I left for Florida, with my family (that is my mother, my sister, and my brother’s family) on December 28 2012,  and returned to Toronto Ontario on January 4, 2013. We took a two-hour flight on Air Canada, from Pearson International, and landed at Orlando International Airport.
- New Years in FloridaStuck in Customs / Art Photos / CC BY-NC-SA
After getting our luggage at the Orlando airport, the first thing my brother did was go to the car rental to get a minivan for all of us, for our week-long trip. We would spend four days in Daytona, and three days in Orlando, mainly going to Disney World.
The drive from Orlando to Daytona was so long, that we decided to stop at Denny’s for lunch. The food there was as good as ever, and the waiter was very hospitable.
We finally arrived at our hotel, the Best Western; Plus Aku Tiki Inn, which was right on the beach in Daytona. After we all took a rest, to recover from our flight and long drive, we decided it was time to check out the swimming pool, which we heard was heated. But, when I stepped in, it was so cold, that I remember I said something along the lines of “Whoa!! Nasty!!” I had to go in, very gradually, to get used to that swimming pool!! On the whole though, the hotel was very nice. It’s restaurant was attached to the main building by a link. Underneath the link, there was an aquarium, with some huge fish and a turtle. The breakfast at the restaurant was included in the hotel bill and was served as a buffet.
Since it was our very first winter vacation in Florida, we were expecting summer-like weather. We couldn’t be more wrong. There was a cold wind, making it much too cool to wear shorts, never mind getting into our swimsuits and go into to the water to sunbathe!! Still, I didn’t have to wear my winter jacket. My spring jacket was enough, and the sights and the sounds of the ocean was breathtaking!
The sand was smooth, and the afore-mentioned waves brought up sea shells. At one point, it brought up a coloured starfish onto the beach. Very pretty. Although the city lights of Daytona had somewhat drowned out the night sky, the few glimpses of the stars that I did manage to see, were very beautiful.
The next morning, when we went for a walk on the beach, Â I didn’t trust the weather, and so I went out with my spring jacket over my T shirt and was wearing jeans. As it turned out, we finally got the kind of weather we were expecting. So, the first thing I had to do, upon returning to the hotel was put my jacket away, and get out my shorts and swimsuit. Finally, the very purpose for my trip had arrived!!!
After splashing around in the sea water, we went back to our hotel for a picnic lunch, and guess what we saw in the garden of our hotel: A pelican!!! Now, perhaps that is an everyday sight for a person living down in Florida, but for tourists such as myself, i was an exciting sight to see!!
Our hotel was on Atlantic Avenue, in Daytona. On the beach side of the street, were hotels, and on the other side of the street were tourist shops, restaurants, and mini golf parks. Overall, it was a good tourist destination.
After our stay in Daytona was up, we packed our bags drove off the resort city of Orlando!!! We were off to the wonderful world of Disney World. Before I tell you about my experiences in Disney, I must talk about the wonderful hotel where we stayed.
We stayed at the Staybridge Hotel It was a huge apartment complex, and had numerous floors and buildings all around, In the centre of the hotel was the swimming pool and jacuzzi. Sadly, I did not get the chance to experience either. It also has a laundry room, plus a video game room for the kids staying at the hotel. Like the Best Western in Daytona, Staybridge served breakfast buffet style; plus patrons could make their own waffles. But, perhaps the best thing of all about the place was the hotel room itself!! It was exactly like an apartment. It had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and was overall clean, furnished, cozy, and well taken care of. One would almost love to move into such a place.
The next two days is when the real fun began: DISNEY WORLD!!!!
We took the ferry from the mainland to the theme park. Once on the other side, we got our tickets. On the tickets there was a message for us:Â “Let the memories begin.” Cute. Catchy. And overall, a great summary of what it is like to visit Disney World. In the theme park itself, there was painted on the walls of many quotes from Walt Disney himself. One which said that he hoped that when people visited Disney World, the wouldn’t see any of the outside world, because he wanted visitors to experience an entirely different world, altogether.
Christmas Day was already over, by the time we flew down to Florida, and New Year’s Day had just passed also. However, Disney still had its Christmas decorations up, especially in their Main Street area. The holly and ivy on their buildings and lamp posts complemented the old fashion look of Disney’s Main Street. They also had scenes from Mickey’s Christmas Carol, in their shop windows. Even Cinderella’s Castle was well lit up for the holidays. In fact, Disney World even had a Christmas Shoppe, in Main Street.
It seems that the people who run Disney World have thought of just about everything. Most of us, who have been to theme parks before, know just how long it can take to get on a ride, and sometimes, the wait for that one ride is much longer than the ride itself. Well, the people in charge have made even the waits entertaining. In one wait-up for a ride, they had an apparatus for the children to play on. But, their main rides were amazing too. I first went to Disney World when I was 11 years old, and at the time, two of my favourite rides were the Haunted Mansion, and The Pirates of the Caribbean (which Disney would later make a movie series based upon, starring Johnny Depp). Thirty years later, they remained as much my favourites now, as they did back then.
The shows that Disney puts on are always a treat too. We went to their Philharmonic show, which was shown in 3D, and it was truly a magic sight to see. Buffet-style meals at the Crystal Palace were a treat too. They had characters from Winnie the Pooh pose with families and their children.
Yes, Florida is definitely a great tourist destination, and just what would Florida be without Disney World? A state known only for it’s beaches, I suppose.
On the final day, we packed our belongings and returned to Orlando International Airport, to book our flight home. It seems that not only were the holidays over for us, but, for other Canadians snowbirds too, as it was very crowded there, as people were booking their flights, and the lineups were long. Nonetheless, Orlando International Airport is almost a tourist sight in itself, with its trains taking passengers, both coming and leaving Florida, to their various areas of the airport. Like all airports, it had its fair share of restaurants, and gift shops for any last minute purchases.
The flight home on Air Canada was short (only a 2 hour flight) and smooth. So smooth, that I was asleep when the plane took off, and when I woke up, we were midair.
For those who are planning to celebrate Florida’s fifth hundred anniversary, they will be in for a very great time. It is a beautiful state, and is definitely worth the money spent to go there, and to spend there.
