Fall Florida Trip

[kymom99]

I stumbled upon what I feel is a pretty good deal for a beach vacation. I've wanted to try the John's Pass area, and I found a condo on madeira Beach for $750 a week, good from August through December. These are individually owned 2 bedroom condos right on the beach. They are twice that amount during the high season. The total with tax and cleaning fee is about $950. They have excellent reviews on trip advisor and the management is very friendly. I sort of planned the trip on a whim.

My son is in college and gets a 2 day fall break in mid October. So with the weekend, he gets 4 days off. My plan is to drive and pick him up on that Friday after classes. We will pass right by his campus on our way south. We should be able to make it south of Atlanta before we stop for the night. Then we will drive the rest of the way that Saturday. I want to stop in Clearwater to ride the Sea Screamer before finishing the drive and checking in. That gives us 2 full days to spend before we put the boy on a plane back home that Tuesday. The husband and I will finish out the week on our own.

I toyed with the idea of going to Universal one of those days.(Have never been.) I have read posts on here about how Universal is more expensive than Disney but didn't really believe it till now. Here's our thing. In this scenario, we won't be able to stay on Universal property for FOTL passes. And since my son is a Potter fan, we are pretty much forced to buy a park to park ticket. Having just one day, I would feel like we would need to buy the FOTL passes to be able to get value out of the 2 park passes. Even if just my son and I would go, it would cost over $500 for just that one day. I just can't justify it. I feel like the pricing structure is such that you have a hard time getting value for your money unless you stay on property and go multiple days. I knew Disney was good for that, but didn't realize Universal was so much that way until I really looked into it.

So I should add that I know we COULD pick one park and wait in the lines and we would be fortunate to be able to experience a taste of what Universal offers. I just don't feel like a one day visit is worth it for us.

I have a hard time being that close to Disney and not going. I was on a cruise out of Port Canaveral earlier this month and saw all the Disney billboards. I wanted to cry. I'm seriously considering a day at MK while we are there. I'm just afraid of the crowds and wait times at the parks in general due to the new Star Wars attractions opening in August. I've never done a one day visit before from off property. Does anyone think it would be worth it? This was supposed to be a cheap vacation!

 

[pigletto]

We took a girls trip to the same area and rented a beach house from AirBnB last February. I had an amazing time and swore I would go back one day. My sister lives in Tampa . It wasn’t warm enough to swim but it was lovely. We saw dolphins playing in the water on our walk to John’s pass village. We loved the little tourist shops and restaurants. It was just a beautiful relaxing long weekend. It would have only been made better by warmer weather and being able to swim.
We did go to Universal one day because some of the girls had never been. Honestly it wasn’t my favourite. We love Universal and had been AP holders the year before. If I’m going to go, I want more than a day and to stay in one of their awesome resorts and have it be that kind of trip. As it was, we fought traffic on the way there , fought traffic on the way back, fought crowds because we got there after park opening. It wasn’t terrible and our party had a great time but it’s not how I prefer to do it. I think you’ve made the right choice to skip it.
Stick to the Tampa , Madeira Beach, Clearwater area. You will find plenty to do and love the pace. I’m envious.. have a great time !

 

[kymom99]

Thanks for the info. I felt like the steep price would not be worth trying to get my money’s worth in a day. I’m still considering MK though.

When we go to the gulf side, we like siesta key, but with an adult son, the place we like to stay is a little cramped. Also, when my dad retired many years ago, he and mom went to the st. Pete area with dad’s best friend for a 2 week trip. It was mom’s first trip to the ocean! They were my age. We have pictures of my dad holding a stringer of fish in front of a Hubbard’s marina sign. I’ve always wanted to go and have a picture taken in that spot in his memory. He worked so hard and rarely traveled.

 

[2Gma]

Thats a great price for a week on the beach! We love our fall FL trips! We just did an Orlando/Beach spring break trip and didn't visit any parks. it was sad but we found other things to do. I just kept reminding everyone how busy the parks would be and that we've already rode the rides many times and how fun is it to spend 1-2 hours waiting for a ride you've already been on, ya know?

Just wanted to add, the traffic on I-4 was rough during Spring Break, like 1.5hrs to Clearwater, 3 hours to get back. I don't know if that will be the case for you guys but just plan on that if going back and forth from the beach. Our property manager says beach traffic is always bad.

Since you haven't done Universal,, the Harry Potter stuff is AMAZING, like way better than anything that Disney has currently. Honestly, totally worth a full day especially if you're a fan. We've been many times in fall and didn't have front of line pass and still rode most everything. Don't know how Galaxy's edge will affect crowds at all parks though?! Just get there early...and do HP stuff since they don't offer FOTL passes for those rides. And yes, one day at Disney or Universal is expensive either way.

 

[kymom99]

Thank you for the insight! I love the beach! I just returned from a cruise. We took a shore excursion to a private beach but it wasn’t that great. The water had seaweed in it, the beach was kind of rocky and the crowd got a little drunk. I’m hoping this beach trip will be much better.

 

[pearlieq]

Honestly, the gulf coast doesn't make me miss Disney the way the Port Canaveral area does. Maybe because the PC/Cocoa Beach area is much sleepier except for the cruise port/Space Center, and the beaches are just kind of OK (compared to other beaches), but it seems more like an off-shoot of Orlando than the gulf coast. The gulf coast has its own culture and vibe and plenty to do. By the time I'm out in the Clearwater/Mad Beach/Treasure Island area, I forget all about Disney.

You won't be facing billboards and having adverts in your face the whole time like in the Port Canaveral area. Unless you just can't face the idea of being in FL and not going to a park, I wouldn't bother with spending the time (it's a looooong, congested drive from Pinellas to WDW, nothing like just hopping on the Beachline from PC) or money to go back toward Orlando. Enjoy the beach! Read trashy novels, listen to the waves, eat ice cream and yummy fried things. If you really need a change of scenery, go into St. Pete for a day and enjoy the museums, cafes, and shopping.

 

[kymom99]

Honestly, the gulf coast doesn't make me miss Disney the way the Port Canaveral area does. Maybe because the PC/Cocoa Beach area is much sleepier except for the cruise port/Space Center, and the beaches are just kind of OK (compared to other beaches), but it seems more like an off-shoot of Orlando than the gulf coast. The gulf coast has its own culture and vibe and plenty to do. By the time I'm out in the Clearwater/Mad Beach/Treasure Island area, I forget all about Disney.

You won't be facing billboards and having adverts in your face the whole time like in the Port Canaveral area. Unless you just can't face the idea of being in FL and not going to a park, I wouldn't bother with spending the time (it's a looooong, congested drive from Pinellas to WDW, nothing like just hopping on the Beachline from PC) or money to go back toward Orlando. Enjoy the beach! Read trashy novels, listen to the waves, eat ice cream and yummy fried things. If you really need a change of scenery, go into St. Pete for a day and enjoy the museums, cafes, and shopping.

Have you been to Homosassa Springs? I was thinking about driving there one day.

 

[pearlieq]

Have you been to Homosassa Springs? I was thinking about driving there one day.

Yes! If you're a nature lover it's a wonderful place to visit, though I wouldn't call it a full-day experience. The boat ride from the main park center to the animal exhibits is so peaceful. The Crystal River parks are not too far away either and offers a cool boat tour and Native American archeological sites.

On the way up to both is Weeki Wachee Springs, which has the awesome kitschy mermaid shows and all sorts of other attractions. You would also go right by Tarpon Springs and all the lovely restaurants and sponge docks. It's a very romantic place for a sunset dinner.

You could easily make a fun day out of any combo of these stops!

 

[kymom99]

I asked my son if he would like to go to magic kingdom for one day while we are down there. He said sure. I thought he might say nah. But we haven’t been to DW since 2010 and I miss it.

Our only options are Sunday October 13 or Monday October 14. Monday is mnsshp. We will not pay for a party ticket. I’m wondering if it would be better to go on the Sunday or go on Monday and then hop to Epcot when MK closes to day guests. I know it will be busy either way,but wonder what our best bet will be. We definitely won’t be going commando, just getting a little Disney fix for a day.

 

[4kids4karen]

October 15th, which is a Monday, is a teacher planning day for Orange County, Polk County and Pasco County. So I feel either day will be just as busy with locals out of school. I only checked Orange, Pasco, Polk, and Hillsborough. Hillsborough County school calendar indicates they are in school.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hurricane prime season is August through early Oct.

 

[kymom99]

Hurricane prime season is August through early Oct.

Yeah I know. Date is not flexible. So I’m just trying to go with the best option under the circumstances.