Florida Family Vacationing (with preschooler & baby)

[DiamondHands]

Howdy my fellow Floridians...

I'd like to ask you fellow parents/grandparents for Florida family vacation ideas. As the thread title states, 'family' include a 3 yr old and baby. Timeframe is next month, length is one week. As a relatively new Tesla owner, I think I could definitely learn a lot from you more experienced folks out there regarding what to watch out for, what charging accessories I might need, etc.

Thanks for any advice you can give

 

[kort677]

You could take a ride over to the west coast and visit weekie wacchi springs
I'm on my mobile, I'll post a link later

 

[Racerx22b]

3yr old and baby? I recommend a beach and a cardboard box for them to play with.

Honestly, do whatever you think you would enjoy the most. I've vacationed with kids of that age and it's not worth the headaches and expense to take them anywhere specifically for them. Plus they'll never remember it.

Superchargers are readily available throughout FL and all vacation destination cities have L2 public chargers. Use the destination charger map and pick a nice hotel. I always have my J1772 and both 120 adaptors. I actually have never used the standard 120v adaptor while traveling. All outlets I have found on building exteriors have been NEMA 5/20. The kind with the one flat prong. You can get 5mph on those. The CHademo adaptor isn't necessary but if you want to bullet proof yourself go for it.

If you have to go to Orlando I STRONGLY recommend the Four Seasons on Disney property. It is very kid friendly. Has great restaurants. Great outdoor activities. Awesome pools (yes - plural). Great gym. Awesome golf. And you can take your kids to Disney Springs to give them a "Disney Experience" at a fraction of the cost. Oh, they also have 8 HPWCs. I think they do character breakfast at the hotel as well. If not, you can book it at one of the Disney hotels nearby if that is something you'd want to do with them.

The Waldorf Astoria and Hilton Bonnet Creek are also very nice. They have L2 chargers in the garage and the pool (shared by both hotels) is amazing!

The cabins at Fort Wilderness are fun as well. Plenty of a disney experience without having to go to the park. There is a 5/20 outlet for charging golf carts in your parking spot. 3 days will give you a full charge. Bring a bungee cord as the outlets are a little loose due to so much use. The bungee will take the weight off the cord so it doesn't fall out.

The Grand Hyatt in Tampa is nice and has HPWCs. Not much to do at hotel but it's very central if you want to explore Tampa. It's right on the bay and a short drive to many things.

The Ritz Carltons (yes - two) in Naples are also a nice option. Both have HPWCs and are fun properties. I recommend the one on the beach. The shuttle from the one on the golf course was problematic when we stayed there. There is actually quite a few nice properties in Naples with destination charging and a Supercharger is nearby.

Key West is a good option but it takes forever to get there. Plenty of charging options on the way (there is a new supercharger in Florida City that isn't on the official map yet) and plenty of charging in Key West.

If you could provide more info we could probably be of more assistance. Budget? Destination (assuming you already picked one)? Preferred leisure activities? etc...

 

[kort677]

here's that link
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

 

[Lawsteve]

Florida? June? 3yr old? Baby?

Select your favorite alcoholic beverage and pack a supply equal to three times your normal consumption. Line your frunk with plastic and fill with ice to keep those beverages cold. That should hold you for a week.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Florida? June? 3yr old? Baby?

Select your favorite alcoholic beverage and pack a supply equal to three times your normal consumption. Line your frunk with plastic and fill with ice to keep those beverages cold. That should hold you for a week.

You still dreaming of that frunk cooler? You barely have a frunk anymore!

 

[DiamondHands]

Thanks a lot for the tips @kort677 and especially @Racerx22b (that was one heck of a write up!)

Wife and I looked through all of your suggestions, but after considering all options, we ended up booking a stay on Captiva Island. There is a tesla destination charger there according to the supercharger map, as well as the resort website.

We'll be exploring some of the options you guys mentioned later in the year when the weather is slightly less humid.

Cheers, and thanks again!!!

 

[Jimmy 1]

Bring a Sunpass, if going to Captiva. Tolls lines can be bad. Also do not go onto the island from 8:00am -9:30am, or off the island from 4:00pm-6:00pm. All the staff is coming and going........

 

[DiamondHands]

Bring a Sunpass, if going to Captiva. Tolls lines can be bad. Also do not go onto the island from 8:00am -9:30am, or off the island from 4:00pm-6:00pm. All the staff is coming and going........

That's very helpful- thanks!

 

[Lawsteve]

You still dreaming of that frunk cooler? You barely have a frunk anymore!

LOL. I miss my big frunk and wish I had followed up on my custom frunk cooler idea. On my new Tesla, I think I've only opened the frunk two or three times.

Back on topic - Captiva is a great choice. Just be careful with small kids if walking around parks and inshore areas of water. There are lots of gators out there (I'm not kidding).

 

[DiamondHands]

Just be careful with small kids if walking around parks and inshore areas of water. There are lots of gators out there (I'm not kidding).

Thanks for the reminder.

I don't think my wife or I could ever forget the story of the toddler being pulled into the water right in front of his father at Disney.

Especially because our kid is the same age as theirs, that story still haunts us. Can't imagine what the parents must be going through.

 

[gavine]

If you decide on Disney for a later trip and would rather stay in a house than a hotel (kitchen, laundry room, separate bedrooms, etc), my vacation rental home near Disney has an HPWC in the garage. See my signature below for a link to my website. It is also listed on Tesla's destination charger map. The Tesla desktop website has the link to my website, but the phone app doesn't for some reason.

 

[boofagle]

@gavine it looks like you've been very successful booking your place according to the calendar. Congrats!

 

[boofagle]

I've vacationed with kids of that age and it's not worth the headaches and expense to take them anywhere specifically for them

They won't but you will. That was what was important to us. Seeing their faces (well, the older one, as you'll find out below) was worth it. Photos capture them forever.

Can't give you Tesla advice but I can give you Disney advice with kids. I went with a 2 year old and a...wait for it...5 week old.... and it was great. We had grandparent help but we could've probably done it ourselves if we just spread out the day. We went solo with our 1 year old the year before and had a blast.

Toys R Us sells stroller fans - they are amazing

Toys R Us also sells stroller rain covers. It rains almost daily like clockwork in Florida so this was helpful for those showers.

Every park has a baby care center which is air conditioned, has free water, is quiet, has changing tables, baby stuff that you might have forgotten for sale, and some books and tv playing for the older kids to stay occupied. Find these today. They will be a very welcomed site at noon in June in Florida. We would usually go back 3 or 4 times if we planned on staying the entire day at a park.

Most of our time spent at Disney was at the Magic Kingdom. They have the most kid friendly attractions, in my opinion. That being said, if you can it's worth staying at one of the close hotels (Contemporary/Bay Lake, Polynesian, Grand Floridian) We stayed at Bay Lake (next to Contemporary) and you can just walk to the Magic Kingdom. Great if you need to go back for a nap/meltdown.

All have great pools for an "off day" which helped us catch up and relax midway through our week.

Pay for the photo pass and take one at every opportunity. It's hard to find someone to take your pictures and even though the disney photogs will take photos with your camera it's great to have them online and have someone else deal with it all. It allowed me to leave my big DSLR in the hotel room.

I'm sure there's more I'll think of later.

 

[gavine]

@gavine it looks like you've been very successful booking your place according to the calendar. Congrats!

Yes. It does indeed do very well. Thanks for noticing.

 

[Racerx22b]

I can't believe I forgot to recommend the Ritz in Amelia Island. HPWCs on site and super relaxing. You never really need to leave the property but if you do the town is quite quaint and nice to walk around.

Somehow missed you were from Palm Beach. Howdy neighbor!

 

[DiamondHands]

Hi all, happy Wednesday!

Family and I returned intact and thriving from a whirlwind of a vacation. Bottom line, our Model X roadtrip experience was awesome. We spent time on Captiva Island, Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine, and Orlando.

If anyone's interested, here are some lo-fi YouTube videos re the destination chargers I used.

Thanks all for your tips. Cheers!

Tesla Destination Charger at the Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral FL

Tesla Destination Charger at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, Titusville FL

Tesla Destination Charger, Tryp by Wyndham Sebastian St. Augustine

Tesla Destination Charger Experience at Bahama Bay Resort, Orlando, FL