anyoneon here been to cypress gardens or silver springs?

[julieannbabe]

did you enjoy these parks?

i am interested in doing at least one of these parks.

are they worth visiting?

thanks,

xjx

[wicket2005]

I did Cypress Gardens in 1996 but obviously now it has been revamped a bit. Once was enough for us, we found it was more for the older age group. My parents loved it but we didn't feel there was enough to entertain our lads who were 7 and 5 at the time.

[steve_rob]

I went to Silver Springs in 2003. It's a long drive, but it's quite a nice place to visit. Makes for a very relaxing day - a stark comparision to much of the rest of your holiday.

[liamandcaili]

I went to Cypress Gardens a long time ago...I am sure a lot has changed...but I would recommend that if you have children or allergies, skip this. It's very pretty, but torture for children, and the flowering plants smell so strongly (especially on hot days...if it is humid, you will feel like you are in a rainforest!) that it would definitely be torture for those with allergies.

Good luck!

[CousinB]

We went to Cypress Gardens three weeks ago and greatly enjoyed it. There was something for just about everyone except the real white knuckle ride fiends. The gardens are lovely. the shows are very good (we saw a halloween themed ice skating show, an exciting water skiing show and a hilarious pirates show). The many rides are particularly suited to children and young teens. It does not have the sophisticated animatronics and 3D shows of the orlando parks but for a family it is a relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable day out. Incidentally on Saturday evenings they have band shows which range from country and western through 70s and 80s to modern pop.

If you fancy something a bit different try it out.

CousinB

[Rain]

How far is Cypress Gardens????( from LBV)

[Oddjob]

Went to both these parks in 1989
Thought Silver Springs was great The Glass bootomed boats were Amazing..

[UKPhil]

Silver Springs is a lovely relaxing day out but about an hour and a half from Kissimmee (guessing that's where you're staying). They often have concerts on Sundays. Well worth a trip.

[angel659]

We went to Silver Springs in 1998 and we didnt like it. We didnt feel it was worth the long drive. The glassbottom boats were lovely, but thats all we felt we enjoyed.

[Susie]

We just got back from Florida on Monday and I have to say we were very impressed with Cypress Gardens and we didn't see all of it. The entry is very reasonable - $32 for an adult I think - don't quote me BUT once you've paid you go to their Guest services and they give you all another set of tickets FOC for entry to the park but it must be used within 7 days. Also they asked if we were AAA members and DH is a member of the AA so he showed his card and they knocked about $20 off the admission price.

We really had a great day there as there are loads of rides and there are no queues - 95% of the rides are walk ons and some of them my kids stayed on 3 or 4 times as there was noone waiting to get on. They loved it as they are 7 & 11 and they see a ride and want to go on not have to wait 30-40 minutes like at some of the major parks. We went on the Saturday of the Columbus Day Weekend and I would have thought that would have been a busy time but it was great. There are lovely botanical gardens which we didn't have time for and a water park area again we didn't have time for. We saw a water ski show which was really good and a brilliant halloween ice skating show. Had we had any free time we would have used our second day ticket as the kids raved about it infact when asked what was their favourite things Cypress Gardens always got a mention even over Discovery Cove!

The only negatives about Cypress Gardens are, I saw a jaguar in a cage and it looked pretty distressed pacing back and forth - I really couldn't see the point of it as it was the only animal I saw. And there was a lack of shade - the day we went was scorching hot and very humid and there were very few shaded areas to just sit and cool down whilst the kids were on the rides.

But if you want a more relaxed day and lots of rides which are of the non thrill seeking varity then Cypress Gardens fits the bill so go!

[riu girl]

1. Can anyone tell me what the AAA discount is for cypress gardens? One poster mentioned about $20. Is that off of a party of 4 (therefore, $5 each off). That would be great!!!

2. Also can anyone tell me anything about the pirate show that is offered?

Thanks
Suzy V

[Susie]

Hi I can cofirm we got $20 off a family of 4 when we went there in October for AAA discount.