Beach Towel Question

[Dwarful]

the kids have decided we have to hit the beach at least once while we are in Florida..(10 days at WDW) ...going to do Cocoa I guess as the older boys want to hit Ron Jons as well...here is my question...should I pack beach towels from say some cheap dollar store and plan on abandoning them on the way home if space is needed in the suitcases? Or should I plan on letting the kids buy beach towels at WDW?I am guessing that could get expensive! We are a group of 8, but if someone knew that we could buy cheapo florida beach towels in the Cocoa beach area I wont bother packing them....thanks

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I would bring your own..the towels in WDW cost cost 15+ each. I would use the money for other things than that.

 

[Lovecraft]

Nearly anywhere on the beach and at the tourists shops along international drive etc. in Orlando have cheap beach towels.

Sometimes at the tourists shops you can find beach towels (and other items) with disney characters on them for MUCH less expense than those at WDW.

But, caveat emptor, the merchandise at most (if not all) of the tourist shops outside of WDW is of a much inferior quality than what you would get in WDW or a Disney Store.

Again though, if you are looking for cheap as heck stuff, you are just as (or possibly more) likely to find it in Orlando or along ANY beach in florida as at your home town.

--Lovecraft

p.s. depending upon the shop you are also likely to find way OVERPRICED beach merchandise, and some beach communities do charge an additional sales tax merely for buying an item on the beach (as is the case here in Pensacola Beach)

 

[Dwarful]

Thanks..I looked at our "Dollar Store" the cheap ones...that look like maybe they could go through the washer once...were about $7 each. I figured the ones at Disney would be more than I wanted to spend...the kids will want other things...thanks for the info!

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by DisneyInsider
I would bring your own..the towels in WDW cost cost 15+ each. I would use the money for other things than that.

I never saw one there for less than $25! Go to the dollar store.

 

[figmentmom]

Get the cheapo towels, and plan on abandoning them (or, better yet, handing them off to an arriving family). You'll need room in the suitcases for the stuff you'll accumulate at Disney, anyway!

 

[Erika]

Aw, my late grandma and her sister had a condo in Cocoa Beach-- you could see the ocean from their verandah (sp?). We used to walk to Ron Jons. What a tourist trap! Of course we had to go every time!

Have you been there before? I noticed you interchanged Cocoa and Cocoa Beach and they are 2 different towns. That's confusing if you don't know ahead of time. Just making sure

Cocoa Beach does have a ton of stores where you can buy towels. If I were you I would check the grocery stores-- I think that should be the least expensive. The little shops really jack up the prices.

And don't forget to sing "A1A- Beachfront Avenue!" as you're driving down the street-- LOL yup-- Vanilla Ice :lol:

 

[Nala59]

Just another thought... what I've done in the past, is not pack any beach towels at all, and use the ones that the resort provides... if you're staying at a Disney Resort borrow them for the day to bring to Cocoa.

My cousin has oceanfront property in Cocoa... it's an awesome place to visit. It's very commercial and expensive though, and busy! Ron John's is cool too. They have always had a live band performing in there, when we've been there... again, expensive... but worth seeing.

 

[Dwarful]

Thanks for the info..sorry I did mean CBeach...havent been since BC (Before children) but used to go alot when I would go visit my cousin who worked at Epcot. I guess we will do the hand off thing...we do that with the cheap umbrella stroller we grab at the walmart type store for $20 we get one for the oldest child..the youngest gets the good one that reclines...she still naps..but when we are leaving we hand it off...cheaper than renting and there is always some family arriving at the resort when we are leaving that has a child who could use it. we only deal w/one stoller at the airport this way as well. But I appreciate the info..I was wanting to avoid getting caught in the tourist trap..you know way over priced stuff!

 

[Nala59]

If you use the ones from the resort you're staying at, it won't cost you a thing, and you can just throw it in the laundry shoot back at the resort, and they'll wash it for you too!

 

[Dwarful]

Well, thats true Nala, do they have beach towels at the resorts? Or would we just take bath type towels? My husband prefers a big beach towel..thats why I was just planning on buying some cheapo's when we got to the beach. thanks for the info.

 

[Maria]

If the hotel has a pool, most likely it will have big towels I´d probably borrow the ones from the hotel and bring them back at the end of the day. (Just don´t tell them you are taking them out of the hotel, and be careful with them or you could get charged a lot more...).

I bought a Disney Cruise Line Towel at the ship, and it cost me $25 in ´99.... shame is, I never take it to the beach because it is so nice, that I´m afraid of having it stolen!

 

[Nala59]

uh-huh... like Maria said, the resort usually had beach towels at the pool, and we've gone down to the pool area, picked up one for each person, and no one even knows who we are... and we've always returned them... the chances of something happening to a beach towel are minimul... anyhow... it's all a matter of preference... just ENJOY yourselves!!! That's the biggie!! The important thing... have FUN!!

Can't wait 'til we go! 12 more weeks... minus 2 days! :sohappy:

 

[bearboysnc]

You don't have to go to the beach to hit Ron Jon's. They're like cockroaches in Florida. They're everywhere.

 

[TiggerDaddy]

There's a Wal-Mart very close off-property. You can probably get som large towels there fairly cheap.

 

[LoriL]

I just got back, and I can tell you that all the Disney towels (with characters) are $20 at every store in WDW. We stayed at the Polynesian, and the bath towels provided there are way too small to use at the beach! I am a 5'3" 115 pound person, and I thought they were tiny-- could hardly wrap one around myself when I got out of the shower (this is a change by the way; they used to be really nice towels). The pool towels are only a little bit larger-- everyone I saw was taking at least 2 per person to use. Your best bet would be to hit a WalMart or a Target while you're there, I think.

Also, be prepared for the HEAT. It's been around 100 degrees for the past ten days or more (we arrived on 5/27 and it was unrelenting)-- way above average. If you have little ones, they begin to wilt after only a couple of hours. If you want to buy one of those water bottles with a spritzer and a fan, TAKE IT WITH YOU. They cost $17 onsite!

 

[Dwarful]

OK thanks...yeah we have 5 kids in our group and I would classify three as being little enough to be seriously bothered by the heat...lucky for us we live in the midwest and are used to 100F w/humidity of a sauna! My aunt and uncle moved back from Orlando and last summer they moaned on and on about how they couldnt go in the yard at night because it was still 100 degrees...well yeah duh! But I looked at our walmart today and they had large beach towels...cheapo's mind you good for a week or two maybe for 3.97 so I guess thats what I will get...hope the walmart there is about the same...they had a nice Disney Pooh umbrella stoller with a basket underneath and shade on top for 12.97 so hope we can grab one at that price as well...probably not but I would rather pay a little more and not deal with five kids, two strollers and a car seat on the airplane LOL!

 

[Hurricane]

Originally posted by bearboysnc
You don't have to go to the beach to hit Ron Jon's. They're like cockroaches in Florida. They're everywhere.

Ummmmm there are only 2 Ron Jon's in Florida, the original Ron Jon which is in Cocoa, and the newest one they opened in suburbia, Pembroke Pines (Ft Lauderdale for you non south fla people) Not exactly an infestation if you ask me