Help me plan my non park trip to Orlando

[boiledpeanut]

Thinking about a trip to Orlando late spring. Not in the budget for a WDW trip. But thinking maybe one day at LegoLand, DTD, maybe a nice dinner somewhere. Maybe SeaWorld. Are there any resorts that are attractions in themselves??? Would love any input. WE LOVE Disney, but can't do a fullblown trip this year. Me, DH, DD9, DS7

THANKS!

 

[siskaren]

You should ask over here:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15

 

[georgina]

There is a forum on Orlando other than Disney that may be of some help - http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15

oops I see siskaren beat me to it!

 

[cheryterese]

We did that last year. We did one day at LEGOLAND, toured an orange grove in a monster truck and picked oranges afterwards, had dinner at Raglan Road and went up in the tethered hot air balloon at Downtown Disney, went to Celebration where the kids loved playing in the fountain (bring a change of clothes and towels!), walked around there and had a great dinner at a Thai Restaurant.....we had a great trip! My parents rent a house in Orlando for 8 weeks in the winter so we go to visit but can't afford Disney every year.

 

[richmo]

The resorts are always fun to explore...You could easily kill a day going to Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, Polynesian and even some of the moderates.

What I don't get is that you say that Legoland + Sea World are doable in the budget, but WDW is not. I get it if that's what you'd like to do, but I have to believe a multiday WDW pass isn't much more than single days at Legoland and Sea World.

 

[nkereina]

I've stayed at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, which is a stone's throw to the entrance of WDW. It's big resort with great amenities, although I was there around Christmas when they had special events going on. Not sure how it fairs with regard to pricing or location of the other places you want to visit.

Have you considered one of the Universal resorts? Even if you aren't going to Uni, they are pretty centrally located and have nice amenities. Walking distance to City Walk for shopping and restaurants. We found them mostly lower in price (and nicer) than some of the Disney moderate resorts.

 

[cheryterese]

The resorts are always fun to explore...You could easily kill a day going to Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, Polynesian and even some of the moderates.

What I don't get is that you say that Legoland + Sea World are doable in the budget, but WDW is not. I get it if that's what you'd like to do, but I have to believe a multiday WDW pass isn't much more than single days at Legoland and Sea World.

For us last year, we used the homeschool discount for LEGOLAND. I believe it was less than $100 total for the 5 of us for the entire day. There's also the free child ticket with the purchase of adult ticket in the free Lego Club magazines.

 

[staceyrhood]

You could visit Celebration for an evening or afternoon...straight our the MK gate about 5 miles and you will dead end into our town. Great restaurants, a few shops, and a nice lake to walk around.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

I don't know if this is something you would be interested in, but you could volunteer at Give Kids the World for a few hours. I'm a volunteer there and I know there are some that either schedule trips just to volunteer, or volunteer a few hours of their vacation time. It's an amazing place!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thinking about a trip to Orlando late spring. Not in the budget for a WDW trip. But thinking maybe one day at LegoLand, DTD, maybe a nice dinner somewhere. Maybe SeaWorld. Are there any resorts that are attractions in themselves??? Would love any input. WE LOVE Disney, but can't do a fullblown trip this year. Me, DH, DD9, DS7

THANKS!

Seaworld is currently offering their annual passes for buy one, get one free. SeaWorld AP's are $156 (under the BOGO offer, that boils down to $78 pp) and SeaWorld/Aquatica AP's aer $180 ($90 pp under the BOGO offer). Parking would be free with the AP's, plus you would get discounts on dining and in-park merchandise purchases.

Some of the timeshare resorts have enough amenities and daily scheduled activities to keep the family busy for a week, too. Look at the Sheraton, Marriott, Wyndham, Holiday Inn Vacation Club, etc. properties in particular. The resort we stay at, Sheraton Vistana Resort, offers 7 pools, 6 hot tubs, multiple playgrounds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, shuffleboard, mini golf, surrey bike rentals, etc. They also have a FUN team that organizes everything from pool parties, dive-in movies, and BINGO nights to wine tastings, a Farmers Market, Gatorland visits, and more.

Groupon and Livingsocial are both excellent resources for discounted, non-park activities. Showcase of Citrus, Kissimmee Go-Karts, air boat rides, and various mini golf courses have all been featured there at deep price reductions and have provided a few hours of great family fun.

 

[919Florida]

I would look into SeaWorld annual passes as well. You got great deals with the buy one get one free pass right now. You cant beat that. SeaWorld is great for multiple days of fun. You can add on Aquatica or Busch gardens admission too. Then you have a perfect destination vacation. With Busch Gardens you can take a free shuttle over which is nice and relaxing. The animals are beautiful the rides are fun and shows re great. Same can be said for SeaWorld. Any questions on any of those destinations let us know we would be glad to help.