In this hotel review, we are going to share our experience from a stay at the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is a relatively recent remodeled location offering convenient lodging for Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, and Cocoa Beach area on Florida’s Space Coast. Plus, there is a cruise shuttle service offered.
The Country Inn & Suites Port Canaveral, Florida is located approximately 5 minutes from Disney Cruise Line cruise terminal 8 at Port Canaveral, the drive is cut in half if you are sailing with a cruise line at the terminals on the other side of the port such as Royal Caribbean or the Carnival Mardi Gras. Arguably, it is one, if not, the closest accommodation on A1A to the cruise terminals.
There are seating areas in the lobby along with around the clock coffee and hot tea.
There are a number of room types available such as standard king or queen, suites, 1-bedroom, among others which can accommodate up to 6 guests in a single room; for our stay, we booked a standard room with 2 queen beds.
A QR code sticker was added to the dresser under the TV. Primarily, the linked website offered quick access to the TV channel guide as well as some other hotel information.
Between the two queen beds above the shared night stand, there were two outlets and one USB port for each bed.
The bathroom facilities are typical with an included hair dryer mounted on the wall.
The room offered a min-fridge, microwave, and a coffee maker. The coffee maker uses those pre-packaged circular packets. I felt it was easier to just go down to the lobby and grab a cup of coffee.
During check-in, we were asked if we had a floor preference. We didn’t, but we did ask for a room with a view. Just so happens we were assigned a 4th floor room facing Port Canaveral with views of Exploration Tower, and the cruise ships – including the Disney Fantasy. Not a bad view to wake up on embarkation morning and see your ship waiting for you to arrive.
The pool area includes a hot tub, a ping pong table, and a large Connect Four game. Additionally, on the far end opposite the hot tub, there is a fire pit and a gas grill. Emily & I enjoyed some relaxing time in the hot tub and it was indeed nice.
Each morning, there is a hot breakfast buffet (which I was told is back to normal) with a nice selection which should tide you over until you get to Cabanas for an embarkation day lunch. We just stayed one night, so I am not sure if the offerings vary from day to day, but we had a selection of hot foods including a pre-made omelet and bacon. There is a selection of bread, bagels, and English muffins for toasting and the every popular make your own Belgian waffle stations. Cold cereal, yogurt, mini muffins and fruit rounded out the offerings. Juice, coffee, tea, and milk were available.
Adjacent to the front desk, there was a small sundries shop with some snacks and laundry detergent.
There was a full size washer and dryer on each floor. Both machines took quarters. As with most hotels, the iron and ironing board were in the room.
The hotel’s free WiFi was more than adequate for our stay. It does require guests to accept terms and conditions before connecting.
Port Canaveral Cruise Shuttle Service
Country Inn & Suites offers a cruise shuttle service to and from the various terminals at Port Canaveral. There are two options, including one that includes parking for those with a personal vehicle. Please keep in mind, this is subject to change and could be based on availability.
- Park & Cruise package – includes parking for up to 8 days and complimentary shuttle for everyone registered in the room. This package $65.00 +tax.
- Shuttle Service Only – shuttles to and from the port. Shuttle cost is $7 per person.
All Shuttles to the port can be schedule at the earliest 7-days prior to your cruise departure by calling the front desk at 321-784-8500. You will be asked to provide the name of the full name of the ship, port arrival time defined by the cruise line noted on their arrival documents, the number of adults and children in the party, and if they will be needing a return shuttle to the hotel.
Please note, we did not experience the shuttle service. I am simply relaying information provided to me about the service. As a result, the shuttle service should not be considered as part of our overall review of the property other than it is a service that is offered.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson is located at 69009 Astronaut Boulevard, Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920. You can learn more about the hotel by visiting the Country Inn & Suites website specific to this location. The following is the summary of the hotel as advertised on their website.
Welcome to the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Port Canaveral, FL, located about a mile from the port, where you can board a cruise with Carnival, Norwegian, Disney, Royal Caribbean, or MSC. From our rooms, you can see docked cruise ships waiting to sail, enjoy stunning views of the Intercoastal Waterway, or even glimpse a Falcon 9 rocket being towed back to port. Just 15 minutes away, Cocoa Beach offers plenty of entertainment, and we’re also one of the closest hotels to Kennedy Space Center. Here for business? Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is nearby along with top employers like NASA, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and SpaceX.
On arrival, you can recharge with complimentary cookies and coffee in our lobby while you use free Wi-Fi to check in with loved ones. Our fitness center and outdoor pool offer a place to stretch your legs or simply relax. In the mornings, drop by our dining room to start your day with a free, hot breakfast featuring our signature waffles.
Our hotel is just off Highway A1A/Astronaut Boulevard and is less than five minutes from Port Canaveral, making it the ideal place to stay before embarking on a cruise. We’re also about 15 minutes from attractions like Cocoa Beach and only 25 minutes from Kennedy Space Center. If you’re flying in from Orlando Melbourne International Airport (MLB), the hotel is just a 45-minute drive away.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson website summary as of April 2022
We really enjoyed the hotel for the room, hot breakfast, and most of all, the proximity to the port and other areas. We checked in after spending the day at Jetty Park Beach which is located at Port Canaveral & stayed one night. The location was perfect for our brief stay. The hotel was close to the beach allowing us to clean up before heading back to the port to watch the Disney Fantasy sail away then onto a nearby restaurant for dinner. The location provided a modest drive into Cocoa Beach to the golf course where the Ron Jon Cocoa Beach Triathlon – Shuttleversary 5K was held the morning we checked out – the primary reason we spent the night in the area.
Overall, I’d highly recommend Country Inn & Suites in Cape Canaveral if you are looking for a place to stay the night before or after your cruise. The cruise shuttle service and the proximity factor to the port are key factors to consider for a pre-/post-cruise stay.
Hey Scott sounds awesome. I think we may be spoiled a little bit. We always stay one night at port Orleans take the bus shuttle to Port CANAVERAL. Shuttle back to Ft Wilderness. Doing it this way, we like to have luggage taken care of morning of embarkation. So what happens if you aren’t a resort guest and stay here at Country Inn. What is the procedure for luggages? If you park and take the shuttle, do you have to deal with your own luggage? Definitely the cheaper route.
Appreciate the info. Will be doing B2B Sept on Wish. I’m trusting you. I tend to believe your review over others on their website. Booked a room and park & cruise package yesterday. Will see how it works out. We’re doing 8 days and one in our party is only doing 5, for the parking. The desk said we just book 5 extra parking days @ 11.95/day for them. Cheaper than the Port parking.
Scott, thank you for the review.
We have been a long time guest at this Country Inn and Suites (over 10 years). I highly, highly recommend them. A couple of things extra if I can add. (I have put our recommendations several times on the DIS boards).
The shuttle service. We have used the shuttle service in the past. We loved it for a couple of years but the timeliness of the shuttle has dropped off. The last straw was a 2 hour wait for the shuttle to pick us up at the ship (prior to COVID). Note that the shuttle has to get in line with all of the other cars so if there is any traffic they are affected by it as well. So we now recommend driving over and parking instead of the shuttle. Note, if you use the shuttle you need to call no sooner than 24 hours prior and reserve a time for your departure from the hotel. So for our cruise we drive from PA and usually call the hotel as soon as we leave PA to reserve our shuttle spot (4AM day before departure)! This is important! For if you have a PAT time the shuttle service doesn’t know that and you may miss it since you didn’t reserve 24 hours in advance. To answer the question in the posts above, luggage is handled like airport shuttles. You carry it with you to the shuttle van, he drops it in the back of the van and it goes with you to the port. Remember to tip the driver!
This hotel has the coolest thing! It has a separated room/space for the kids in your hotel room. If you notify the hotel when booking/checking in you can get this extra large room for the kids. This may be up to 3 extra beds (a single and a bunk bed in addition to a queen). This separate room has a half height wall, themed astronaut/cartoon wallpaper and little TV for the kids. This is great for when we arrive the kids crash in this room and the parents can relax, get ready for the cruise, organize, all separate from the kids. This helps immensely. And to me this is well worth staying at this hotel.
The closeness of this hotel is key! There is a gas station right next door and shopping is about 1 mile down the road.
Lastly, I have stayed at several County Inn & Suites and this one is the best one I have stayed in. So much so when I mention to the staff at other hotels about the Port Canaveral hotel they say they have stayed there and that it is the best in their mind of all of the brand.
Again thanks for the review.
We have stayed here about 4 times for our DCL cruises. One time we had 5 additional family members who were comfortable in the room which accommodated their number. They used the pool,which the grandkiddos liked. We walked over to Zacharys diner(good food). Another night,we drove three minutes to Fish Lips,on the water, also good food. Our second day,we drove to Cape Canaveral, which everyone loved. We have always left our car in their lot and used the shuttle. The drivers personalities add to your experience-they are funny. We’ve never had any issues staying there or leaving our car in the lot. It’s our go to for our DCL cruises.
We are staying here based on the review Scott did and these comments are taken to heart. While our stay is nor for a DCL cruise as we have been spoiled by the Orlando airport DCL shuttle, the great memories and the fact they take care of your luggage. This is for a Star Trek cruise and we fly in a few days before to meet up with fellow passengers/friends. Thanks to all who wrote here.