St. Augustine or Key West after Disney World?

[Boopuff]

The Keys don't have great beaches at all. If you like boats/diving/drinking then the Keys is for you! I think the ages of your kids - St. Augestine is your best bet

 

[Calivalley1]

Given those two choices, I'd rather visit Key West. But Key West is a very long drive, and it's an expensive place to stay. Also, if you really think you'll never be back to Florida again (which would make me sad), I'd add days to the trip and do it right.
Disney and Universal have priced their tickets in such a way that doing BOTH PARKS in one trip is extremely expensive.

If you're considering other parks, don't neglect Sea World. And Discovery Cove, which is right there in Orlando and would appeal strongly to boys the age of yours.
I haven't been since I was a teen. I found the Space Center to be a snoozefest, but my four siblings loved it.
Agree.
I was going to suggest that too. The Everglades are a unique area /nothing similar on your end of the country.

But the place I'd really choose if I genuinely thought I'd never get back to Florida again is Dry Tortugas National Park. It's a national park that can only be accessed by ferry (or private plane). You can do a day trip, or you can camp. It's a remote-remote-remote area and -- again -- a genuinely unique place to visit. I like the history better than that of St. Augustine -- an old fort, the story of Dr. Samuel Mud, natural history. To visit Dry Tortugas, you'd need to start from Key West.

We've done Sea World in San Diego, so we're skipping it in Orlando.

Kennedy is a must--both of my boys love anything NASA/space related.

As long as we get a deal on Black Friday, we're definitely doing Discovery Cove. No one in my family has ever snorkeled. We're going to Oahu/Aulani in 2024 so I figure snorkeling at Discovery Cove would be a good introduction to it.

(**I'll be honest--we go to the beach near Santa Cruz/Monterey every summer and there is a lot of Great White activity in the area. I'm pretty scared of sharks and paranoid about my boys going out too far in the water so I'm not sure if we could snorkel in the Keys?? Is there shark activity there??)

 

[Calivalley1]

The Keys don't have great beaches at all. If you like boats/diving/drinking then the Keys is for you! I think the ages of your kids - St. Augestine is your best bet

Okay, we don't drink much, we wouldn't want to go diving, but we do like boats. My boys are very interested in taking out wave runners and having dolphins jump all around them (though I think that is a Gulf Coast thing, yes?)

 

[JimMIA]

(**I'll be honest--we go to the beach near Santa Cruz/Monterey every summer and there is a lot of Great White activity in the area. I'm pretty scared of sharks and paranoid about my boys going out too far in the water so I'm not sure if we could snorkel in the Keys?? Is there shark activity there??)

Generally no, and Great Whites are extremely rare. And we get those only occasionally in the winter.

Depending on where you go, you might see a shark occasionally. My favorite snorkeling area (Looe Key) has one section the dive boats call "Shark Alley." Always, always see several good sized sharks there. But generally they are either nurse sharks or reef sharks and don't pose any threat.

We had a person get bitten a couple of months ago at Sombrero Reef, 5 miles offshore near Marathon in the Middle Keys. I think that was a bull shark, but not sure. It was a nasty bite, but nothing life-threatening. Actually the Central Florida coast has a lot more shark problems than the Keys.

In contrast, I have NEVER been snorkeling anywhere in Florida without seeing barracuda. They're gruesome looking, but they won't bother you. But they are curious and have poor eyesight, so you might see them up close.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

As someone who lives in Florida & has been to both the Keys & St. Augustine a few times each, I'd choose the Keys for more of what people think of when they want to experience non-theme park Florida. St. Augustine is nice & fun, but it's very touristy. The beach area is definitely nicer though. The Keys have plenty of touristy stuff, but there's also a lot of natural Florida.

I agree with @JimMIA. To me, you're spending too much time in Orlando. If you want to do both waterparks, I'd combine those with the resort days. Obviously, you know your kids better than I do, but my DS would have been bored with 3 resort days in 12 days, when he was your kid's ages. The afternoon thunderstorms would be a good time to head back to the resort for the rest of the day. I'd keep KSC & Discovery Cove. If it were me, I'd skip Gatorland & go to the Everglades to see gators in their natural habitat & take the swamp boat tour there. A seaplane to Dry Tortugas from the Keys would most likely be one of the highlights of the trip.

You didn't ask, but I don't think you have enough time in Epcot. All that said, it sounds like you are planning an incredible trip.

 

[JimMIA]

We're throwing around Fort Jeff/Dry Tortugas without much explanation, and you need to understand what we're talking about.

Fort Jefferson is a Civil War era military fort and prison. It is located about 70 miles west of Key West -- which is why you have to fly or boat there.

You've heard the saying, "My name will be mud?" Well, that comes from Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, who treated John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Lincoln. Mudd was imprisoned at Fort Jefferson, but was later pardoned because he saved a lot of patients there during a yellow fever outbreak.

Here's a link to the NPS website for Dry Tortugas, and that page also has links to both the flights and boat trips.

https://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm

 

[Calivalley1]

As someone who lives in Florida & has been to both the Keys & St. Augustine a few times each, I'd choose the Keys for more of what people think of when they want to experience non-theme park Florida. St. Augustine is nice & fun, but it's very touristy. The beach area is definitely nicer though. The Keys have plenty of touristy stuff, but there's also a lot of natural Florida.

I agree with @JimMIA. To me, you're spending too much time in Orlando. If you want to do both waterparks, I'd combine those with the resort days. Obviously, you know your kids better than I do, but my DS would have been bored with 3 resort days in 12 days, when he was your kid's ages. The afternoon thunderstorms would be a good time to head back to the resort for the rest of the day. I'd keep KSC & Discovery Cove. If it were me, I'd skip Gatorland & go to the Everglades to see gators in their natural habitat & take the swamp boat tour there. A seaplane to Dry Tortugas from the Keys would most likely be one of the highlights of the trip.

You didn't ask, but I don't think you have enough time in Epcot. All that said, it sounds like you are planning an incredible trip.

Yeah, I've gone back and forth on adding an extra day to Epcot. I was worried about all the construction up front and how much of that would be finished by June 2022. I've read so many conflicting opinions on visiting Epcot in its construction state (though I _highly_ suspect that Test Track will be one of our favorite rides because Radiator Springs Racers is our favorite ride at DCA and we'll want to ride it as much as we can).

Imagine that Epcot in June 2022 looks _exactly_ like it does today--still worth 2 days there with kids??

Those 3 resort days are for my husband. We have very different travel styles--I like to go-go-go and he likes to sleep-swim-sleep : )

Even though we live in California, we've only done Disneyland as a family once (again, I love Disney/theme parks but husband is not a fan). I had us do 4 park days in a row (rope-drop-commando-style), and even with mid-day breaks at the hotel for lunch and a nap, by day 5 I couldn't convince them (not even the kids!) to go back for favorite rides even though we had tickets for 5 days.

Basically, I broke my family. I'm trying to make sure I don't over plan on this one and ensure that my husband will never do a Disney/theme park vacation with me again.

I'm thinking that we will do some of the other fun stuff on property for those days. For the resort day at AK Lodge, there seems to be a ton of resort activities. For our Boardwalk resort day, I thought we could rent a boat. For our Wilderness Lodge resort day, I want to monorail hop to check out the other resorts and end up at Ohana for dinner. Just kind of explore, you know?

I haven't had a local chime in on this--do you think St. Augustine is still doable and fun as a day trip from Orlando? I don't think we want to skip it entirely...

 

[Stratman50th]

We're throwing around Fort Jeff/Dry Tortugas without much explanation, and you need to understand what we're talking about.

Fort Jefferson is a Civil War era military fort and prison. It is located about 70 miles west of Key West -- which is why you have to fly or boat there.

You've heard the saying, "My name will be mud?" Well, that comes from Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, who treated John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Lincoln. Mudd was imprisoned at Fort Jefferson, but was later pardoned because he saved a lot of patients there during a yellow fever outbreak.

Here's a link to the NPS website for Dry Tortugas, and that page also has links to both the flights and boat trips.

https://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm

The best part of the Keys in my humble opinion is snorkeling around Ft Jefferson. That being said, if you take the ferry it's an all day trip. The float plane is cool, but pretty expensive. I've never stayed in a hotel there. We have an RV and we stay at Blue Water Key which is at MM 15. We did day trips into Key West from there but we aren't drinkers so not really our thing. JimMIA probably closest to it all so a reliable source. It's a 6 hour drive to Key West from where we live so not a weekend trip for us.
Anyway, to the OP, best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Calivalley1]

We're throwing around Fort Jeff/Dry Tortugas without much explanation, and you need to understand what we're talking about.

Fort Jefferson is a Civil War era military fort and prison. It is located about 70 miles west of Key West -- which is why you have to fly or boat there.

You've heard the saying, "My name will be mud?" Well, that comes from Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, who treated John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Lincoln. Mudd was imprisoned at Fort Jefferson, but was later pardoned because he saved a lot of patients there during a yellow fever outbreak.

Here's a link to the NPS website for Dry Tortugas, and that page also has links to both the flights and boat trips.

https://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm

I've read a whole bunch of blog posts that talk about how amazing Dry Tortugas is. That sort of location, something so completely different from where we live and what we've experienced, is really appealing.

 

[Calivalley1]

The best part of the Keys in my humble opinion is snorkeling around Ft Jefferson. That being said, if you take the ferry it's an all day trip. The float plane is cool, but pretty expensive. I've never stayed in a hotel there. We have an RV and we stay at Blue Water Key which is at MM 15. We did day trips into Key West from there but we aren't drinkers so not really our thing. JimMIA probably closest to it all so a reliable source. It's a 6 hour drive to Key West from where we live so not a weekend trip for us.
Anyway, to the OP, best of luck with whatever you decide.

Thank you! We're going to go watch a bunch of YouTube videos of all of these places to help with the decision. I will update this post once we've finished the vacation.

 

[HopperFan]

I haven't had a local chime in on this--do you think St. Augustine is still doable and fun as a day trip from Orlando? I don't think we want to skip it entirely...

Well I do the reverse, leaving St. Augustine to go to Disney. I have never done it as a day trip. While it shouldn't take 2 hours, it often does as the traffic in Orlando is terrible. I suppose you could drive 2 hours, wander historic district, do a few small things, eat and drive back. It would be a long day but doable if you don't mind up to 4 hours in the car.

 

[JimMIA]

Imagine that Epcot in June 2022 looks _exactly_ like it does today--still worth 2 days there with kids??

Those 3 resort days are for my husband. We have very different travel styles--I like to go-go-go and he likes to sleep-swim-sleep : )

Even though we live in California, we've only done Disneyland as a family once (again, I love Disney/theme parks but husband is not a fan). I had us do 4 park days in a row (rope-drop-commando-style), and even with mid-day breaks at the hotel for lunch and a nap, by day 5 I couldn't convince them (not even the kids!) to go back for favorite rides even though we had tickets for 5 days.

I suspect your husband will enjoy Epcot as much as the kids. Epcot is definitely NOT just about the kids.

I really enjoy lots of things at Epcot -- I could easily spend several days there, but the following are my faves:

• All of the country areas. In particular I love the movies at Canada and China, and the Matsuriza (traditional Japanese drums) performance at Japan. Each country area has its own flavor, of course, and I really enjoy them all. Also lots of amazing food!
• "Turtle Talk with Crush" at The Seas. This is a must-do for the kids and Mom and Dad will like it too.
• Soarin' at The Land -- I haven't seen the new "Around the World" Soarin', but the original was breathtakingly beautiful.
• The fireworks! No matter where you are around the lake, you are right in the middle of the amazing show.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Yeah, I've gone back and forth on adding an extra day to Epcot. I was worried about all the construction up front and how much of that would be finished by June 2022. I've read so many conflicting opinions on visiting Epcot in its construction state (though I _highly_ suspect that Test Track will be one of our favorite rides because Radiator Springs Racers is our favorite ride at DCA and we'll want to ride it as much as we can).

Imagine that Epcot in June 2022 looks _exactly_ like it does today--still worth 2 days there with kids??

Those 3 resort days are for my husband. We have very different travel styles--I like to go-go-go and he likes to sleep-swim-sleep : )

Even though we live in California, we've only done Disneyland as a family once (again, I love Disney/theme parks but husband is not a fan). I had us do 4 park days in a row (rope-drop-commando-style), and even with mid-day breaks at the hotel for lunch and a nap, by day 5 I couldn't convince them (not even the kids!) to go back for favorite rides even though we had tickets for 5 days.

Basically, I broke my family. I'm trying to make sure I don't over plan on this one and ensure that my husband will never do a Disney/theme park vacation with me again.

I'm thinking that we will do some of the other fun stuff on property for those days. For the resort day at AK Lodge, there seems to be a ton of resort activities. For our Boardwalk resort day, I thought we could rent a boat. For our Wilderness Lodge resort day, I want to monorail hop to check out the other resorts and end up at Ohana for dinner. Just kind of explore, you know?

I haven't had a local chime in on this--do you think St. Augustine is still doable and fun as a day trip from Orlando? I don't think we want to skip it entirely...

I honestly don't know when Epcot's construction is predicted to be completed. As it is now, I wouldn't spend two days. I wouldn't expect it to be the same in June of 2022 though. You may find your kids enjoy World Showcase more than you expected. My DS enjoyed it at that age & it focused much more on education back then. It's more "fun" for kids now. One of the things he really enjoyed was eating the different foods & feeling like he was in a different country for just a little while. Only you know, if your kids would enjoy that.

Just a thought, but could the kids & you go to the water parks in the morning, then join dad in the afternoon? That may be the best of both worlds. Most things you have planned at the resorts could be done then. I do agree that AKL would be the best option for a total resort day.

IMO, with an early morning & late evening, you could definitely hit the highlights in St. Augustine on a daytrip. If you also want to see the beach, that would have to be mostly a drive-by visit. It really depends on how much you want to see.

 

[Bibbobboo2u]

DH and I love going to Key West. I am actually planning a trip there now to take the place of an upcoming DCL cruise we have decided to cancel. It is a unique place, but as someone else noted, the beaches are not the greatest. We don't even use them when in town. We have done the jet ski trip around the island, sea kayak tour of natural preserves, snorkeling, and a variety of private fishing trips. We have also visited the Dry Tortugas, and the snorkeling was really nice. There were a lot of different corals and reef fish. The fort was interesting, too. However, I do think Key West is definitely geared more towards adults, though you do see people vacationing with children, too. Rooms can be quite expensive. The food is amazing, especially if you like seafood - fresh huge pink shrimp, hogfish, yellow tail snapper. I don't know current fishing rules, but we caught our own, and our hotel prepared it for us. Most restaurants in the area will do this for you, or at least they would pre-Covid. If you are into non-beach water activities, Key West has a lot to offer. It is a long drive, though. We typically fly but have driven once, and the drive through the Keys was very, very slow. We are actually considering another trip to St. Augustine, as the fort is interesting, and we enjoyed our trip there. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Best of luck with your decision!
ETA: You mentioned sharks, and I did want to say that we have seen sharks on all of our fishing trips out of Key West, as well as our kayaking trip. Apparently, the area is a "nursery" for some species of sharks to have their pups, due to the warm, shallow waters (at least that is what we were told by one of our guides). I don't know if there are necessarily more in the area than other places, though, so I would not let that be a deciding factor.

 

[loves to dive]

You've been given some great advice. I live in Georgia but have been to St. Augustine and the Keys a number of times. We used to go down to the keys often to go diving, so as far as sharks, I can't say I've seen a lot of them there.

The beaches in California are very different than Florida. I've been to California a lot too (I was actually born in Cucamonga before it was Rancho) but we left when I was 3. We did vacation there a few times when we lived in NM. The water in California is cold, in Florida not so much. While there are a few waves on the Atlantic side of Florida (not any on the Gulf side) they are nothing compared to Cali. St. Augustine has a number of really good beaches. The Keys, not so much.

The Keys do feel like old Florida that you might imagine as you drive through, little bitty hamlets tucked aside. I really didn't enjoy diving in the Keys very much, there is a lot of run off from the land and the water can be murky unless you get far enough out (which we were able to do on dive boats). Key West wasn't great for me and I'm an adult and do enjoy a refreshing adult beverage. The houses are cute and colorful and it is quirky. When my son was your kids ages, St. Augustine was one of his favorite places. He loves history and we would spend a lot of time just wandering around, we might have re-enacted a battle or two at the Fort.

If you go to the Keys, keep in mind while the drive isn't that long, you will be stuck in the car with the boys, so you have to consider how they do on road trips. You can't go wrong with either place but if hubby is wanting a lot of down time, all the boat rides and going to Dry Tortuga combined with the drive, might not appeal to him.

Either way, it sounds like an epic vacation and I wish I was going with ya'll.

 

[JimMIA]

If you decide to do the Keys, there are two mandatory stops on the way down.

The first one is Robbie's, for the boys to feed the tarpon by hand. Robbie's address says Islamorada, but it's actually just across a bridge on Lower Matecumbe Key.

We don't eat at Robbie's. We fished at Robbie's once, and won't again. We just go for the kiddie fun and pix (altho this is stolen from Google Images).



And the second is the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key. Just drive into the residential area north of US 1 and you will see full-grown adult deer the size of large dogs!



You don't FEED the Key Deer -- that's illegal because they are an endangered species. This is a pic of a wildlife worker administering medication to a full-grown buck because of an infection that hit the population a few years ago.

 

[MrsPete]

I've driven in the Bay area, and it's much busier than Miami - Keys.

I don't think the issue with driving is traffic ... it's the 6 1/2 hours between Orlando and the Keys.

My boys are very interested in taking out wave runners and having dolphins jump all around them (though I think that is a Gulf Coast thing, yes?)

In the interest of keeping expectations realistic:
- You're not going to have dolphins "jumping all around" your jet skis. You may or may not see them at all, and -- if you do -- they won't come right up to your jet ski. Their chances of touching sea life is much better at Discovery Cove. Or can they do something like a sting ray cruise out of the Keys?
- I'm pretty sure your boys are too young to drive a wave runner; they can, however, ride as a passenger. Does Disney still rent the little "Mouse Boats" on their big lake?

We're throwing around Fort Jeff/Dry Tortugas without much explanation, and you need to understand what we're talking about.

This place is fantastic. A couple things to know:
- You must take a ferry boat out to the island; it's something like a 2-hour ride, and it's a fun ride. They serve food onboard, and they have bathrooms and showers.
- Once you arrive, you can tour the old fort, which is super cool.
- They only allow a small number of people on the island each day, and it feels like you have the place to yourself.
- They have beaches and snorkeling.
- If you choose to camp, it's primitive. They limit the number of people who can camp, so it's very quiet. No electricity, no lights. You can fish, and you can SEE the stars.
- It's the complete opposite of touristy.

Basically, I broke my family. I'm trying to make sure I don't over plan on this one and ensure that my husband will never do a Disney/theme park vacation with me again./QUOTE]Always make sure your vacation "offers something" for each family member.

And the second is the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key.

Yes! That's an absolute must do.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

The Keys are amazing I get down there every chance I get.. especially since he is s pool guy.
Crystal clear water bungalows


We also like getting boats out to the Bahamas from fort Lauderdale.
Swim with the pigs

( we live in South Florida)

 

[kymom99]

Are park hoppers not an option? For a trip this long, I would love the flexibility myself

 

[Calivalley1]

Are park hoppers not an option? For a trip this long, I would love the flexibility myself

Are park hoppers not an option? For a trip this long, I would love the flexibility myself

I still might get hoppers (depends on how things go for the EMH schedule) but we tried to keep our park days close to the resort we are staying at just to keep transportation easier/quicker.



Holy smokes, what a great group of people here. I really appreciate how you all took the time to offer some really thorough advice. I had my husband read through this whole thread then watch some YouTube videos and we decided--can't do it all in one trip!

We decided to add on St. Augustine to this trip and come back to do Miami/Everglades/Key West without the kids. We try to get a 5-6 day vacation in just us each January, so we'll come back and do this part of Florida in 2024.

I will be sure to update this post about how the St. Augustine portion of our vacation went after we get back.

Thanks again!