area on time!), we plan to leave as early as possible on Friday afternoon -- so if all goes smoothly and we *don't* have complications, we'll arrive in the vicinity of Port Canaveral around 6-7am.

Rusty's serves breakfast right there at the port, you could hang out there and watch the people disembark from the previous cruise. If you want to drive to a park there are a few south of the park.

 

[Amandine]

I actually didn't know there's such a thing as a day hotel! Though I am guessing we probably would not, since by the time we feed the kids breakfast, we should only have a few hours to find something to do before our official PAT.

Where can we take the kids to the beach nearby? Ie, do you have an address, or a park name? We are completely unfamiliar with the area.

 

[Amandine]

Rusty's serves breakfast right there at the port, you could hang out there and watch the people disembark from the previous cruise. If you want to drive to a park there are a few south of the park.

Thanks so much, this is precisely the kind of info I needed!

 

[luvincruising]

For parking, Park Port Canaveral is convenient and reasonably priced with a secure lot.

 

[Capt_BJ]

Grills in the port also does breakfast

Jetty park is at the east end of the port and a good beach but there is a per vehicle charge to enter .... you can find plenty of free access to the beach heading south on A1A from here. OR Kelly Park is a large park at the south east corner of 528 and Banana River drive ... this is the last exit b4 the port. Park is on the river and has lots of room to run and burn energy. This is the same exit where you find Park n Cruise

http://www.grillsseafood.com/
https://www.portcanaveral.com/Recreation/Jetty-Park-Beach-Pier
http://www.brevardfl.gov/ParksRecreation/Central/KellyEast/Home
https://parkcruise.com/

 

[Amandine]

That looks awesome! The kids would love eating breakfast outside with a view of the water and ships Thanks so much!

 

[Tractortom]

If you check online, there is an area of the port called, The Cove, that has about a half a dozen restaurants and tiki bars and the like. We have a trip scheduled for Feb and only live two hours from the port. We intend to leave home at 9am, drive to the Cove, find a place along the water and have a quiet lunch and a couple of beers, and then go over to the port and check in about 1pm or so. By the time we get on-board, the cabins will be open and we can drop hand luggage and take a look around. A LOT of good food, with most excellent views at the port. We have tried several of the places there, and always have a good time.

Tom in Okeechobee, FL

 

[SteveMP]

Cafe Monte Carlo is a nice little cafe.

 

[CamColt]

We did a 24 hour drive once, arriving the morning of the cruise. We made such good time, about an hour away we found a cheap hotel where we rented a room. We only stayed a little while but it was worth the few bucks. We all showered, brushed our teeth, changed clothes, and the kids had a bed to rest in for a bit, much better than the sleep they got in the car. We felt 100% better and ready to start the cruise fresh!

 

[brnc014]

Jetty Park is a great idea but just know that there is a per car admission fee of around $15. We stay at a hotel in Cocoa Beach the night before but since my son is an early riser we get our embark day started pretty early. We go find breakfast and usually a Walgreen's or the like to pick up the things we more than likely forgot before our shuttle picks us up. We tried going to the beach in the morning but found that we don't like being sandy and sticky before getting on the ship.