Country Inn Ste
Cape Canaveral
9009 Astronaut Blvd.
Cape Canaveral
Hotel Area
Description & Accessibility
The hotel we stayed at was Country Inn & Suites Cape Canaveral, we choose this for a number of reasons which included price and it’s location to the cruise terminals together with the fact that it ran a free shuttle to the cruise port (if you selected the park and cruise when booking the room). Also I never found a bad review relating to this hotel it was nothing but positive reviews.
a) it had multiple elevators
b) free internet
c) free TV (unless you ordered pay per view)
d) Free breakfast every morning of your stay
e) Free transportation to the cruise terminal (with the cruise special)
f) We where close by to small restaurants and fast food take outs.
g) Transit systems within a block or less of the hotel.
h) Coin operation laundry facilities on the same floor as our room.
i) ATM machine in the lobby.
Cocoa beach is off the same street, but it is quite a ways away, certainly can walk it but there is a transit trolley that will take you there if you are not up to the walk. A number of other hotels are in the area of Cocoa beach, some that look quite fancy too but since I did not stay in them I cannot give a review of them.
I arranged a ride to and from the Kennedy Space Center through the hotel desk for a fee.
The transfer to the cruise terminal was free through the hotel (if you selected the cruise special) if you stayed at this hotel, but they did encourage tips to the driver of the shuttle.
They have as an option the ‘park and cruise’ special which provides you with free parking if required while you are on a cruise provided you stayed at the hotel prior to the cruise and a free shuttle to the cruise ship. I read somewhere on the internet it is normally a $ 4 shuttle fee to the cruise port from this hotel but check with the hotel, if you have a park and cruise selected when you booked the room then it is free.
Also browse not only the hotel booking site but several booking service providers and compare prices.
I understand it was the closest hotel to the cruise port.
Accessibility: Yes
I asked for an accessible room at the time of booking. Roll in capabilities in the bathroom, rails in the toilet and shower, chair for shower. Area around the hotel accessible, some establishments in the area may require a little help in opening doors, lots of other locations are easy entry. The hotel itself is accessible, some areas may require a door to be open but not many but did not take superman to open and I could open being in the scooter.
One side of the road part way to Cocoa beach had a sidewalk that on one end had a ramp and no ramp to road on the other end so you had to come out to the bicycle lane to get around that spot.
The shuttle from the hotel to cruise port had an accessible shuttle but when booking your specific shuttle time at the hotel desk you must request a wheelchair accessible vehicle (if you require one) because there are specific times for the accessible shuttle other shuttles from the hotel you can take if you can store your mobility device in the luggage trailer and can manage the steps into the shuttle. In our case we took the shuttle around 10:30 to 11 am as my scooter would quickly come apart and fit in the luggage trailer, the wheelchair accessible vehicle would have been the 12:30 shuttle to the cruise port we where heading to. You also have to be on the correct shuttle, there are two cruise terminal locations at Port Canaveral and you do not want to be taken to the wrong ship. We where going on the NCL Sun, there was also 2 other cruise ships in port both at a different terminal.
On the only downside with this hotel is that they did not provide bell service but had self serve luggage dollies that you can use to bring luggage to and from your room. However if considering this hotel and do not have an able bodied person with you check with the hotel as if the only assistance you require is to get you luggage to and from your room at check in and check out they still may have someone help you out.
The transit system was accessible, the trolley that passed the hotel had an wheelchair lift at the back entrance, when you first look at this it is nothing but steps, but there is a mechanism / platform that comes out of one of the steps and can lift a wheelchair with the person in it up into the vehicle passenger floor. However even though there are hold down ties inside, the driver does not tie you down, so for a scooter you must hold on tight to whatever is beside you and in front to prevent a scooter from tipping in quick braking / quick speed changes and turning situations. There is some transfer locations to other trolleys or buses which I assume is accessible but we never went anywhere where a transfer was required. If you do require to transfer then make sure you get a transfer from the driver.
By: Donad Kerr