Drive from Orlando to Miami & New Year

[Susan]

My daughter and I will be in Florida from 27 December 2005 for around 18 days (flights permitting). We thought we'd do two weeks in a villa in Orlando, then from 10 January travel down to Miami (also like to see one of the Keys if possible).

My question is, would it be worth the drive for only 4/5 days sight-seeing, or am I being a little ambitious. Also we would like to visit MK on New Years Eve, is it classed as a normal day pass or is it like MVMCP and we need a separate ticket for the evening and is it a good event?

[blott]

Four or five days is a respectable period in which to do the visit (we often have people asking about day trips!) and you should be able to get around and see quite a bit in that timescale. It's about 3 .5 - 5 hours from Orlando to Miami, depending on which route you take, how quickly you drive and whether you stop off on the way.

Mmm, MK on NYE? Well, it gets pretty packed out and they sometimes close the gates at 10 or 11 am as it's reached its capacity so you may need to arrive early just to get in there and it's a long wait until midnight unless you can find lots of things to do. It's a normal day pass.

[Cruella DeVilla]

5 days is plenty of time to see the main bits and pieces. It is a further 4 + hours or so from Miami to Key West which is the furthest Key. Key West is a little expensive and can get quite busy as a lot of Americans holiday there but its nice to visit as it is very "Caribeany" in attitude.[8D]

[Ray&Sarah]

That sound like a great itinery Susan, the keys are well worth the trip and 4/5 days would be amble time to take them in.

If you don't mind wall to wall people then you will enjoy MK on New Years Eve, but it will be packed.[msnsmile2]

[Susan]

Thanks for your replies. Can't wait now, we've been to Orlando 5 times over the last 4 years and I'm ashamed to say we haven't been further than the theme parks and the malls, so any ideas for places to visit would be great (I thought we'd drive down the west coast).

If MK is busy on NYE, any other ideas?

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Susan
Thanks for your replies. Can't wait now, we've been to Orlando 5 times over the last 4 years and I'm ashamed to say we haven't been further than the theme parks and the malls, so any ideas for places to visit would be great (I thought we'd drive down the west coast).

If MK is busy on NYE, any other ideas?




[/quote]

They have good NYE shows at several places. Gaylord Palms Resort ususally put up a good show and it is worth checking what they have planned for the time you go. For 2004-5, DD Pleasure Island had a big street party. Epcot too has several special shows. Disney Cruise Line have shipwide festivities at NYE.

As for other places to go, Clearwater beach is great if you're going to the West Coast. I expect you alredy plan to visit Busch Gardens while there. But while still in the Orlando area, there are plenty of other places to go apart from the big Theme Parks and malls. Old Town on saturday night is fantastic; you can also have a day at Winter Park; ride the airboats at Boggy Creek; arrange a day with adventurous water-sports if you like that sort of thing...and so on.

[blue nose]

Hi,Susan this will also be our fifth visit to Orlando in as many years, [msncool]like you we we thought to do something a bit different.
Anyway here,s the plan we are flying direct to Miami from Manchester with A.A. we are staying in Miami for a couple of days, then we are driving up to Orlando were we are staying in a villa on Calabay parc.
Then for the last three days we thinking of driving to the Keys,[msncool]we are looking at staying in iether Marathon or Islamorada.
P.S.Our eldest son who is disabled, celebrates his 18th birthday [msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2]whilst we are in Florida so really this trip has been planned for him.
If anyone has any suggestions about a special treat for him we would be grateful,we have been racking our brains [msnscared][msnscared]trying to think of something abit different for him.DONE ALL THE PARK etc.
thanks blue nose[msnwink]

[blott]

How about swimming with the dolphins if that's a possibility for you son? There are opportunities to do that in the Keys as well as at Discovery Cove. Or perhaps a balloon flight?

[Nostromo]

Or the excellent ATX (Astronaut Training Experience) at KSC. I've done it and it is a great idea if your son's disability allows it.

[Ray&Sarah]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by blott
How about swimming with the dolphins if that's a possibility for you son? There are opportunities to do that in the Keys as well as at Discovery Cove.
[/quote]

That would be a nice idea, there is a place at key largo that do this for able bodied and disabled people.[msnsmile]