Over the next couple weeks I wanted to give a detailed trip report from our recent cruise on the Dream and week at Disney World. I know many of you plan the same type trips and I always enjoy hearing the good, the bad and the ugly so I know how to better plan my trips, as well as helping you plan the magic.
We did something new for us this year - we drove our car to Cape Canaveral. Typically we have either flown or driven our RV but this year we decided the kids are a bit older and finances are a bit tighter so loading up my gas efficient car was the best solution.
Since it is a 20 hour drive, we thought it would be best to drive through the night so that we would have at least 9 or so hours of sleeping children. This worked wonderfully on our way down! We left when my husband got home from work and drove all night to Ocala, FL.
Ocala is less than an hour from Orlando and under two hours from the port. I found a Howard Johnson hotel that was very inexpensive and right off our route on 75. At $59 per night including a breakfast buffet with fresh waffles I would highly recommend this stop. They have a hot tub we used after our long car ride and a pool (it was a bit chilly to swim, but the hot tub was perfect). Also for a slight fee there is a little miniature golf course. We ate at the hotel that night and had some fried fish with free soft serve ice cream for a very reasonable price. This was not the best food we had on the trip, but the price was right and it was very convenient after a long drive.
We went to bed early and slept for about 12 hours and woke up ready to get to Cape Canaveral.
After spending the night at the Howard Johnson in Ocala and a nice breakfast there we went on to Cape Canaveral to the Radisson Hotel. We always stay at this hotel. The rooms are clean and the location is close to the port. Up until this last year it was free to park and ride to the cruise ship. This has now changed and you either have to purchase the cruise package room or add it on to your stay. Parking here is still less expensive than at the port - especially if you are in an RV - the price is the same as it is for a car. I would recommend this if your cruise is 5+ days as well. For the shorter cruises the new parking garage at the port is a very nice option. I will tell you more about this tomorrow.
The rooms at the Radisson are very spacious and clean. I have noticed that they do look used. We have always had missing knobs or little things that were not a big deal, but do distract from the hotel. We usually get the king suite which has a seperate room for the kids with a couch that becomes a bed. I always enjoy the space after a long drive or getting off a ship. The shuttle service to the ship is very efficiently run and the parking lot is secure.
The pool at the Radisson is beautiful and there are also tennis courts available. There was live music by the pool and it was a great atmosphere. We walked next door for dinner at a Greek restaurant that was reasonably priced and had good food. We have also walked to the other side to a nice little Itallian place and enjoyed the meal there as well. There is also a mini golf in walking distance of this hotel.
