Our family has taken several trips to Florida in the past 5 years. Each time we have been there I have learned something to consider before the next trip. Our first trip was actually a “Make a Wish” trip for our oldest son who had Leukemia at the time. He was 5 and his younger brother was 3 years old. His wish was to go to Disney World. We left South Dakota for sunny Florida towards the end of February. That was actually a pretty good time to visit Disney World. We stayed at a resort specifically designed for children who are ill called “Give Kids the World”. There were so many cool things there that you could actually skip Disney World and have a blast there. In fact, one day we did just that. The kids had a great time at “Give Kids the World” just playing in the arcade and hanging out in the pool.
On the days we went to Disney World we arrived at the park around 9:00am. By the time we parked, got in the gate and got strollers for the kids, it was about 10:00am. Magic Kingdom was the first park we would visit. The kids were at the right age to want to see Mickey Mouse and Buzz Light-Year. Of course, mom and dad liked that too! After a couple of hours of walking around, the kids were tired and hot. We got some water and food and took a break. We started out again for the rides and it wasn’t long before the kids were crabby and tired again. We would pack them up around 3:00pm and head back to the resort. I think you can do the math. Spending 5 hours a day at Disney isn’t long enough to do much! We learned on this trip that the kids needed to be a little older to spend much time actually seeing all there is to see at Disney World.
The next trip we took was 2 years later in July. We had told our oldest son that we would return to Disney World when he was done with his cancer treatment and feeling better. Another benefit is that the boys were each older and able to stay longer at the park. This time in Orlando we stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel. It was about a 10 minute drive to Disney World from there. The hotel was a great family location. It had multiple pools, arcade, ice cream shops, movies in the pool and many other adventures. This time we would get up and go to Disney World around 8:00 am. We had the chance to go to the other Disney parks before Magic Kingdom and check out the attractions. We went to the Animal Kingdom and took the Safari ride. We got on the ride around noon and found that this time of the year it is too hot for the animals and they hide in the trees in the shade and nap most of the day. We were really disappointed that we didn’t see many animals. Lines at Disney are really long in July! We would get to a few rides or attractions and then the kids were ready for a break again. This trip we planned out our days and planned one Disney park for each day and Universal Studios for another day. Even with this schedule, the kids would never make it until dark and we didn’t get to see the fireworks show over the Disney castle. Once we got back to the hotel we never wanted to leave again to go back for the fireworks. What I learned from this is that if we went again for a Disney vacation, it would be best to stay at the park so you could return to your room for a break and then go back out later for the evening activities. Another day on this same trip we went over to Cocoa Beach. The kids had never seen the ocean. We had a blast that day! The kids played all day and never complained once. Another good lesson. The kids can have a great time and not step foot on Disney World. I think the beach day was the most fun on that trip.
We had decided at this point that we should try and return to Florida every 2 years for a family trip. So, 2 years later we were planning another trip. My in-laws have a time-share that they can book for the entire family. We knew that the kids had so much fun at the beach on our last trip that we decided to book our stay near Daytona Beach. We went in March that year and planned one day to Disney during that trip. The Atlantic Ocean was kind of rough when we were there, but the resort was great and had lots of things for everyone to do. With cousins there our boys had a great time. The one day we went to Disney it was the same old story. After waiting in long lines and only getting to a few rides during that time, everyone was crabby and ready to go home. So, back to the beach for some much needed relaxation. That was a great trip!
Of course, the last trip we took was this past January to Panama City Beach, FL. Again, we went with my in-laws and stayed at a resort. Our family got there a couple of days early to check out the area. There were mini-golf places and amusement parks everywhere! We saw all the beach stores and thought we were going to have a great vacation! Well, to our surprise most of the tourist attractions in this area don’t open until the middle of March. We had seen on the brochure that we could para-sail, rent wave-runners, take a trip out to see the dolphins and hang at the pool and eat ice cream. None of these things were open. Even the resort didn’t have most of their fun attractions open. The kids had a miserable time. I learned something really important on this trip. If you are planning a beach trip to Florida, don’t go before late in March! The Gulf of Mexico was beautiful but very cold. Water temperatures were around 59 degrees. The kids came home disappointed in their vacation and a week behind in school work.
The bottom line when it comes to Florida vacations is timing. Make sure you don’t trust the brochures. Call ahead to your destination and ask if everything they offer is open at the time. Disney is not the only thing in Florida. Take your family to the beach and enjoy each other and nature. Sometimes the best things in life are free!
