bobcat
<font color=magenta>I had a horrible case two year
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
- Messages
- 4,158
Day 2- Cocoa Beach and DTD
Tired from the long drive we decide to take it easy this morning, and were on the road by 8:30 am. One of the reasons we like the Super 8 is the ducks. Our first trip to WDW in '99 we stopped at the Super 8 and we met the ducks. My son loves ducks and has Duckie, his stuffed duck, that used to go everywhere with him. He was 4 and had fun trying to feed the ducks and now wants to stop and take a picture each trip. Picture taken we are moving down the road. We have to stop at the Florida welcome center for OJ and directions to Cocoa Beach. You would think that if your job was to help visitors travel your state that you would be a little more enthusiastic about your job. Ok so it wasn't yet 9am but a smile wouldn't have hurt. The man who served the OJ was very nice but the tourism desk, all three of them, needed something to start their day. I did get the right exit number I wanted.
I95 through Jacksonville is always under construction and gives me a stress headache. I decided to try the outerbelt, 295, and it worked great. You enter way before Jacksonville and exit after the bay. It took 30 minutes. I don't do well with large bridges and was suprised by the bridge across the bay. It was four lanes each side so it really didn't seem like a bridge so I was fine, just suprised.
We stopped at the St. Augustine outlet malls to try the Character Warehouse and the kids ended up with new Nikes! Oh well they needed them for school anyways. The Character Warehouse had different items than we found later at teh two in Orlando. I think they had better deals, but not as much merchandise. I found a 2001 frame to add to my collection which proudly sits on my desk at work, and a couple of really inexpensive souvineers for my nieces. In total we spent about $15 for a lot of little items.
Back on the road and we passed Daytona and headed to Cocoa Beach. About an hour drive. Once we exited 95 it seemed to take forever to get to the beach. It felt like Myrtle Beach with all the souvineer shops, and I don't like Myrtle beach. After a few more bridges we dead ended at the ocean, hoping to find a public beach. It was right in front of us! We paid to park ($3) and headed over teh dunes to the beach. What a wonderful wide beach. We could see a storm in the distance and it kept moving closer, surf was a little rough and the wind was whipping around. The kids waded and played in the sand for about an hour and then the storm hit. We made it to the van just as the rain started in earnest. I still have sand in my car. I sat in the van and made a call home to check on my sister, who had surgery two days before we left. Progress good so that's a worry off my mind.
The kids were disapointed that their time at the beach was cut short but the excitement of WDW would soon win out. The trip to Orlando was about to get interesting. We stopped at a gas station for a bathroom stop and to check our exits and I almost backed into a car. This won't be the last time. I figured out where to get the Beeline expressway and it was uneventful until we had to get off in Orlando. Somehow we ended up going north and into downtown Orlando. My daughter says it was my fault and she told me I was going the wrong way on the exit.
I say it was her fault because she was supposed to be making sure I went the right way. 
A little detour but we finally made it! As we drove through the gates into DTD we cheered and I felt like I was coming home. JOY JOY JOY! The roads in DTD are under construction so we were soon at a standstill. Found the Courtyard. We were really grubby from the beach so we checked in and took showers. The room was huge and they had feather pillows on the bed! I had forgotten mine at home so I hugged it and my daughter teased me the rest of the trip. We took the bus to DTD and went to the Lego store and Once Upon a Toy. Very cool store! We were tired and the kids wanted to swim so we walked back, hit the pool, and crashed for the night.
Next installment - Movies, Mountains and Magic
Tired from the long drive we decide to take it easy this morning, and were on the road by 8:30 am. One of the reasons we like the Super 8 is the ducks. Our first trip to WDW in '99 we stopped at the Super 8 and we met the ducks. My son loves ducks and has Duckie, his stuffed duck, that used to go everywhere with him. He was 4 and had fun trying to feed the ducks and now wants to stop and take a picture each trip. Picture taken we are moving down the road. We have to stop at the Florida welcome center for OJ and directions to Cocoa Beach. You would think that if your job was to help visitors travel your state that you would be a little more enthusiastic about your job. Ok so it wasn't yet 9am but a smile wouldn't have hurt. The man who served the OJ was very nice but the tourism desk, all three of them, needed something to start their day. I did get the right exit number I wanted.
I95 through Jacksonville is always under construction and gives me a stress headache. I decided to try the outerbelt, 295, and it worked great. You enter way before Jacksonville and exit after the bay. It took 30 minutes. I don't do well with large bridges and was suprised by the bridge across the bay. It was four lanes each side so it really didn't seem like a bridge so I was fine, just suprised.
We stopped at the St. Augustine outlet malls to try the Character Warehouse and the kids ended up with new Nikes! Oh well they needed them for school anyways. The Character Warehouse had different items than we found later at teh two in Orlando. I think they had better deals, but not as much merchandise. I found a 2001 frame to add to my collection which proudly sits on my desk at work, and a couple of really inexpensive souvineers for my nieces. In total we spent about $15 for a lot of little items.
Back on the road and we passed Daytona and headed to Cocoa Beach. About an hour drive. Once we exited 95 it seemed to take forever to get to the beach. It felt like Myrtle Beach with all the souvineer shops, and I don't like Myrtle beach. After a few more bridges we dead ended at the ocean, hoping to find a public beach. It was right in front of us! We paid to park ($3) and headed over teh dunes to the beach. What a wonderful wide beach. We could see a storm in the distance and it kept moving closer, surf was a little rough and the wind was whipping around. The kids waded and played in the sand for about an hour and then the storm hit. We made it to the van just as the rain started in earnest. I still have sand in my car. I sat in the van and made a call home to check on my sister, who had surgery two days before we left. Progress good so that's a worry off my mind.
The kids were disapointed that their time at the beach was cut short but the excitement of WDW would soon win out. The trip to Orlando was about to get interesting. We stopped at a gas station for a bathroom stop and to check our exits and I almost backed into a car. This won't be the last time. I figured out where to get the Beeline expressway and it was uneventful until we had to get off in Orlando. Somehow we ended up going north and into downtown Orlando. My daughter says it was my fault and she told me I was going the wrong way on the exit.
I say it was her fault because she was supposed to be making sure I went the right way. A little detour but we finally made it! As we drove through the gates into DTD we cheered and I felt like I was coming home. JOY JOY JOY! The roads in DTD are under construction so we were soon at a standstill. Found the Courtyard. We were really grubby from the beach so we checked in and took showers. The room was huge and they had feather pillows on the bed! I had forgotten mine at home so I hugged it and my daughter teased me the rest of the trip. We took the bus to DTD and went to the Lego store and Once Upon a Toy. Very cool store! We were tired and the kids wanted to swim so we walked back, hit the pool, and crashed for the night.
Next installment - Movies, Mountains and Magic
