Surviving Sanibel: Sand, Shells & Sunsets Trip Report - UPDATED 7/13 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Thank you for stopping in and reading my pre-trip report! I hope you all enjoy this, and when we return hope you enjoy the Post Trip report. Let's get this party Started!
Every story or report has to start some where, and lets get you started with who will be trying to Survive Sanibel!
Who:
Me- Amy your host and report writer, I'm *gulp* a newly minted 28 year old, who loves all things beach related except swimming in the actual ocean...more on that later! I am also co driver of the trip and this will be my 3rd trip to Sanibel.
Angela- My mom who is turning the big 55 better her then me right?, and co-driver of the trip and lover of all things beach including swimming in the ocean (yeah let her get eaten by a fish I'm not risking it ) and this is her 3rd trip to Sanibel also.
Floor Foot Frannie (FFF) - aka my Grandma who is going to be 83 this year (bless her heart) and non swimmer never learned never wants to learn how either but loves to walk the beach and find shells. She is staying with mom and I for the summer and this is her 1st trip to Sanibel!
Nora- grandma's neice, my mom's cousin and I call her Aunt and is 57! Yeah we have a large italian family and Nora is just a bright and fun part of it! She is visiting FFF and us for a few days and has never been to Florida, Sanibel or Disney World before!!! (we will rectify the disney part after Sanibel!!) So this obviously is her 1st time to Sanibel too!
When:
July 9, 2010- July 12, 2010 a quick weekend getaway!
Where: Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Fort Myers Beach, FL
Staying at:
Residence Inn, Fort Myers, Sanibel Gateway
Why:
This Started out as a trip with just my mom and I going down for mom's birthday weekend (her birthday is the 12th) we would leave late on the 12th letting her get some beach time in on her actual birthday and it was something she was excited about! We started scouring for a hotel deal and figured we had time and it was just us so we would be fine at any hotel.
Well, a few weeks go by, and FFF drops the news that she is going to be coming to visit for 2 months! hold up what?!?! yeah folks she is spending the whole summer with us and would that be a problem ...ummm of course NOT! I FFF! We have a very special Grandma/Granddaughter bond and I am beyond pysched! But wait... now we need a hotel with room for 3...no big deal shouldn't be a problem!
I scout out the hotel from our trip last year the Country Inn and Suites, prices aren't bad put a room on hold! Then I find a great deal thanks to FFF's age and mom's age for a Senior discount (yeah, since mom got her AARP card I am sure to point that out ) at the Residence Inn, for a suite with plenty of room for 3 of us. It's a 1 bedroom suite but it has 2 queen beds and a kitchen! So I book it and cancel the other hotel
Well, of course nothing ever stays the same and its about a month later we get a phone call from My Aunt Nora. She had been talking to FFF and had wanted to go to CT to visit FFF but since she'd be in Florida all summer would we mind if she came to visit? OF COURSE NOT! We don't have a ton of room but we would make space for her! Well, I have a brilliant beyond brilliant Idea!
See FFF doesn't know she is going to Sanibel, we decided for our Sanity to Survive the time between now and going (all the questions, etc) since FFF is like a small child very impatient we would make it a surprise trip! Well, she knows Nora was going to ask if she could crash at our place and visit, well, we set it up with Nora that she would fly in July 8th and then on the 9th all 4 of us would drive down to Sanibel, Visit and have a great time at the beach, then she would fly home on the 14th giving her 1 full day to spend in Orlando going to Disney!
So now we had a 4th person, that 1 bedroom was ok for space but it would be tight so I start scouring for a discount for either a 2nd room, or a bigger suite! I found one! At the same hotel no less! So we now have a 2 bedroom suite!
So that small trip that was going to be a Birthday bash at the beach for 2 of us is now Suriving Sanibel with 4 of us!
up next...our plans, our hopefuls for dining and only 4 more weeks until we go!
So you can skip right to the updates if you would rather I'll post the links here:
Pre-Trip Update # 1 6/08/2010- Click Here
Pre-Trip Update # 2 6/11/2010- Click Here
Pre-Trip Update # 3 6/20/2010- Click Here
Pre-Trip Update # 4 6/25/2010- Click Here
Pre-Trip Update # 5 7/05/2010- Click Here
Trip Report Update # 1 7/11/2010- Click Here
Trip Report Update # 2 7/13/2010- Click Here
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Last edited by iamgrumpy; 07-13-2010 at 05:25 PM..
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better her then me right?, and co-driver of the trip and lover of all things beach including swimming in the ocean (yeah let her get eaten by a fish I'm not risking it 
for 2 months! 
hold up what?!?! 
FFF! We have a very special Grandma/Granddaughter bond and I am beyond pysched! But wait... now we need a hotel with room for 3...no big deal shouldn't be a problem! 
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