DW Community Catch-up Thread
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The Keys are really far from Orlando. Key West is probably 7 hours. The top of the keys is probably about 5. And that’s if you hit traffic decently.
The closest cruise port would be in Cape Canaveral, super close to Orlando and you can easily do a few day cruise for on the cheap.
I really like St. Petersburg.
I haven’t been, but Amelia Island is supposed to be good. And I once stayed in a cool castle-like hotel in St. Augustine.
Marco Island and Naples are good spots too, but that would also be a really far drive from Orlando.
I lived for 5 years in Stuart, FL (By West Palm Beach) and worked the conference circuit for my company. I’ve been to a lot of places in FL.
The thing you have to remember with cruising, the base price is almost always extremely reasonable. They get you on the extras – the excursions and the alcohol. So if you are big drinkers, the drink package is definitely worth it.
Is this long weekend going to be your honeymoon? If so, and none of the nearby options appeal to you two, you could consider pushing it back a bit to save up for what you actually want to do.
One of my oldest friends lives in FL now and it’s where she met her now-husband. They go to Disney allllll the time — like probably one weekend/month — and I think it’s so weird.
@Copa – yeah, don’t get me started on the Disney thing. It’s not my idea of a great way to spend my time or money but it’s his sister and I’m not going to give her any reason to be mad at us so we will go with a smile on our faces and witness this wedding. She just picked a very expensive place to get married and for us all to travel to.
Yes, this long weekend might be our honeymoon. We considered putting it off even more (we are getting married in March and sister’s wedding is in May) but we are also going to try to start a family soon after our wedding and I guess selfishly we want to have a trip before we get pregnant – even though getting pregnant very well might take a while so it might not even matter. Savannah was on my list of places we could try and he’s super into NASA so Cape Canaveral also sounds nice. We just want somewhere to decompress for a bit. 2019 was rough.
I love Savannah. We visit there (well, Hilton Head, but we fly into Savannah and spend some time there) annually. The husband just bought tickets for our April trip!!
So… today is my 40th!! I celebrated with a fantastic brunch with all my girlfriends on Saturday at a fabulous restaurant!! And the husband and I leave for Kenya/Tanzania on Saturday!!!
That’s fair, I get it. Sucks that it will be so expensive to attend your SIL’s wedding, too — the older I get, the more frustrated I am by weddings and pre-wedding events that add up for guests. I think Savannah would be a great honeymoon spot regardless of SIL’s plans. It was laid back, and we had great food and drinks while there. Did a plantation tour. Did a day trip to Hilton Head and a river cruise. Ate my own weight in pralines. May would probably be great weather, too.
Happy bday, @ktfran! How long will you be in Kenya/Tanzania? I’m assuming it’s a safari and I’m so jealous. I wanted to go to Kruger so bad when I was in South Africa last year but I couldn’t make it work. I told BG I want to go on a safari either for his 40th (a couple years away) or for our honeymoon.
Thanks V!
Today I’m celebrating by nursing my effing 40 year old back, which I threw out right before my brunch on Saturday. I’m fairly certain I got through that party on muscle relaxers and champagne.
Yes to everything Copa said about Savannah. If I were to choose a trip that’s drivable from Orlando, Savannah is where it’s at!!
Thanks @copa! We’re strictly Safari, minus the first night in Nairobi. I remember you went to South Africa. I like the “big trip” ideas for 40ths!!
I will also say, I was VERY impressed by the public beach at Hilton Head. It was clean. There was a free parking lot, and we didn’t even have to get there early to nab a great spot. It was Fourth of July weekend and I was expecting a giant clusterfuck, but it was actually fine. Not overly-crowded. They also had beach chairs and umbrellas set up for rent. A lifeguard comes up and down the beach to rent them out — something like $20/day — so literally all you have to do is park yourself in an available spot and wait to be taken care of. Zero issues getting a spot on the beach late morning of a holiday weekend. I was the sole fair-skinned one amongst my friends on that trip and was majorly relieved to have shade on such a hot day at the beach. The water was warm and calm. There was good seafood nearby. I lived in Southern California for a few years as a kid and I remember weekends at the beach well, but it was always a production because you had to lug your own everything — chairs, umbrellas, towels, food, drinks. This was awesome by comparison.
I’d have biked around Savannah if it hadn’t been 110+ degrees. We rented a car for two of the days we were there for excursions and they upgraded us to a convertible for free. We were so excited but learned the hard way that top down in 110 degrees isn’t delightful.
@Veritek – if you choose to stay in Florida and do the NASA thing, Canaveral National Seashore is a beautiful beach too, and would be pretty deserted in May! My in-laws have a condo in New Smyrna Beach, which is just north of Canaveral Nat’l Seashore, and is a cute little beach town if that’s your thing. The only drawback is that it’s a beach that people can drive onto and park, which can be a little bit of a bummer especially when it gets crowded on weekends. Otherwise I agree that Savannah could be really nice! Also, I missed it earlier, but so sorry to hear about your pup. Losing a furry friend is just the worst.
@ktfran, happy birthday! Jealous of your trip – I spent a semester in Kenya in college, and LOVED IT. It’s just the most magical place ever. We were near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro on the Kenya side and it’s simply gorgeous. When my daughter gets older I want to take her for a long trip. My 40th is this summer and we’re going to Banff! I’m stoked.
