Cocoa Beach or Disney Waterpark?

[pmama]

We are going back to Disney w/ 7 and 4 year old girls in September. I originally scheduled an extra day just because I wanted at least one day at the beach. We didn't go see the beach last year and I really miss it. However, we are not renting a car for the trip and would have to go through the hassle of renting for just one day. Not sure how the weather would be and I hear mixed reviews on the east coast beaches but do not want to spend extra hour or more going to west coast. So, should I give up my dream of seeing the beach for a day and just visit Typhoon Lagoon? What would you do or have you done?

 

[susykt4]

We drove to Cocoa Beach for the day on our trip a few years ago. It wasn't a very long drive (maybe an hour or less?) and we got to see some interesting things (Disney cruise ships, the ocean, pelicans) we don't get to see in Illinois. The kids loved the beach and had a good time.

I personally hate sand more than any substance on earth and would be happy to never set foot on another beach so I'm pretty biased, but the past two years we opted to skip the beach and stay at Disney. It was wonderful to not deal with a car rental. The kids loved the water parks and DisneyQuest. They also enjoyed time at Downtown Disney as downtime from the parks.

As for Cocoa Beach itself, for the day I thought it was just fine. I'd heard it was "dirty" but I've been to plenty of much more disgusting beaches. It's relatively close and easy to find. I think it's a good choice for one day.

 

[SCOTTOHIOCPA]

We are getting ready for our 17th trip to WDW in June.

We are planning to arrive on a Saturday and drive over to Coco Beach for the first night. Then 7 nights at the Hilton Grand Vacations next to Sea World.

We always try to get at least 1 or 2 nights at either Coco Beach or Fort Desoto state park on the gulf side. We make a light day of it by sleeping in and going to the beach for a few hours. Then we go to Grill's Restaurant www.visitgrills.com for dinner. If you time your visit to grill's at 4:00 -5:00, you will get to the cruise ships departing for the ocean. We love to watch the Disney ship as it glides out to sea, and they play the horn. It reminds us of our trip four years ago.

It has been 3 years since we were last at Coco Beach, but when we went, it was clean, there were only a few families spread around, and I would not say it was "dirty" anywhere. There was lots of parking for just a few bucks, and lots of ways to get food and drinks. Where else can a family of 4 have a fun day for just a few bucks?

We live in Ohio and I can't believe how many people I meet that have NEVER been to the ocean even 1 time in their life. I think that is sad. Every parent should take their kids to the ocean and to Disney at least once in their life.