Nikole

Ok I'm a little confused now! My husband and I (late 20's) will be spending one week at WDW and then are planning on renting a car and enjoying some Beach time for another week. The goal of the second week is to relax. However, I also know my husband, and know that he will not be able to sit still for a whole week. THerefor, we will need other things to do as well. The catch is..we are going the first week of December. Some people keep suggesting the Gulf side yet another mentioned that the weather is likely to be warmer and more predictable on the Ocean side? Someone help please! ) Thanks!

Carl

Both Coasts are great just remember that the farther south you go the Water will get warmer. Daytona Beach will be too cold in Dec (opinion) Gulf stream is too far off shore, but in Ft Lauderdale or Miami where it's less than a mile offshore the water is very nice. West Coast gets warmer south of Sarasota.
Suggestion since your in FL anyway why don't you look into doing a 3 or 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. They leave right out of Port Canaveral (30 minutes from Orlando) and for the price of a hotel room on the Beach you could go cruising!! That's what I'd do!!

michele

Miami Beach has a lot of activity and the beach is beautiful ( if like wide expanses of sand before you get to the ocean.)

Craig

You are looking for a relaxing time and your husband is active and you want nice beaches...Try Sanibel/Captiva Island. You can relax on the beautiful beaches, your husband can rent a kayak and paddle amongst dolphins, manatees, and watch osprey snag a fish from the water.

Look for accomodations at South Seas Plantation/ or Tween Waters Inn on Captiva, or Sundial resort on Sanibel. Tell your husband to rent a kayak from Wildside Adventures on Captiva and paddle around Buck Key. He'll love it.

Johnny

We travel from England every year to Florida. Although we have never been in December i would suggest Naples as a place to visit.
It is a lovely , quiet beach resort and about 3 -4 hours drive from Orlando.
There is not much going on in Naples but having stayed there twice at the Registry Resort there is something about the place that just makes you want to keep going back, year after year!
In my opinion the best beach in Florida is Clearwater, but Naples is anicer place to visit.
Any further questions please e-mail me.

jcameron

You can expect the water to be too cool to swin in on both the Gulf and Atlanta unless you go far, far south, down toward Miami and the Keys. The Gulf Beaches are likely to be warmer. This is based on actual experience in December when you're going. Head as far south as possible in Florida. Be sure to take cotton sweaters no matter where you go. Your best bet: Guadeloupe in the FWI - a fabulous place.

Hal

Depending on what you're looking for, the Atlantic and Gulf are fairly different. I used to live in the Naples area which I think is about a 4 hr. drive from WDW. To give you some perspective, Naples has a "nicer" feel to the beach a compared to Daytona, which is more "touristy". (I happen to like ALL beaches for their different vibes.) Year-round warm weather, but not nearly as developed as Miami. Your weather starts to get cooler in the winter around Tampa/St.Pete. From there down, you are at the tip-top of the tropics. The Gulf has much calmer water (less waves), and the sand tends to be finer and not as coarse. On the Atlantic side jelly fish are common, whereas on the Gulf stingrays are common. I think stingrays are a bit easier to shuffle away than a jellyfish. Anyway, I don't know if you prefer the calmness of the Gulf, or the energy of the Atlantic side, but I would concur with the others and say you really should go pretty far south... the weather is worth it!