In addition to being a port where cruises embark/debark from, Port Canaveral is also a destination port for some itineraries, especially when coming from states north of Florida such as Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, and New York.
Disney's Animal Kingdom is 67 miles from Port Canaveral - approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes with no traffic.
This means you need to account for at least 2.5 hours for roundtrip transportation; more if you hit traffic. You won't be able to spend an entire day at the park like you would if you were staying at (or near) Disney. Something to consider when deciding if going to any of the Orlando theme parks while on a cruise is for you. You have multiple options as to getting to Animal Kingdom:
Book an excursion through your cruise line (recommended);
Rent a car;
Book a shuttle service;
Taxi.
We booked an excursion through Carnival. I recommend this option for the sole reason that if you hit traffic on the way back from the parks, the cruise ship will wait for you. Otherwise, you risk missing the ship and having to fly to the next port to catch up with the ship, at your expense.
Unfortunately, we were 2 minutes too late getting off the ship and missed the bus to Animal Kingdom! A crew member allowed us to get on the bus going to Sea World and from there we had to get a taxi over to Animal Kingdom. A taxi that cost us close to $100!!!
I highly recommend paying special attention to the departure time on your excursion ticket and make sure to arrive at least 5-15 minutes prior.
We arrived at the gate around 9:30 am and left the park around 3:30 pm. Visiting an Orlando theme park while on a cruise means you do not have enough time to fully experience everything that a park has to offer. Something to consider when deciding if visiting a theme park while on a cruise is for you...
In our 6 hours at the park, we were able to wander around the park and see several animal exhibits, have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and go on the Kilimanjaro Safari. It was a good "teaser" but obviously not enough time to fully experience Animal Kingdom.
The Rainforest Cafe is located right at the park entrance to the left. Dining at Rainforest Cafe is a unique experience with its Amazon jungle theme, multiple aquariums, and the sound of birds, thunder and rain showers, elephants, and mechanical gorillas that pound their chests and make noises! There's also a gift shop complete with a claw machine containing stuffed animals if you're lucky enough to.
When we visited in 2014, we simply walked in and got seated. Gone are those days at Disney!
It is highly recommended that you make a dining reservation for sit down restaurants 60 days in advance to your park visit!
If you don't make a dining reservation far in advance, you risk missing out on dining at a table service restaurant and may be forced to eat at Quick Service locations only.
Animal Kingdom is divided into 8 neighborhoods:
Oasis is right when you enter and contains animal exhibits (flamingos and parrots).
Discovery Island is where you'll find the Tree of Life, stage shows, and additional animal exhibits.
Pandora - The World of Avatar has the super popular Avatar Flight of Passage ride and Na'vi River Journey.
Africa has animal exhibits, the Wildlife Express Train, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Asia has animal exhibits, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Kali River Rapids, and Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain.
DinoLand U.S.A. has The Boneyard, carnival type games, stage shows, TriceraTop Spin, Dino-Sue, and the thrill-ride DINOSAUR.
You'll find various dining and shops scattered throughout the entire park.
With the time constraints due to visiting via a cruise ship, a lengthy lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and a thunderstorm, we were only able to explore Oasis, Discovery Island, DinoLand U.S.A., and Africa.
Going on the Kilimanjaro Safaris in Africa was truly the highlight of our visit!
On this attraction, you board an open-air safaris vehicle and get to embark on an 18 minute expedition of the Harambe Wildlife Reserve where you'll get the chance to see up to 34 species of animals that roam free among the 110 acres. Your driver doubles as your tour guide and will point out animals and share wildlife facts. Each expedition is a truly unique experience - no two are alike!
If you're lucky, some animals may even get close to the vehicle. Make sure to always have your camera ready as you never know what you'll see or when!
Pictures of our expedition on the Kilimanjaro Safaris:
As previously mentioned, there was a thunderstorm during our visit. Thunderstorms and rain showers are a very common occurrence in Orlando, Florida, especially from late-May to mid-October. We visited on October 1, 2014; during the rainy season.
We weren't at all prepared to get caught in a thunderstorm and got completely drenched! I got to experience a very chilly air-conditioned bus ride back to our ship. We took all of Sebastien's clothes off and bought a towel to wrap him in.
Had we been better prepared with some rain ponchos, we could have saved ourselves some money on a towel and being stuck in wet clothes for hours.
If you're staying at (or near) Disney, then you may not be very concerned about getting wet; you can simply go back to your hotel and change. However, with your cruise ship over an hour away, you won't have this convenience.
Disney sells rain ponchos but naturally, being Disney, they're a bit over priced. You also have to get to a gift shop in order to buy that poncho... Chances are, you'll be drenched before you even get to the shop (like we were). Amazon has many different options of disposable and reusable rain ponchos. I highly recommend packing one for each person and bringing it with you on your trip to the park from the cruise ship. You could also pack a change of clothes for each person, but a poncho takes up significantly less space!
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