Before You Cruise, Embark on a Fun-Finding Mission in Your Port City
When booking a sea cruise vacation, it may seem like a good idea to schedule your flight to the port of departure for the same morning your ship sets sail. A same-day flight might appear to save you time and money, but travel experts warn this could turn into an expensive mistake. Should airline delays keep you from getting to the port on time, you could end up shelling out hundreds more dollars to book another flight, just so you can catch up to your ship at the next port of call. In addition, the panic and worry that set in from even the smallest hiccup in your tight travel schedule can defeat the idea of a vacation. To start your relaxing ocean getaway in the right frame of mind, give yourself and your family an extra pre-cruise day in your cruise line’s port city. If everything goes as planned and you arrive the day before your ship casts off, your vacation can start early, too. Use the extra time to explore and kick back. You’ll find the home ports for these cruise ships are set up to accommodate and welcome cruise travelers. For example, if your ship happens to launch from Florida’s Port Canaveral, the world’s second-busiest cruise port, you’ll discover many area hotels have cruise package deals that include free parking, special nightly rates and even free shuttle transportation to and from the port and to and from the airport. You’ll also find plenty to see and do locally. Cape Canaveral, near the Kennedy Space Center, is part of
the east-central section of Florida popularly known as the Space Coast. Here, there are numerous attractions and other entertaining diversions that can help create the perfect countdown to your cruise to paradise. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex For visitors, the eye-opening facility that has propelled countless rockets and scores of shuttles out of our atmosphere also provides a full day’s worth of exhibits and hands-on learning about space exploration. Eyeball a 3-D image produced by one of NASA’s powerful space telescopes, inspect the Space Shuttle Atlantis up close, and “experience” life on Mars through an interactive display. Of course, there are plenty of space memorabilia to examine and fascinating astronaut stories to absorb, all of which will round out your appreciation of what NASA has accomplished so far - and what is yet to come. Rocket watching While planning your overnight along the Space Coast, be sure to check Spacecoastlaunches.com for schedules of rocket launches, public viewing sites, and special hotel packages. If you’re lucky, you might have an opportunity to witness the sights, sounds and ground-shaking vibrations of a rocket launch. Cape Canaveral and the greater Space Coast area have numerous parks and observation points that make it easy to sit back and watch these rockets streak into the sky. GetRuralLeaderMag.com | APRIL 2017 21
