We have booked 2 days at WDW Orlando,2 days South Beach, 2 days Key Largo, 2 days Key West, and 2 days back to Orlando.Need suggestions for favorite places to eat,snorkel, and sights not to miss. Thanks!!

In Key West the "musts" for restaurants are:
Blue Heaven (Cuban food)
Cafe Marquesa (romantic med/french style)
Cafe de Artistes (pricey but worth it)
Louie's Backyard (for lunch & view)

While you're in Key Largo, it is not far to Islamorada - there is an excellent restaurant there (if fact one of my best meals ever called Pierre's) - great drinks too! It is owned by the people who own the Moorings (and is across the street from the Cheeca Lodge)

In Key Largo . . we were supprised to find the "African Queen" . . the actual boat used in the movie, in a marina next to a Holiday Inn . . just one little neat thing to see.

In Key West , we stayed at "The Conch HOuse" . . a little B&B about three blocks from Duvall . . and walked down the the end of Duvall to see the sunset.

Cool visit! . . Rich

Chuck:

Too much to cover in one trip. Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale/Miami one way must be about 200+ miles alone. Concentrate on one area. If it is Orlando and you still want some beach time go to Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral (sp?).

If you really would rather snorkel, concentrate on Miami and the Keys, especially Key Largo and John Pennekamp Park. Absolutely wonderful for snorkeling. When staying in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, we went as far south as Key Largo for a day trip to see the reef and it wasn't such a bad drive.

Stephanie's right, sounds like you're cramming in way too much.
I was just in Orlando this past January with my husband-no kids-and we spent four days near Universal and then moved over to a WDW resort for another five days using their transportation. We did a park a day, just about, and it's not our first time! If you'd like more info on the parks, post a message and I'll check back.

Check out Bahia Honda state park in the middle keys and take a snorkeling boat trip out to Looe Key from there--cool reef about 12 miles out. The park itself has some beautiful beaches and you can rent kayaks.

I agree with the others too about it being too much to cram in--just driving from Ft Lauderdale to the keys, up and down the keys, and back up to Miami was MORE than enough driving and packing/unpacking for us...why move around so much? We settled in the Middle Keys at the Lime Tree Bay resort which we loved and it was the perfect place from which to explore all the keys.

I think this vacation sounds like a recipe for exhaustion. You could cover the same ground by basing yourself for four days in Orlando and then the antidote of the Keys for four days, maybe staying in a more centrally located key.

There are several places to snorkel and dive in the keys...Pennekamp is very nice but I think the Looe Key idea is good. It is easy to drive to Key West for a long day (unless the goal is to get blasted) and keep your middle keys base. 5 moves is a lot for eight days but it is YOUR trip!

If you have just two days at Disney, you might decide on two of the several parks. You haven't mentioned if you have children with you on this trip or if this is a singles adventure or if you are married. A little more info might help.

Thanks for your suggestions,it is just my wife and my self.We travel a lot all over the world and usually stay longer in one place.We grew up on the beach next door to Disneyland so 2 days should be enough, but don't want to miss the "special" places along the way over these 10 days.thanks again!!!

Here are a few spots for your "marathon" tour:

Restaurants:
-Rusty Pelican (great view) - in Key Biscayne (just south of Miami Bch)
-Sundowners - Key Largo
-Perricones - Miami
-TONS of outdoor cafes in South Beach: Mezzaluna, Mango's (for Latin ambience), Next, Oasis Cafe (mediterranean)
-Versailles, Miami (Cuban)
-Azul, Miami ($$$$)

Also, ditto on Pennekamp State Park. They have a snorkeling cruise for about $27 that's a must.
http://www.pennekamppark.com/

I agree with those who say you have too much in your itinerary. There is plenty in Orlando for a week. Come back for a second trip to see the other things.

Packing up and moving every two days will lead to arguments because everyone is going to be exhausted.

When you drive from Orlando to Miami, you are going to spend most of the day in the car. Then Key West is a good clip from Miami. I cannot imagine the drive from Key West to Orlando in one day. Go and look at your map and check mapquest.com for the mileage.

Personally, I would do either Orlando or the Keys. I am not wild about Miami and the South Beach, but that is just me.

Two days at Disney no kids. Here is what I'd do: One day do MGM and Animal Kingdom. They are both worth seeing and it depends if you want to do all the rides. That evening have dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Jiko, really the best restaurant at Disney at this point. Very interesting African based cuisine and really superb south african wines that you can try nowhere else but in Africa. The hotel is a work of art and to stand on the overlooks at the "savannah" at sunset with the animals grazing with your lovely glass of sparkling wine is quite a restful cap to a busy day.

Second day I'd do Epcot. Nothing like Disneyland at all. I think lunch at the French Pavillion is nice. The food is properly prepared and the room lovely looking at the lake and passersby. Disney execs love the Askherhaus (sp) which is a Norwegian restaurant. You can call ahead a make priority seating (reservations) for most Epcot restaurants 60 days ahead and sometimes more.

The evening can be spent watching the fireworks from Epcot or Downtown Disney and buy a ticket for Pleasure Island which is a group of night clubs built for adults. Cirque de soleil has a permanent home here and there is a house of blues and there are bands and dancing everynight. I like to have dinner in the cafe at Wolfgang Pucks or Portobello Yacht club. That should leave you not too tired for your marathon drive to South Beach. Do yourself a favor and pay the toll for the Florida Turnpike and save yourself the hell of driving I 95 all the way to Miami. LMF

Wow, I love LMS's recommendations above. I would add, that when you get the MGM that first morning, go right to the "thrill" ride area. Get a Fast Pass for Tower of Terror, and then get in line for Rockin Roller Coaster. That will save you some time on your whirlwind tour! Also, definitley follow her advice for taking the toll road south.