Going there for a day in a few weeks time and I should buy tickets/reserve the tours. I’ll be going with my gf who’s an engineer, so a bit of tech would be nice (rather than the Angry birds area… 😀 )

Tours..
– KSC Up-Close Vehicle Assembly Building Tour
– KSC Up-Close Launch Control Center Tour
– KSC Up-Close Cape Canaveral: Then and Now Tour
– KSC Up-Close Launch Pad Tour

Has anyone been there, and what is recommended?

Full tour. End of. Don’t miss anything.

Even better if there is a launch and you can watch it from one of the free grandstands (outside the grounds).

We’ve been a long while ago but it beats all the other theme parks hands down. Check out the launch timetable to see if anything is going up while your there. The Saturn V rocket hanger was amazing. Also watch out for the wildlife while they bus you around.

TBH, the answer is probably “all of them.” I’ve been a few times now and done most of the tours as well as the ATX programme and “lunch with an astronaut.” Out of all of it, the only one that was disappointing was ATX. The extended tours are well worth doing though.

The VAB is really interesting. Largest room in the world by volume, or some such. The launch pad makes for a much longer tour; I have a photo somewhere of me stood next to the countdown clock you see in launches on the telly. The other two I don’t remember the contents of, I’m afraid.

Check the launch schedule. You absolutely need to be somewhere near satellite beach if there’s one whilst you’re there. We saw a rocket launch from something like four miles outside Minimum Safe Distance, and it’s awesome in the very literal sense of the word.

Outside of the tours, the Saturn V room is something else. The rocket garden outside has a bunch of rockets on display, and there’s (if memory serves) a Saturn 1B there. The 1B is so big they’ve had to lie it down, and the V makes it look like a firework.

Awesome place, I’m very jealous. Allow plenty of time to get there, it’s further than you think.

no launches when we’re going. Miss one by a week! It’s another reason to go back though.

Which package/option includes all of the tours?

The space shuttle Atlantis exhibit is quality only been open since June. You can get up close to it. Angry Birds is rubbish anyway we just popped through it to get a kids toy. Rest has been mentioned above.

As already said above take the full tour. Launch site and Saturn V most impressed with but everything was fascinating even the Florida racer snakes that seemed to be all over the place when we were there.

We went a couple of years ago. Wife is a physicist, and I’m an engineer, and if the kids hadn’t have been with us, I think we could have spent a week there. Take the full tour, it is brilliant, and what made it more special was the 2nd to last shuttle was on the launch pad at the time. The Saturn 5 exhibit was awesome, and I just loved all the engineering excellence and attention to detail.

The lunch with an astronaut was great; we had this guy, who just seemed like an absolutely top bloke. Balls of steel obviously, but also a very smart guy (was 2nd in command of NASA, and briefly in charge).
Fred Gregory

Do as much as you can. We saw the Atlantis shuttle exhibition the week after it opened its quite superbly done. The imax film is great and we enjoyed the talk from ex astronaut Mike Mullane. He kindly took time to talk to my 11 year old son. Can’t remember which tour we did but the Saturn V hangar is something else. It’s unlikely we’ll ever be back so for us it was a fantastic day.

We went a few years ago now. We were stood in one of the Disney water parks when the Shuttle (Discovery – 1998) containing John Glenn was launched. Even from that distance the take-off was truly awesome.

We’d been to the Space Centre earlier in the week and done the full tour. One of the best bits is that in the Saturn V hangar you’ll see little signposts that say ‘*someone’s name* will be here from X til X ready to speak with you’ (or somesuch). I was lucky enough to talk with Gene Krantz – the bloke played by Ed Harris in Apollo 13 – famous for his ‘Gentlemen, failure is not an option’ quote.

I felt quite overwhelmed when I walked in to the room and saw the Saturn V!

This is definitely on my to do list.

The lunch with an astronaut was great; we had this guy, who just seemed like an absolutely top bloke.

We had Story Musgrave, who was an absolute legend and all-round top bloke. Here’s a bloke who, as well as having qualifications coming out of his ears, trained as a brain surgeon for a hobby.

we enjoyed the talk from ex astronaut Mike Mullane.

Oh, I bet he was good. I’ve read his book, “Riding Rockets,” it’s something of an eye-opener in a behind the scenes look at Shuttle-era NASA.

Been a few times but not for a few years now, so things may have changed, I quite enjoyed the Apollo mission launch room simulation.

Also don’t miss the Astronauts hall of fame attraction a few miles before on the road to Cape Canaveral. We had always not bothered and on the last visit decided to do it, and had a “why haven’t we done this before” moment.
I found the space mirror memorial also quite moving.

I’ve read his book, “Riding Rockets,” it’s something of an eye-opener in a behind the scenes look at Shuttle-era NASA.

+1 for read Riding Rockets. Great book, sounds a top bloke, toying with the idea of reading one of Chris Hadfield’s books, although I cant tell whether his stuff could be a bit heavy going, he is a rather unique character !

Full tour. End of. Don’t miss anything.

+1

it blew away all the theme parks in Florida and was just gobsmackingly brilliant.