Florida, here we come!

[Kitwn]

Muvipixies are an international breed but it is a very USA-centric site, so I'm assuming there are plenty of readers who can offer some advice for a first-time visitor to Florida:

Christie and I are heading north of the equator next Friday (May 7th) for a few weeks staying in Orlando (Discovery Cove, Disney land, Kenedy space centre plus stuff) and visiting Atlanta, Miami, the Keys and the Everglades. The itinerary is pretty much set but does anybody Ín The Know' have any sugestions for must-see or must-avoid places?

Kit

PS I assume it's stopped snowing!

[Chuck Engels]

Kit, That sounds like a great trip.
If at all possible I would love to meet you for a cup of coffee or something while you are in Atlanta !!

I will have to think on the "what to see", "what not to see" stuff... will report back later.

[videovillageidiot]

sounds like a great trip!! i just checked NASA's website and a space shuttle launch is currently scheduled for May 14 at 2:20 EDT. i sure hope you get a chance to see it (though the launch window for a mission to the space station is extremely narrow - like less than 1/2 hour, so any delay usually means it's scrubbed and set for another day). If you do, please post whatever photos/video you get.

have fun!!

[Steve Grisetti]

And I've got lots of inside tips about visiting DisneyWorld, if you're interested. You do NOT want to just walk in the gate unprepared! You'll end up waiting in line for hours in the hot sun.

So, if you're at all interested, I can tell you how to beat most of the crowds and get the most out of your visit.

In any event, have a wonderful time in that beautiful part of our country, Kit! I envy Chuck that he might get a chance to meet you face-to-face.

Meeting our Muvipixers live is a rare privilege indeed! Especially when they live so far away and have traveled so far!

[momoffduty]

Kit, have fun & hope you post video & photos when you return! Who is caretaking the pool & cleaning the gutters while you are away?

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Kit......Who is caretaking the pool & cleaning the gutters while you are away?

[jackfalbey]

You'll definitely want to see Disney World, Kennedy Space Center and the Everglades, as well as the beaches. That's Florida. I've lived here my whole life. The tropical lifestyle is what makes Florida so great. If you are going to be anywhere near the Southwest coast (Fort Myers/Naples), I'd be happy to show you some local attractions.

[Kitwn]

Wow, Loads of responses! Thanks everybody. In particular:

Chuck: Would love the chance to meet up with a founding Muvipixie. We're actually staying about 40 miles North of Atlanta and not sure what cousin Pete and his family have planned for us. Best bet would be to send a private message with your phone number so we can call you once we arrive, or we can arrange to meet at the airport (no idea how good their coffee is) when we fly back to Orlando on Monday, May 17th. Let me know what you’d like to do.

Videovillageidiot: I grew up in the 60s watching the Apollo program and now work for a well known US company who are a major contractor to NASA, so am seriously looking forward to the Kennedy visit (why didn’t I do this during the 46 years I lived in the UK, which is a bit nearer?!?!). Very little chance of making it to a launch in the busy schedule but will be keeping an eye on the NASA website just in case. Did you know that the Saturn 5 rocket burnt fuel at a rate of 12.9 tons per second?

Steve: OK, so you know which dudes in suits and dark glasses to talk to in order to get a free lunch with Mickey and Pluto. Sounds dodgy to me.
Actually we’re going to visit Epcot for the Mission Space ride with my brother-in-law and his kids, then Animal Kingdom for a couple of nights to celebrate Christie’s birthday just before we fly home on June 4th. Any useful tips you have will be very welcome.

Momoffduty: Most Australian gardens are ‘fully reticulated’, a phrase we were totally bemused by when we were looking at Aussie real estate from the UK back in 2003. It means they have automatic watering systems. In most parts of the country your plants will be dead by Thursday without this. I’m going to rig a hose pipe to the ‘retic’ which will top up the pool while we are away.
There will be a video all about the trip eventually.
P.S. Thanks for watching my contest entry video.

Twosheds: You can laugh! Who’d want a swimming pool in Knutsford anyway? Unless you can afford a conservatory to cover it, of course.
Last weekend we got sunburned while camping on one of the local beaches, even though it was cloudy almost the whole time we were there and we’re well into Autumn. This tropical lifestyle has it’s downside.
The main point of this trip is to meet up with family travelling from the UK. We’ll have to be sympathetic about the problems they were having with snow while we were doing outdoor house renovations in temperatures around 49C (that’s about 120F).

Jackfalby: Thanks for the offer Jack, but I don’t think the busy schedule is going to allow a stopover longer than a coffee break in your area.
A big motive for our 2008 move to Exmouth, Western Australia, from Perth, the state capital, was the tropical climate and laid back lifestyle that goes with the small town, beaches and boats, ‘so-what-I’m-going-fishing’ kind of attitude…….
I really must learn how to fish.


Kit

[Steve Grisetti]

The trick to dealing with Disney is to avoid the rides during peak hours.

Early in the morning is best. Get there right when the park opens if you can. Even better if you stay in one of the resorts (the All-Star Resorts don't cost much more than Super 8) because every day they let you into one park (They'll tell you which if you ask) an hour before it opens! That means you have to get the family up at the crack of dawn, but it also means that, for about an hour and a half, you virtually have the park to yourselves and you can practically walk right onto any ride!

Between 9 am and 3 pm, the park is a madhouse. You can wait an hour in unbearable heat to ride a 3 minute ride. The best strategy then is to wait until there's a parade. When everyone else rushes out to watch the parade, you rush to the rides.

Better yet, grab a bus back to your hotel for a couple of hours. Have a quiet lunch and a nap or swim.

At around 3, kids get tired and grumpy and the crowds again start to thin out. That's a good time to go back to the park.

And things really thin out after 9 or so -- following the big fireworks show. If your energy is still holding out, you can still get in a good two to three hours of rides without that Florida sun beating down on you. And that murderous Florida sun!

Also, if you don't know about the time stamps, ask about them. Instead of standing in line, you can just go to the ride, get a time stamp -- which is like a reservation -- and you just show up at that time and stand in a much shorter line.

Have a wonderful time! Disney can be heaven and it can be hell, depending on how good you are at avoiding the crowds.

[Chuck Engels]

40 miles north of Atlanta has to be pretty close to where I work Kit.
I would be up for anything you can spare the time for.

If you can get to Chattanooga it is worth the trip, only about an hour drive from where you will be.
Rock City and the Aquarium are very nice and the city itself is full of history as are many places here in the south.

I will send you a PM.

[momoffduty]

Most Australian gardens are ‘fully reticulated’

Had to look up reticulated. That would make an interesting video to see your system. Looking forward to your vacation video too. Sounds like a whirlwind vacation & fun!

[Clayton]

Chuck: Would love the chance to meet up with a founding Muvipixie.

Another new word for Webster!

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Chuck: Would love the chance to meet up with a founding Muvipixie.

Another new word for Webster!

Weren't there seven of these in a Disney film?