An hour or so from Walt Disney World, you can reach the Cape Canaveral area or Cocoa Beach.
Cocoa Beach is a town well known for surfing. Cape Canaveral is known for the cruise port and obviously the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
If you want to visit this area and the KSC, I recommend you take a full day. If you have a car, from Orlando, take your time to not only explore the space center but also (maybe) Cocoa Beach. Although many people can spend a whole day at the KSC.
Note: Remember that now with the new Covid-19 regulations, this experience may be different from the one I wrote in February before the pandemic. (original was for my other blog: TodoSobreDisney). Currently (June 2020) you have to wear a face mask and your temperature will be taken upon entering. You can read all the rules here.
On the official page you can buy the tickets and thus save a little time when you arrive at the place (especially if you plan to visit as soon as they open). I think that, if you are like me who is interested in visiting the place but not a super fan of shuttles, space and NASA stuff, buying the normal ticket without extras is very good.
The regular ticket includes (again, I visited last time in Feb.2020):
- Gateway™: The Deep Space Launch Complex featuring Spaceport KSC
- Space Shuttle Atlantis® and the Shuttle Launch Experience®
- Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour
- Apollo/Saturn V Center
- Heroes and Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®
- Astronaut Encounter
- Planet Play
- Rocket Garden guided tours
- Journey to Mars
- 3D Space Films
- LEGO® Build to Launch
- Character Appearances
- Other scheduled presentations and films
Upon arrival, the first thing you see is the ‘Rocket Garden’.
Once inside, my first stop was the “Space Shuttle Atlantis” where you are first surprised with an excellent video presentation and then when the doors open you see the incredible “Space Shuttle Atlantis” very close to you. Discover interesting information about this shuttle, its travels, and you can even experience and feel a flight. Have you been on Mission: SPACE at Epcot? This one is a bit stronger than the one at Epcot.
Here is a 360º video of the area where Atlantis is located. (remember that you can move the image as you like to see around).
There is also a bus ride to places that are not easily accessible. The “KSC Bus Tour” is another of the attractions that includes your normal ticket and that you should not miss.
The place also includes several shops and places to eat. The food is decent, but if you plan to visit Cocoa Beach too, I would recommend waiting and eating maybe at the Cocoa Beach Pier or at one of the restaurants near the famous Ron Jon Surf shop where you can find better dishes (not just burgers or hot dogs) and I find it more enjoyable. (Ex: Captain J’s Restaurant or Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier Restaurant). Watch a video of our other travel blog –AccesoTotal29– Cocoa Beach here
Artículo original de nuestra página hermana: TodoSobreDisney (la página cerró mayo 2021)
