Vacation Planning (Florida)

[Japher]

Wifey and I are planning our summer vacation and need some help.

We were going to drive down to Panama City, FL for a week. However, wifey said to me the other day "when you are done with your MBA you have to take Josie to Disney". Josie is addicted to Disney Princesses, I'm debating getting her professional help for this. Anyway, I said "why don't we just go somewhere close to Disney and go for a couple days." So, now we are looking around Orlando.

Here's the deal. We are in a vacation club that allows us to rent a condo (1 or 2 bedroom) for a week for about $400 total once all is said and done. The club is like a book holder for time share swaps. The places are always really nice and it works for us, having kids and all, to have a kitchen. So, we want to use this club, but that means planting ourselves in once place for a week. Which, is actually a good idea for us. However, we want to be on or near a beach. Josie is a water nut. And, we want to be around 1 hour away from Disney World.

We are looking at Daytona right now, but in my mind it's a biker and car beach. Not sure how it would be for kids. Tampa seems a little far. Any ideas?

[-Jrabbit]

I would recommend Marco Island. Easily the coolest part of Florida I've seen, esp. if you can swing a condo deal. But it's further from Disney than Tampa.

I hate the Orlando area.

My Dad lived in Venice Beach (also Gulf Coast side, which was really nice), and Tampa/St Pete has some nice attractions (Dali Museum, aquarium), though the beaches aren't the greatest. Don't know the Atlantic side of the state very well...

[DanS]

You're talking the Cocoa Beach/Satellite Beach area. Cocoa is touristy. Satellite Beach and points south are less so. There are tons of condos in that area, so I would guess there are some options in your club.

[Japher]

I don't mind touristy, we will be tourists after all. I just don't want trashy or dirty, which Daytona kind of rings in my head, mainly because of NASCAR. Cocoa beach is a good idea, I think I saw some condos there I can get.

Thanks for the advice. I think J-Rabbit's suggestions will be too far.

[DanS]

Cocoa didn't strike me as too trashy, although there's some trash there. It's a big and varied beach on that 20 mile stretch (Cocoa to Melbourne), so probably you can find what you like. Nothing like the nudist beaches North of Cape Canaveral -- nearer Daytona -- though.

[Darsnan]

We were going to drive down to Panama City, FL for a week. However, wifey said to me the other day "when you are done with your MBA you have to take Josie to Disney". Josie is addicted to Disney Princesses, I'm debating getting her professional help for this. Anyway, I said "why don't we just go somewhere close to Disney and go for a couple days." So, now we are looking around Orlando. ...we want to be around 1 hour away from Disney World.

We are looking at Daytona right now, but in my mind it's a biker and car beach. Not sure how it would be for kids. Tampa seems a little far. Any ideas?

We stayed at New Smyrna (just south of Daytona) and found it quite nice. Its a little over an hours drive to Disneyworld (non rush-hour), however getting back we always sat in traffic forever (of course after a day at Disneyworld the kids were in sleep-mode 5 minutes into the trip, so no biggee there).


D

[chequita guevara]

Daytona is a redneck town, rather small without much to do, except drink.

Marco Island is too far south. It's south of where I live, which makes it about a three to four hour drive to Orlando.

I would have to agree with Dan S. Aside from the Atlantic Ocean, you've got the Indian River, which is a beautiful estuary, you got the tourist stuff on Merrit Island, and NASA. Don't go out too far in the water. That's our sharkiest area.

And it's a hop skip and a jump from Orlando.

[Japher]

Excellent, thank you. Cocoa it is. And New Smyrna looks nice too.

[chequita guevara]

I was in New Smyrna once, during the year of hurricanes. Funny thing about New Smyrna Beach when I was there . . . there wasn't a beach anymore. It was all gone, including portions of the sea wall.

BTW, New Smyrna is the shark bite capital of the world. Don't go surfing and you'll almost certainly be fine. More likely to get into a fatal car accident on the way to the beach, cuz Florida drivers are the America's worst.

Little bit oh history, New Smyrna was a Greek colony in the New World. Greece, at the time, was a part of the Ottoman Empire, but when the Spanish took possession of Florida again after the Treaty of Paris of 1783, they needed settlers. So they got a bunch of Aegean Islanders who had fled the Ottomans. Frankly, Merrit Island has more than enough to satisfy your touristy beachy needs.

[Japher]

Just thought I'd let you all know that based on your recommendations we have requested a condo in Cocoa for July, hopefully near a rocket launch. We should get it, they pretty much guarantee anything 6 months out.

Thanks for your advice.

[Japher]

Looks like they are saying they only have 1 bedrooms in Cocoa and we want a 2 bedroom since the grandparents are now coming.

So, Daytona or Orlando/Kissimmee?

[Dis]

Don't remember much about Daytona beach. I went there once, but I'm not a beach person. Girls in hot bikinis don't interest me much. But I felt like I should visit the beach once in my time in florida. Orlando was ok. Def see disneyworld. universal studios is pretty cool too.

Wonder if that navy base is still in Winter park. I lived there for over a year.

[chequita guevara]

So, Daytona or Orlando/Kissimmee?

Orlando/Kissimmee.

Daytona sucks except during: Bike Week, Spring Break, Race week, and you probably don't want to take the kids there during then.

[Japher]

That's what I thought. I'm having wifey lookup condos in Orlando area.

[snoopy369]

Back when I was 7 or 8 I went to Daytona, I thought it was fun at the time... but this was a few decades ago so I don't doubt things changed