19 Jan 2023
I actually set an alarm this morning, as I needed to pick up my rental car (from just outside Disney Springs) at 0930 and my plan of just hopping the Disney Springs bus was not going to work as the bus doesn’t show up until just before 10. Sure, I probably could have adjusted my pick-up time, but I’ve gotten pretty good at Disney transportation so I decided to take the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios, grab a bus to Saratoga Springs and walk from there.
There was actually a pretty long line at the Skyliner, so it may have been faster to grab a bus, but the walk to the buses is much longer than the walk to the Skyliner, so here we wait- at least the view is pretty!
It actually didn’t take too long for the line to move and I got this first car all to myself! and it was unwrapped! so I could actually see out of it!
I picked up this super-sweet Toyota Camry, which had only 2600 miles on it and was new enough to still have it’s satellite radio active! No more having to hunt for stations as I drive across the state! I used my/Matt’s MagicBand to let my car into our hotel parking lot for easy loading and was on the roady by 1030!
Google put my drive at just over 6 hours from Orlando to Key Largo and I hoped by leaving early and not on a weekend I could avoid the heavier traffic I know exists as you approach Fort Lauderdale. I mapped out several dive shops along the way to break up the drive but about 2.5 hours in, my car chirped and asked if I’d like to stop and take a break. Not sure how I feel about that.
I found a wetsuit that fit well at my first stop (still tried on half a dozen suits before finding it), so I powered through the last 3 hours down to my hotel in the Keys. I like to stay at one of the 2 hotels closest to my dive shop so I can just walk over in the morning, but their prices were way above what I wanted to pay so I found a new place, the Waterside Suites and Marina, which was still more than I wanted to pay, but cheaper than my other options, plus it had a guaranteed patio (a necessity for drying gear before flying). It also had this cute little tree growing in its gutter:
This was my suite:
Living room, bathroom, kitchen and patio downstairs
Bedroom and bath (with shower) upstairs.
Honestly, I’d stay here again- the only downside was climbing the stairs after a long day of diving (they were kinda steep, my knees were kinda sore), but I loved having a real kitchen, to make and reheat my own food. The only thing that could make it better is if it also had a washer/dryer, but honestly, what hotel has that!?