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Trip Report

The Happiest Vacation on Earth

A Trip of Pure Entertainment

  • Orlando+ 8
  • Miami
  • Miami
  • The Happiest Vacation on Earth
carotn
About Me:I am an art, history, adventure and Disney lover. I love seeing magic everywhere, and there’s nowhere better to do that than while travelling. The best feeling in the world is to be able to stare at huge buildings or monuments and admire i... read more

North AmericaUnited States10 days / December 2019

Highs & Lows

New Year’s Eve at Magic Kingdom.

Our bags being momentarily delayed from Miami to Orlando.

Itinerary Overview

For New Years vacation we chose to spend it at one of the most wonderful places, Walt Disney World; which meant going to Florida for some days. Even though most of the time we would be going around the parks and all the fun in Orlando and Kissimmee, we chose to go around for a bit, taking the chance to visit Miami and Daytona.

The trip actually started in Miami, where after flying there we took a cab ride to our hotel, the Cavalier South Bear Hotel, right on Ocean Drive, a perfect spot to just cross the street and relax by the beach or to start walking around towards Collins or Lincoln. Miami is a great place to rest and have fun for a few days, as well as an amazing city to walk and marvel at the wonderful architecture, dominated by the art deco style. Even though there´s a lot to do in Miami, and you’ll always have something to do, we took it quite easy for the couple of days we were there, enjoying a bit of shopping, eating and the wonderful beaches.

After Miami, we flew over to Orlando, where we rented a car as usual and then when we went to claim our bags, we found out that they were somehow lost and would be later sent to our hotel. Being so, we took the car and drove over to the hotel to check-in without bags and drive around to look for something to eat. We would be staying at the Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, on International Drive, around five to ten minutes from Universal Studios and no more than fifteen minutes away from anything else. Orlando is a place where you can find anything, from food, to entertainment; there’s always something to do, and something for everyone. While we were there, we went to the Disney parks, reserving a day for each of the four and another day for the parks at Universal Studios. Besides the parks we spent some time shopping, taking advantage of the premium outlets in Vineland and in International drive.

One day we took it to drive all the way over to Daytona Beach, to visit a university and take a look around. There we drove around, stopping by the famous beach for a while and stopped to look at the international speedway and racing club. Daytona is a very beautiful place and it has a feeling of life to it that makes it great to be there. On our way back to Orlando we stopped by Winter Park and slowly closed in to the usual sights of central Orlando, where we would finish off our trip.

  • 2 Nights: Miami
    Weekend by the beach
  • 8 Nights: Orlando
    Magical way to celebrate
  • Day trip: Daytona Beach
    Relax time by the beach
Miami - Weekend by the beach
1

Miami Weekend by the beach

Miami - Weekend by the beach - null
Miami - Weekend by the beach - null
Miami - Weekend by the beach - null

The trip actually started in Miami, where after flying there we took a cab ride to our hotel, the Cavalier South Beach Hotel, right on Ocean Drive, a perfect spot to just cross the street and relax by the beach or to start walking around towards Collins or Lincoln. These two streets were my favorite to walk around, they were filled with lights and great stores; I can still clearly recall a small book store set in a beautiful house, where each rom had its own theme and there were reviews of the books pasted on the shelves; if I’m correct it was Books&Books, a wonderful place. Miami is a great place to rest and have fun for a few days, as well as an amazing city to walk and marvel at the wonderful architecture, dominated by the art deco style. One of the best ways to enjoy the architecture is to walk by Ocean drive by all the hotels. Even though there´s a lot to do in Miami, and you’ll always have something to do, we took it quite easy for the couple of days we were there, enjoying a bit of shopping, eating and the wonderful beaches. When it comes to shopping, I can think of the Dolphin Mall as well as the very streets of Miami.

Orlando - Magical way to celebrate
2

Orlando Magical way to celebrate

Orlando - Magical way to celebrate - null
Orlando - Magical way to celebrate - null
Orlando - Magical way to celebrate - null2+

After Miami, we flew over to Orlando, where we rented a car as usual and then when we went to claim our bags, we found out that they were somehow lost and would be later sent to our hotel. Being so, we took the car and drove over to the hotel to check-in without bags and drive around to look for something to eat. We would be staying at the Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando, on International Drive, around five to ten minutes from Universal Studios and no more than fifteen minutes away from anything else. To me this is one of the best locations, not only for its nearness to the parks and entertainment, but it is surrounded by great restaurants and shops to walk by, which is not that common for Orlando, a city that’s usually meant for driving. There’s a bit of everything to eat there, and if you’re planning to stay at the hotel longer you could always pop by Walmart to purchase some microwave oven food. Though, for me one of the best places to have breakfast or a snack during the day, is to stop by Barnes & Noble and eat and drink something at the coffee shop (usually a Starbucks) inside while reading for a bit. Orlando is a place where you can find anything, from food, to entertainment; there’s always something to do, and something for everyone. While we were there, we went to the Disney parks, reserving a day for each of the four and another day for the parks at Universal Studios. Besides going to each of the Disney parks, we chose to spend New Year’s Eve at Magic Kingdom. The park was entirely packed during the whole day, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying, having fun and celebrating at night. We sat on our spot for around three hours before midnight, making sure we were close enough to the castle to see all the shows that went by every hour and that we’d be able to enjoy the fireworks at midnight. The parks at Universal are amazing as well, and you can surely fit the two of them in just one day, and if you get a hopper ticker, you also have the chance to ride the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross to Hogwarts, travelling back and forth from Island of Adventure to Universal Studios as you please. Besides the parks we spent some time shopping, taking advantage of the premium outlets in Vineland and in International drive; these are a great chance to shop at very good stores at lower prices, as well as enjoy the walk through the maze of stores.

Daytona Beach - Relax time by the beach
3

Daytona Beach Relax time by the beach

Daytona Beach - Relax time by the beach - null
Daytona Beach - Relax time by the beach - null
Daytona Beach - Relax time by the beach - null

One day we took it to drive all the way over to Daytona Beach, to visit a university and take a look around. It takes around less than an hour to drive over to Daytona from Central Orlando, and it’s a nice ride on the huge Florida highways. There we drove around, stopping by the famous beach for a while and stopped to look at the international speedway and racing club. Then, right by the airport we visited Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a beautiful campus that contains a part of the airport as well for flight classes.  Daytona is a very beautiful place and it has a feeling of life to it that makes it great to be there. There’s a lot to do in Daytona and we only had a peek, seeing the many restaurants and places to hang out, immediately realizing there’s no lack of anything in this great city. On our way back to Orlando we stopped by Winter Park; a beautiful small town in the middle of both cities and slowly closed in to the usual sights of central Orlando, where we would finish off our trip.

Q & A

  • What would you have changed?

    Maybe being able to spend more time there and visit Tampa and Clearwater.
  • Anything go wrong during the trip?

    Our bags got misplaced on the flight from Miami to Orlando
  • Restaurant recommendations?

    Great places! There’s everything you can think of and everything is good.
  • Tips you would give a friend?

    Check beforehand how the weather’s going to be.
  • Packing tips?

    Even though it was winter, and we packed for the possible cold winds, it was warm, and we could have packed for summer. The best is probably checking how the weather is a few days before your trip.
  • Transportation Tips?

    Rent a car, it’s necessary here.
  • Booking details?

    I make most of my reservations on Expedia or directly on the hotel websites.

Lodging