1) We were both too young to rent cars. Wayne was 20, I was only 18. Florida was about as far as we could get away by driving my trusty 2000 Toyota Camry.
2) Florida is significantly warmer than South Dakota.
3) Florida seemed like an obvious honeymoon spot. (While there, a local told us that Florida was for Newly-weds and Nearly-deads.)
We drove from Edgemont, South Dakota to Orlando in about 4 days. We didn't stop at anywhere interesting, with the exception of Memphis. We were there only an evening, but the Memphis Pyramid Arena was stunning. The day we arrived in Orlando, we toured Sea World. Sea World was a pretty typical amusement park, but nice. We enjoyed a few rides and lots of interesting animals.The second day we met up with Wayne's aunt and family, Jerry & Dianne Gallant, and their daughter, Melissa, for a day at Universal Studios.
Our third day was spent at Epcot Center. Epcot Center consists of the Future World, and the World Showcase. Future world showcases technology and advancements, and the World Showcase has exhibits from eleven different countries around the world. We also came back to the Epcot Center one evening for their fireworks display.
The next day brought us to Animal Kingdom, one of the Walt Disney World theme parks. We enjoyed Animal Kingdom, especally the 'safari' we went on in search of African animals. We found their were less people at Animal Kingdom, so it was easier to see everything and not get stuck in one of the infinate lines that seem to plague the top attractions.
Our next stop was to Discovery Cove. We received some advertisment in the mail for this attraction, and after looking into it, booked a day there. Discovery Cove makes you feel like a VIP, at least for a day. We arrived around 8, and, viola, someone parks our car for us! Valet parking was something this ranch girl had never experienced before! We checked in and were given coffee and donuts, name tags, information, wet suits and snorkel gear. We even got a complimentary 5x7 picture taken of us. Then we were turned loose to explore a man-made reef with plentious tropical fish, a free-flight aviary, beaches and what I would call an enormous lazy river. You also have the option of actually 'swimming' with a dolphin! We chose not to do the 'dolphin swim' experience, and were happy with that choice when we arrived and saw that the 'dolphin swim' lasted only about 5-10 minutes. We spent the entire day at Discovery Cove, and enjoyed it immensly. This was our last day in Orlando.
It was finally time to hit the beach - Cocoa Beach, about an hour east of Orlando. I had been their before as a kid. The beach was nice, and we had a couple relaxing days at the Holiday Inn we stayed at. It was a cool, but we got some boogie-boarding and sunning in.
After the beach, it was time to drive back to the north country. On our way was a stop in St. Louis, where we toured the Arch. The arch is was a great stop, and highly recommended for anyone going through St. Louis. We stopped near Kansas City and visited some of my Cloyd relatives, and then drove back to the Dakotas.Reflections
Likes: Freedom of having our own car.
Dislikes: Using a travel agent worked, but will probably never do it again.
Regrets: We should have visited the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral
Ease of travel on 1-10 scale (1=easy, 10=hard): 2
Would we go back? y/n Yes - Although this trip seems a little boring compared to some of our larger trips, going back to Sea World, Discovery Cove, and Cocoa Beach would be a blast. We could also explore Cape Canaveral and the Everglades.
Would be a good trip for: Anyone young at heart.
Websites:
Walt Disney World: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com
Sea World: www.seaworld.com
Discovery Cove: www.discoverycove.com
Cocoa Beach: www.cocoabeach.com
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