marthagrif

I am going to a conference in Orlando next May.
I am going to fly from Australia a week early and wanted to see some other parts of Florida. I will stay on after the conference to see things around Orlando.
I do not want to hire a car.
I am a 53 year old female and have done some solo travel, though not in the USA.
Plan A is to fly into Key West spend a few days there, then take the bus to Fort Lauderdale and spend a few days there then take the train to Orlando. I would do a day trip to Miami and the Everglades from Fort Lauderdale.
Will this be too much moving about with my luggage etc?
Plan B is to fly into Miami and stay there for 6 nights and take day trips from there .
I am a little worried about the cost involved in staying at a decent hotel in Miami and my family is worried about my safety. Have they been watching too many CSI shows ?
What do the experts think?

olesouthernbelle

I have not ridden a Greyhound bus in many years, since I 'swore off' of them in college.
Here is a link to another thread that supports why:
http://tinyurl.com/ykqrn7

NeoPatrick

I'd be more scared in Sydney than in Miami (yes, I've been to both). Yes, your family has been watching too much TV.

I will say that public transportation in Florida is horrible at best, but it can be done.
Frankly, I'd opt for a few days in Key West, then some time in Miami/South Beach. A tour to the Everglades would be easy to find from Miami.

tampatramp

marthagrif,

Please be aware that Miami and Miami Beach are two different cities. Most people (locals and visitors) who say Miami really mean Miami Beach- which is probably what you have in mind to visit. Your hotel should be on the beach (or just across the street from) on the Atlantic Ocean (not on "the water") . South Beach is a wonderful Art Nouveau district, it is in Miami Beach. The Everglades is well worth a day trip.

I have never been scared in Miami Beach, nor in Sydney the few times I have been there. The city of Miami on the other hand...the reason it is not allowed in florida for rental car companies to mark their cars as rentals is because too many tourists who got lost in Miami going to or from the airport were attacked driving through certain areas.

The US is easy to travel solo-as easy as it is in Australia. (just got back a few months ago: Sydney, Perth, Darwin)

I like your Miami (BEACH) option for 6 nights and taking day trips. (I don't know much about Key West)

Have a wonderful and safe trip in Florida!

NeoPatrick- "horrible" public transportation in Florida is about the nicest I've ever heard it described! What areas of Sydney should I avoid?

NeoPatrick

Huh? Sydney is a wonderful safe city. I don't know of any areas there to avoid. I said "I would be more scared in Sydney than in Miami" -- that's because I wouldn't be scared at all in Miami. I might be a little more scared in Sydney because I'd be driving on the wrong side of the street -- that's all.

kelliebellie

Just a warning about public transportation in the US. The bus and the train are not like Europe. They aren't very nice or convienent. Think again about renting a car. The US is built around the idea that everyone has a car and things are really spread out. I think you will feel trapped without a car.

Miami Beach is lovely and perfectly safe.

amwosu

If you really don't want to rent a car plant yourself on Miami Beach and do day trips.

If I were to travel from place to place up the coast I would feel far more comfortable/safer than on public transportation in the US.

NeoPatrick

I would never suggest for someone who has never driven a right hand vehicle on the left side of the road to go rent a car in London and drive around. I would think twice if I were marthagrif, if she has NOT driven a left drive car on the right side of the road, before following a suggestion to rent a car and drive around Miami and Miami Beach.

tampatramp

NeoPatrick,

ok, got it-I read your post with a different emphisis. Sydney is safe, so is Miami Beach. But there are areas of Miami that I would still be scared in. Some of my friends in the UK and Oz say WE drive on the wrong side of the road.

And in Florida I have found that if you are deaf and blind you can still drive (if you are over 80) but then you can drive on any side of the road you wish. [note: this comment is meant to reinforce YOUR "think twice" comment].

kelliebellie

If she really doesn't think she can do the opposite side driving, then she shouldn't. But I hate being disappointed on vacation and I was warning her that she will be if she thinks that the U.S. public transportation system is like others she's experienced.

We spend two weeks a year at Christmas in the Ft. Lauderdale area and I can't imagine doing it without a car.

tampatramp

marthagrif,

IMO kelliebellie and NeoPatrick have provided expert-yet conflicting-opinions. They are of course both right; you just need to decide which of two non-ideal solutions are workable for you.

It would be a shame to have travelled so far to Orlando and not go to Miami Beach (or Key West). Knowing what to expect, you will not be disappointed. Neither the stressful driving nor the terrible public transportation is bad enough to ruin a wonderful vacation.

marthagrif

Thanks so much for all your info. I will certainly divide my time between Miami Beach and Key West. Driving on the right really worries me so the car thing is not an option. I have found a bus company called Transfloridian which seems a bit more upmarket than Greyhound. This may make the trip to Key West more comfortable/safer. Are trains such as Silver Meteor and Silver Star of a reasonable standard? They look pretty good on the Amtrak website.

keymom

Here's plan C. For not much more than a roundtrip flight between Miami and Orlando, you can do an open jaw flight. You fly to Miami, spend several days there; take the bus to Key West and then fly back to Orlando. There is a bus to Key West that is spoken well of the tripadvisor forum.

hotzim

I don't know that I would go to Key West. It would be way down my list of places to see if I were traveling to the US from Australia and it really is quite far even from Miami. There are quite a few exceptional things to see in the metro-Miami area. There will be a wonderful Chihuly glass exhibit at the Fairchild Tropical Gardens until the end of May and that will be world-class. Vizcaya is a private home of a wealthy industrialist that is open to the public and world class. There are several museums of note in the Miami area, including the Bass Museum of Art. There are great restaurants, theatre, and a nice boat trip around Biscayne Bay.
It will probably be too hot and buggy by then to enjoy the Everglades, and the reefs off Florida do not compare favorably with the Great Barrier Reef.
Orlando and surrounding cities also have some nice museums, including the Hosmer Museum which has the world's largest collection of Tiffany glass.
Metro Tampa is another possibility. There is a fine museum of Salvador Dali's work in St. Petersburg. Sarasota is another nice area. The John Ringling home is representative of the era, and there are nice gardens, lovely views of the bay, The Circus museum, and the fine Asolo Theatre adjacent.
Wherever you go in Florida, be prepared for hot, humid weather and blistering sun.

tampatramp

marthagrif: I think I trashed US public transportation enough already; actually Amtrak is quite good and have traveled on their trains many times, and would love to more often. The problem is their schedule and places that they go to. So if it works for you, then you will not be disappointed. They are clearly "of a reasonable standard". But if you really want a high class train I would recommend the Indian Pacific!

hansboomer

Interesting reading in prior blips. As a born and raised (57 years) Florida native, we welcome you our little piece of this earth. It is hard to keep in mind that you are only talking 1 week (I'm assuming 6-7 days?) of free time prior to your need to be in Orlando. Before I throw my two cents in....will you have free time in Orlando? That might determine how much time you spend AWAY from Orlando.

Miami Beach is classic "tourist must see" material. South Beach is extremely interesting but really, one day and one night on a tight schedule is about all you can devote. Spend a long lunch at the News Cafe and people watch. You will laugh yourself silly, feel insane jealousy (unless you have movie star looks with a model body!!!) and find it very enjoyable. Walk the South Beach street and beach. Great architecture. IF you can arrange a day "tour" of Miami to take in Fairchild Gardens and other sights, do that as well. I typically don't like "tours" but if you have the "driving on the wrong side" fear, best to not do much city driving, especially in crazy Miami and Orlando traffic. I think both ranked in the top 5 worst drivers in the U.S. poll this past year.

Day trip to the Everglades, regardless of what one considers "humid and buggy", is a must for a first timer visit to South Florida. It is a world class natural park and is slipping away from us all I fear. See it while you can. Do a "tour" deal from your hotel in South Beach. Don't drive over.

Key West........hum-m-m-m. A wonderful, unique slice of a mix of romance, carefree, open and free expression of love and a pretty historic place. But it is a 150 +/- mile LONG drive from Miami. It generally requires about 4 hours from Miami. Not certain I see it as a "must do" but if the time is available, do it as a "fly in A.M., spend the night, fly out the next late P.M. Not sure what the costs for flights are now.

Orlando....I hate to say it but Mickey Mouse rules and if you have never had a Disney experience, you should. I suggest Epcot for adults before the Magic Kingdom. Our Space Coast is remarkable in terms of space travel histiry. A short day trip over to Cape Kennedy and the NASA complex is worth the time and cost. You will always be able to say "I saw where they take off and land"!

Last, let me provide you with some typical travel times so that you have a bearing as to where/when/etc: Miami to Orlando drive time is about 4 1/2 to 5 hours.....Miami to Key West is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours......Orlando to Cape Canaveral is about 45 mins.....Orlando to Tampa is about 2 hours and if you want to get real crazy....Key West to Pensacola (in the Florida panhandle) is about 16 hours!!!!! Not as far as many places in your part of the world but long enough for an old gator!!!!

You will be safe here. Simply stay alert and ask the hotels about night time issues. South Beach and Key West are cool. Orlando theme parks are world class. Lauderdale airport has a number of flights to Orlando. Check www.southwest.com for probably best costs (about $50 U.S. one way). Miami airport, while insane and like visiting a whole other country, also has many Orlando flights and is better suited if South Beach is your "headquarters" location in South Florida. Other than that, call me if you get lost!!!! LOL. Safe travels.

wow

Re: Your Plan A: I wld skip Key West. Instead if flying into Key West & then going to Ft. Lauderdale(FLL), why not fly into FLL? I hate the Miami airport. FLL is much easier to navigate. From the FLL airport you can take a cab to 17th St. Causeway/A1A in FLL. A1A is a major North/South road in FLL. In the 17th St. Causeway/A1A area you have many choices of places to stay. You can do a "day trip" to Miami. There are lots of things to keep you busy in FLL. Then fly from FLL to Orlando ( or bus or whatever....you mentioned the train...what is the difference in price b/t the train & a flight to Orlando from FLL?) After your time in Orlando, fly from Orlando back to Australia.

marthagrif

Thanks you all so much. I really appreciate your time and effort. I keep forgetting that the flying domestic in the US is cost effective and efficient (it's a nightmare in Australia). I just bought my Lonely Planet Florida book and it is quite overwhelming. I have decided I will park myself in Miami Beach for the week and not bother about Key West. Hopefully I will be able to secure a nice little room in an Art Deco hotel!There seems so much to do in Miami it makes no sense to stress myself out moving around. I can always come back another time. I will then fly to Orlando. After the conference I will have time for EPCOT and Cape Kennedy before heading home.
Once again thanks for the advice