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[Tiggerbelle]

We're planning a quick spring break getaway weekend! DH wants to do two days at the Space Center, and he rolled his eyes, but I talked him into one day at WDW!! (Can't go to FL and NOT sneak a mouse visit at least part of it ...) So, where would you suggest staying? I'd prefer to do one hotel for the whole trip rather than switching in the middle. Should it be closer to KSC or closer to WDW? Or is there somewhere in the middle that might work? Thanks for any suggestions!

[Colexis Mom]

Unfortunately I don't think there's too much in the middle (except swampland). If you're going to spend the majority of your time at KSC, I'd opt for the hotel in that area (KSC/Cocoa Beach) and then just drive up to Disney for the day!

[Sue M.]

I would stay in Cocoa Beach. They have a great Ron Jons surf shop, my dd's love, and they give surfing lessons too! Next trip we're going 1 day to Cocoa Beach & plan on staying at The Hampton Inn on the beach & near RonJons! There is also a pier with restaurants on it & live music for dinner. Then we'll head to WDW. You could do 2 days at Cocoa Beach & 1 night stay at a WDW hotel! Marnie's right, I don't think there's much in between.

[rescuesk]

It's roughly an hour from the Cocoa Beach area to WDW, so I would have to go with the flow here and opt for a Cocoa Beach/Port Canveral stay!

[Tiggerbelle]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've booked us for two nights at the Hampton Inn at Cocoa Beach!! Now the fun of trying to decide whether to stay on WDW property or off... Thanks again!!!

[Sue M.]

Great! You'll have to PM me & let me know how you liked The Hampton Inn. I've heard good things about it, and pics look nice, and near Ron Jons to make dd's happy, lol. We go in August, before WDW.
As for WDW, I'd stay on site! Love the WDW resorts.

[Tiggerbelle]

Just got back from our whirlwind trip, and had a fabulous time!! We ended up having to cut it shorter than planned, so we only had one night at the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach, but LOVED it and would stay there again. We booked a "queen bed study" and it was worth the extra $10 we paid, because we had two queen beds and a queen sized pull-out couch, so DS and DD didn't have to sleep in the same bed, which they loved. Breakfast offered lots of options, including omelets, premade and kept warm but still tasty. The best part was the very short walk to the beach and the pool that the kids really enjoyed. Very friendly staff (the people we encountered were on par with Disney CM's), and an enjoyable place to stay. All in all, we definitely recommend the Hampton! (We might have stayed longer, but Mickey was calling....)

[Sue M.]

Originally Posted by Tiggerbelle

Just got back from our whirlwind trip, and had a fabulous time!! We ended up having to cut it shorter than planned, so we only had one night at the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach, but LOVED it and would stay there again. We booked a "queen bed study" and it was worth the extra $10 we paid, because we had two queen beds and a queen sized pull-out couch, so DS and DD didn't have to sleep in the same bed, which they loved. Breakfast offered lots of options, including omelets, premade and kept warm but still tasty. The best part was the very short walk to the beach and the pool that the kids really enjoyed. Very friendly staff (the people we encountered were on par with Disney CM's), and an enjoyable place to stay. All in all, we definitely recommend the Hampton! (We might have stayed longer, but Mickey was calling....)

Thanks! We just added a night to our Hampton Inn res. for 2 nights. We'll leave Ft. Lauderdale 1 day earlier for the extra day at Cocoa Beach. Glad to hear the hotel is nice! We booked a 2 queen bed room. Also good to hear it's a short walk to the beach. When I phoned, they told me you have to walk around a condo to get to the beach, but no road.

[Tiggerbelle]

Yes, it's a pretty short walk to the beach. From the pool, you cross the parking lot and follow a path between two condos. I'm not good at estimating distances, but from the door to the sand was definitely less than five minutes (probably closer to three if you don't count the detour to the car to get sunglasses). I hope you have a great time there, Sue!!

[Sue M.]

Thanks Jen! Did you go anywhere in Cocoa Beach (aside from the beach?). All we've done is Ron Jons & the Pier. DD's are planning to go to Ron Jons & surfing. Was there any good restaurants near the hotel?

[Tiggerbelle]

To be honest, I don't know. We arrived at about 11 pm, had breakfast at the hotel, visited the beach and pool, and then checked out before spending the day at the space center. It seemed like there probably were some restaurants (it was a pretty developed area), but I couldn't tell you what they were. I'm sorry!