1st Trip to WBC

[jaykorf001]

My husband, 5 year old DS, and I decided on an impromptu trip to Orlando in March. We are renting thru Vacation Upgrades (Ken and Denise) and so far they have been very easy to deal with. I'll report my thoughts on WBC after our stay.

We were in Orlando last summer and stayed at AKL. So this time I'm thinking of more of a relaxing trip and no Disney park days. Planning to go to Seaworld for sure.

Ideas for Disney things to do that don't involve park tickets? Maybe character breakfast at Ohana? Other Orlando ideas? My son is not ready for Discovery Cove yet.

I'm so excited. We've had at least two visits from the Polar Vortex. Ready for spring!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Other Orlando ideas?

Aquatica is a ton of fun, and has a GREAT kids area that your DS would love. There's also a great dual wave pool, Roa's Rapids (a tubeless, fast moving "lazy river"....the best family-friendly water feature anywhere, IMHO), a traditional lazy river with tubes & a gorgeous aquarium, Commerson dolphins (who you can watch swim in a special viewing area, and also see "perform" with the training staff several times during the day), and a whole host of slides. You can get combo tickets which include admission to both SW & Aquatica, and each ticket is valid for unlimited admission over 14 days, so you could go back several times if you wanted.

Gatorland is a great half-day attraction. There's a cool little petting zoo, an old fashioned train ride, some great shows, and even a splash park.

An airboat ride is fun for the whole family. We loved Wild Willy's on Lake Toho.

Would you consider mini golf? Congo River is fun, and they have gators and koi fish for feeding, too (for a small extra fee). Pirates Cove is also very well themed.

Showcase of Citrus is a great little non-Disney (but still very "Florida") attraction. You tour an authentic, working orange grove on a monster truck....very fun for a 5 y.o. boy. Their store has the most divine orange slushies too....super healthy and oh so yummy.

Coco Key has what looks to be a great little waterpark that might be just the right size for your DS. I believe they even have discount tix on Groupon right now.

Shrek Feast at Gaylord Palms is an awesome non-Disney character meal, but I have heard it is closed from January to March. It might be working checking to see if they reopen before your visit.

Those are a few ideas off the top of my head .

 

[jaykorf001]

Aquatica is a ton of fun, and has a GREAT kids area that your DS would love. There's also a great dual wave pool, Roa's Rapids (a tubeless, fast moving "lazy river"....the best family-friendly water feature anywhere, IMHO), a traditional lazy river with tubes & a gorgeous aquarium, Commerson dolphins (who you can watch swim in a special viewing area, and also see "perform" with the training staff several times during the day), and a whole host of slides. You can get combo tickets which include admission to both SW & Aquatica, and each ticket is valid for unlimited admission over 14 days, so you could go back several times if you wanted. Gatorland is a great half-day attraction. There's a cool little petting zoo, an old fashioned train ride, some great shows, and even a splash park. An airboat ride is fun for the whole family. We loved Wild Willy's on Lake Toho. Would you consider mini golf? Congo River is fun, and they have gators and koi fish for feeding, too (for a small extra fee). Pirates Cove is also very well themed. Showcase of Citrus is a great little non-Disney (but still very "Florida") attraction. You tour an authentic, working orange grove on a monster truck....very fun for a 5 y.o. boy. Their store has the most divine orange slushies too....super healthy and oh so yummy. Coco Key has what looks to be a great little waterpark that might be just the right size for your DS. I believe they even have discount tix on Groupon right now. Shrek Feast at Gaylord Palms is an awesome non-Disney character meal, but I have heard it is closed from January to March. It might be working checking to see if they reopen before your visit. Those are a few ideas off the top of my head .

Thank you so much for all the advice. This may sound stupid but -- Is Aquatica a water park affiliated with Seaworld? I'm almost overwhelmed weeding thru the Orlando options. My son is VERY into animals. I wonder if there would be any manatee viewing opportunities in the vicinity.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thank you so much for all the advice. This may sound stupid but -- Is Aquatica a water park affiliated with Seaworld? I'm almost overwhelmed weeding thru the Orlando options. My son is VERY into animals. I wonder if there would be any manatee viewing opportunities in the vicinity.

Yes...Aquatica is "SeaWorld's Waterpark" .

This thread has tons of my photos of Aquatica, and might be helpful:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3127667

Its a great park.....we love it!

 

[travelinggnomes]

Our non-park favorites are:

Boardwalk at night and walk over the bridge to see Epcot fireworks
Cinderella's Dinner at the Grand Floridian
Chip-N-Dales Campfire/Movie night (free!)
Driving over to Kennedy Space Center
Driving up to St Augustine and doing the pirate cruise
(http://www.blackravenadventures.com/)
Lake Eola Park---feed and ride swans and cool fountain shows
My kids love Downtown Disney at nighttime...
Orlando Science Center

 

[travelinggnomes]

Thank you so much for all the advice. This may sound stupid but -- Is Aquatica a water park affiliated with Seaworld? I'm almost overwhelmed weeding thru the Orlando options. My son is VERY into animals. I wonder if there would be any manatee viewing opportunities in the vicinity.

http://www.allorlandotours.com/body.asp?tour=ORL-B0072&page=TourDetails

 

[Loveallthingsdisney]

Thank you so much for all the advice. This may sound stupid but -- Is Aquatica a water park affiliated with Seaworld? I'm almost overwhelmed weeding thru the Orlando options. My son is VERY into animals. I wonder if there would be any manatee viewing opportunities in the vicinity.

Check out Blue Springs State Park for manatee viewing. A truly beautiful place, with the Spanish moss dripping from the trees, and the very blue water where the manatees hang out. The day we went, we were VERY lucky to experience the arrival of a rehabilitated manatee from Disney. We witnessed the entire process, from the moving van arriving, to the 12 people it took to lift him off the truck, and then the medical exams they had to do before the release. We paid $5.00/car to get in the park. Best value in Orlando!!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

Here is a pdf booklet that shows you what all activities they have every day at the resort for the kids.

https://www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffrweb/pdfs/BonnetCreek_AG.pdf

 

[jaykorf001]

Check out Blue Springs State Park for manatee viewing. A truly beautiful place, with the Spanish moss dripping from the trees, and the very blue water where the manatees hang out. The day we went, we were VERY lucky to experience the arrival of a rehabilitated manatee from Disney. We witnessed the entire process, from the moving van arriving, to the 12 people it took to lift him off the truck, and then the medical exams they had to do before the release. We paid $5.00/car to get in the park. Best value in Orlando!!

Anyone know if there'll be manatees at Blue Spring the last week of March?

 

[jaykorf001]

Check out Blue Springs State Park for manatee viewing. A truly beautiful place, with the Spanish moss dripping from the trees, and the very blue water where the manatees hang out. The day we went, we were VERY lucky to experience the arrival of a rehabilitated manatee from Disney. We witnessed the entire process, from the moving van arriving, to the 12 people it took to lift him off the truck, and then the medical exams they had to do before the release. We paid $5.00/car to get in the park. Best value in Orlando!!

Anyone know if the manatees are at Blue Spring in March?? This sounds awesome.

 

[Loveallthingsdisney]

Anyone know if the manatees are at Blue Spring in March?? This sounds awesome.

I think that's about when we were there--the water is too cold in the lakes in the winter months, so they hang out at BSSP. I would suggest that you give them a call, or go on their website to find out more info. I tried to enter the web site here but it didn't work. Try googling it! Wow--I just googled, and there is a wealth of information, including a live Manatee cam. Also a web site which provides daily Manatee counts. You can go back to last year's count, and see that there were at least 150 of them at the end of March. There are lots of them there right now!! The web cam was pretty cool--just enter your e-mail to view. Good luck, and hope this helped.