Is there any transportation from Disney to a beach beside renting a car?

[maryj11]

Has anyone ever gotten any transportation to and from a beach near Disney?

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Has anyone ever gotten any transportation to and from a beach near Disney?

There's Amtrak to Tampa and West Palm Beach.

 

[bfamily5]

We used a private company to go to Cocoa Beach the day before our last cruise out of Port Canaveral. The beach was amazing and I am pretty sure the shuttle driver said it's the closest beach to wdw. I can't remember the name of the company we used, but it was less than an hour's drive. HTH

 

[betterbutter]

There is no shared shuttle that takes you to a beach. You'd have to arrange for a private service, and that won't be cheap. The closest beach is Cocoa.

 

[maryj11]

We used a private company to go to Cocoa Beach the day before our last cruise out of Port Canaveral. The beach was amazing and I am pretty sure the shuttle driver said it's the closest beach to wdw. I can't remember the name of the company we used, but it was less than an hour's drive. HTH

Oh ok thanks. If you remember the name let me know.

 

[nacho113]

Has anyone ever gotten any transportation to and from a beach near Disney?

Most of the Towncar companies in the Orlando area will make the run, but you are looking in the $300 range round trip + 20% tip.

Uber quotes prices from $60-$132 each way depending on the size of vehicle that you need (and if surge pricing is NOT in effect). $120-$264 round trip, tip optional (but recommended)

A one day car rental would be your cheapest option. Depending on the dates you are looking to travel, you could be looking $40-$80 for a one day rental from the CCC. Plus gas and tolls of course.

 

[NotUrsula]

It isn't a viable day trip, but you CAN do it via AmTrak. You can cab/Uber, etc, (or even take a Lynx bus) to the Kissimmee AmTrak station. You can book AmTrak to Clearwater, which will take you by train to Tampa, then via included motorcoach to Clearwater on the mainland. Still not the beach just yet, though; you'd have to again get local transit to Clearwater Beach. The whole trip will probably take at least 5 hours each way, and probably closer to 8 hours.

That's the cheapest way next to renting a car: depending on how many people in your party and how far in advance you book Amtrak, you can do it that way for as little as about $20pp each way, but that's public transit. If you *can* rent a car, it's by far the best option, as the drive only takes about 2 hrs directly to the beach. It's easy to do Clearwater or Cocoa as a daytrip if you have your own wheels.

 

[betterbutter]

If you are nervous about driving to begin with, I do not suggest Clearwater. I-4 is a terrible road, just brutal to drive on. From Disney, take the 417 to the Beachline to Cocoa Beach. No traffic or construction that way, and the few bucks in tolls is well worth the smooth, easy drive.

 

[maryj11]

If you are nervous about driving to begin with, I do not suggest Clearwater. I-4 is a terrible road, just brutal to drive on. From Disney, take the 417 to the Beachline to Cocoa Beach. No traffic or construction that way, and the few bucks in tolls is well worth the smooth, easy drive.

Thanks, yes I do not like driving in places I have never been to and dont know the roads. I cannot see very well when driving at night.

 

[maryj11]

Most of the Towncar companies in the Orlando area will make the run, but you are looking in the $300 range round trip + 20% tip.

Uber quotes prices from $60-$132 each way depending on the size of vehicle that you need (and if surge pricing is NOT in effect). $120-$264 round trip, tip optional (but recommended)

A one day car rental would be your cheapest option. Depending on the dates you are looking to travel, you could be looking $40-$80 for a one day rental from the CCC. Plus gas and tolls of course.

Uber sounds reasonable.

 

[maryj11]

There is no shared shuttle that takes you to a beach. You'd have to arrange for a private service, and that won't be cheap. The closest beach is Cocoa.

Is Cocoa Beach a nice beach or family friendly?

 

[NotUrsula]

Cocoa has nice enough beaches; as the name implies, the sand is a tad brownish in color, as is the water at times, because of sediment from the rivers that empty into the ocean near there. It's on the Atlantic, so the waves are a little bigger and the water is colder than you would find on the Gulf Side, but not ferocious at all. I guess I find it hard to define a family-friendly beach except in terms of wave height suitable for toddlers -- what exactly are you looking for? (The beaches I personally tend to like best are fairly primitive; I don't like places that allow beach concession vendors.)

Like all public Florida beaches, Cocoa bans fires on the sand. You cannot drive on the beach there, either, though there are some places close by where it is allowed in certain areas. Also, no dogs are allowed on the beach itself.
This list notes the park areas that have public restrooms: http://www.beachhunter.net/orlando-beaches/best-beaches-on-cocoa-beach.html

Brevard did have an issue recently with a Brown Tide bloom that caused a rather unpleasant fish kill back around Spring Break. That should be over for the year, however. To be sure there are no advisories out for the beach you choose, see this site at the time of your planned trip: http://www.floridahealth.gov/enviro.../county-detail.html?County=Brevard&Zip=329340

 

[Capt_BJ]

the bloom was in the rivers inland of the ocean - primarily the Banana River

the nearest beach would be Jetty Park which sits adjacent to the south jetty at the port entrance. There is a per vehicle parking fee but I'd guess no fee for a drop off. There are showers, bathrooms, limited concessions and life guards
http://www.jettyparkbeachandcampground.com/

Next recommendation, just a few minutes down the road would be Cocoa Beach Pier: here again you'll find showers, bathrooms, lifeguards and a full range of concessions; no fee unless you need to park https://www.westgatedestinations.com/florida/cocoa-beach/cocoa-beach-pier/ http://www.surfline.com/surf-report/cocoa-beach-pier-florida_4421/

Third, a lil farther yet .. near Ron Jon ..Alan Shepard Park ... has facilities, parking is $$ but beach access is free and there is free parking not far away. Walking distance to Ron Jon . . http://www.beachhunter.net/cocoa-beach/shepard-park.htm

UBER is an option .. also try Cocoa Beach Shuttle http://www.cbshuttle.com/

 

[maryj11]

the bloom was in the rivers inland of the ocean - primarily the Banana River

the nearest beach would be Jetty Park which sits adjacent to the south jetty at the port entrance. There is a per vehicle parking fee but I'd guess no fee for a drop off. There are showers, bathrooms, limited concessions and life guards
http://www.jettyparkbeachandcampground.com/

Next recommendation, just a few minutes down the road would be Cocoa Beach Pier: here again you'll find showers, bathrooms, lifeguards and a full range of concessions; no fee unless you need to park https://www.westgatedestinations.com/florida/cocoa-beach/cocoa-beach-pier/ http://www.surfline.com/surf-report/cocoa-beach-pier-florida_4421/

Third, a lil farther yet .. near Ron Jon ..Alan Shepard Park ... has facilities, parking is $$ but beach access is free and there is free parking not far away. Walking distance to Ron Jon . . http://www.beachhunter.net/cocoa-beach/shepard-park.htm

UBER is an option .. also try Cocoa Beach Shuttle http://www.cbshuttle.com/

Thank you for all the information, this is very helpful.

 

[maryj11]

Cocoa has nice enough beaches; as the name implies, the sand is a tad brownish in color, as is the water at times, because of sediment from the rivers that empty into the ocean near there. It's on the Atlantic, so the waves are a little bigger and the water is colder than you would find on the Gulf Side, but not ferocious at all. I guess I find it hard to define a family-friendly beach except in terms of wave height suitable for toddlers -- what exactly are you looking for? (The beaches I personally tend to like best are fairly primitive; I don't like places that allow beach concession vendors.)

Like all public Florida beaches, Cocoa bans fires on the sand. You cannot drive on the beach there, either, though there are some places close by where it is allowed in certain areas. Also, no dogs are allowed on the beach itself.
This list notes the park areas that have public restrooms: http://www.beachhunter.net/orlando-beaches/best-beaches-on-cocoa-beach.html

Brevard did have an issue recently with a Brown Tide bloom that caused a rather unpleasant fish kill back around Spring Break. That should be over for the year, however. To be sure there are no advisories out for the beach you choose, see this site at the time of your planned trip: http://www.floridahealth.gov/enviro.../county-detail.html?County=Brevard&Zip=329340

Well I guess when I ask if it is a nice beach I mean a decent size and clean with no crazy people lol. We have been on the Atlantic side before a long time ago and the beach was narrow and not real nice to walk on.

 

[Capt_BJ]

beauty is in the eye of ...

but did you look at the web sites?

Jetty Park beach

looking off the pier

Shep' park looking back at the pier ...

This is all 'family friendly' altho you may find a younger crowd at the pier as it is popular with the surfer crowd, and there are beach volleyball courts. You can walk from the jetty area to Shep park and WELL beyond. Width of the beach differs in specific areas and with the tide .. driving on the beach is not allowed.


"because of sediment from the rivers that empty into the ocean near there." no ..... The port is to the north and there is a set of locks keeping the river "out" ... your "river" to the south is at Sebastian Inlet ... 40 miles away (the Gulf Stream means everything is moving generally north of course). What causes the water to appear dark is the fact that the ocean off Cocoa is fairly shallow for a good ways out. This is what makes the surfing conditions what they are .... if the surf is rolling, the bottom is getting stirred up ... sand is in suspension . . .

 

[betterbutter]

Is Cocoa Beach a nice beach or family friendly?

Very nice and very family friendly!

 

[maryj11]

beauty is in the eye of ...

but did you look at the web sites?

Jetty Park beach

looking off the pier

Shep' park looking back at the pier ...

This is all 'family friendly' altho you may find a younger crowd at the pier as it is popular with the surfer crowd, and there are beach volleyball courts. You can walk from the jetty area to Shep park and WELL beyond. Width of the beach differs in specific areas and with the tide .. driving on the beach is not allowed.


"because of sediment from the rivers that empty into the ocean near there." no ..... The port is to the north and there is a set of locks keeping the river "out" ... your "river" to the south is at Sebastian Inlet ... 40 miles away (the Gulf Stream means everything is moving generally north of course). What causes the water to appear dark is the fact that the ocean off Cocoa is fairly shallow for a good ways out. This is what makes the surfing conditions what they are .... if the surf is rolling, the bottom is getting stirred up ... sand is in suspension . . .

Thank you looks nice to me !

 

[NotUrsula]

There is sediment; though it does consist mainly of sand, it does get deposited by the Gulf Stream, and it does make the water shallow for quite a way out -- we essentially agree. Also, the barrier island is low, and agriculture is dominant in the nearby mainland area; so any time there is a storm some of the topsoil washes offshore. Beach nourishment is heavily used in the area because of erosion. Bottom line is there's a lot of soil there that originally came from somewhere else, whether put there by the hand of Nature or the hand of man.

I think Cocoa (and Brevard in general) has a perfectly lovely set of beaches, and I like them. I only mentioned the color because some people define "nice" as sugar-white sand and blue water.
I personally wouldn't go to Jetty Park for a one-day trip with small kids -- not because there is anything wrong with that beach (there isn't), but it does draw a lot of fishermen, and I find it a PITA to have to keep an eye out for fishing lines and lost gear when trying to deal with small kids. Most of the fisherman will be on the pier, but surf fishing is allowed, you will mostly see the surf fishermen early in the morning and at about dusk. Still, don't make a decision because of my opinion; my taste isn't necessarily yours. Here is the live feed for the 3 Jetty Park beachcams: http://www.visitspacecoast.com/beaches/surfspots-cams/jetty-park-surf-cam/

 

[maryj11]

There is sediment; though it does consist mainly of sand, it does get deposited by the Gulf Stream, and it does make the water shallow for quite a way out -- we essentially agree. Also, the barrier island is low, and agriculture is dominant in the nearby mainland area; so any time there is a storm some of the topsoil washes offshore. Beach nourishment is heavily used in the area because of erosion. Bottom line is there's a lot of soil there that originally came from somewhere else, whether put there by the hand of Nature or the hand of man.

I think Cocoa (and Brevard in general) has a perfectly lovely set of beaches, and I like them. I only mentioned the color because some people define "nice" as sugar-white sand and blue water.
I personally wouldn't go to Jetty Park for a one-day trip with small kids -- not because there is anything wrong with that beach (there isn't), but it does draw a lot of fishermen, and I find it a PITA to have to keep an eye out for fishing lines and lost gear when trying to deal with small kids. Most of the fisherman will be on the pier, but surf fishing is allowed, you will mostly see the surf fishermen early in the morning and at about dusk. Still, don't make a decision because of my opinion; my taste isn't necessarily yours. Here is the live feed for the 3 Jetty Park beachcams: http://www.visitspacecoast.com/beaches/surfspots-cams/jetty-park-surf-cam/

I knew the sand wouldn't be white or clear like the gulf side but just so has a big beach and is family friendly. Hmm we may not want to go to the Jetty Park if it is a place the fishermen use a lot.