Tours in Kennedy Space Center

[meldud]

As much as it pains me to write the e and r backwards in the title I felt it necessary as it is in the US

Having been twice to Florida and not had time to venture this far, we are keen to scoot over to KSC when we visit next August 2014.
There are several options for tours, when looking out tickets and I would appreciate any gems of advice from you all regarding these. I am currently staring blankly at the screen wondering which one would appeal to us all.

My DS will be 14 (and very into science) and my DD will be 13 .... ...

they grow up so fast!

 

[Elise79]

Without doing any of the add-on tours we filled our whole day there! We did the tour to the Saturn V building which is included in general admission. We did that, the Atlantis exhibit and looked around the rest of the main visitor complex but didn't get time for the imax movies either

There really is a lot to see and do if you are interested in Space

I really want to do the VAB tour and as we have APs I am hoping to do that next time.

 

[starrysky]

We went all out did lunch with an astronaut and the behind the scenes tour they were worth every penny. We got to see inside the vehicle assembly building on out tour but there is also the launch control room and launch pad options but you are just assigned on the day.
We really enjoyed it and would highly recommend the extras we did.
We booked the tour with attractiontix I believe, we were picked up at down town disney and dropped off again same place at night.
Long day but well worth it.

 

[queendisney]

Last year we did the VAB tour and this year we are doing the launch pad tour. But as PP said you can spend all day there and not have time to do the add on tours. You already get the normal bus tour included in admission and this along take a good few hours. Because we have been lots of times now we didn't do the normal tour and just did the VAB tour (which by the way is so good and you do go up to the Launch pad but not actually in it) and that took up a lot of the time.

So personally if you are only doing one day I would just do the normal tour and the exhibits as you really won't have much time for anything else. The normal tour stops at different places where you get off spend as much time as you want there and then get on to another tour bus to the next place..

 

[meldud]

we were picked up at down town disney and dropped off again same place at night.

Ooh this is great. I had read somewhere that you could get travel included but wasn't sure how our options would work. DH wanted to know if this was the case!

 

[meldud]

You already get the normal bus tour included in admission and this along take a good few hours.

So where does the normal tour go and if that takes a couple of hours will we have time to add in anything else??

 

[queendisney]

So where does the normal tour go and if that takes a couple of hours will we have time to add in anything else??

You should allow a good three hours or so for that tour. It's sort of up to you how long you want to take at the stops. But the main stop is the Saturn V building and that has quite a bit to see. The bus does a tour around Kennedy but just doesn't do the VAB or the Launch Pad. It ends back at the main buildings where you started from and there is loads to see there also including the new Space Shuttle exhibit, the rocket garden, the Imax and various other buildings. It really is a full day. If you have never been before then you will enjoy the normal tour as it does show you a lot. The other tours they do say you need to leave yourself plenty of time for. We normally go with Florida Dolphin Tours and the transport is included to KSC from various places including WDW and IDrive. If you are driving yourselves then you will obviously have a bit more time at the centre..

 

[starrysky]

Ooh this is great. I had read somewhere that you could get travel included but wasn't sure how our options would work. DH wanted to know if this was the case!

I think it was an 8:30 pick up so we took a taxi from OKW to the pick up point which is outside the cirque building. Your limited in transport options to DTD in the am.
It was booked through floridatix but it was a Florida dolphin tour bus etc that took us there.
Driver put on a movie on the way back to keep us entertained but most fell asleep.

 

[Fommt2]

Is the IMAX included in the normal tour price?

 

[Elise79]

Is the IMAX included in the normal tour price?

Yes

 

[gavvy]

The Cape Canervral "then and now" tour requires your passport as you enter the Militarily side of the centre, its really interesting if you are into the History of Space.

I managed to get in the VAB when one of the shuttles was in there, that was amazing, I think this time I may do the one with the fireing room where they launch the shuttle from.

I may get an annual pass this time, it seems its not much more than a reg ticket and parking is included.

 

[queendisney]

The Cape Canervral "then and now" tour requires your passport as you enter the Militarily side of the centre, its really interesting if you are into the History of Space.

That sounds an interesting one..