1st night non-Disney Hotel

[wendybird]

We are flying in from California and will be arriving around 6:00 p.m. We planned to stay at a non-Disney hotel our first night either close to the airport or Cape Canaveral. We plan to visit Cape Canaveral in the morning and then head in to Disney after lunch and check into our Disney Resort. Any suggestion on a hotel near airport on Cape Canaveral for my DH and DS (2) and myself? Does this sound like a "doable" plan to start our trip??

[spoiledraf]

We did a Canaveral tour quite a while back and it seems it will take you a while to do it. I don't see you getting to Disney until arund three. Kind of a late start. But we only usually stay for four days and hate to lose any time. If you are there for a more extended stay, half a day doesn't matter as much. So do-able, I'd say yes.

[Friend of Figment]

There is a Hyatt inside the airport. It's not super cheap, but it is super convenient.

[FiggyFan]

We used to spend our first night at the Hawthorne Suites Orlando Airport. Their web site shows room rates of $120 to $130 per night for July. For that price, we got a suite with a separate bedroom and pull out couch in the living room. This may make it easier if DS sleeps better in private. They offer shuttle service from the airport. Their are a few restaurants (I remember a TGI Fridays) nearby.

You may want to consider a Disney value resort for the first night. The price is competitive, and they will move your luggage to your final destination for the rest of your stay. We have tried that and like getting on property sooner.

[PrettyMinnie]

We have spent our first night in a non-Disney hotel before...the Marriott Near the airport, I am forgetting the name of it right now. But your plan does seem doable.

[MNNHFLTX]

When you say you are going to Cape Canaveral, you mean that you are planning to visit the Space Center, right? If so, I think you might find that a half-day is not enough time to do it justice, especially if you factor in the driving time. When my family lived in that area we could easily spend a whole day at the Center.

There are many nice hotels close to the airport on Semoran Blvd. (SR 436, one of the main roads to the airport). All the major chains are represented--Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn, etc. There are also hotels near Cape Canaveral, but IMO it's not as nice an area and would be harder to guess at the quality of any of them. If you do decide to go that route, I would advise staying at one of the hotels off of I-95 and SR 50, as it would give you easy access to the road (SR 405) that goes directly to the Space Center. There's a Hamptom Inn and Fairfield Inn there that I think would be good bets.

[wendybird]

When you say you are going to Cape Canaveral, you mean that you are planning to visit the Space Center, right? If so, I think you might find that a half-day is not enough time to do it justice, especially if you factor in the driving time. When my family lived in that area we could easily spend a whole day at the Center.

There are many nice hotels close to the airport on Semoran Blvd. (SR 436, one of the main roads to the airport). All the major chains are represented--Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn, etc. There are also hotels near Cape Canaveral, but IMO it's not as nice an area and would be harder to guess at the quality of any of them. If you do decide to go that route, I would advise staying at one of the hotels off of I-95 and SR 50, as it would give you easy access to the road (SR 405) that goes directly to the Space Center. There's a Hamptom Inn and Fairfield Inn there that I think would be good bets.

Wow - Thanks for the great info. Had no idea that it was not a "nice" area near the Space Center.

Since you are familiar, I would like to inquire more. We have a young son, who will be excited to see the Space Center, but not TOO much. If we arrived when it opened, took a short bus tour and looked around a short while, could we do it all by about 1:00 p.m. Also - how long is the drive from the Space Center to Disney? Thank so much for your info!!!!!

[MNNHFLTX]

Wow - Thanks for the great info. Had no idea that it was not a "nice" area near the Space Center.

Since you are familiar, I would like to inquire more. We have a young son, who will be excited to see the Space Center, but not TOO much. If we arrived when it opened, took a short bus tour and looked around a short while, could we do it all by about 1:00 p.m. Also - how long is the drive from the Space Center to Disney? Thank so much for your info!!!!!

To clarify, the Space Center is kind of off by itself, on a causeway, and there are no hotels in close proximity. The nearby town is Titusville, which is not all "bad", just not as upscale as the area around the airport in Orlando. Therefore I would stick with reputable chain hotels, like the Hilton and Marriott brands, for reliability, if you were to stay in that area.

As for the Space Center, it is about a 90 minute drive from Disney World. It opens at 9 a.m., and the basic bus tour is 2 hours (starts at 10 a.m.). There is so much to see there that it's hard to imagine you would put much of a dent in it in the remaining 2 hours. I would suggest staying until 2 or 3 p.m. before heading over to WDW.

[thejens]

We have done the Space Center also and spent the whole day. There is a lot to do. If you really don't mind paying and not being able to see nearly all there is, you could research a bit and then target a couple of attractions and then leave. My boys liked walking around the outdoor "garden" of space craft (some you can climb in.) The simulated flight is pretty hokey especially compared to Disney rides, but is kid friendly (not scary as advertised!) We ran out of time and did not get the drive around tour, so can't advise you on that. I found that the adults were really interested in the astronaut talks, exhibits and movies whereas the kids wanted to play outside. They loved the playground more than the space stuff, but they were 4 and 9 at the time. I would personally not want to try to cram so much in one day and feel rushed or missing out on both ends of the day. I would head to one of the value resorts for the first night. I did stay in a hotel near the space center/cruise ship area and it was fine, but not really budget. Sorry I can't remember what it was!