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Valju08

7 posts

2025-05-16

Hi everyone, We’re planning a trip to Florida during Belgium’s Carnival break, from February 14 to March 1, 2025. I’d love your help putting together our itinerary and getting ideas for family-friendly places to stay 😊 We’ll likely book a multi-destination flight, arriving in Miami and departing from Orlando. Here’s what we’d really love to do: - Visit beaches like Sanibel Island—we’re huge shell collectors 🐚 - See alligators in the Everglades and take a tour there - Spend some downtime in the Keys to relax a bit - Head to the Kennedy Space Center since my son is obsessed with astronauts and rockets - Maybe hit one of Orlando’s theme parks (we were leaning toward Universal, but the prices are just outrageous 😬) - Explore some cool spots in Miami.

We’d also prefer not to switch hotels too often—maybe at least two nights in each place? And no more than a 3-hour drive between stops.

Here’s our rough plan so far: Day 1–3: Miami Day 3–5: Keys Day 5–7: Everglades, Naples, and Sanibel Island Day 7–11: ??? Day 11–14: Orlando and Kennedy Space Center

As you can see, I’m not sure whether to add more days to the places we’re already visiting or if we should swing by Clearwater or somewhere else? Thanks in advance for your tips and recommendations!

Val

CA Caussat Globetrotter ·2025-05-17

I assume you're talking about February 14 to March 1, 2026 ;)

For flights, you could also check round-trip tickets from Miami if they were cheaper and had better schedules. The Orlando-Miami route is easy, and you can keep Miami for the end, so you're already there for your return flight.

Overall, the time spent at each place seems reasonable. Clearwater isn’t worth it, but nearby there’s Honeymoon Island, which has a bit of an end-of-the-world vibe. Personally, I love the Gulf side of Mexico for beaches, especially St. Pete Beach. We swam there in April—I’m not sure about February.

To avoid changing hotels too often, a round trip to KSC (Kennedy Space Center) from Orlando is doable. You could also consider a Cirque du Soleil show there.

For the remaining days, a day at Weeki Wachee. It’s delightfully kitschy. And right next door, a half-day kayaking trip.

Valju08 ·2025-05-17

Thanks for your feedback!

Yes, you're right—it was a mistake, and it should be 2026 :)

For flights, I wanted to avoid the drive between Orlando and Miami "for nothing" and save on gas and the car since I’m not sure yet if I’ll keep it every day in Orlando 😅

Val

Benishoes Regular ·2025-05-17

I agree with Caussat about the Miami-to-Miami loop—it works well for a Florida tour. However, St. Pete Beach in February is freezing. The city is pretty, with the Dali Museum worth seeing. For nicer beaches, Naples is great (but expensive!) even though it’s changed over the years, and Ian didn’t help matters. At Cocoa Beach for KSC, I loved staying at The Inn at Cocoa Beach near the beach in 2016 (super cozy, but not sure if it’s still there)—though the surrounding town isn’t great. Miami can be fun to visit, but South Beach with kids? Beyond the beach, I don’t see much appeal.

Valju08 ·2025-05-17

I’ll admit that Miami is kind of our thing 😄 It’s our first big trip since we had our son, and I’ll admit I want to enjoy it too, haha! We used to travel a lot before, so we’re trying to ease back into it. I’m still debating whether to do the Miami-Miami loop just to avoid the drive between Orlando and Miami—I’m not sure what’s better? 🤔

Val

Benishoes Regular ·2025-05-17

The loop lets you explore all four corners of the state—if you want to hit at least Miami, the Everglades, Orlando, KSC, but also the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches, maybe the Keys.

Cedk03 Regular ·2025-05-18

Hi there,

I’m heading out next year for roughly the same route as you. (Miami-Keys-west coast-Orlando)

Booking a multi-destination flight can save you a day on the ground depending on your planned schedule, unless you’re planning to do sightseeing on the Orlando-Miami leg?

The drop-off fees for the rental car are “hidden” in the total price when comparing to a round trip (in my case).

I found direct flights to and from Orlando expensive, so I opted for a departure from Tampa instead—it’s a reasonable distance away and helps lower the fare. I’m leaving in the early evening, which gives me plenty of time for the drive.

Cédric.

CA Caussat Globetrotter ·2025-05-18

+1 for flights departing from Tampa too, if there are any. I've done it before, but only for domestic flights.

The drop-off fees for the car are "invisible" in the total price when comparing to a loop

I agree with you. For travel within Florida, it might even be possible there aren’t any fees at all. My reply was about flight tickets.

Cedk03 Regular ·2025-05-19

Discover Airlines (Lufthansa) offers direct flights to Tampa. (I’m leaving from Frankfurt)

It’s still really convenient to be able to juggle between several nearby airports.

Cédric.

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