help with planning week 3-road trip

[bex7583]

i want to go to miami , keys , and then end in clearwater


im struggling with timings how long to stay in each place , if its even possible to fit this in to 7 days could steal a extra day off our international drive if needed

things we want to do
miami no plans as such just a visit bit of beach time
keys - dolphin research centre and dh wants to go on a fishing trip im thinking stay on a middle island and just go down to key west for a afternoon
something involving airboats and crocodiles
dh wants to drive over allligator alley ?? ( think he just likes the name) please advise if this is a waste of journey
then minimum 2 nights in clearwater to just relax and then drive directly back to the airport from here our return flight is 5pm


so what i want to know is how to fit this all in/ preferably in a nice circular route to avoid driving back and forwards ( apart from the bridge)

or anywhere along this route we must do that i havent thought of

our budget is £100 a day for activitys food and fuel

i was going to just do this week with no plan but i think really i need to book accomodation as we are 5 and i dont want to be stuck somewhere searching for a hotel that can accommodate us with 3 sleepy kids

oh and toll roads you cant pay cash for??? im confused about this and would like to know the most cost effective way to navigate these roads

i have just bought florida lonely planet and brit guide to orlando so hoping this make things easier rather then adding to my huge list of must dos!

i am not enjoying planning and finding it hard !!as well as unbelivably time consuming !!

thankyou xx

 

[chmurf]

miami no plans as such just a visit bit of beach time

aim for the fort lauderdale area for accomodation.
Miami is overpriced. Ft Lauderdale is beautiful and a good spot if you want beach time, and it's a short drive away from Miami

keys - dolphin research centre and dh wants to go on a fishing trip im thinking stay on a middle island and just go down to key west for a afternoon
something involving airboats and crocodiles

Do not think that you can do key west in one day, even when starting from a key in the middle of the keys' road.
It's a one lane (one each way) road, can get very congested, and this is a long drive.
You'd better spend 2 nights in KW (which I consider a bare minimum if you intend to spend at least a few hours in KW)
be advised that Miami-Key West-Miami in one day is a recipe for disaster. (even starting from Key Largo)
Key west for the afternoon ... not worth it. Stay in Key West and you'll avoid all of the traffic hassle.

dh wants to drive over allligator alley ?? ( think he just likes the name) please advise if this is a waste of journey

that's one dull stretch of road. Trees on either side and a very straight straight line. That's an interstate, and you may get lucky to be stuck in a traffic jam caused by the police securing a stray alligator who tried to cross the road (maybe to follow the chicken but we still don't know why he crossed the road ...)

Anyway that's the fastest way to go from Miami to the west coast. If you want something more scenic, go through the Everglades park with US41 (will take longer, but much prettier)

then minimum 2 nights in clearwater to just relax and then drive directly back to the airport from here our return flight is 5pm

even if the drive is rather short between Tampa and Orlando, you might want to make sure you have enough time.
A traffic Jam, a blown tire, or whatever and you're late.
I'm a bit over cautious in my planning

so what i want to know is how to fit this all in/ preferably in a nice circular route to avoid driving back and forwards ( apart from the bridge)

1 - down the east coast to Ft Lauderdale, night in FtL
2 - Miami Day, night in FtL
3 - Miami-Area to Key West, night in KW
4 - Key west day, night in KW
5 - KW to Naples, night in Naples
6 - Naples to Clearwater, night in Clearwater
7 - Clearwater Day, night in Clearwater
8 - Clearwater - Orlando - UK

That's the "best way" in my opinion

you can cut on this itinerary by doing

1 - down the east coast to Ft Lauderdale, night in FtL
2 - Miami-Area to Key West, night in KW (visit miami, then head down to KW in the afternoon)
3 - Key west day, night in KW
4 - KW to Naples, night in Naples
5 - Naples to Clearwater, night in Clearwater
6 - Clearwater Day, night in Clearwater
7 - Clearwater - Orlando - UK

you could even merge day 4 and 5 together doing KW-Clearwater but that's an awfully long drive. I probably wouldn't do that if it were for me.

i was going to just do this week with no plan but i think really i need to book accomodation as we are 5 and i dont want to be stuck somewhere searching for a hotel that can accommodate us with 3 sleepy kids

wise decision

oh and toll roads you cant pay cash for??? im confused about this and would like to know the most cost effective way to navigate these roads

no
most roads around miami are fully automated, no toll booth, no coin basket.
It's all toll by plate or transponder.
See you rental agencies for their policies.
Alamo for example has you automatically opted in for the toll by plate system, and you only pay $2 a day for the use of the program (with a maximum of $6 per rental period) then you pay the tolls directy to Alamo when you return the car.
Other agencies need you to sign up for the program, or they will charge you huge administrative fees. So check before you go.