Really Florida!

Ahh, it’s getting to be that time of year where Florida starts cooling down.  It can’t come to soon for me!  We had a lovely Spring this year, then Summer came on with a vengence.  And here where I live, we’re still close to 90 degrees in the day, and mid to low 70′s at night.  Definitely still air-conditioning weather!

(But at least we didn’t have an active hurricane season this year — I’ve been in enough hurricanes to last the rest of my life!)

Florida Weather Predictions, Winter 2009

So, what are my Florida weather predictions for Winter 2009-2010? As with last year’s (accurate) prediction, I once again turn to the cats and their fur.

Everyone is very plush at the moment, but they started a little later than usual.  So Winter will be a bit late coming on, but once it gets here, it’s going to be chilly.

This prediction is split between my indoor cats, as well as the outside strays that we feed.  The strays are really furry right now!

So that’s if for my prediction.  Catch you again in April to see how accurate the kitties were!

Update:  January 15, 2010

Well, looks like the kitties were right once again.  Here in South Florida, we had pretty much hot weather up through almost Christmas.  Then it cooled down and then….we got a blast of cold weather (including nighttime temperatures in the upper 20′s).  It was the longest cold snap I’ve experienced in a long time, about 2 weeks of nights below 40 degrees.

It’s warmed up a bit, but I checked the kitties again anyway — they are still furry.  More cold weather to come!

Update:  April 11, 2010

Yep, the kitties were indeed accurate as to this past winter’s temperatures.  We did have a few more cold snaps up until around the end of February, and still unseasonably cool weather throughout March.

But now their summer coats are coming in, so we’re back to a warm Spring and Summer, at least here in South Florida.

Catch up with you again come Fall and I’ll let you know what the kitty coats are forecasting for next Winter!

I made a post on upcoming Florida weather some months back, and I thought it might be interesting to revisit that post, to see if what I predicted came true.

Here’s the original post on my upcoming weather in Florida predictions.  I made it back in July of last year, and it was regarding the Fall and Winter weather.

Take a moment to read the post, then come right back — I’ll wait.

Florida Fall 2008 – Winter 2009

I have to say, the furry prognosticators of temperatures were right on the money.  We did indeed have a much cooler than normal Fall, Winter and even into March we had a near-freeze.  The vegetable garden I keep suffered greatly from multiple freezes, and I lost most of my plants.

When March rolled along, I figured we were OK, back to normal with temperatures in the upper 70′s and low 80′s.  Hah!  We had another front move through and the nighttime termperatures plunged into the upper 30′s again.

It’s mid-April now, and I think we’re done with nights in the 30′s and 40′s here in South Florida.  At least. my kitties say so.  They have mostly dropped their winter coats and are sliding into their summer fur.

But is it going to be a really hot Summer here?  Looking at the cats, I’d call it average.  But it sure will be interesting to see what what predictions they come up with again, come late Summer!

Orlando vacation resorts are like mushrooms — they sprouted up everywhere.  What this means to you is that you have a wide range of prices and locations to choose from.

Choosing a Resort – Location

First off — do you want to be close to the attractions, or would you prefer to be further away? 

If Disney World is your primary destination, the obvious choice is to stay at a Disney resort.  With three types (value, moderate, luxury) and 4 pricing seasons, you’d be surprised at how little you can pay.  And you cannot beat the convenience.

If you’d like to visit some non-Disney attractions, too, then you’ll likely want to stay in the Kissimmee resort area.  Kissimmee is right next to Orlando, and the two kind of merge, so I include them in my list of Orlando vacation resorts.

Not into the attractions?  While some of the best vacation resorts are in the “attractions” area, there are also some closer to Orlando proper.

Resort Pricing

As you might imagine, Orlando vacation resorts are priced all over the map.  As a general rule of thumb, I usually say stay away from the really low prices and the really high prices.

One exception is the Gaylord Palms Resort — it’s flat-out gorgeous.  And also very large, so if walking is an issue, this Orlando resort might pose problems.

Orlando Vacation Resorts List

Other Orlando area vacation resorts to consider include:

• Caribe Cove Resort, located in the Kissimmee area.
• Floridays Resort Orlando, closer to Orlando proper.
• Ritz-Carlton Hotel Grande Lakes, it’s expensive, but then again, it’s the Ritz.
• Renaissance Resort SeaWorld Orlando, it’s snuggled up against SeaWorld (thus the name).

So those are a few of the Orlando vacation resorts that are good bets.  If you’d like to explore other options, here are some more hotels and resorts in Orlando and Kissimmee.

Enjoy!