Port Canaveral in Florida, homeport to seven major cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, Celebrity, MSC and Princess) officially became the world’s biggest cruise port with more than 8.6 million revenue passengers embarking on cruise vacations in 2025.
There is no single-track metric to reveal how many of those lucky Port Canaveral cruise passengers added a pre- or post-cruise land package from the cruise line or enjoyed a stay arranged by their travel consultants, but regional tourism data indicate that 30 to 40 percent of out of state cruisers do extend their voyages with stays in the Central Florida area. My husband Humberto and I ourselves are based in Florida and we, and we suspect many other Floridians, do too. Why not?
Extending our cruise vacation is always a good idea and particularly so to Central Florida with its world-class and family-friendly attractions. These theme, water and amusement parks pull in an estimated 76.7 million people annually to the broader Orlando/Kissimmee/Central Florida area according to official tourism agency reports and independent global industry audits. By spending a few days in the area pre- or post-cruise passengers double their fun and save on transportation costs as opposed to taking the cruise and the land stay separately at different times of the year. We handle the arrangements with one phone call to our Cruise Specialists’ travel consultant, Bridgett Quinn Webber, when we are ready to book combined land and sea vacations.
Here are two of our favorite land resorts in Central Florida: the Gaylord Palms Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Both are about one hour away by car from Port Canaveral and they are ideal for pre- and/or post-cruise land extension vacations – we have thoroughly enjoyed them several times in the last few years including this summer. One of the reasons we like them is that they are destinations in themselves (we call them “ships that do not float” –remember the days when cruise ships were called “floating resorts?”). These “ships that do not float” have their own leisure facilities including extensive water fun features, a wide variety of restaurants, organized activities and entertainment, and are also well located to enjoy the area’s multiple attractions.
Gaylord Palms Resort, Kissimmee, Florida
This Marriott resort is in Kissimmee, a city of 81,000 residents just south of Orlando, that boasts numerous attractions of its own including a Latin Culinary Trail with hyper-local cafes, restaurants and food trucks featuring Cuban, Dominican, Venezuelan and other specialties. Kissimmee is also often called the “gateway” to Orlando’s great theme parks because of its proximity to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando. Gaylord Palms itself is less than one mile from Disney World, 11 miles from Universal Orlando and seven miles from SeaWorld Orlando. Gaylord Palms has 1,718 rooms and suites and nine restaurants including Villa Fiora (Mediterranean), Moor (seafood), the signature Old Hickory Steakhouse and Socio (Cuban cuisine) and other casual dining choices and bars. It has its own water park on site, Cypress Springs, with a zero-entry family pool, multi-level water playhouse playground, racing slides, drop slides, children’s slides, Flowrider surf simulator and the Crystal River action river.
We love the resort’s South Beach Pool where we enjoyed a private cabana that came with sodas, cold water and refreshing tropical fruits this summer. As if all this were not enough, there is a 4.5-acre soaring glass atrium featuring areas themed to Key West, St. Augustine and the Everglades with gardens and habitats for alligators, turtles, koi and other fish like impressive tarpons (there are scheduled encounters with, and feedings of, these critters and others each week).
Other facilities and features include an LED light and music show every evening, movies poolside, the Relache full-service spa, fitness center, shops and a shuttle to Disney World. There are many activities for children including meet-and-greets with DC Comics characters at a Sunday buffet breakfast. Humberto and I found fun and plenty to enjoy, including the animal encounters and feedings – we even got to pet a cayman – and other activities right in the resort without the need to leave during a three day stay this summer. We did check out a nearby attraction, Old Town, a 10-minute walk from the resort, that is a classic, recreated walking district and amusement park featuring an 86-foot Ferris wheel, car shows and more than 60 shops, restaurants, bars and seasonal entertainment. Next to Old Town is Fun Spot America, an amusement park featuring multi-level go-kart tracks, arcade games and reportedly the world’s tallest SkyCoaster standing at 300 feet. On previous visits to Kissimmee we have enjoyed Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, a dinner theater experience where we feasted on a four-course meal while watching knights jousting and competing in a simulated medieval tournament. When we visited Gaylord Palms during the holiday season, in addition to the regular activities and entertainment offerings, we were also delighted with the resort’s annual ICE! show featuring ice sculptures, ice slides and more. This year, ICE! will be themed to the beloved Christmas tale “The Polar Express.”
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista
When you pass its porte-cochère with its vintage vehicles and enter its soaring five-story Victorian-themed lobby complete with floral displays, chandeliers, glass domes, grand piano and cage elevator, you think you may bump into Cinderella or other fairy tale character at any moment strolling in the halls. Located on Disney’s Seven Seas Lagoon and its monorail line, this resort is, after all, next door to the Magic Kingdom’s Castle. It has 867 rooms, suites, Club level accommodations (that Bridgett has booked for us several times over the years) and Disney Vacation Club time-share villas that are spread over six red-roofed buildings. Rooms average 400 sq. ft. (the largest at Disney World) and are decorated in gentle tones of blues, grays and pinks with jewel accents. Main attraction of the Grand Floridian is, of course, its proximity to the Magic Kingdom (you can watch the park’s nightly fireworks from some rooms and public spaces including the resort’s white sand beach on the Seven Seas Lagoon). You can walk to the park, or take a launch or the monorail, and with a monorail transfer, you can also get to Epcot. You can take the monorail too to other picturesque resorts like Disney’s Polynesian Village and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. And buses are available to take you to other Disney parks, water parks and the Disney Springs shopping, entertainment and dining area. But there is plenty to do onsite: there are two pools and a Mad Hatter-themed water play area. The main pool holds more than 100,000 gallons of water and has an 181-foot slide, waterfalls and zero-entry area. Games and activities are featured in the pool area and Humberto and I find this part of the resort a nice place to linger and spend a relaxing morning when most guests are in the parks or enjoy a refreshing dip after touring attractions. There is a sandy beach and boat rentals, but swimming, as in all Disney resorts, is permitted only in pools and water parks.
After an activity-filled day in the resort or the parks there are a variety of places in the resort to quench a thirst and enjoy a meal. The Grand Floridian’s most famous restaurant is the intimate, AAA five-diamond Victoria & Albert’s. An elegant, domed space that recalls a garden setting and features seating for only 30 diners, it offers gourmet fare and a collection of 500 wines from 35 regions. Hugely popular is 1900 Park Fare with delicious and bountiful buffet selections for breakfast and dinner – with a side of magic! Here kids and the young at heart can hobnob with the likes of Cinderella, Aladdin and other fairy tale characters. Other Grand Floridian restaurants and bars/lounges onsite include Citricos, a table service restaurant open for dinner and themed to “Mary Poppins Returns;” the Gasparilla Island Grill, food-court-style eatery for delicious casual meals; the Grand Floridian Café, a pleasant, airy table service restaurant serving American fare and Narcoosee’s, featuring coastal cuisine such as Shrimp and Grits appetizer and Surf and Turf. There is a full-service spa that includes a variety of therapies and couples massages.
These resorts, and others in the Central Florida area, may be the ticket for a relaxing preamble and/or a fun exclamation point to a cruise from Port Canaveral –it has always been so for us, definitely doubling the fun of our cruise.
By Cruise Specialists client, Georgina Cruz
Georgina Cruz is a freelance travel writer specializing in cruises. Her work has appeared in national magazines and regional publications as well as on travel websites. She has been on more than 200 voyages including eight circumnavigations, all booked through Cruise Specialists.