Ideas to fill holes (eating/beaches) (12/3-12)

[minnie79&mickey75]

Sorry if this post is a bit "all over the place", -hope it's not too much for one post- but hang with me...

Myself, my wife, her mom, (65), our 2 kids (6 & 11) are going for a Disney/Universal/beach vacation - (12/3-12/12). Would appreciate any tips, mostly looking for daytime "things to do" , places to eat (without far in-advance reservations), and a top beach (close) from each coast to visit. Don't care for touristy places. Would rather do "off the beaten path" and "wild/nature" places. Unique/non-chain restaurants, stuff that I can't find near home in Houston/Galveston. Also, if anybody has tips for getting the motorized wheelchairs (for mom-in-law) let me know. (Do they sell out fast? where do you store them when on rides so nobody "swipes" them? Do they have them at Universal as well? Prices? etc.)

OK, so here's what we are planning:

Dec 3 (Thur) - Fly in mid-day, Get a car (Dollar - res done already)
Lunch - ??? WHERE?
Check into hotel (Radisson) reservations all paid already
Dinner - ??? WHERE?
That night - Blue Man Group (tickets paid)

Dec 4 (fri) -
Islands of Adventure OR Universal
Eating places - ???

Dec 5 (Sat) -
Islands of Adventure OR Universal

Dec 6 (Sun) -
Drive to Gulf (good beach) ??? maybe Siesta Key... catch sunset over gulf (place for dinner?)

Dec 7 (Mon) -
Drive to Atlantic (good beach) for sunrise HDvid/photos ???
Want to visit both sides. Mom-in-law wants to see Canavaral if possible, so some nice beach near here??? Christmas light looking (WHERE?) that night back in Orlando....ideas??? (maybe the resorts?)

Dec 8 (Tue) -
Magic Kingdom

Dec 9 (Wed) -
Epcot
food ???

Dec 10 (Thur) -
what to do before 4pm???
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (what to see in what order???) tips?

Dec 11 (Fri) -
sleep in ??? food??? things to do/see ???
La Nouba (tickets in hand already for 9pm)

Dec 12 (Sat) -
good breakfast? WHERE?
return car
fly home early evening

So, there are some holes as you can see. Open to all suggestions. Especially good foods to try, things to walk around and see. Any experiences with weather this time of year?

Looking for neat things to photograph and HD video. (main reason for beaches, nice wild photography (sunrise/sunsets)...

Thanks!!

[goofy4tink]

If heading to the Gulf, my favorite beach is at Fort DeSoto, at the very bottom of the peninsula of St. Pete. It's a terrific area...rest rooms, grills, showers (cold water only though),the beach is gorgeous. It's about 45 mins from Tampa, so plan on close to 2 hrs from WDW.
Heading to the Atlantic, Cocoa Beach is fun. We stayed at a Best Western right on the beach, by the pier. Very nice. Canaveral was about 30 mins away. There are also some other nice beaches in that area, closer to port.