“Life’s a Beach” - Disney Trip: Part 5

After our adventure at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it was time for another “rest day.”

We left Orlando and headed east to Daytona Beach to spend the night at Delta Hotels by Marriott Daytona Beach Oceanfront. 

We’d never been to Daytona Beach before, but Theresa and Neil had been the previous year (and I know our friends Mike and Lindsay have visited the ocean there on trips to Florida). 

On the way into town we drove by Daytona International Speedway, which made me think of the movie “Days of Thunder.” (One of our favorite movies.)

Our first stop was at the hotel to check in. 

The Delta Hotel was really lovely. Our room had a (partial) balcony view of the ocean, and the pillow top mattress on the bed was very comfortable. 

Our room was terrific...

We headed down the main drag to the Ocean Walk Shoppes Mall and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. I had a cheeseburger. 

A cheerleading competition of some sort was going on in town. Sitting at the bar (behind my nephew’s head) were some of the participants from Ohio State. 

We got some treats at Rocket Fizz after lunch. (I miss Rocket Fizz. We used to have one in Omaha, but it closed a few years ago. It’s a great place to find the kind of candy you used to eat as a kid.)

It took us an inordinate amount of time to exit the parking garage attached to the mall. They charge per 30 minutes, and part of me wondered if they were milking the clock at the exit booths. Bridget inquired about this, and the employee manning the booth got a bit defensive (which isn’t a denial). 

Back at the hotel, we changed into swimming attire and headed out the back to the beach.

The beach was glorious. The day was a bit overcast and there was a nice breeze blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. 

I spent an hour walking up and down the beach. The tide rolled in over my feet, and seagulls dotted the landscape. 

The waves were strong. Neil, Theresa, Bridget, and the kids walked out a fair distance.

The Delta Hotel has a pool overlooking the beach and ocean. The entire patio area at the hotel was nice. (The baby pool was cute!)

The whole experience was incredibly relaxing. 

After everyone was cleaned and clothed, we headed out for dinner at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. I didn’t get a picture of dinner. I got the Classic Prime Rip Dip (not spectacular). 

Neil — who was still on dessert moratorium because of Lent — had been telling us about a cookie-based dessert the restaurant offered, called a “Pizookie.”

I will say that the Salted Caramel Pizookie was good. 

(We had “less-than-stellar” service while we were at the restaurant. It was frustrating because Neil and Theresa — and our friends Mike and Lindsay — had good experiences in the past. We’ll figure this dinner trip was a fluke and hope for better things next time.)

When we got back to the hotel, parking spaces were at a premium (it was after 11 p.m. at that point). We had kind of a funny moment where Neil was backing in the rental car for Bridget (in one of the narrow stalls) and we were both giving him directions from the front and rear of the vehicle. 

My nephew Blaise watched from a distance and said, “I could watch this all day, Jonny Boy.” 

We had terrific day at Daytona Beach. 

One note: I inadvertently used the photo below as a “teaser” for this post in the fourth part of the “Disney Trip” series. Well, you're not going to learn about that guy until the “next” post in the series. Stay tuned.

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