Beach?

Just my opinion: Skip the beach. There are beaches everywhere. Disney World is only at Disney World. And you will have no trouble finding a week's worth of activity at Disney World. And those water parks will help fill the beach craving.

So obviously I can't help you choose a beach, never been to one in that part of Florida.

Cocoa Beach for sure! It's on the Atlantic. But if you'd rather go to the gulf (you'regoing to get less waves, maybe nicer sand), II'm going to say Clearwater. Fort DeSoto on the Gulf side is also great if you're a nature fan. A really great state park there. All beaches, I must recommend you try to avoid the weekends, as they can get pretty crowded.

We are doing the weekend at Clearwater before Disney in Sept because it is so close and we love the gulf. It's also a great place to go see Winter the dolphin from the movie "A Dolphin Tale" .

We also Love Cocoa Beach and do that one when we don't have the kids. The pier is great and they usually have fresh catch lobsters on Friday nights for $10 at the Pier Restaurants.

My Hubby is from Washington State too and loves the gulf for the white sand and warm waters!

Worth remembering that pretty much any beach is 1.5 hours away. So be ready to drive for three hours. I'd go Cocoa, but that's because I'm a teen and even those five foot waives at Cocoa get me excited. Clearwater is more relaxing in the water, but usually fairly packed.

Orlando is a lot closer to the Atlantic Ocean than the Gulf. I agree that once the kids go to one of the water parks they may change their minds.

If you're looking for warm water and pretty sand, I'd stick with the Gulf side. If you're looking for woo-hoo waves and body surfing, you're better off with Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic side. I think either one would make a good day trip if you're willing to get up early and drive a bit. The Clearwater area is about 90 minutes from Disney (give or take) and you can be to Cocoa Beach in just about an hour. Jetty Park near Port Canaveral looks extremely nice as well and you might see some of the cruise ships heading out in the afternoons.

Being local in Tampa, I agree with the beaches named. Cocoa is a good choice, and a little closer. There's a nice pier and restaurants etc. I however am more of a Clearwater fan, especially if you are looking for more entertainment. Clearwater has the Aquarium with Winter, and at Pier 60 there is a street fair every night with live music and lots and lots of vendors and street performers. There's also a huge marina where you can do deep sea fishing, take a buffet dinner cruise, rent jet skis, take a pirate ship cruise or a dolphin cruise. There is a lot to do and many good restaurants - Crabby Bill's, Frenchy's or Sheppards to name a few. We were just there the other day for the sunset which is absolutely gorgeous. There's also a snack bar, bathrooms and showers. You'll want to rinse off before the drive back to Orlando.

If you want pizza Cristiano's is an absolute gem. I go every time I'm in the area. Dragged my whole family there last time.

I keep considering adding a beach trip to an upcoming vacation. My biggest problem is that I don't really like the beach, I just love looking at it, so I need to find a lovely high end resort with a pool & deck right on the ocean. That way I can have a wonderful time relaxing a the beach without having to deal with sand.

I'm with you Kristen not a fan of fan of sand.

If that is what you are looking for, and are just wanting to go to the beach and not on a Disney trip. I suggest hitting the beaches around where we live here in Pensacola, Florida. Maybe Destin, Orange Beach or Perdido Key. Huge high rise resorts right on the Gulf. But you don't have to go to the beach if you don't want to.

Loads of decks, patios, balconies, etc. etc. to enjoy the view without the beach and sand. Hey, some people are just like that. We live about 50 yards from the Gulf of Mexico and we hardly go out there. Unless we have visitors or friends over. Spoiled I guess as we see it every day.