Port Canaveral gets its name from its location on Cape Canaveral, a peninsula off the east coast of Florida located about 45 miles or one hour driving from the Orlando airport. With this extended transport time to the port and flights into the city, there’s a lot that can slow you down and cause delays on your way to your cruise. Because of that, it’s best to arrive a day early and book a hotel room near Port Canaveral to prevent any unexpected snafus from upsetting your travel plans.
But, where should you stay? This Port Canaveral hotel guide will help you decide. We’ll walk you through the closest hotels to the port, the cheapest accommodation options, the top-rated luxury suites, and even furnished apartments and boats for rent around the peninsula. Then, all you need to do is choose your favorite, book your stay, and sit back, relax, and enjoy your cruise!
Closest Hotels to Port Canaveral
The closest hotels to Port Canaveral are, of course, located on the Cape Canaveral peninsula. If proximity to the port is your biggest concern, these hotels are all within ten minutes of Port Canaveral to ensure a quick and easy trip to your ship on the day of your cruise.
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Cape Canaveral-Cocoa Beach
- Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Port Canaveral
- Residence Inn by Marriott Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach
- Radisson Resort at the Port
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations Cape Canaveral Beach Resort
- Royal Mansions Resort
- Cape Lodge
- Cape Winds Resort
- Discovery Beach Resort
- Best Western Cocoa Beach Hotel and Suites
- Holiday Inn Express and Suites Cocoa Beach
- Days Inn by Wyndham Cocoa Beach Port Canaveral
- La Quinta Inn and Suites by Wyndham Cocoa Beach Oceanfront
Cheap Hotels Near Port Canaveral
Cape Canaveral is an incredibly popular vacation destination for sun worshippers and space enthusiasts alike, so booking your room early will help you get the best rates. Standard double rooms can go as low as $100 per night at hotels on Cape Canaveral like the Sea Aire Motel, South Beach Inn Cocoa Beach, Quality Inn and Suites Port Canaveral Area, and La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Cocoa Beach-Port Canaveral. Other hotels often run promotions on Booking.com to bring their rates down as well.
If you stay further away from the port (and the beaches), you can also find better deals on your accommodation. The Econo Lodge Port Canaveral Area, Campbell Motel, and Travel Inn of Titusville all offer rooms for less than $75 per night. Of course, rates are subject to the season and availability and can vary wildly, so begin browsing your options as soon as your book your cruise to lock in the lowest prices for your dates.
Luxury Hotels Near Port Canaveral
While there are plenty of nice hotels near Port Canaveral, truly luxurious accommodation is more readily available in nearby city of Orlando. This list of Luxury Orlando Resorts by Travel Channel will get you started on your search with household names like the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
Conde Nast Traveler also published the definitive roundup of the 20 best resorts in Central Florida, with Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge in Orlando, and the Reunion Resort and Spa in Kissimmee coming in the top three spots. All 20 hotels on the list are in Orlando and the surrounding areas of Grande Lakes, Lake Buena Vista, and Kissimmee, so if you’re in need of some pampering it’s best to stay around the city rather than on the cape before your cruise from Port Canaveral.
Furnished Apartments Near Port Canaveral
There are more than 300 rooms for rent just around Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, so travelers searching for furnished apartments have plenty to choose from. Prices vary by season and availability but quite a few are going for $50 or less per night, making Airbnb a viable option even for the budget travelers among us.
On the website you can choose between single rooms in shared apartments or entire homes for rent. You can also filter the choices with the ‘instant book’ option, which ensures you never have to wait for the host’s approval to confirm your stay, or by whether or not there’s a kitchen, hot tub, pool, gym, and much more. There are even boats for rent near Port Canaveral so you can have a truly Floridian experience – and a chance to test your sea legs – before your cruise sets sail.
Transport Between Orlando and Port Canaveral
If you’re flying into Florida, chances are you’ll find yourself arriving in either the Orlando International Airport (MCO), the largest airport in Florida, or the Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB). As you may have concluded by the names, both are located in Orlando, 44 and 64 miles respectively from Port Canaveral. Travel time between the airports and the cape is about one hour by car.
So, what’s the best and most cost-effective way to get from Orlando to your hotel near Port Canaveral?
The Go Port Canaveral shuttle offers one-way trips between Orlando International Airport and Port Canaveral for as low as $14.99 per person, making it one of the most budget-friendly options for solo or couple travelers. If you’re traveling in a group, using a ridesharing service such as Uber or Lyft will generally be your best bet, with the route clocking in as low as $55 per car depending on the traffic and time of day.
Of course, more transport options like cruise shuttles, taxis, and car rentals are available as well. This article on 6 easy ways to get to Port Canaveral breaks down the pros and cons of each choice to help you decide which one is right for you.
Port Canaveral Travel Tips
If you do opt to rent a car to reach the port, parking at Port Canaveral costs $17 per day. Simply proceed to your terminal to drop off all passengers and luggage, and then you’ll be directed from there to the nearest parking areas, all of which are under 24-hour security.
However, reaching your ship from the hotels near Port Canaveral is easy even without a rental car because many hotels on the cape offer dedicated cruise shuttles to their guests. Some of them are even complimentary with room reservations, so make sure to inquire about the shuttle services and rates when you call to book your stay. If you find yourself at a hotel without shuttles, ridesharing apps are always available to get you from your room to your ship as well.
Bonus: What to See and Do Near Port Canaveral
The best part about spending a night on Cape Canaveral before your cruise is the extra time you get to explore the area! There is plenty to see and do near Port Canaveral, and some of the top attractions are…
The Pristine Beaches
Cape Canaveral is home to a wide expanse of sandy beaches, many of which are different and have their own unique reasons to visit them. This list of the top five beaches on the island will help you choose the perfect place to lay down your beach towel for the day.
Kennedy Space Center
No trip to Cape Canaveral, also known as Florida’s Space Coast, is complete without a stop at the famed Kennedy Space Center . Even if you’re not lucky enough to catch a live SpaceX rocket launch, you can still see the Atlantis shuttle and explore the exciting history of the US space program.
Exploration Tower
The uniquely-shaped Exploration Tower is a top attraction on Cape Canaveral because it features interactive educational exhibits, indoor and outdoor observation decks, a state-of-the-art theater, and much more for the whole family to enjoy.
Boat Tours
Enjoy the exotic marine life waiting for you just off the coast of Florida with a guided boat tour. Cocoa Beach Eco Tours will help you spot dolphins, manatees, sharks, sea turtles, and many other animals on during an exciting three hour excursion on the water.
Book Your Hotel Near Port Canaveral With This Guide!
Cruises are a time to de-stress and get away from it all, so worrying about whether or not an errant flight delay or cancellation will cause you to miss your ship is completely contradictory to that goal.
Instead, plan to spend the night on Cape Canaveral before your departure to ensure a stress-free start to your holiday. From budget-friendly accommodation to luxury suites to furnished apartments and everything in between, this list of the best and closest hotels to Port Canaveral has everything you need to reserve a perfect stay in the area before your next cruise!
-Di Minardi (that’s me!), travel blogger at Slight North