Shuttle Launch to Park Hotels

[tinydancer09]

How far is Port Canaveral to the Parks? Anyone know?

 

[disneygirlinnj]

It's about an hour drive, without traffic. However, due to this being the last shuttle launch, it's estimated that it will take at least 5-6 hours to leave the KSC area. The last launch I went to it took us about 3 to 3.5 hours to get back to Disney.

 

[doclegler]

We went to a scheduled launch a few years back, and the drive there was no problem early in the day. The drive back to Orlando was another story altogether!
The launch was scrubbed with just seconds to go (on a very chilly Nov evening), so we left with some REALLY disappointed kids! The drive back took from about 10pm to 3am on a 2 lane highway!!! Needless to say, hitting the parks at opening the next day was not happening.
Good luck to you. I hope you have a better experience than we did. If you're not going during a launch, the drive should be an easy hour each way.

 

[nytimez]

Either leave the moment you see the shuttle lift off -- before the solid rocket boosters separate, which is no fun at all, and that's assuming you're watching from near your car -- or don't even bother leaving at all.

Hang out in Titusville or wherever you are. Have lunch. Walk around -- there's not a whole lot to do, but it's all better than sitting in traffic. Drives of 6-8 hours back to Orlando have not been unheard of these past few launches.

 

[tinydancer09]

Either leave the moment you see the shuttle lift off -- before the solid rocket boosters separate, which is no fun at all, and that's assuming you're watching from near your car -- or don't even bother leaving at all.

Hang out in Titusville or wherever you are. Have lunch. Walk around -- there's not a whole lot to do, but it's all better than sitting in traffic. Drives of 6-8 hours back to Orlando have not been unheard of these past few launches.

Yeah, We planned on haning out in Titusville or somewhere around because we're going to be driving back to town after the launch. (Town is Valdosta). My friends were thinking about staying at some of the park hotels so they could go to city walk but we decided against this.

We're also leaving at 4:30 in the morning . However, the launch is looking skeptical

 

[nytimez]

Yeah, We planned on haning out in Titusville or somewhere around because we're going to be driving back to town after the launch. (Town is Valdosta). My friends were thinking about staying at some of the park hotels so they could go to city walk but we decided against this.

We're also leaving at 4:30 in the morning . However, the launch is looking skeptical

No, it's not looking good at all for Friday -- but if you're flexible enough to go when it's rescheduled, by all means go. It's really a full-day (or longer) commitment at this point. But you'll never have another chance to see it...

FWIW, for some launches I went to in the past few years we arrived 4-5 hours early and Titusville was already packed... no problems finding a good place to watch, but the massive crowds gather pretty early and many people even camp out the night before (it's like a big party over in Space View Park).

 

[Bluer101]

They are saying down here that 70% it's not going to launch. We thought about driving up to get within 30 miles but not now.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Is it possible to see anything from Orlando?

 

[Metro West]

Is it possible to see anything from Orlando?

If it's clear you can. I typically watch the night launches from my front yard. You'll see the contrail but no details of the shuttle itself. We tried watching the last launch at work but it was too cloudy to see anything.

 

[francie57]

If its clear you can see it from Disney. Years ago we were there and watched it go up first thing in the morning from the OKW parking lot. You could see it really clearly. A year or so ago on one of our trips were at Disney and actually saw it coming back to land at Kennedy.

 

[Bluer101]

If it's clear we watch them here in S Florida from our back yard also. Night ones are great.

 

[nytimez]

I hope those of you who were planning to go made it... must've been spectacular, as usual.

 

[Bluer101]

Could not see it from down here, to much cloud cover. But watched it on tv.