Ahoy there, Dena! Welcome back to planDisney!
A visit to the
Kennedy Space Center sounds like a great way to end a Disney cruise! In fact, I once ended my Disney cruise in the same way! We disembarked the
Disney Fantasy and headed over to show our kids some real space shuttles there. It was SO cool! But this adventure does require a bit of pre-planning, which I'm happy to help you do!
On the morning you disembark your Disney cruise, you must depart the cruise port with your luggage. Whether you gave it to the Cast Members the night before so they can have it waiting at the port the next morning, or you walk it off yourself that morning, it cannot remain in the Disney Cruise Line terminal. Unfortunately, there isn’t a storage option at the port where guests can store luggage to be retrieved later. Not to mention how confusing that could probably get on ship turnover days during embarkation and disembarkation!
According to Kennedy Space Center’s
Security guidelines, luggage may not be brought inside and therefore must be stored before entering.
Luckily, there are a few options when it comes to luggage storage. One option is to rent a car from any of the many rental car companies in Port Canaveral. This is what my family did. We chose a rental car company that offered shuttle pickup from the Disney Cruise Line terminal to their company door. Once we disembarked the Disney Fantasy, picked up our luggage, and passed US Customs and Border Protection, we waited outside in the transportation area for the shuttle, which took us to their location. After picking up our rental car, we drove the short 15-minute ride to Kennedy Space Center. Our luggage was secure in the car, and we didn’t have to worry about it anymore. This option also solved the problem of getting to the airport from the Kennedy Space Center, as there’s a rental car return location at
Orlando International Airport, where we were flying home.
Another option, which my Panelist friend,
Tracie,
mentions, is to use a luggage storage service in the area. I have not used any of them, so I cannot offer my experience with this, but I recommend researching this option well if you'd like to go this route. Plus, you will need to account for transportation from the port to the luggage storage facility, then to the Kennedy Space Center, and then to your destination afterwards.
Dena, I hope I was able to help offer some good options for you. I wish you the most wonderful memories on board your cruise and during all your adventures afterwards! Please sail back to planDisney if you have any more questions.
To Infinity and Beyond,
Rana