First real post in this blog. My mother is the owner of this apartment, and we came here almost every year during my childhood. Then I came less, but now that I have a child of my own, I'm coming back!
A couple of observations I've made over the years:
Things are getting better. In the 70's and '80s, the beach was littered with cigarette butts, soda-can lids cut your feet and I never saw a dolphin. New kinds of birds are at the beach now, and swarms of fish come close to the shore - none of that 15 years ago!
Our Stay:
We flew in to Orlando and returned the same way. Coming in, we visited Sea World, going back the Magic Kingdom. The latter is great for a 1-year old, the former not so much.
Disney World:
If you go to Disney World, make a plan! You will only have time to visit a dozen attractions a day, maximum. There's an online application that lets you print out an individual map of attractions. The ones we visited - selected for Valerie, age 18months:
Jungle Cruise (a bit scary when going into the Thai-temple ruins)
President's Hall (one of my favourites, but might bore kids)
Pirates of the Carribean (too scary, was a mistake. She was sleeping, we thought we could risk it)
Small World (just right for children. Did this three times. Gets really empty towards closing time, so you migth want to wait until the end)
Prince Regal Carousel (the rides are VERY short. And your toddler will insist on going over and over again)
Peter Pan's magical ride (nice, but not really worth the 55 minute wait)
Winnie the Pooh (also a very long wait - get a Fast-Pass for this. I only found out at the end that the Fast Pass doesn't have to be bought. You get only one at a time, but it's free.)
Mickey's Philharmagic (too loud and intense for a toddler. Verena&Valerie had to leave, I stayed. Very good computer animation of classic Disney heros, but stereoscopics and sfx don't really help. Very short wait.)
Country Bear Jamboree (Impressive. President's Hall with bears, so the suspension of disbelief is stronger than with human puppets. Short wait here too, as one session fills an auditorium)
Carousel of Progress (Very old fashioned, but touching. Shortest wait of them all. I think they'll shut this one down soon, so you better hurry!)
Get a guide map and choose a restaurant with 2 dollar signs at least - the one dollar signs are really bad.
Sarasota:
New things for me:
Trader Joe's, on Tamiami Trail heading north, right after Chili's. Publix does have a wider selection though.
Walt's Fish market, one of Sarasota's oldest sea food places, has been completely revamped. It's much better now. I used to go to Philippi Creek Seafood, but Walt's is better now!
The Gym, really has everything you would want now: Stairmasters, treadmills, free weights and a multi-function machine. TV and AC, towels supplied. Don't forget your keycard to enter. The Gym is located at the back pool.
Ringling Brothers museum: Actually very old, but I was there only once, as a kid, and don't remember anything. Great for kids, but entry price is pretty steep at 25$. On Mondays, the art-exhibition is free, but the circus museum and Ringling's villa are off limits then.
Most beautiful place:
If you don't need the pool, go to turtle beach, one beach south. There's a public parking area, and you should walk half a mile south from there to be all alone.
The apartment:
Please drop me a line if you think anything is amiss, or post it here! I made a list of to-do's, and found a dozen or so things. Hopefully all fixed by now.
Do check out the Playstation: You can watch Netflix for free. If it isn't glowing, you can turn it on through a switch at the back - but that switch shouldn't be used to turn it off. The front switch is the way to go.
Friday, October 26, 2012
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