Kennedy Space Center opinions

Don Potter

Earning My Ears
Joined
Dec 18, 2018
I was crawling the boards, and was trying to determine the if there are tiers of admission. I see that there is a general admission cost. But looking to see if any advice can be given. Is the daily pass sufficient? It appears to be limited to the visitors area, just looking for opinions on recent visits.
 
There is One entrance price but with various family parts to it.

This gives you the main area & cinema then a bus takes you to other areas . ( You join a Q at your own pace )

A good one day visit .
 
There is the regular ticket, which gives you admission to the park and bus to Saturn V center. The items included in the regular ticket take up most of the day on your first visit. Then there are special tours and other upcharge activities you can purchase in addition to the regular admission. I didn’t do any specialty tours until my second and third visits because a lot of them take about half a day or longer so you don’t typically have time to do them and do the regular stuff as well.
 
Sorry to hijack this thread but it’s recent. My husband just let me know tonight he wants to extend our trip and add in a day or two at the center. Our youngest is a huge space buff and has always wanted to go but time restraints prevented that.

He is thinking we need two days to really get a good experience. He’s suggesting a pass so I can take my son down again within the 12 month period. Thoughts? Is a day enough or is two days ideal? He’ll be 18 and the time. We have been to several NASA facilities on special tours. I doubt he’ll be bored, he’ll actually probably geek out.
 


Sorry to hijack this thread but it’s recent. My husband just let me know tonight he wants to extend our trip and add in a day or two at the center. Our youngest is a huge space buff and has always wanted to go but time restraints prevented that.

He is thinking we need two days to really get a good experience. He’s suggesting a pass so I can take my son down again within the 12 month period. Thoughts? Is a day enough or is two days ideal? He’ll be 18 and the time. We have been to several NASA facilities on special tours. I doubt he’ll be bored, he’ll actually probably geek out.

Definitely go for two days if you can!

We are all space and astronomy geeks (self confessed) so can understand your son`s love for all things like this.

We have gone for one day in December last two years, and in one day you can do most of the things that are included in the regular admission price. We still didn`t do a couple of the attractions within those days too.

This December we plan to do two days as one day just wasn't enough if you want to do the extra tours as fla4fun mentioned.

We haven't decided which extras we will add on, but we will decide nearer the time and still find time to maybe do the space shuttle again which you can spend hours in there alone!

It`s a truly magnificent place, and you`re correct, he won`t be bored....you`ve been to other facilities so I`m guessing you`ll love this place too.
 
Definitely go for two days if you can!

We are all space and astronomy geeks (self confessed) so can understand your son`s love for all things like this.

We have gone for one day in December last two years, and in one day you can do most of the things that are included in the regular admission price. We still didn`t do a couple of the attractions within those days too.

This December we plan to do two days as one day just wasn't enough if you want to do the extra tours as fla4fun mentioned.

We haven't decided which extras we will add on, but we will decide nearer the time and still find time to maybe do the space shuttle again which you can spend hours in there alone!

It`s a truly magnificent place, and you`re correct, he won`t be bored....you`ve been to other facilities so I`m guessing you`ll love this place too.

Thank you. Yeah he’s excited about the Space Shiuttle. We’ve seen two already, so once we go to Kennedy we only have to go out to California. We will go ahead and do the two days.
 
DH and I went at Christmas this past year. He's been itching to go, I went along because I'm a good spouse, LOL
While I'm impressed with all things Space and those that travel in it I'm not particularly interested in walking around looking at it in more detail. If that makes sense.
So, we got the general ticket/admission and booked the lunch with an astronaut and the more indepth tour.
https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/...d-the-gates/kennedy-space-center-explore-tourWe arrived about 30 min to an hour after it opened, because we can't ever make anywhere on time, LOL
We spent the first half of the day doing the general admission stuff, then did the meal (lunch) with an astronaut and then it was time for our bus tour. That was really interesting. It ends out at the Saturn center, where you are able to spend as long as you'd like before heading back to the main facility. We ended up leaving about dark, or an hour or so before it closed. We did everything we wanted.
The tour saved us a pretty long wait in line for a bus out to the Saturn center.
In case you have not seen it, there's an app you can use to plan your trip

But, the highlight of our trip, meeting her. We watched her steal this out of the gift shop. In talking with staff they said she's been stealing food from in there for years. Started with M&Ms, moved to Snickers and now is getting Kind bars. Each time they move her target items out of her reach. She just find something else to her liking instead, LOL. She knows where the nuts are, I gotta say that much for her
IMG_0823.jpg
 


DH and I went at Christmas this past year. He's been itching to go, I went along because I'm a good spouse, LOL
While I'm impressed with all things Space and those that travel in it I'm not particularly interested in walking around looking at it in more detail. If that makes sense.
So, we got the general ticket/admission and booked the lunch with an astronaut and the more indepth tour.
https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/...d-the-gates/kennedy-space-center-explore-tourWe arrived about 30 min to an hour after it opened, because we can't ever make anywhere on time, LOL
We spent the first half of the day doing the general admission stuff, then did the meal (lunch) with an astronaut and then it was time for our bus tour. That was really interesting. It ends out at the Saturn center, where you are able to spend as long as you'd like before heading back to the main facility. We ended up leaving about dark, or an hour or so before it closed. We did everything we wanted.
The tour saved us a pretty long wait in line for a bus out to the Saturn center.
In case you have not seen it, there's an app you can use to plan your trip

But, the highlight of our trip, meeting her. We watched her steal this out of the gift shop. In talking with staff they said she's been stealing food from in there for years. Started with M&Ms, moved to Snickers and now is getting Kind bars. Each time they move her target items out of her reach. She just find something else to her liking instead, LOL. She knows where the nuts are, I gotta say that much for her
View attachment 474992

Thanks for your review. We have decided one day will be enough. I'm sure my son could do two but we have plans to go to the beach and I'd like another beach day rather than another Space day. It's a compromise.

The Explore tour is the one we were looking at. I think that will be a good option. Hopefully we'll get to see this awesome squirrel. We'll defintely keep our eye out for her.
 
To answer OP:
General admission includes the main Visitor Complex and the basic bus tour to Apollo/Saturn V Center. While the enhanced tours are cool, you don't need them to get a "full" experience. I have only been on one in the seven years I have been an annual passholder.

Thank you. Yeah he’s excited about the Space Shiuttle. We’ve seen two already, so once we go to Kennedy we only have to go out to California. We will go ahead and do the two days.

The Atlantis exhibit is like nothing else. I won't spoil any of it, but we have brought many friends to KSC and adults, men and women alike, have cried.

Two days is worth it. (I should probably mention I live here, my dream job is astronaut, and my fifth degree is in aerospace engineering, so I'm a little biased.) With only one day, you will inevitably miss out on some really cool stuff, but if you only have a single day, my recommendations are:
Do not miss Apollo/Saturn V Center. This is not at the KSCVC. You have to get on a bus to go out to it. The bus tour will take you through NASA property, it takes a good 40-45 minutes to get there. The route the buses take changes depending on what's going on - KSC is still functioning, and there is a lot of work going on. They do generally try to get you around the Vehicle Assembly Building, and at least one launch complex (39A or B.) Try to get on the bus tour early, as they stop at either 2:00 or 2:30. Apollo/Saturn V has an awesome presentation, expect to spend 2-3 hours there. (The ride back is faster.)
Do not miss Atlantis. The presentation is unbelievable, and the bottom floor of the exhibit has a lot of cool stuff to look at. Do the Apollo bus tour first, then the bus will conveniently drop you off right outside Atlantis when you return. Atlantis is 2-3 hours between presentation and all the stuff to see.

If you have to choose between the "Shuttle Launch Experience" and Astronaut Encounter, I highly recommend Astronaut Encounter. Real astronaut, talking about their real missions and experiences. You have the opportunity to get a picture with them at the end of their talk. The launch experience is a glorified carnival ride that isn't worth standing in line for 30 minutes for if you only have one day to be here. Honest opinion, YMMV. You can look up the astronaut who will be there the day you're going, so if you have a mini space geek, they might enjoy looking up some history on the astronaut of the day before they go. Just my personal advice there.

For anyone who is going to be there two days, I recommend this chronological approach:
Day 1
Heroes & Legends (the one thing I am disappointed it changed - this used to be Early Spaceflight, and it was a wonderful exhibit about the US/Soviet Space Race. Some remnants of it remain in H&L)
Rocket Garden (yes, it is worth reading the placards)
Apollo/Saturn V
Atlantis
Day 2
Astronaut Encounter (yes, I promise this really is cool, especially if you have little astronaut hopefuls)
NASA Now
Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted (kid-oriented)
IMAX (there are usually a few choices, all are good)
Souvenirs and any other odds/ends (they are some smaller attractions that come and go)

Just my two cents on KSCVC.
 
To answer OP:
General admission includes the main Visitor Complex and the basic bus tour to Apollo/Saturn V Center. While the enhanced tours are cool, you don't need them to get a "full" experience. I have only been on one in the seven years I have been an annual passholder.



The Atlantis exhibit is like nothing else. I won't spoil any of it, but we have brought many friends to KSC and adults, men and women alike, have cried.

Two days is worth it. (I should probably mention I live here, my dream job is astronaut, and my fifth degree is in aerospace engineering, so I'm a little biased.) With only one day, you will inevitably miss out on some really cool stuff, but if you only have a single day, my recommendations are:
Do not miss Apollo/Saturn V Center. This is not at the KSCVC. You have to get on a bus to go out to it. The bus tour will take you through NASA property, it takes a good 40-45 minutes to get there. The route the buses take changes depending on what's going on - KSC is still functioning, and there is a lot of work going on. They do generally try to get you around the Vehicle Assembly Building, and at least one launch complex (39A or B.) Try to get on the bus tour early, as they stop at either 2:00 or 2:30. Apollo/Saturn V has an awesome presentation, expect to spend 2-3 hours there. (The ride back is faster.)
Do not miss Atlantis. The presentation is unbelievable, and the bottom floor of the exhibit has a lot of cool stuff to look at. Do the Apollo bus tour first, then the bus will conveniently drop you off right outside Atlantis when you return. Atlantis is 2-3 hours between presentation and all the stuff to see.

If you have to choose between the "Shuttle Launch Experience" and Astronaut Encounter, I highly recommend Astronaut Encounter. Real astronaut, talking about their real missions and experiences. You have the opportunity to get a picture with them at the end of their talk. The launch experience is a glorified carnival ride that isn't worth standing in line for 30 minutes for if you only have one day to be here. Honest opinion, YMMV. You can look up the astronaut who will be there the day you're going, so if you have a mini space geek, they might enjoy looking up some history on the astronaut of the day before they go. Just my personal advice there.

For anyone who is going to be there two days, I recommend this chronological approach:
Day 1
Heroes & Legends (the one thing I am disappointed it changed - this used to be Early Spaceflight, and it was a wonderful exhibit about the US/Soviet Space Race. Some remnants of it remain in H&L)
Rocket Garden (yes, it is worth reading the placards)
Apollo/Saturn V
Atlantis
Day 2
Astronaut Encounter (yes, I promise this really is cool, especially if you have little astronaut hopefuls)
NASA Now
Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted (kid-oriented)
IMAX (there are usually a few choices, all are good)
Souvenirs and any other odds/ends (they are some smaller attractions that come and go)

Just my two cents on KSCVC.

Thanks for this review. I asked him about the astronaut encounter and he said "maybe". We are doing the 3 hour add on tbus tour. If we do a second day we'll most likely do the Cape Canaveral tour. He's been quite lucky because we live close to both the NASA Glenn Facility and the Plumbrook facility so he's had the priveledge of doing several special access tours and public tours. He's also had the opportunity to attend lots of lectures with various astronauts and various behind the scenes people (not sure what else to call them). Kennedy has been on his bucket list for awhile, This has been his life long obsession and I'm so glad we are going down a few days early so he gets this opportunity. We wanted to wait until we had the opportunity when his siblings weren't around because while they have tagged along over the years, they don't share his extreme fascination.
 
To answer OP:
General admission includes the main Visitor Complex and the basic bus tour to Apollo/Saturn V Center. While the enhanced tours are cool, you don't need them to get a "full" experience. I have only been on one in the seven years I have been an annual passholder.
The Atlantis exhibit is like nothing else. I won't spoil any of it, but we have brought many friends to KSC and adults, men and women alike, have cried.

Two days is worth it. (I should probably mention I live here, my dream job is astronaut, and my fifth degree is in aerospace engineering, so I'm a little biased.) With only one day, you will inevitably miss out on some really cool stuff, but if you only have a single day, my recommendations are:
<snip>
Psst, in case you haven't heard, they are taking applications. Announced it on our news yesterday or the day before, LOL
 
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I was crawling the boards, and was trying to determine the if there are tiers of admission. I see that there is a general admission cost. But looking to see if any advice can be given. Is the daily pass sufficient? It appears to be limited to the visitors area, just looking for opinions on recent visits.

One day will be enough, but I do suggest doing the whole day, there is a lot to see!
 
We did one day back in September as my other half is a total space buff. I enjoyed it too! You'll definitely need the whole day, there's a lot in it. And bring a jumper - I found it impossibly cold, I had to keep ducking outside to warm back up.
 
Be there first thing to do it all! I mistakenly bought the AAA passes that had 2 uses in 7 days, during the week of Christmas. We still have things we want to see more of. Our tickets included a special interest bus tour and dinner with an astronaut. That was really an experience our family will always remember.
 
This is has been great information since we are looking into a trip there. My daughter is less into being an astronaut and more into the engineering of sending rockets/people into space. Is there something that would be good for her to do there?
 
Scarlet_J, there are many areas about making the vehicles. There are many interactive exhibits, especially in the Atlantis building. It's all SO neat.
 
Look into go Orlando pass. We got ours on groupon.
They have unlimited admission to a bunch of things including Kennedy.
 
The add-on bus tour is really great. On the regular tour, you stay mostly on the bus and I think you can get out at one point to look at the Crawler vehicle, but from that spot it is still quite a distance to the VAB and the launch sites and that is the closest you can see them from. The add on tour does most of that stuff too, but you can get off the bus at the view stands where invited guests can watch rocket launches and the bus goes really close to the launch site and then you can get off just a short distance away to take pictures. The third stop is right next to the VAB so you can really appreciate how huge that building is. The tour then also ends at the Saturn V outpost building, so you only need to take another bus to get back to the main complex and not have to take an extra bus to see the Saturn V.
 
just checked their site:

NOTE due to COVID "All bus tours are currently unavailable."

this is both the bus tour included with basic admission and 'add on' tours. Several other attractions are closed as well. Without the included bus tour, you can not get to the building holding the Saturn V rocket and the other exhibits there with it .... a major reduction in what you get with the basic ticket .....

https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/explore-attractions/all-attractions
AVAILABLE ATTRACTIONS AND SERVICES
Many attractions are available at this time including Space Shuttle Atlantis®, Heroes & Legends and IMAX theater. To view all available attractions, visit the Explore Attractions page.

We have so much space to offer but we can’t offer it all at the moment. For guests health and safety, these attractions and services will not be available:

  • Attractions: KSC Bus Tour including the Apollo/Saturn V Center, Dine With An Astronaut and astronaut appearances and Special Interest Tours
  • Programs: Overnight Adventures and Mars Base 1
  • Shopping: Shuttle Express
  • Dining: Rocket Garden Café, Milky Way Ice Cream Shop, Starbucks. Additionally, water bottle refill stations are closed. Please visit Orbit Cafe to receive refills.
 
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