Need opinions on beaches "near" Disney

[BrianD]

On our next trip down to WDW we would like to spend a day at the beach, but I'm not quite sure which way to go, Atlantic or Gulf? They both seem to be about an hour away. So my question is which do you prefer, and which is more convenient?

Thanks for any input!!!

 

[AJKMOM]

I think Cocoa Beach is the closest, but not as nice or busy as Daytona. We like Daytona the best. We are going to try the Gulf beaches in December. I have heard they are very nice- Clearwater Beach seems to be the closest to WDW. The water is more calm on the Gulf. You coud try a search to see what you get when you put in Cocoa Beach. There was a thread a while ago about the pros and cons of each beach.

 

[CarolynU]

Sarasota about one and a half hours away is wonderful. The softest whitest sand imaginable. I think that on the whole the Gulf has calmer seas so I guess it depends what you are after.

 

[kilee]

We have done Clearwater & Daytona. Daytona was about a solid hour w/ traffic and construction. Clearwater was closer to 90 minutes. It was easier to access the Beach in Daytona then in Clearwater, at least for us it was. I thought they were both deserving in a visit. They were just both very different. The part of Clearwater we were at was very quiet and most of the activities were in front of the resorts and reserved for the resort guests. It seemed as if Daytona was a bit more "general public friendly". Then again I wouldn't want to be at Daytona during spring break, bikers week, or race week. So make sure that doesn't coincide with your trip. I haven't been to Cocoa Beach.

We also made a brief stop in St. Peete Beach on the way to Clearwater. It appeared to be similar to Clearwater. We drove down by the public beach parking areas but couldn't find parking. So we decided to continue on to Clearwater.

 

[DianeV]

We have been to both sides and prefer the Gulf side. We were staying at a hotel on the beach so I dont know about the difficulty of access or not but we definitely prefered the calmer water, nicer beach and lots of shells.

 

[kilee]

I think a lot will really have to do with what you are looking to do at the beach. If it's for swimming, the gulf side will be better by far. If it's just to see the ocean and spend a day in a "beach town" type atmosphere, then you really have your options.

My son is too afraid of sharks and jellyfish to swim in the ocean. We live a 1/2 mile from the beach on Lake Erie so he isn't all that amused by "the beach". To him, he wasn't very impressed that it was the ocean. Oh well, maybe in time.

 

[punkin]

Does anyone know anything at all about New Smyrna Beach? My sister is dragging me there in August either before or after our Disney trip (haven't decided yet). Any opinions of this beach?

 

[denisenh]

I love Florida and its beaches. I prefer central/southwestern Florida beaches. The water is generally a lot calmer.
Punkin,
I haven't been to New Smyrna Beach but you can do a search and read up about it. It has quite an interesting history.
It look nice judging by the web photos. I am always looking for a new beach so thanks for asking about it! I hadn't heard of it before.