Florida Vacation
We just got home from a great Florida Vacation! So much fun! Already planning to go back ASAP!!
We starting off by flying into the Orlando, Florida airport on Southwest. Southwest is great with kids! Love that parents traveling with kids under 4 are allowed to board in-between the A and B groups. Don't love the passengers traveling WITHOUT children who attempt to pretend to be part of my family so that they can board earlier (yes, this really happened!). Remember to buy your airfare early!! You can save so much money buying early! Most Southwest purchases can be used for different travel dates/places if you change your mind, but usually have to be used for the same passengers as those for which the airfare was initially purchased.
In Orlando, we rented a car from Thrifty. Tips for renting cars in Florida...ask lots of questions because our quoted price was WAY more than the price I was told I would be paying. Really enjoyed that Thrifty allowed us to pick out our own car - that was really fun! Natalie kept asking if this was our new car. Wish they would have been more upfront about pricing...by the time I paid for the Facility Charge, Vehicle License Fee, Florida Surcharge, Energy Recovery Fee, Plate Pass for Toll Roads, and was required to take insurance (which was not part of the total I was told), I ended up paying about $200 more than I had bargained for.
We have amazing friends that live in Orlando! Matt, Kristin, and their daughter Lizzy were so much fun! Kristin went above and beyond and got us reservations 1900 Park Fare, which is part of Disney's resort, the Grand Floridian. This was a great Character Dining Restaurant! All the characters from Cinderella are there and they walk through the restaurant visiting with all the guests. They have a buffet and is excellent! The cost was a little over $100 for 2 adults and 1 child. I think this is the ultimate way to experience the joy of Disney without the lines and expense!
We starting off by flying into the Orlando, Florida airport on Southwest. Southwest is great with kids! Love that parents traveling with kids under 4 are allowed to board in-between the A and B groups. Don't love the passengers traveling WITHOUT children who attempt to pretend to be part of my family so that they can board earlier (yes, this really happened!). Remember to buy your airfare early!! You can save so much money buying early! Most Southwest purchases can be used for different travel dates/places if you change your mind, but usually have to be used for the same passengers as those for which the airfare was initially purchased.
In Orlando, we rented a car from Thrifty. Tips for renting cars in Florida...ask lots of questions because our quoted price was WAY more than the price I was told I would be paying. Really enjoyed that Thrifty allowed us to pick out our own car - that was really fun! Natalie kept asking if this was our new car. Wish they would have been more upfront about pricing...by the time I paid for the Facility Charge, Vehicle License Fee, Florida Surcharge, Energy Recovery Fee, Plate Pass for Toll Roads, and was required to take insurance (which was not part of the total I was told), I ended up paying about $200 more than I had bargained for.
We have amazing friends that live in Orlando! Matt, Kristin, and their daughter Lizzy were so much fun! Kristin went above and beyond and got us reservations 1900 Park Fare, which is part of Disney's resort, the Grand Floridian. This was a great Character Dining Restaurant! All the characters from Cinderella are there and they walk through the restaurant visiting with all the guests. They have a buffet and is excellent! The cost was a little over $100 for 2 adults and 1 child. I think this is the ultimate way to experience the joy of Disney without the lines and expense!
SeaWorld was the reason for visiting Orlando. Natalie has loved whales since she was two and we wanted her to see the Killer Whales and the Beluga Whales. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn across from SeaWorld. It was good for the price and had a nice buffet breakfast. SeaWorld was a little overwhelming and it would be great if it was more about the animals and less about the carnival atmosphere. Got a half off discount on tickets from SeaWorld.com. The dolphin feeding was lots of fun. Tip - Buy extra boxes of fish (think 2 for each person) and take your time feeding the dolphins. Go for the photo opportunity at $20. We got to watch a training session that was part of the dolphin interaction program. This seemed like an opportunity that would be well worth the investment if you had an older child. The string ray petting tank is awesome! The Killer Whale show was closed as they were reconstructing this area. It was a little underwhelming, but we did get to see 4 amazing Killer Whales!
Next, we drove to St. Petersburg, through a torrential downpour! We stayed at TradeWinds Island Grand Resort on St. Pete Beach. The stay was great! We would get a larger room in the future. Our room had an ocean view, but was not right on the beach. This allowed for us to have a little more privacy than the beach front suites or a courtyard suite. There were lots of things for the older kids to do - huge waterslide, activities, pools, etc. The dinner options at the resort are excellent, but can be pricey. We really enjoyed Bermuda's where kids eat free during certain times of the day. We had a great waitress there too! There is a Publix grocery store within 5 minutes of TradeWinds. We chose to fill up the suite of our room with items from breakfast and lunch. The beaches are really great! The cabanas are wonderful, but you do want to reserve your front row cabana at $15 a day if you want truly great views of the Gulf of Mexico. The sunset is amazing, but make sure you are there when the sun starts to set because it is over in a matter of moments.
Comments
Post a Comment