Hi and help!!!

[steve404]

Hi,
Brand spanking new to the forum

Counting down to our fourth trip to FLA in early June, staying off-campus in a friends villa.

Bought Simons updated book for 2004 this week, last time we went in 2001, the old edition was invaluable, this one will be the same.

So far bought the 5 days for 2 Universal ticket on-line, as we have'nt been 'Universaling' since a trip in the early nineties, but will spend a couple of days at Disney of course.

A couple of questions if I may?
1) One of our party of six (not the kids) serve in the UK forces, and I know the parks offer discounts to service personnel and families, does this apply to just US personnel or allies too?

2) This time we feel the need to head South and stay overnight around the Naples area, and visit the Everglades early morning and next day let my 7 year old empty the beach of shells around Sanibel, good idea??? Any recommended places to stay around Naples for a group of six, 4 adults 2 kids?

Great forum, learnt a lot.................

 

[WDWfan uk]

Hi there Steve

Your first question - there are no military discounts for UK military personnel for the Disney resorts and passes, but there were discounts for the Swan & Dolphin for UK military and maybe still are - these resorts get all the benefits of the Disney resorts and are located close to the Boardwalk and Yacht & Beach Club. The boat service for those resorts also serve the Swan & Dolphin and they are in walking distance to EPCOT.

I think exploring the Naples area is a great idea - it is quite a way so you definitely need to stay overnight to have enough time to look around. Hopefully someone can help with resorts down there - it has been a while since I visited there.

 

[bluecdr]

We visit Naples regularly. Choice of hotels is huge. ( Nearly as big as choice of restaurants) It all depends on your budget and preferences.
Not many are on the beach. Hotels such as Best Western start about $60 a night for a big room with 2 queen beds or at other end of the scale there is the Ritz Carlton at $430 ( or $4,000 for the Presidential Suite).

Try the following site for ideas on hotels: www.discovernaples.com

For a view of the beach and the glorious news that it is 79 F in Naples today try: http://web.naplesnews.com/webcam/vanderbilt/

and their local paper is at: http://www.naplesdailynews.com/

On our first visit we stayed at the Registry which is currently about $240 per night. I have also stayed at the Best Western at exit 107 on I75 ($50) which is beside an IHOP for breakfast and a Perkins for dinner.

We are going to Naples 3 weeks from today . Remember to book ahead as January to March is the busy season.
Email me at bluecdr@hotmail.com if you need any other web site links for Naples.
Regards

 

[Netty]

Hi
Just wanted to say welcome, and its nice to see someone else on the boards from n.wales
Jeanette

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Hi and welcome

Not stayed actually in Naples yet (Marco Island down the road 2 times now), but next time we're over in FL we will stay at the Registry. We've visited it a couple of times because we go for a morning trip to Clam Pass Beach (nr the Registry) for a shelling visit. It's a lovely beach which you get to via a boardwalk (using a little golf cart provided ). The hotel itself if spectacular. We were due to stay there 2 years ago but our tour operator advised of a huge refurb plan it was undergoing to decided to move down to Marco instead - my then 2nd option. We were not disappointed with Marco at all.

Have to say we've never been very lucky with shells on Sanibel (may be we don't get there early enough!), but have had no problem both on Marco and Naples beaches.

Naples is a wonderful area, you'll really enjoy it.

The Everglades are one of our favourite places, they are very near to Naples/Marco, yet so different. Miles or road to drive around if you want to explore the wildlife, there's a wonderful park where you walk around a 2.5 mile boardwalk and spot anything from gators to bears, tree frogs, all sorts of birdlife (my DH is a bit of a twitcher so we spent most of one day here ). Go visit an Indian reservation down there, very interesting and have a go on one of the many airboat rides on offer, they all offer something a little different.

 

[steve404]

Thanks for all the tips everybody, our plan is coming together. Netty, we too are from Prestatyn, small world syndrome again!!
Steve......................

 

[jubileegirl]

Hi Steve!

On our last trip to Florida we had a week in Orlando and then booked a week on Sanibel Island, mainly because we thought it looked so amazing.
We stayed in a block of holiday apartments which were lovely - right next to Bowmans Beach which is one of THE shell seekers beaches on Sanibel. I can't remember what the accommodation was called (senior moment -I shall probably wake at 3 am with it clearly in my mind!) but it was typical of lots that we saw on our visit. We went in August which is the off season, so if you book directly with the accommodation you can get a great deal. A good source of info is the AAA Tour Book which is sold in big UK bookshops like Waterstones.

Sanibel is very quiet and I suspect that even in the 'high' season it would be very tranquil. It has some astoundingly beautiful areas to explore (we hired bikes), lovely restaurants, also over on Captiva. Many super-luxurious homes to gaze in awe and wonder at etc. The downside is that the restaurants seemed to be rather expensive (no chain restaurants here!) and likewise the shops, although it was great to browse. Lots of arty/crafty places.

It would be no trouble to drive over to the mainland and a bit of routine tourism (but we didn't!). We loved Sanibel and it was a perfect antidote to a week at WDW.

Oh, the only other thing was the weather - very hot but also rather oppressive and some spectacular thunderstorms every afternoon with quite bad flooding on the roads.

Hope this whets your appetite! We're going to Key West this August after Orlando! Can't wait!

 

[Netty]

Well Steve,
It is a small world after all!!
Jeanette