Just getting boring old gits??

[Newhomebuyer]

I am officially an old git and I love florida. I stay as long as I can and as often as I can. I just wish it could be more frequently and even though I was there for 12 weeks last winter I was never bored.
It impresses me how blue the sky is and how all my aches and pains disappear when i feel that warmth.
I am always excited by the bird life. The fact that i saw roseatte spoonbills at the premium outlets and an otter outside church (MQUS)
When something new opens in the parks like the new Fantasyland. I am always impressed by the attention to detail.
I can go round Circle b Ranch 2/3 times a week with my camera and always find something to capture on film that has the Florida WOW factor.
I love to try the new eateries that spring up every time i visit. I also have so many favourites that I can never get to do a repeat of them all no matter how long the trip.
I am always impressed by how much the much younger members of the family improve in their swimmimg because they have the villa pool they usually get moved up a class after their visits.
I don't often visit the theme parks but I have got used to planning carefully so that we do not encounter big queues for the members of the family who like to ride.
We love to rent a pontoon boat on one of the larger waterways and take a picnic. Always exciting
Most of the others never seem to tire of canoe trips up the rivers.
Maybe there is some truth in what Katys Grandad says We usually take a week elsewhere each year and we do enjoy it but the buzz of Florida cannot be beaten for this OG
I nipped over for two weeks in September and it just got me more excited for my longer visit this winter.

[spaners]

Katys Grandad;
It may be heresy to say so on this site but have you considered going somewhere completely different next year to recharge your enthusiasm for Florida in the future?

Isn't absence supposed to make the heart grow fonder?[/QUOTE]

My only problem with that is can anywhere else live up to florida ?? :-) Having been all over europe in imho no.
Having said that we will be doing route 66 next year for 3 weeks instead of Florida.

[mel]

thanks guys for all those thoughts, we do go away 3 or 4 times a year and Florida is always included in that, I was one of those people that wanted to see as much as possible and not to go back to the same place twice but florida just grabbed us!! We are maybe being a bit ungrateful and waiting for the excitement just to hit...which it always has before this visit!) We have seen quite a few beaches and visited a few non touristy places Avia marie island, Tarpon Springs and a few otheres I cant quite remember the name of... Thin we may have to visit with fresh eyes and a list of "1sts" that we havent got round to doing before...we also found the prices of everything from the basics in walmart to eating out etc way much more expensive than last time anyone else feel this? thanks again for not snapping my head off and your kind suggestions

[Andrena]

We too like to travel to different places and while in Florida we always go somewhere else for a week or a cruise. If you are already in Florida then a cruise is very cheap no airfare to add on. We have gone to Las Vegas, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina and other parts of Florida.
We have travelled all over the work, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, most European countries, Fiji, Hawiai, but Florida still draws us. Even if we were to sell our home, we would still want to return at least once a year, what's to bore you in Florida?

Andrena

[KevinT]

I love travel and holidays and take as many as I can afford throughout the year. I don't think there's anywhere I've been that I'd expect to spend 7 weeks in and not have the feeling you describe, especially if I'd also visited there for the past 6 years. I fit at least 1 US/Florida trip into my plans each year but I wouldn't want that to be the only holiday I take.

It may be heresy to say so on this site but have you considered going somewhere completely different next year to recharge your enthusiasm for Florida in the future?

Isn't absence supposed to make the heart grow fonder?

I can certainly agree with Katys Grandad on this. Since around 1980 we used to travel to Florida twice a year to visit family and friends there but due to various health problems etc. we hadn't been for over 18 months until this September when things improved a bit (and we managed to get reasonably priced last minute flights from our local airport).

I have to say I was impressed by the many changes in even that time. We hadn't seen Harry Potter World or Legoland so visited them. Universal has new coaster and the old Jaws area is being redeveloped. Magic Kingdom has a new area ready to open behind the Castle (We just missed the "soft opening" of some of that new land). Other than that we went to places like Cocoa Village (near to Cocoa Beach but nice boutique style shops to visit). My MIL is now 83 and still travels with us and loves Florida. She likes Epcot and on the date we visited (1st October) it was celebrating it's 30th anniversary (so on top of the Food and Wine festival there were many celebratory items in the programme and an even better fireworks show that evening).

All in all the two weeks flashed past and we really felt refreshed, probably due to the fact that we had had an "enforced" break of over 18 months. The weather during our stay was good overall and I think the warmth did us all good.

Maybe you're feeling the Florida holidays are becoming "routine" so a break to visit other places may be beneficial? I am 100% certain that you will return to FL though, with a new interest and plenty of new things to see.

[Tonish]

...we also found the prices of everything from the basics in walmart to eating out etc way much more expensive than last time anyone else feel this?

Yes, food prices definitely rocketed over the past year or two. It's very noticeable and whilst in the past I would have said prices were comparable to UK, or a little cheaper, I think basic groceries are now much more expensive.

[Lyn]

For the last couple of years we have visited for 6 weeks before Christmas, we are here at the moment and are staying for 8 weeks this time (the joys of being retired). If you do stay for 6/7 weeks if you could come towards the end of October you would be here for Haloween and then still here for the Christmas celebrations which start in the middle of November. The parks are not usually very busy at this time of year and we always love the Christmas shows at Sea World, we will be going for there 1st night which is November 17th. Towards the end of a visit at this time of year a trip to Blue Spring and you would almost certainly see manatees. I have in the past thought, have I had enough of Florida do I really want to go but unless I have a trip booked and planned I start getting withdrawal symptoms.

[mel]

Well guys, guess what? we're booked to go back! Fly out in Sept for 16 nights so we will be there for our favourite time halloween!! We are very excited and after our last glump about our last trip I am amazed we are this excited to go back!!! Well they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder

[steph_goodrum]

Mel
We recently bought a Groupon for $34 to go on different trip. You get picked up near Cocoa beach and get taken to a remote island, where you spend some time shelling or just on the beach and then get taken in groups to swim with the wid dolphins and manatees. They say that for obvious reasons you can't swim too close to them but as they are naturally curious they may come closer to you and again I'm guessing there is no guarantee there will be any there at the time (we are going in April/may) but figured it would be a different experience. It's about a 2 hour excursion so not a lot of money to lose if it turns out just a different beach for the afternoon.

[mel]

Awh thanks Steph! That sounds amazing will defo look into it Thanks!