What is your not to miss at Kennedy Space Center? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Hi.
We will be visiting KSC after a DCL and wanted to know what is a not to miss. We don't have the whole day as we have a flight in the evening. Thanks for your input!
The Saturn V Center. It's the last stop on the bus tour, but you can skip the earlier stops and go straight to it.
It has the Apollo 11 mission control center, moon rocks, and other artifacts of the space program that you can see up close.
If you do the Rocket Garden, try to get in on one of the free guided tours. They'll walk you through them in order and it makes more sense -- you can see the progression in the program. That's also where they have the orignial entry gantry for the moon launches, which is a great thing to say you've seen.
The Shuttle launch experience was fun.
We spent a full day at the Hall of Fame this year. We'd been at KSC for two days last year, so didn't mind. But I wouldn't do it if I were on a tight schedule.
__________________
Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 02-07-2011 at 09:33 AM..
I agree, the Saturn V center. It sounds like you may be there first thing in the morning and I would also recommend one of the special tours. They usually sell out as the day goes on but they are supposed to be great!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
It sounds like you may be there first thing in the morning and I would also recommend one of the special tours. They usually sell out as the day goes on but they are supposed to be great!
We've done the tour they used to call "Up Close" It's now the "Today and Tomorrow" tour. (We did it in 2009 and again in 2010 and they changed the name in the interim.) It's really cool -- you get closer to the launch pads. But you do have a bit less control over your time. If you've got space buffs in your family, it is probably worth it. Especially if you can get there for the first one of the morning. The special tours drop you at Saturn V, so you can go on from there.
__________________
Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 02-07-2011 at 10:04 AM..
When we last did it in 2008 it was called 'Up close' maximum tour and was an extra cost. We had done this tour in 2005 and 2006 and really enjoyed it as the kids got more interested.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Thank you everyone! Is the bus tour included in the cost of admission? (the same tour with Saturn V) how many stops are in the tour and is it basically get off and on at your leisure? Sorry for all the questions but the last time I went I was in elementary school and thought it would be a great experience for my kids. So it seems it's best to get the bus tour first thing in the morning and then go to the rest of the exhibitions.
Thanks!!
The bus tour is included in the admission. I agree with the other about the Saturn V center. Last time we were there (2003?) we cut the tour short and missed it. We went back to KSC last November and spent more time there and went through the entire tour. We enjoyed the Saturn Center. Also liked the Shuttle experince, the rocket garden and the other building with the earlier things but I can't remember what they call that.
The basic bus tour is included in admission. You can do several other in depth tours for an additional fee. Definitely see the Saturn V center! Also, there is an AAA discount on admission available. You can also purchase your tickets in advance through AAA.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Thank you everyone! Is the bus tour included in the cost of admission? (the same tour with Saturn V) how many stops are in the tour and is it basically get off and on at your leisure? Sorry for all the questions but the last time I went I was in elementary school and thought it would be a great experience for my kids. So it seems it's best to get the bus tour first thing in the morning and then go to the rest of the exhibitions.
Thanks!!
If you haven't been in a long time, you'll be impressed. I'd been as a kid in the 1970's when the museum was basically a big pole barn. We went back in 2002 and were amazed at how much there was to see and do.
Yes, the basic tour is included in the cost of admission. As I recall, it isn't even timed -- you just go to the loading area and they line you up for the next available bus. The themed special tours (extra fee) are timed and sell out. They sometimes have deals for the morning departures.
The basic tour stops at an observation tower where you can see the launch pads, a photo stop outside the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Saturn V center. There used to be a stop at the Space Station assembly building, but since they're done with that project I think they've dropped the stop. Usually you will get off the bus to see the stop and can reboard any bus when you're ready to leave. If you just want to go straight to Saturn V, talk to your driver.
we're trying to decide what to do after our cruise too and ksc is one option we are looking into... we have two girls aged 3 and 7.... would they enjoy ksc or are they too little?
Personally I would take them, having said that I would also introduce them to space flight. Look for videos of the 60's and up flighst, so they can see the way things have grown and changed. I showed my daughter (19now) this along with our country's history and she now has a great interest in these things since she knows that what seems common place really isn't. KSC is great for all ages with some pre exposure.
(ok 3 might be too young to grasp but still....)
Best Wishes Keith º0º
we're trying to decide what to do after our cruise too and ksc is one option we are looking into... we have two girls aged 3 and 7.... would they enjoy ksc or are they too little?
It's llike other places we take our kids -- will they enjoy it? yes. Fully appreciate it? probably not.
There are a lot of good kids books about the space program. Buzz Aldrin has written a picture book; there's one called Floating Home that someone gave my DD about being an astronaut.
Younger ones will enjoy the rocket garden -- you can sit in mock up Mercury and Gemini capsules. There is an exhibit on the use of robots in space that my DD really enjoyed when she was 9.
In the Saturn 5 building they can touch a moon rock and see a return capsule and space suits up close.
I don't think the 3 year old is tall enough for the Shuttle Launch Experience, but there's an observation window where she can watch while her sister goes with mom or dad. (For what it's worth -- I get motion sickness easily and am a ride wimp but I rode SLE several times. Loved it!)
When is your trip? If it's before the last shuttle launches, you might see one on the pad.
__________________
Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 03-10-2011 at 09:46 AM..
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Also, there is an AAA discount on admission available. You can also purchase your tickets in advance through AAA.
Linear Mode
