Kennedy Space Centre

[Floridalover]

OK DS and DH are set on visiting Space Kennedy Centre.:(
I am not a space rocket fan myself, though I realise I will be tagging along. WHERE DO YOU EAT AND WHAT IS NOT TO BE MISSED HERE ?

Personally,.... I am planning to spend the afternoon sunbathing on Cocoa Beach :cool: Whereabouts should I land myself here and Where should I eat/visit ?
I like animals/wildlife and water activities........

[Dawn]

See it's a bit of a myth that Cocoa Beach is right next door to KSC - it's not and it's a fair old drive between the two.

You could try the nearby wildlife refuge - I think it's Merritt Island - it's a lot closer than Cocoa.

Food - plenty of counter service staples. I think there's a small full service restaurant but I've never been in to investigate.

Not to be missed - the movies - all of them - especially the IMAX. Even me, the non-rocket person, was blown away by the movies.

If you go - take insect repellant - lots of it - KSC is in the middle of a mosquito infested swamp and they all want a piece of you. :eek:

[Floridalover]

OMG - I am the blood type tht is gourmet to all blood sucking parasites what to do ? I read the website and it says Cocoa Beach is 2 mins from Space Kennedy!!!!!:eek: :eek:

I would much rather soak up the sun on Clearwater.....:(

DH is admant this is fun and educational ( yeah right ...this is how the blood sucking parasites leave moms legs covered in more bumps than the Rockie mountains):rolleyes:

PS I just dont trust middle DD not to hijack a rocket and blast into hyperspace.... She was the houdini of child safety lock devices.....:rolleyes: loosening car handbrakes aged 18 months and scaling 6ft wardrobes at 2 yrs:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Dawn]

Originally posted by Floridalover
I read the website and it says Cocoa Beach is 2 mins from Space Kennedy!!!!!:eek: :eek:

By Saturn 5 rocket maybe, but certainly not by your standard rental vehicle.

[Keith]

I'm pretty hopeless at geography but I did ask the taxi driver if it would be worth spending some time at KSC then hopping over for a few mins to cocoa beach and he looked at me as if I was completely round the bend.... so I'm guessing it's more than a couple of mins :/

KSC was brill though just a shame that because I went on a launch day, I didnt get to see loads of things you normally would. I'm going to go back.

[Floridalover]

Sounds a little more interesting:)

[OKWTink]

Make sure your insect repellent contains deet and you should be ok.

Cocoa Beach IS NOT covenient to the KSC, however, the Merritt Island park is closer. Probably not a great idea to try and do both on the same day.

KSC is one of those places that you may not expect to like, but then end up feeling that you've had a pretty interesting time after all! (That is for those folks who are essentially not interested in space and the space program).

[Whitequeen]

Must admit, Ray, you've made it sound more interesting than I thought!!

DH keeps mentioning it, but I change the subject quickly. We saw a shuttle taking off in Nov as we were coming out of MGM. Told him he should consider himself lucky and there was no need to go to KSC now!!!!!! :D

I'll think about it!!;)

[Wendy L]

We've been to KSC twice and on both occasions have been able to do something completely different. I must admit that the 2nd visit I was bitten to pieces and I did use a repellent, this was in June/early July.

We are going again in December but a trip to KSC is a must - the bites are worth it! If they are still biting in December that is!!!!

[Dawn]

Originally posted by Ray
The mozzies do not bite in December. :)


They definitely bite prolifically in September though. :eek:

Also look out for the massive bald eagles nest while on the bus tour - ask the driver to point it out to you. :thumbs:

And just for the record - I've been three times now, and I've also been to the Lyndon B Johnson Space Center in Houston and anyone who says girlies can't enjoy that stuff are sooooooo wrong. They have shops there too. ;)

[Whitequeen]

Originally posted by Dawn
They have shops there too. ;)

You just knew that would sell it to me didn't you!!!!!:hehe:

The problem is, we're only going for 11days this time and where it started out just staying onsite all the time(to make good use of our AP's twice in a year) DH keeps moving the 'goal posts' and chucking 'off-site' venues at the Itineary!!!:rolleyes:

[Dawn]

Get him to spring for a few nights off site - if he's so keen to visit these places then surely he would agree to this. ;)

[OKWTink]

Girlies? Shops? Tell that to Sally Ride! ;)

[Wendy L]

I tried to find out some info on the Astronauts Hall of Fame but the link says that it is closed due to financial difficulties:confused: I was really looking forward to going there as we have never bothered before - does anyone know whether this is true?

[Dawn]

Try this one - press release announcing it's reopening to the public.

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/html/PublishedReleases.asp?ID=70

And this is the KSC visitors website.

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

[zebra]

KSC is a great day trip & an hour from Orlando (from Routes 535 & 536).

By no means am I a space/science guru but my DH loves it so I figure, why not. If I can drive him crazy finding characters & having pics. taken with them.. I owe him.

I was fascinated by the entire place. We took the NASA Up Close Tour & was able to see the LC-39A & B sites, the crawler/transporter, VAB, etc. Due to the recent accident of the Columbia, we were not able to go to the shuttle landing strip since a cargo plan was arriving with pieces of the shuttle. Sad to say, we saw the plane coming in & it gave us chills.

Seeing the huge Saturn rocket was amazing as well as the other exhibits there. We went to the Memorial & paid our respects to those astronauts that lost their lives in the Columbia accident.

Overall, it was a great day out & I have a lot of respect for the Space Program. A must see...

FYI - Here are pics. from KSC.
http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/photos.html#other
:sun:

[Keith]

That tour sounds good... did you book it in advance or when you got there? How much did it cost if you don't mind me asking?

[zebra]

Hi

We went in February and during the week so there wasn't many people there. For the NASA Up Close Tour, it's suggested to arrive early (9am) since the first tour may end up selling out. It was well worth it since we were able to get on the first tour bus at 10am. The bus tour was great and very informative. Our guide was fantastic and she was great at telling stories/jokes/facts/etc. The tour runs at different times during the day so if you can't get there by 9am it's no big deal.

Bring a camera, lots of film and sit on the driver's side of the bus. You can get the view on either side but it was nice getting the first view of the launch pads/transporter/etc.

Here's the link for the tour we took. Our cost was $53 (US$) each and worth every penny of it.

http://www.store.yahoo.com/kennedyspacecenter/nasaupclose.html

If you have any other questions please let me know.
Have fun!
:)

[Keith]

brilliant! Thanks :)

[zebra]

:wave:

Glad to help. If you go, enjoy yourself!

You don't need to book in advance, just show up early. If you are going to Orlando during a launch and want to see the launch, you'll need to do that in advance. Check out the KSC site for further information.

Have a good evening!
:hehe:

[dizzyknee]

Would KSC be interesting to a girl (7) and a boy (4)? I don't want them to be bored and ruin the tour or movie for anyone else.

How about the mosquitos in Feb./March?

[highlander447]

Next year me and my son have planned this as a boys day while my wife and daughter get their nails etc done for our renewal vows:ears:

[dizzyknee]

Ray, I do understand and appreciate what you are saying, it is exactly why I was asking. Somethings are not geared toward kids. I was thinking of trying to visit for a half day (as we will be in that area prior to our cruise), maybe just a movie and a quick look around. But I wasn't sure how easy it was to even take a quick look around. Are things very spread out and you can only get from place to place on the bus tour. Or would we be able to visit an area with rockets and space suits etc. where we can come and go as we please?

[Keith]

I think they're a bit young for it to be honest... but it's a fascinating place for those interested in it....

The main bits aren't too spaced out and there's a lot to do just through the main gates.

[zebra]

:wave:

Hi:

I've seen kids at KSC and some are thrilled and some are bored. I think it depends if your kids are interested in science, the huge rockets, the movies, etc.

If you can, show your kids the KSC website and see if they show an interst in going there. Let them know what's available, what you would be interested in doing/showing them and maybe they can provide you some feedback.

Near the Rocket Garden, KSC has a kids center but since we don't have kids we didn't go in there. Maybe the website will be able to provide you with more information.

:sun:

[dizzyknee]

I appreciate everyones comments. Are the movies wonderful to watch, and not too technical? I think they would like that. I know my DH would love to go to KSC so that's why I am working to find a way to go for some period of time.

[Keith]

I thought the movies were great! certainly the ones I saw weren't technical.... I'm still not sure if they'd be of much interest to a 4 and 7 yr old... but if you can perhaps just spend half a day or something there it's totally worth it for the adults

[dizzyknee]

Thanks for the replies. I am not sure what we'll do, but I'm leaning toward a short visit. Many thanks.

[Johnie]

Did you know that you can have lunch with the astronauts?? My dad is going to do this today and is so excited! LOL he is like a little kid.

[Keith]

We did that :) it was good to hear them talk and they did a bit of a q&a session. The way it was advertised, I kinda expect a little more personal interaction, but still it was good

[dizzyknee]

Thanks Ray. That's a good suggestion.

[Ann]

How long of a drive is it from WDW to KSC?


anything at KSC for 4 and 6 year olds? or wait until they are teenaers? Anyone know anything about SPACE CAMP?

[Keith]

I'd say about an hour and a half or so......

4 or 6 I think is a BIT young but the visitor complex does have some good stuff as Ray said. There were a fair few crying and bored kids when we were there a few weeks ago.

(know nothing about space camp sorry)

[ieuanr]

HI

KSC is a brilliant day out and even non space cadets really enjoy it. Alternatively as mentioned above Cocoa beach is about a 50 minute drive. We can also recommend shopping in Titusville they have a small mall and the department store was cheaper than in Orlando. Titusville is about five mins from KSC.

Ieuan :cool: