Cocoa Beach VS. Daytona Beach

[princess0511]

We are traveling to Disney May9-16 and are looking to take a day to go the beach. I have heard both Cocoa beach and Daytona are close. We will be traveling with our 20 month old son. We are looking for a nice sandy beach that he can go in. Any adivce would be great!

[murphy1]

I would rather see you go to the West Coast, I grew up in St. Pete and the beaches are much nicer plus you are insulated by the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic is rougher sea. Travel time is usually 40 min to Cocoa, St. Pete is about an hour 20 min. away

[Briansmom]

Even tho I am from Merritt Island and grew up going to Cocoa Beach, I must say that for a 20 month old, the practically non-existent waves on the west coast would be nice. However, Cocoa Beach is a nice beach as well and definitely not as crowded as Daytona. New Smyrna Beach is another nice beach that is near Daytona and I would definitely choose it or Cocoa Beach over Daytona. And at New Smyrna you can drive onto the beach and park. I think your travel time to Cocoa Beach and New Smyrna would be about the same, an hour.
Our trip will be overlapping yours! (12-19th). Hope you have fun!!

[JRocker]

My last visit to Daytona (07) was, well, my last visit to Daytona. The place was really starting to look run down. The beach front properties, as well as the shops on the strip were in pathetic shape.

Can't say I care for the Barney Fife's over in Cocoa, but i think I would go there before I went to Daytona. (just make sure you drop a coin in the meter BEFORE you park...)

[deedeenmickey]

I have never been to the west coast but I have heard good things. I would not go to Daytona with a 20 month old. While driving on the beach is a perk in some ways I think it is dangerous for children. We went with our two when they were about 4 and 8. I not only had to worry about them drowning, I had to worry about them being hit by a car or being pulled into a car. I really don't like this with children. Cocoa Beach is very nice though. I hope you have a great time!!!

[DNS]

I have to agree with JRocker. We went to Daytona twice, a couple of years apart, but will not go again. Both times we decided not to stay long. We like the Gulf coast beaches much better.

[princess0511]

Thanks for the great info. Which beach on the gulf coasts would you recommend for a family with a 20 month old? We don't want to have to drive more than 2 hours.

[DNS]

We love Clearwater beach. Very large and clean. It's about 1 to 1-1/2 hours from Disney.

[murphy1]

Clearwater is beautiful, hit it over by the Holiday Inn Surfside, it's just a straight shot off Hwy 60. Very cool fact, Jim Morrison used to live right by here (yes, the one from the Doors). If you want a nice place but casual to eat, go to either Frency's Restaurant or the Rockaway Grille if it is still there. Also, they have Sunset at Pier 60, it's very simliar to what Key West does at Sunset. Enjoy!

[Tink#64]

We did the same a few years ago & went to Cocoa Beach for a few days after WDW. It was a great way to relax & unwind after the hectic Disney pace! We chose Cocoa Beach for the short drive. We stayed at the Doubletree, a hilton property, and it was perfect. It was a nice hotel and grounds, the pool scene was really nice & nicely landscaped. The beach was not crowded at all. This was my DS's (then I think 6 & 8) first experience in the ocean & it was perfect for us. We enjoyed shopping at Ron Jon's & had a couple of decent dinners right on the water, one was Oh Shuck's & the other was Rusty's. Not much else to do there, but we didn't really want anything more.

My brother & his family then travelled over to the Gulf Side & they had another awesome week travelling the Gulf Coast & I know he really enjoyed/preferred it to the Atlantic side. Their fav was camping right on the water's edge at Ft. Del Soto.

Wishes for a magical trip!

[murphy1]

Their fav was camping right on the water's edge at Ft. Del Soto.

Wishes for a magical trip!

This was a great hangout spot for us in high school and college! We usually do a day out there during our school reunions, like family day. Ft. DeSoto is consistently on Dr. Beach's top beach survey. It's really beautiful. Oh, they also have an old Spanish Fort that's fun to go to and a snack bar/cafe nearby.

(Hi Shari, nice to meet another Shari )

[ThanxForNoticin]

We love Clearwater beach. Very large and clean. It's about 1 to 1-1/2 hours from Disney.

Agreed. We literally just took the trip over to Clearwater Beach for the first time a few days ago. We went there after a spring training baseball game, and we were very impressed - I'm sure we'll go back in the future. The area around Pier 60 is really nice - plenty of public parking (for a slight fee), beautiful white sand beaches, shops, restaurants, and evening entertainment by the pier. It was probably the most spectacular sunset we've ever seen, looking west over the Gulf - amazing. I really like the fact that the beach area is set up for use by the public and not just available for hotels and their guests (like some other beaches).