east/west coast Florida from Orlando

[patperry2766]

We have a reservation in August for Top Sail Hill SP, but are considering trying to get closer to the Orlando/Lakeland area for Disney & Legos parks for the kids.

Does anyone have recommendations for a campground on the east (Daytona Beach-Vero Beach)/west coast side(Spring Hill-Venice area) of Florida that has:

Beach camping/easily accessible beach

FHU preferred, but at the minimum electric with clean shower/bathroom facilities

Something that were not packed in like sardines and have a rudimentary form of privacy

Prefer State Park if given the choice & some flexibility in the dates.

Thanks for your assistance.

[2012Coleman]

patperry2766 wrote:
Thanks for all y'all's input, but I think we have reversed out thought process for our trip and were gonna stay the full time at Top Sail.
Disney will have to be a dedicated trip sometime in the future.

When you do, a great alternative to staying at FW is Wekiwa-Springs State Park You can swim in the springs, go canoeing, and they have a great system of marked trails for hiking. We stayed thee recently and went to Sea World - a 30 minute drive. Disney would not be much more.

[Bill_Diana]

patperry2766 wrote:
room prices for August

Yep...lots to pay per night....and those prices do not include taxes...and it does say "prices starting at"...so you can bet there are few rooms at that price and most cost more.

Campground prices across the country are rising but so are hotel prices. Still a better deal to stay in the camper and know who last slept in your bed.

[patperry2766]

Thanks for all y'all's input, but I think we have reversed out thought process for our trip and were gonna stay the full time at Top Sail.
Disney will have to be a dedicated trip sometime in the future.

[Bill_Diana]

OK...just for the heck of it I did a search for a room at Disney Art of Animation. Keep in mind this is one of the "low cost" Disney Resort. The cheapest room I found was $354.

[Allworth]

Having lived here since BDO (Before Disney Opened), I would look at CGs in Winter Garden, Ocoee or Clearmont. All easy access via the Western Beltway (toll) to the Magic Kingdom or Universal (Potterland).

Anybody who recommends West Coast locations has never had to fight Tampa traffic at rush hour. I would never consider it.

Also, once you pay for theme park tickets, lodging costs are going to seem real minor.

Have Fun!

A

[kgragert]

"Agree on Fort Wilderness, but you can get a Disney hotel for much less than $300. Pop Century runs $102, All Star $92 and Art of Animation is $115"

We've stayed at Pop Century, nice, nothing fancy, but like all Disney properties lots of things for kids to do. Same for Disney campgrounds.
And easy access to all Disney parks via free Disney buses.
After a tiring day walking it's nice to get on the bus back to the hotel. A 60 min drive is a long drive after a day of activity, and driving back to Topsail Hill would be tough.

Don't forget central Florida is a crowded drive to-from Disney.
Don't know when your going, but school is about to let out in florida and all attractions get really busy.

There's no such thing as an off season in Florida anymore. 🙂

[djsamuel]

Bill/Diana wrote:

Tripalot wrote:

patperry2766 wrote:
We were actually thinking about leaving the camper at the CG and staying on Disney property while we were there.

Have you checked prices for doing this ? ? ?
Would not be cheap IMO

Yep....the price to stay at a Disney hotel will drain your pocket VERY QUICKLY. The cheapest room will be about $300 per night. Yep...$300 per night and that does not include your theme park tickets. To stay at the Floridian is $500+ per night.

Take the camper to Fort Wilderness and your family will have a wonderful memory they will NEVER forget.

Agree on Fort Wilderness, but you can get a Disney hotel for much less than $300. Pop Century runs $102, All Star $92 and Art of Animation is $115.

[Bill_Diana]

Tripalot wrote:

patperry2766 wrote:
We were actually thinking about leaving the camper at the CG and staying on Disney property while we were there.

Have you checked prices for doing this ? ? ?
Would not be cheap IMO

Yep....the price to stay at a Disney hotel will drain your pocket VERY QUICKLY. The cheapest room will be about $300 per night. Yep...$300 per night and that does not include your theme park tickets. To stay at the Floridian is $500+ per night.

Take the camper to Fort Wilderness and your family will have a wonderful memory they will NEVER forget.

[Tripalot]

patperry2766 wrote:
We were actually thinking about leaving the camper at the CG and staying on Disney property while we were there.

Have you checked prices for doing this ? ? ?
Would not be cheap IMO

[patperry2766]

We were actually thinking about leaving the camper at the CG and staying on Disney property while we were there.

[Bill_Diana]

If you want the kids to fully enjoy the Disney experience then the best option is to stay at Fort Wilderness. This allows you to come and go from the theme parks as you please. The kids will benefit from taking a rest in the RV during the afternoon so they can enjoy Disney all day. If you stay at a campground away from Disney then you will be facing a 60+ minute drive to and from Disney and the kids will be tired and cranky. While visiting Disney stay at the Fort and then go to another campground near the beach.

Hope this helps and the advice is based on years of actual experience.

[djsamuel]

As an alternate, consider staying at Top Sail Hill SP, and then moving to Lake Louisa State park in Clermont (Central Florida) within easy drives to both Disney and Legoland. It's a nice state park with some decent hiking and nice lakes. Campground is nice.

[NoVa_RT]

Jetty Park is a pretty straight shot, 65 miles east of Disney World. Nice campground, a very short walk to the beach. In addition to the cruise ships, you're right next to the Kennedy Space Center, although unlike most federal facilities, tours are somewhat expensive. If it were me, I'd stay in Orlando when doing Disney, and stay at the beach when I wasn't, rather than try to go back & forth.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

No beach access but lots of water type stuff is Fort Wilderness at Disney. More expensive but tons for kids to do.