Can anyone tell me about Daytona Beach?

[Alice Jean]

Hi. We're considering a stop at daytona beach on our next trip to WDW since we'll be driving. We have very limited time though and I'm wondering if its worth it!
What are you thoughts on Daytona? Is it really neat or just over rated? Also, what are the must sees for limited time and is the boardwalk interesting enough? Thanks for your input!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

my opinion... it is over rated. My Mom & Sister live about 1/2 hr from there. I don't like the beach. Any beach where a car can go on is not my type of beach. The main road there is very conjested too....just my 2 cents

Sharon L

 

[deena]

In the past when vacationing at WDW my family and have gone over to Daytona for a split trip in August. We had fun at their boardwalk also found there were lots of fun activities for the whole family like miniature golf, fishing, and swimming along with other various activities.

We were among many families visiting there during this time that included children and the beach was very nice, quiet, and clean. Our whole stay was pleasant and we felt comfortable walking up and down the entire beach collecting seashells, wading in the water, or playing in the sand.

I can't wait to return and highly recommend it to all those that want to visit the beach while in FL; it is truly a great place for family-oriented tourists to experience!

I hope you enjoy.

 

[Kay1]

I'm not crazy about it either and hate the cars driving around. We recently attended a wedding there and thought it should take us 2 1/2 hours to get there from our home in St. Petersburg because I read it takes an hour from Disney. No way. It took us four hours because of traffic and accidents on I-4. When we left on a Sunday morning, there was a major backup of traffic trying to get over the bridge. It could be because of the major construction work going on right now, or it may always be that way. My s-i-l lives in Cocoa Beach which is a bit quieter and closer.

 

[SimonV]

I think people's enjoyment of Daytona varies very much according to the time of year. Spring break is still a notoriously busy and crowded time, while July can also be uncomfortable. Outside those times, it should be possible to enjoy the beaches in relative comfort, although I still think the Gulf Coast beaches from St Pete's south are better and more family-orientated, especially for younger children.

simon.veness@virgin.net

 

[travelcoupons]

Have been there many times. I like it because it is quieter and slower pace than Orlando. (Except during special events.) Beach is very wide and sandy. There are areas where cars are prohibited if you don't like them. Lots of shopping/souvenir shops.

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[baileybrad]

There are some really good mom and pop places there...especially farther down south of the area. For those let the driving on the beach rain on their parade, Ormond Beach does not allow the cars. Like Simon mentioned, the time of year does have a big impact on how you view your experience. We have been going there for 35 years (when Walt was still slipping around buying up the land) and there are some wonderful restaurants in the Daytona Beach area. We prefer the seafood places to the places on HH, which happens to be the location of our home resort.

 

[pdzabe]

Just returned from Daytona Beach where we went for a couple of days after our WDW vacation. I see you are from PA so you are probably familiar with the Jersey shore where I'm from. I'd say unless you went there for a specific function going on such as racing (when we were there a Grand Prix power boat race was scheduled) it really has nothing over our beaches in New Jersey except the water was more blue in color and there were lots of nice Palm trees. We stayed at the Ramada Inn Surfside which had very nice, large rooms overlooking the beach but we did not spend much time on the beach itself (everyone was at the beach side pool) as my husband got burned the first hour we were there. The sun in Fla. is brutal! The boardwalk there doesn't even approach what's at the Jersey and Maryland shore and the pier was damaged in the last major hurricane. If you don't have more than a couple of days, I'd skip the ride (about an hour and 15 minutes from the Kissimmee area where we stayed) and go somewhere closer.

[This message was edited by pdzabe on 04-24-01 at 05:10 PM.]