We did the St Johns River airboat ride, it was great. We saw lots of alligators, quite scary, enough to make me go YUCK, and boys to squeal... they loved it.
When we completed the ride they gave us a very rustic lunch, you are at a Fishing camp,
then they dropped us at the airport, around 12noon, we shopped, read and waited for a 5pm flight. Not much else you can do in the time, there is not much around the airport of course.
Otherwise, get a rental car at the port and head for Disney for the day, return the car to the airport...
or get a car and go to lunch at FishLips at the port, and then go to Cocoa Beach for the day..

The Hyatt hotel at Orlando International is pretty good for a lunch - relax. However, it IS only good for perhaps 3-4 hours (to kill).

Renting cars to visit Cocoa Beach etc is extreme. Cost would be (relatively) high and you COULD get caught in traffic. Cocoa is a min. of 90 minutes drive fro Orlando Int. airport (closer to Sanford though).

Most UK bound flights depart Orlando inthe early evening so going to Disney for the "day" is probably not ideal as you'd need to be back at the airport by, say, 4-5 pm.

If you have your own transport (car) from Port Canaveral you might be best advised to call in at Florida Mall on Orange Blossom Trail/Sandlake. It's probably only about 10 miles from the airport (15 mins if no traffic) and will provide some entertainment for a few hours (and food- free if you're a cheap-skate and happy to sample food in the international food hall ).

La Nuba (Cirque du Soleil) at Disney's Downtown (I believe) is also worth a look if they have a matinee performance that day. Seen it a couple of years back - fantastic.

At your time of year, Universal Studios tends to close at about 5-6pm so that could be a solution - buy tickets on-line in the UK before travelling - we find them cheaper that way.

Cocoa Beach is a few minutes from Port Canaveral. Budget rent a car will pick you up at the port and take you to your car- rental rates are very economical- around $30 for a day, or less if there are specials. Much cheaper than a Hyatt Hotel for the day..
Cocoa Beach is at most a 40 minute drive from MCO, it is straight up the FL 528. Plenty of cruisers choose this option as a way of killing the long wait for evening flights...
If you are off the ship by around 0830 you have lots of options for the day, but unless you have a car you are limited...

emdia43,

can I have one of your cars please?

Cocoa Beach is seriously at least 90 mins drive min. from MCO. Traffic can increase this but even with a free road you're going to struggle to get there faster than that.

As for the Hyatt.........don't book a day room just enjoy lunch there.

I'm struggling to think of anything to do around MCO that does NOT involve a car (stuff that's legal of course ).

I have driven from MCO to Port Canaveral several times. You go straight up the Beechline Expressway, the 528 and it takes no more than 40 minutes. It is 48 miles from MCO to Port Canaveral, exactly per my GPS. If you take a look at a Google maps the distance from Cocoa Beach to MCO is 51 miles....

Mike C - You took a wrong turn, or used a horse and cart to get from OIA to Cocoa Beach (remember there is a Cocoa AND a Cocoa Beach)!

I live in Apopka (north of Orlando) I have a condo at Cocoa Beach and go over most weekends (when not rented out) my route down the 429, then Fl Turnpike onto the 528 (Beechline) past OIA to cocoa (Beechline statrs/ends 14 & Cocoa Beach) In fact when I leave work in 90 minutes (Friday 12pm local time) we are going to the condo. From my home it is 1 hour 10 mins and OIA is 30/40 mins so OIA to Cocoa Beach is no more than 40 mins.

Emidea - Is right by car Cocoa Beach is 5 mins from Port Canaveral.

But 11 am at OIA and you fly at 6:15 - as a trans atlantic flight you will have at least a 2 hour check in time (probably 3 hours) thats at OIA by 4:15 (Mavbe 3:15). If you are traveling from the Port to OIA by the bus/coach then you are assuming that there is no problem and it takes no extra time boarding the bus at the Port and there is no traffic problems. For the sake of 4½ hours you want to risk missing your aircraft or at least bering in a total rush. Say (as what happened to me at Gatwick in June) the TSA (Iknow they are not at LGW but they are here) decide to go through your carry on and person and it took us over 50 mins we just made the aircraft and they closed the doors right behind us.

They will be off the ship by 0830 though....or an hour earlier if they do the self assist luggage...
The 11am time was in reference to the time they would be delivered to the airport after (if) they took the disembarkment excursion.

Yeah I guessed but just stating the obvious

Thanks everyone for all your replys we're still not sure what to do so keep the ideas coming.

We now have a car for the last day so we can be more flexible than with the transfer.

Shopping was favourite but the malls don't seem to open until 12 noon on a sunday at least the Florida mall dosen't which seems closest to OIA, I know that would give us 2-3 hrs but that still aint enough for 'her indoors' n my daughter lol!

Regards

Ezzigo

A lot of people really enjoy Kennedy Space Center. You could also do an airboat tour and see some Florida wildlife like alligators. Lone Cabbage Fish Camp is a popular place for that. They also have a restaurant there, and yes, gator is on the menu. By the way, the Port Canaveral car rental companies close to the ships are Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and Thrifty. They all have port shuttle service.