Here's my TR from a few years ago:
We headed to Kennedy Space Center. Kathie put this as her "must-see" of the trip. We wanted to go the last time she was here (about 2 1/2 years ago), but we didn't have the time.
We left and arrived around 11:00 am at Orlando. We stopped by the Ponderosa on International drive to fill up on the breakfast buffet. The food was good! We arrived at Kennedy Space Center at around 12:30 pm and got the $19 pass. The pass included the bus tour, an IMAX movie, a visit to the Robot Scouts, and a viewing of another movie.
Kathie and I went on the bus tour first. The bus stopped at three locations: the shuttle gantry, the Apollo Saturn V Center, and the International Space Center. As we headed to each location on the bus, overhead monitors gave you some detail about the space program and explained a bit about the destination. The monitors also showed many "commercials" about the gift shop (I guess someone has to pay the bills). When it was time to look up, a chime that sounded like the Mac happy sound came on. Now, when I turn on a Mac and hear the chime, I will have to look for an overhead monitor screen!
The first stop was the shuttle gantry LCV-39. We first saw a short video on how the crew prepares for the shuttle launches. Then the next room was a model of the shuttle and the launching pad. It took you step-by-step on what happens before a shuttle launch. The walls have some further information about the shuttle. This was interesting to see, considering it takes a lot for a shuttle to launch!
Then we climbed the shuttle gantry. Well, we kind of cheated and took the elevator. It was quite breezy, but you could see both shuttle launch pads off in the distance. You could also see the large amount of land and other major buildings and the Kennedy Space Center.
We came down via the stairs and headed back to the bus. Our next destination was the Apollo Saturn V Center. When you get off a bus and board a new one, most likely you will get a new driver. This driver was pretty funny. His voice sounded like he had one too many, but he drove in a straight line. He did give us a pointer that we used during our vacation. He advised us to press the camera against the window because if you don't, you will get an unwanted reflection. He said that he ought to know, since he was an AP photographer!
We arrived at the Apollo Saturn V Center and we had to wait a few minutes before entering. While waiting, you stood before huge doors and there was a big Apollo Saturn V Center logo painted on the doors. Then we entered. The first preshow was standing room only as the video went over the early years of the space program and its many failures. It went through the early Mercury and Gemini missions. Then came the Apollo missions. The preshow stopped right before the Apollo 8 mission (the first mission that orbited the Moon).
We were then led to another room, which was the mission control room with the actual controls and screens. I couldn't help wonder if the Apollo Saturn V Center was the original mission control room. We saw the preparations for the Apollo 8 missions and the launch. The launch guided you through in real time. As Apollo 8 launched, the windows even shook! Kathie seemed kind of bored because she was flossing her teeth during part of the presentation.
Next, we went into a room and saw the Saturn V rocket. This thing is huge! When Kathie saw the rockets as she entered the room, she said, "Wow!" The landing and command module were also on display. From a video kiosk, one of the Apollo astronauts said that the modules were some of the ugliest devices he's seen. He wasn't kidding! They were more for functionality rather than appearance.
The video on the bus said that we could touch and eat by a moon rock at this center. I was visualizing a big chuck of rock, but it was a small sliver with some coating on it. We got a drink at the Launching Pad and headed back to the bus.
The next and last stop was the International Space Center. We got to walk through some of the modules of the space center. It was interesting stuff and seemed surprisingly cramped. Kathie was most interested in the Canadian part of the space center.
We then took the bus back to the Kennedy Space Center welcome center. We decided to see an IMAX movie. Our two choices were: "The Dream is Alive" or "L-5: First City in Space." "L-5" started earlier, so we chose that. The movie was 3-D, but it seemed more like a gimmick. The 3-D didn't seem very special. They gave us these big and gray plastic 3-D glasses. I'm not sure if they were cheap or if it was just me, but on some of the closer 3-D images, I could see two or three ghost images. I asked Kathie if she saw them and she didn't. The movie itself was kind of hokey, but it did have some neat special effects. Kathie fell asleep during part of the movie!
We went to the gift shop after the movie. I got some postcards and Kathie got some stuff for her family. We left and headed to Ron Jon's Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach. The shop is very easy to find. Just looked for the neon-covered building! It has more neon than Las Vegas! If you want to buy some beach goods or a surfboard, this would be a good shop for you. Most of the goods have the Ron Jon's logo on it. It had a sort of tropical surfer theme, but I did not hear any Dick Dale in the background! I got a cup for a co-worker and Kathie got some souvenirs for her family and friends.
