EARLY itinerary for Orlando & Marathon in Dec/Jan.

Hi all

Here is our (2 adults, 2 kids aged 8 %26amp; 13) tentative EARLY itinerary....comments, suggestions, problems, please advise....I posted this to Orlando %26amp; Marathon forums.

Dec 24 - Leave Newfoundland 5am flight to West Palm. Pick up rent-a-car. Check in to Beachcomber in Pompano. Stop over to see sister-in-law in Boca Raton, then back to Beachcomber. (hopefully we can make arrangemants to have a xmas tree already put up in our room when we arrive! travelling with two kids, the 8 year wants Santa to know where she is!))

Dec 25 - Wake early at Beachcomber, then off to Boca Raton to spend Xmas day with sister-in-law, hubby %26amp; her kids, back to Beachcomber.

Dec 26 - Drive to ORLANDO! Check in to vacation house in Celebration, get settled, get groceries, wine, beer, snacks, jump in the pool.

Dec 27 - Magic Kingdom..lunch at Crystal Palace.

Dec 28 - Animal Kingdom...breakfast at TuskerHouse.

Dec 29 - Universal Studios

Dec 30 - Islands of Adventure

Dec 31 - EPCOT....Breakfast at Akershus. Dinner at Rose %26amp; Crown to view early Fireworks.

Jan 1 - Hollywood Studios

Jan 2 - Leave Celebration vacation house. Kennedy Space Centre tour. Stay at Clarion on Merrit Island Causeway.

Jan 3 - Drive to Keys...Marathon...Coco Plum...R-E-L-A-X. (yay!)

Jan 4 - Son to go scuba diving in afternoon, maybe?

Jan 5 - Maybe Dolphin Research Centre?

Jan 6 - Pigeon Key?

Jan 7- R-E-L-A-X...Key West day trip? maybe son dives again?

Jan 8 - Turtle Hospital?

Jan 9 - maybe son dives again?

Jan 10 - Leave Marathon...head back to Pompano and Beachcomber.

Jan 11-13 Pompano/Ft. Lauderdale/West Palm...shopping.

Jan 13 - Drop off car at Ft. Lauderdale Int%26#39;l, and fly back home to Newfoundland (and winter).

Would welcome suggestions for some restaurants in the Keys we could hit while we are there?

EARLY itinerary for Orlando %26amp; Marathon in Dec/Jan.

Restaurants: Marathon: Check:

Island Fisheries - Bay side about MM 54.5. Good food, they screwed up the view of the bay by adding a HUGE fricking dock. Looks ugly. Try the seafood boats for an appetizer.

Sparky%26#39;s Landing - In Key Colony Beach. From Coco Plum turn left and then turn left at the next stoplight. When you see the charter boats you%26#39;re there. I love the fish taco%26#39;s and we have come to CRAVE the tres leche for dessert.

Key Fisheries - 35th Street gulf side. I like the Stone Crab Chowder, the lovely buffettgal likes the lobster bisque. We normally then split a lobster rueben as well.

If you have a kitchen, there is a GREAT seafood place right on Coco Plum drive. Stop in at Captains Three Seafood.

EARLY itinerary for Orlando %26amp; Marathon in Dec/Jan.

Buffetguy you are a wealth of info!! Tres Leche??Three milk? Please explain! mmmmmm....Lobster...mmmmmmm....definetely a yes. and Captains Three Seafood?? Is it clearly marked? We will be staying at the Coco Plum Beach Villas, not the octagon shaped ones, but the condo unit next to Royal Plum - how far is it from there do you know?

OMG! You are going to be READY for your relaxing days in the Keys. I hope you make it after that Disney run!

Are you going to be alive to visit on the same day as travel TO the states? just a thought.

The Tres Leches at Sparky%26#39;s Landing is a Coconut Tres Leches - yes, 3 milk cake. One of the milks is coconut milk. yummmmmmyyyyy. Close to you in Key Colony Beach.

Capts Three is on your left hand side of Coco Plum (from US1) Not super marked, but you can find it. It%26#39;s before your condo. Not much on that road so it shouldn%26#39;t be a problem to find. Stone crab, snapper, shrimp, lobster etc.

Add a visit to Aqua Ranch in Grassy Key ( 5 mins from Coco Plum) It doesn%26#39;t take long, feed the Cobia. Inexpensive and fun. Across from Dolphin Research. Aqua Ranch is a must do.

Burdines has a fantastic Tuna Melt and other great sandwiches. It%26#39;s on 15th st. closer to 7 Mile bridge. Great place for lunch with a view, go on your Pigeon Key day. Castaway is right there too, great sushi and steaks +. Yes, Pigeon Key is a fun quick boat ride over and a good history lesson plus. Yes, Turtle Hospital is a good stop too. Crane Point has a nice trail/history/ cool bay area, take quarters to feed the snapper, %26amp; take the trail along the water behind the Crane House, not a well marked trail but nice when you find it. Try Kayaking with Marathon Kayaks.

Coco Plum beach is right past your condo on Coco Plum Rd, not sure if you can get to it from your condo, but the parking lot will be on your right. Sombrero Beach on Sombrero Beach rd is a fantastic beach for the Keys, be sure to check it out. Also, give yourself some time on the way to KW for Bahia Honda.

Do a day/afternoon in Islamorada. Good restaurants and shops for an afternoon. Island Grill (talking about Islamorada, not Marathons) Kaiyo, Uncles for food. Morada Bay for atmosphere and/or a cocktail, kids can play in the sand while you sit back and watch and relax.

Lor a lei for a cocktail, not for food. Robbie%26#39;s to feed the Tarpon. Theatre of the Sea is a good afternoon. Swim with Dolphins and/or Sea Lions. Lots of birds, great little beach area in back.

But, most of all after all that and all your are going to do in the Orlando area, relax and enjoy the warm sun.

Tres leche is a dessert we found when we were down in late August. I don%26#39;t know exactly what it is, but its a cake that is so moist you almost need a straw to eat it. YUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY.

I%26#39;m going to assume that Coco Plum Beach Villas is on Coco Plum Drive. It doesn%26#39;t have a huge sign out front, but you can%26#39;t miss it as you drive by. You aren%26#39;t more than 1/2 mile away from Captains Three (if I%26#39;m thinking of the right spot).

Coco Plum Drive is the first stoplight you come to after leaving islamorada. Basically the far upper end of Marathon. You will be maybe 10 minutes from the far lower end of Marathon.

Bluewater: How close are all those places you just listed to Lime Tree Bay Resort?

Lime Tree is about MM 68.

KCB is about MM 53.5 so figure 14 - 15 miles.

Oh yay! Nice and close. I can almost taste that triple leche desset thingy already!

Thanks for all of this. Very great indeed!

You know, we have been to the Keys about 4 times in total, but never with our kids, this will be their first time. In fact we got married on Red Reef Beach in Boca Raton and honeymooned in Key West, that was my first time there, and ever since experiencing the Keys, I absolutely feel in love with the place. It just reminds me so much of home, well, minus the fabulous weather (our climate sucks, big time)....but we share being on an island, a laid back atmosphere, friendly people (the people so much more friendly than anywhere else I%26#39;ve been in Florida), but you guys have the whole package, you have all that and plus the beautiful sunshine. You guys are so lucky to be able to live there! One day, in the near future, we plan to purchase a property there. We have NEVER been disappointed with the place. Never. So, for now, we just have the time to visit, and this particular time, to introduce our kids to the place, and hope they love as much we do.

On another note.....Google Earth ROCKS! I can see exactly where we will be staying, and the proximity of the other places. For anyone travelling, Google earth is an invaluable tool. Try it.

You may have already received this suggestion since you post on the Orlando forum, but I highly recommend buying a Disney guidebook containing park planners. Depending on the age of your children, and the attractions you are most interested in seeing, it will provide a plan for visiting each of the parks. The guide will also tell you the best day to visit each park. They are a huge timesaver. Use the plans, get to the parks early and get back to the house early enough in the day to relax and have some downtime. Otherwise, you and the kids will be totally exhausted after six parks in six days. It%26#39;s a Small World will play endlessly in your head, and everybody will go nuts.

Plan some downtime, relax, and enjoy our beautiful state.

I agree with all the above ideas and suggestions. Sombrero beach is a free beach and the kids go there a lot to snorkel. Of course it is not like the reef but it is a nice little beach in Marathon. Take the road next to Publix. My grandkids did the aqua ranch, they also have snorkeling and swim with the Cobia, they said they liked that best of everything they did in Marathon sooo might be a consideration. If you go to the turtle hospital you need advance reservations, when it first opened it wasnt so busy, now no reservation, no going thru it. Keys Fishery a must for one meal of lobster reuben, Burdines great for hamburgers or cheeseburgers. All food is great at both places.