WDW Trip Next Week -- OCEAN question

[KSU4TC]

We're coming down to Florida Saturday and are thinking of sneaking away to a beach for a couple hours before hitting all the parks Mon - Fri.

Anyway, which is the closest beach from Orlando? Quickest, as far as driving time?

Thanks for any replies!

 

[ILMICKEY]

Probably 45 min to an hour, either direction, you will hit beach. It takes us an hour to drive from Daytona to WDW.

 

[fla4fun]

Cocoa Beach is the closest. It will take 45-60 minutes to drive there from Disney, depending on traffic. If you are going from the Disney area, I would take the Osceola Parkway to SR417 (toll), then exit off of SR417 to SR528 (toll) east. That way you bypass the bottleneck toll booths on SR528 in front of Orlando International.

Daytona Beach will take at least an hour, longer if you get caught up in rush hour on I-4.

The gulf coast beaches are about two hours away. You would take I-4 west to I-275. Exit I-275 on to Ulmerton Road and head west. You will dead end at Gulf Blvd., and can head either north or south.

The Atlantic beaches are better for surfing and the Gulf beaches are better for shelling.

 

[Sorsha]

Hello! Flor more information on this, you might check out this recent thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1436406 where we have been discussing just that.
FWIW here's what I posted over there.

We used to live out on the Space Coast, in the Melbourne area. Absolutely gorgeous beaches, and lots of other fun stuff in the area to do as well. If you want more info on the things to do in that area, just let me know.
From Kissimmee, get on the 192 (one of the main east-west highways in Kissimmee) and head east. You will stay on the 192 all the way out, eventually it will cross all the way over to the coast. Most of the beaches there are free and have very good public access. From the beaches, you can get on the A1A and head north to Cocoa (Kennedy Space Center) and Daytona Beach, and be sure to check out what may be one of the biggest RonJon surf shops *I* have ever been in! LOL
The drive from Kissimmee out to the beach will take about 1 1/2 hours, depending on Traffic.
I remember there being lots of hotel/resorts out on the beaches, both small independnt places, and larger chain hotels. Of course, as near Disney, there are LOTS of vacations homes/condos available to rent as well.
Have fun!

 

[makinorlando]

We like Canaveral National Seashore - it's a natural beach rather than the populated and commercial Cocoa Beach. http://www.nps.gov/cana/

Lodging would be a few miles away again in contrast to Cocoa were lodging is everywhere.

It is close to Cape Canaveral and you can see the shuttle launch pads as you drive in.

Here's a link to some photos I took this past October.
http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e291/makasper/Merritt_Island_Refuge_Canaveral_Natl_Seashore/

DD10 and I were there for a bit on Sunday and she said the water was great.

 

[contempory4me]

Anyway, which is the closest beach from Orlando? Quickest, as far as driving time?

New Smyrna is the quickest, its on the East Coast, not as pretty as the west coast beaches but plenty of sand and water

 

[Bust*A*Stitch]

I second the Cape area, there is a nice little beach right outside of the inlet that the DCL cruise ships use, and of course you can see the ships also.=D

http://www.twopalms.com/

http://www.opusad.com/radissonwebcam/

These are some webcams of the area.

 

[Disney"5"]

I was told by a travel agent that the beaches around Tampa were the prettiest.) Like Crystal Beach(?) But I am going to check out some of these other suggestions, because we also are going to stay a day or 2 before our Disney trip, and we don't know much about where to go.