GioiaMia
Let's Go Rangers!
Member since 1/07 14818 total posts
Name:
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Florida Review! Naples, DISNEY and every rest stop on i95! LOL
Drive Down:
Had a great drive! Brought a few things to entertain DD and some snacks and she was SO good. . . we had to take a few potty breaks but overall it was a great drive.
Hampton Inn Santee SC: Clean, nice staff, seconds off i95 (Thanks to all those who recommended it!) Also close to CRACKER BARREL!!!!!
Naples, FL: stayed with family
Naples Zoo: GREAT zoo! We saw a great show and the monkeys are on islands and you take a little boat tour, its sooo awesome! Very beautiful area too.
Sanibel/Captiva Islands; JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge: WOW! BEAUTIFUL area, you drive through and stop where you want and great for bird watching. There are no picnic tables so we ate by the car and were just super careful not to leave any food/trash behind.
Disney!
RESORT:
Port Orleans French Quarter: WOW! BEAUTIFUL and CLEAN resort. QUIET, we did not see anyone near our building or hear anyone the whole time! It was so peaceful and I loved the rooms.
FOOD:
Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory (at POFQ): YUMMY food like gumbo, jambalaya and of course. . .BEIGNETS!
MK Columbia Harbour House: great lobster roll!
Riverside Boatwrights: Great atmosphere and great food. DH got crawfish and I got beef tenderloin. . .also some great desserts like bananas foster and creme brulee, two of my favorites.
MK Sleep Hollow Waffles: its waffles with nutella, strawberries and bananas . .. do I really have to review this?! LOL
MK Dinner with the Princesses at the Royal Table: OMG! Ok food was great and all. . .but really WOW! WHAT A VIEW! We made a 5:30 reservation and got to see the sun set over MK from the CASTLE!!!!!! It was so beautiful! Princesses were really great with DD, she loved this part.
Chef Mickey's (at the Contemporary): nice breakfast buffet and GREAT character interaction.
Bongo's (Downtown Disney): our hands down favorite! AMAZING Cuban food and GREAT DRINKS (DD was asleep for dinner, we got to eat outside on the water and it was almost romantic! LOL) Lots of chances to sample different things. . . just loved everything about this place.
Big River Grille (Disney's Boardwalk): Good American food, soooo nice to sit on the boardwalk.
Disney Dining Plan: If you feel like it, you can make it totally worth it by figuring out snack credits for breakfast etc. . .however, that's not how we vacation. I do think we saved money but it wasn't enough for us (we used it up a day early LOL) but it was nice to kind of splurge on teh character meals and not have to think about every penny.
RECREATION:
MK: It was my first time there and it was amazing! We had very low crowds and got to enjoy so much. Love the castle shows, parades and of course the nighttime fireworks were spectacular!!
Fantasia Gardens mini golf: adorable little course, DD had a great time! I stink at mini golf LOL
Downtown Disney: WOW this was the biggest surprise. . .maybe it was the margaritas LOL but we had such a great time here! lots of DJs/bands along the streets and just a great atmosphere. . .felt like our pre-DD vacations! (She also slept through all of it, woohoo! LOL)
Disney's Boardwalk: Gorgeous, we took about an hour walk around the whole loop and it was beautiful, really enjoyed it. Another nice surprise!
Transportation:
Everyone who knows me was shocked by this but. . . the bus transportation was great! Never waited more than 5 minutes, and always got a seat. We actually made friends and talked to many people on the 10 minute ride and loved it!
Boats to Downtown Disney and Riverside: our room was right by the dock and it was such a BEAUTIFUL (but chilly) way to travel, it made it very special. . . loved it!
MISC:
Don't skimp on the stroller!!!! DD fell asleep in her umbrella stroller in the Naples Zoo and was SOOOO uncomfortable!!! I panicked and called Orlando Stroller Rental. They had the stroller at my hotel the next day, and we dropped it off in the baggage room at the end of our trip. It was reasonable, CLEAN and I am so glad we did it. DD slept about three hours a day in it!
You can get bed rails! It was great, DD got her own Queen sized bed and I didn't have little feet up my nose the whole night! lol
Drive Up:
Hampton Inn Fayetteville i95: CLEAN, nice staff, but this one was like a motel with doors opening into the parking lot and it was a little loud for us especially since we were trying to get DD to go to sleep early. BUT, guess what? also close to CRACKER BARREL! lol
OVERALL, AMAZING. We had a great time and we look forward to doing it again (in the future).
We were in Disney for five nights, with only two days work of tickets. . . it was MORE than enough for us. Please let me know if you have any questions b/c I would love to talk about my vacation all day! 
How could I forget my travel agent? Kerri was SO great to work with, I was messaging her daily at the end - even on my way down LOL it was my first time so she gave me great advice and she got us a really great room!
www.facebook.com/MickeysDreamVacationsbyKerri
She also kept track of deals so that my price was lowered a few times AND I was able to add the dining plan.
Message edited 1/29/2013 1:09:22 PM.
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GioiaMia
Let's Go Rangers!
Member since 1/07 14818 total posts
Name:
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Re: Florida Review! Naples, DISNEY and every rest stop on i95! LOL
Posted by forevermylilgirls
Glad you had fun!!!!!! Next time I go back I think I will go to DTD. I didn't do that last time. Is it good for the kiddies?!
YES! Once DD woke up (LOL) we found this DJ and he was playing all of this music and had the kids playing hula hoop games . .. DD loved it. There was also a few fountains (too cold to go in for us) and this hot air balloon that is tied to the ground so you can see all of Disney, its really nice!
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