Clueless family thinking about Disney in late May, maybe also the Keys. Please advise.

[Harriet Vane]

We are thinking of heading down to Disney the week before Memorial Day.

 

Will it be crowded? If we bought tickets for Wed-Thurs (before), will we get an icky Memorial Day crowd?

 

Are the Florida Keys a cool destination, or will they be filled with post-exam partying college students? 

 

Our dd is not a beach fan. We will definitely go to the beach, but we do not want the beach to be the focus of the whole vacation. (Hence, Disney...) We are thinking of spending perhaps three days in the Keys???

 

We are looking for a vacation that is purely fun and lighthearted.

 

Any and all Disney or Keys tips are heartily appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Mama Geek]

There isn't a lot of real beach in the Keys and there is lots to do depending on how much you want to spend.  Scuba, snorkeling, jet ski, flight seeing, Key deer, and then lots of stuff in Key West.  There are lots of waterfront hotels in the Keys, just no real beaches.  It is beautiful and a lot of fun.  I've been to Disney and really don't like the heat or the crowds or the waiting in line.  I don't know how the Keys are for college kids at that time of year.

[3 ladybugs]

I was in the keys for thanksgiving and it was heaven! I agree, not much beach down there, but still nice. It will hot in the keys then. I think you would get southern families too as I think schools get out around then in the south.

 

Sounds fun, but I would go in November and not May.

[bettyandbob]

Are you planning to combine the two destinations. I don't think of WDW as close to the Keys. I think it will be a full day of travel to get between the two.

 

There are beaches within 1-2 hours drive of WDW.

[Joker]

The Keys and Disney are not all that close. We lived in FL for ten years (just moved) and enjoyed both but would go back to the Keys in a heartbeat. We didn't stay in Key West, too touristy, but loved Marathon and the rest of them. We also went to the Everglades and had an airboat tour that was awesome!

Edited January 4, 2016 by Joker

[Reflections]

Yes, the distance between Disney and the keys is sorta like this:  Kissimmee to Miami - 6hours, Miami to Key West another 3.  It's a long drive.

 

The keys are great, but if you're going to Disney first and want to go to the beach, hit a beach closer. If you go to the east coast, hit Cocoa Beach or Daytona.  If you go west coast, hit St. Petersburg.

 

My all time favorite beach in Florida is Sanibel Island.  Which is an island off the west coast near Ft. Myers below Tampa.  http://sanibel-captiva.org/

 

However, it's a pretty fair drive from Disney to Sanibel. About 3 hours.

[katilac]

Apparently I went to a different Key than everyone else, because I certainly remember sitting on the beach, lol. 

 

I think it was Key Largo? It was a long time ago, but there was definitely a beach and gorgeous water for swimming and snorkeling. It's very possible that it was a private, man-made beach (with sand pumped in). 

 

Sanibel Island is indeed amazing, and great for finding shells (very fun to see the wide variety you can find even if you don't keep them). 

 

Here's a link to the Sanibel site: http://www.sanibelisland.com/

 

and another link to the beaches closest to Disney: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/beach/orl-closestorlando-story-story.html

 

 

[kroe1]

First, one cannot do Disney in 2 days and one cannot do the keys in 3. They are totally separate trips, 9 hours apart. Pick one or the other.

 

If you want a fabulous beach, pick Siesta Key. It is voted number one beach in America by multiple agencies every year. There are tons of activities for teens, too, if you do some research. You will need a car.

 

Disney has several fake beaches which, to me, are just fine. Stay in their Key West resort, and you can combine both trips you want into one.

[bettyandbob]

Yeah, I wouldn't plan WDW at the end of May (crowded, hot) and allocate less than four days. Five would be better. Then you'd have a day for each park, sometime to do the pool at your hotel. Basically time to move at vacation speed and find the thing each family member likes and maybe return to each of those things alone or together.

 

We did three days at Universal last summer. That's two parks which are smaller. We stayed onsite and enjoyed the pool too.

 

I think if you only planned 2 days at Disney you could only count on doing two parks and you might get frustrated with with the ticketing and line waits. So, if you only plan two days I vote for going somewhere besides WDW.