December Weather

Just Wondering wrote:

Hey! I was hoping for some advice from locals. I'm planning a family vacation to Orlando and Cocoa Beach, but I haven't decided wheather to plan it for December or April (I teach school, so it has to be during a break). We always travel during spring break or summer when EVERYONE travels, so I thought a December trip might be a nice change, but I'm a little worried about the weather in December. Is it still warm enough to be beach weather? I know it won't be a hot 95%, but I don't want to freeze to death if I want to take a swim in the ocean either. If anyone could give me info, I would really, really appreciate it!

V in Viera wrote:

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Hey there - I'm a local, and believe it or not, the water will be warmer in December than it will be in April. After a long hot summer, it takes a while for the water to really get cold. In April, the water has cooled down from the winter (winter here is really Jan., Feb., and March)and has not had a chance to warm up yet.
If you plan to come in December, I would recommend coming either the second or third week of December but definately before the Christmas holidays. Reason being is that Hurricane Season doesn't "officially" end until November, and last year we actually had a hurricane that went into the first week of December (you wouldn't want to get caught in an evacuation situation). And then as it gets closer to the holidays, we get a lot of Europeans coming to Florida on "holiday".
I also think the Disney rates may be a bit cheaper in December than they would be in January, if you are planning to visit Disney.
If you are looking to do things that are "off the beaten path" while you are here, let me know with your reply and I'll make some recommendations. There are some really neat things over near the Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral area that the locals enjoy (favorite restaurants like Dixie Crossroads in Titusville, airboat rides to see the gators at Lone Cabbage Fish Camp, the Brevard Zoo - it's small but very nice, etc. the IMAX theatre at the Kennedy Visitor's Center..).
Whenever you come, have a great vacation in Florida!!

Just Wondering wrote:

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Thanks for your help! Ideas and suggestions would be great! It would just be me, my husband, and a 2 year old... a very, very GOOD 2 year old (we make and expect her to behave and act civilized, unlike some kids I've seen in our tourist town) but still we would need kid-friendly ideas. She's old enough to know the Disney characters and get excited over them, but not old enough for us to designate an entire vacation to Disney World, so I think a day or two in Orlando for her and the rest would be a get-away for "Mom and Dad," wih more "grown up" stuff! Thanks so uch for your help! I really appreciate it!

V in Viera wrote:

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If you want to do a day or 2 at Disney, I would recommend Magic Kingdom (where you'll find all the Disney characters), and Animal Kingdom (it's really beautiful and kind of like going through a safari) as I think these 2 would be the most age appropriate for your 2 year old, and Animal Kingdom is neat for adults and kids. Here are their websites for you to check out: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/pa...
and
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/pa... .
If you are wanting to do 2 parks, I would recommend you do one a day or two after your arrival, and then 1 a day or two after that. These parks are really huge, and you could literally spend a whole day just walking around in 1 park alone. And if you're driving down from Kentucky, I'm sure you'll want to rest one day from the drive before you hit the theme parks.
I would also recommend that you stay at a hotel that IS NOT in the city of Orlando, but perhaps over on the beach side (Cocoa Beach or Satellite Beach). The room rates over here by the beach are much less expensive than Orlando, and there are still some really nice hotels over here. It's also not as "touristy" over here. It takes about 45 minutes to get from Cocoa Beach to the Disney theme parks, and the drive is all on a 4 lane highway (the Beachline), so traffic won't be that bad. If you do stay over on the beach, you might think about staying somewhere close to Port Canaveral (north end of Cocoa Beach) as you would then have an opportunity to see the cruise ships coming and going. There's also some really nice restaurants at the Port.
I would also recommend the Kennedy Space Center tour. It's more for adults, but I think you will enjoy it. There aren't any shuttles scheduled to launch in December, however there is a Delta IV rocket launch scheduled for Dec. 16th, so if you stay "beachside", you will be able to see it if you are here on that date. Here's their website: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/inde...
Recommended restaurants -
Dixie Crossroads - Titusville, FL
The Grill (at Port Canaveral)
Coconuts on the Beach (in Cocoa Beach)
The Cocoa Beach Pier (there are 3 different restaurants on the Pier)
Other recommended activities -
-Brevard Zoo in Melbourne (you can feed giraffe's)
- Air Boat ride on St. Johns river (see alligators)
- Visit Ron Jons world famous surf shop (they have a round aquarium with a live small shark in it)
- Jungle Adventures in Christmas Florida (just west of Titusville on Hwy. 50). It's an alligator farm, but they have all kinds of native Florida wildlife there, some that you can feed (deer, birds, monkeys)and you can taste alligator meat while you're there (tastes like spicy chicken).
I'll check with my neighbor who has small children and ask her for some ideas as well.
Oh, and save time for play time on the beach !!
I'll keep a check on this post in case you have any other questions !
Vickie in Viera