No WDW or U/S- other activity questions

[jm106]

We are going to be in Orlando in June, No WDW or U/S. Driving from NJ, leave Saturday 2/27. I am pretty bummed but we just did a very packed October trip to both. It is DH and I and Boys will be 7 and 9 1/2.

We are going to look at neighborhoods for likely relocation. I am allowing a day to drive around and look and some time on first day(Sunday.)
We will arrive in FL from SC Sunday but do not check in at Wyndham Grand until Monday. Drive around then just find a hotel for one night.

Monday Check in Wyndham Grand Hotel. Resort time

Planning to go to Gatorland(I want to get excited but I am not sure about this yet.) Would a air boat be better option? How long does gatorland take?
Have to suffer through TS presentation Tuesday so wondered if I could do that then gatorland in same day if it worked out with TS time.(Yes I know, dont buy! We wont be.)

Wednesday- drive around neighborhoods/resort/pool time

Thursday Check out then head to Kennedy Space Center? How long should this take and when is a good time to arrive?

We will be going to West palm to friends that night so figured it was good way to spend the day and not arrive too early at friends(plan to arrive later in evening.)

I have a gift card for House of Blues restaurant so we will head to DTD for dinner and walk around one night and we will go to City Walk as well (Margaritaville GC. Not the best food options but saving $ with gift cards is a plus. )

SO is there any really great activity that is Not Disney, that I should add or do instead?
Gatorland and Kennedy comments welcome please and thanks!

I think I am just needing to "plan" something as I love the WDW planning, sigh . It is going to be hard to be so close and not going. Hope I can catch some of Illuminations from resort?

 

[Gena001]

Yes, I'm looking for "other" things to do as well. My DH isn't big on Mickey's World and can only take 3 or 4 days. (He insisted on going on next trip though because DD2 will be 6 and it should be a trip to remember for her. I went once w/ DD1 (9 at the time) and we had a WONDERFUL trip.

He's not keen on the beach either, but would go so DD2 could see it. I'm thinking a few hours one day at the Morse (Morris?) Museum in downtown Orlando so I can see all the Tiffany glass exhibits. From there, I'm looking too. I saw a few other ideas on Trip Advisor, but nothing really floated my boat. Not into the Gatorland either and we did an airboat years ago. Although it would be neat to go again... right now we are being cost conscious just to take this trip. We'll see. So, I'm also interested ideas.

Best wishes jm!

 

[Upatnoon]

We are going to be in Orlando in June, No WDW or U/S. Driving from NJ, leave Saturday 2/27. I am pretty bummed but we just did a very packed October trip to both. It is DH and I and Boys will be 7 and 9 1/2.

We are going to look at neighborhoods for likely relocation. I am allowing a day to drive around and look and some time on first day(Sunday.)
We will arrive in FL from SC Sunday but do not check in at Wyndham Grand until Monday. Drive around then just find a hotel for one night.

Monday Check in Wyndham Grand Hotel. Resort time

Planning to go to Gatorland(I want to get excited but I am not sure about this yet.) Would a air boat be better option? How long does gatorland take?
Have to suffer through TS presentation Tuesday so wondered if I could do that then gatorland in same day if it worked out with TS time.(Yes I know, dont buy! We wont be.)

Wednesday- drive around neighborhoods/resort/pool time

Thursday Check out then head to Kennedy Space Center? How long should this take and when is a good time to arrive?

We will be going to West palm to friends that night so figured it was good way to spend the day and not arrive too early at friends(plan to arrive later in evening.)

I have a gift card for House of Blues restaurant so we will head to DTD for dinner and walk around one night and we will go to City Walk as well (Margaritaville GC. Not the best food options but saving $ with gift cards is a plus. )

SO is there any really great activity that is Not Disney, that I should add or do instead?
Gatorland and Kennedy comments welcome please and thanks!

I think I am just needing to "plan" something as I love the WDW planning, sigh . It is going to be hard to be so close and not going. Hope I can catch some of Illuminations from resort?

There are plenty of cheap ways to get a Disney fix without going to the Parks.

- Drive over to Fort Wilderness and walk around there. Perhaps have lunch at Trail's End. You kids can play on the playground equipment and other recreation gear they have there. Then you can take a boat ride to the Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary.

- Drive over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and check out the animals.

- Drive over to Art of Animation or Pop Century and walk around and take photos. Eat in the food court. Play some video games in the arcades.

Also,

Consider going to Legoland. Your boys are the perfect age and your kids will get in free with an adult ticket. Google the coupon code or get a coupon in the Lego magazine. Considering the age of your kids, I would do this over Kennedy. I would wait until they are a bit older for that.

There is lots of fun stuff to do at Bonnet Creek, so don't forget to save lots of time there for pools, lazy rivers, free minigolf, etc.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We really enjoyed Gatorland.....time-wise, its a 3-4 hour park. I would say its a great offsite choice for children your boys' ages.

You can see our pics and read about our visit here, if you're interested, beginning at post 60:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/we...ristmas-in-the-sun-tr-complete.3041415/page-3

They would also enjoy the mini golf at CityWalk....one side is a Haunted House side, the other is aliens. Both are well themed for young boys.

An airboat ride is tons of fun, if you can squeeze it in. We did Wild Willy's and loved it, but for our Christmas 2015 trip we are looking at Wild Florida instead (as their airboat ride also includes free admission to their animal park).

Since it will be June and HOT, have you thought about a water park? Aquatica often has some very reasonably priced weekday tickets, and its a blast.

Or, what about checking out the new Orlando Eye and Sea Life Aquarium on I-Drive that's just opening in May? We bought combo tickets (Orlando Eye, the aquarium, and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum) for just $35 pp.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

<---That's my guys at Legoland in 2012. They had a BLAST, and I bet yours would too. Everything there is geared for the under 14 set, and every land has a playground area as well as themed food and rides. It was a 9-4 type park for us, so you can be back early enough to enjoy the pool at the resort and have dinner someplace that isn't park food. I will say their restaurants had some healthy options and some of the entrees were big enough to share.

 

[jm106]

Thanks for the help! Lego land was an option but seemed like pretty small rides, not as much for all of us but for just little kids. My family loves thrill rides, would Lego land really satisfy that?
We are on a real budget this trip so going to Disney propery just for meals is costly. We always go to AKL to eat at Boma and see animals and we have stayed there.

I'll consider water park (was talked out of it bc of crowds and not relaxing) and we will again talk about lego land. I find it hard to decide bc IMO Disney or universal, Kennedy suits us all but waterpark or Lego, Gatorland would be more for the kids and not as much for us as a family. Trying to find what will make us all happy like Disney does.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

Well, Legoland is more family oriented, but they do have roller coasters and dark rides, just not big ones. It sounds like you would be swapping one kid thing for another kid thing, so LL is a valid option. There is also a water park there, for a little bit more money per day, which might make it more attractive to you.

My dh and I get a kick out of watching the kids do things, and they are so thrilled with some of them (the driving course for the older kids at LL is awesome - we even paid for the "real" plastic driving license with the photo b/c it was the absolute highlight of our boys' day there). Now that our kids are teens, I miss the days of watching them really get a kick out of something that seems so little to me. They will be out of the house in 5 yrs, and dh and I will have plenty of time for things that appeal to us; we're making a conscious effort to pick things that the boys will enjoy.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Personally I think Kennedy Space Center is a little too far out of the way for what you're planning.. Especially if you're heading down to West Palm directly after (that adds another hour to that commute).. But that of course is up to you, if you think it is worth it.

For an alternative to the water parks, I'd recommend checking out one of the natural springs in the area. Rock Springs in Apopka is my favorite. The river is crystal clear and the whole place is stunningly gorgeous. It's also only a few bucks per car to get in, and you can rent tubes for 2-3 bucks.

If you need neighborhood recommendations, let me know. I've lived here for a long time.

 

[jm106]

Well, Legoland is more family oriented, but they do have roller coasters and dark rides, just not big ones. It sounds like you would be swapping one kid thing for another kid thing, so LL is a valid option. There is also a water park there, for a little bit more money per day, which might make it more attractive to you.

My dh and I get a kick out of watching the kids do things, and they are so thrilled with some of them (the driving course for the older kids at LL is awesome - we even paid for the "real" plastic driving license with the photo b/c it was the absolute highlight of our boys' day there). Now that our kids are teens, I miss the days of watching them really get a kick out of something that seems so little to me. They will be out of the house in 5 yrs, and dh and I will have plenty of time for things that appeal to us; we're making a conscious effort to pick things that the boys will enjoy.

Of course we enjoy watching our kids do things they love but we also love to do things together. Again our kids are the thrill junkies more then dh and I so I'm not looking to swap do we can do for us but that we all would love.

Thanks for ideas. I'll look at the springs.
ETA- DH is on board with Legoland over Kennedy. I am going to research it more. He really does still want to go to Gatorland so I guess I need to just get excited.
Thanks Gina, I did look at your trip report on it. It looks "interesting"

 

[jm106]

So making a list and we are going to vote on it. My kids love RnR, ToT (they did this at 4 and yet I hatd it,) Startours, Rip Ride Rocket (US), Mission space, Expedition Everest, Forbidden Journey(gringotts went down.) How do rides at LegoLand compare? Is there any WDW you can compare as similar to LL?

I Fly, indoor sky diving. Yds(6) wants to sky dive.
Blizzard beach or Aquatica
Kennedy SC
LegoLand
Gatorland is a definite

When we leave Orlando we are heading to West palm for 5 days then Savannah and Charleston!

 

[TwoMisfits]

There is nothing comparable to the Universal thrill rides at Legoland. The closest rides to compare to Legoland are probably Walt Disney World's Big Thunder Mountain and Seven Dwarves Mine, but with a touch less theming. If you are going to Legoland for bigger thrill rides, you'll be disappointed.

That being said, they have a really cool Lego Mindstorms class and Lego area that your boys should love (Imagination Zone), they have a land where kids drive real cars and real boats and which has one of the bigger roller coasters (Lego City - hop in the boats to help the kids drive b/c they made need it and that one is a lot of fun for kids and adults, they have a huge land of Lego creations that are amazing to look at for kids and grown ups (and some involve interactivity - Miniland USA), and other fun rides and shows (including a 4D show which is Busch Gardens level and a Water Ski show) - it is a very fun day for kids and grownups. And a special note - get the Apple Fries as a snack - really good...

If it were me, and I were you, I'd get the Go City card for Orlando from Groupon and use one day at Legoland and one day doing a lot of the other cool Orlando sites (Gatorland and Cape Canaveral are included, but not sure you could do both same day or in conjunction with a Legoland day...

 

[jm106]

Thanks. I'll compare the cost of groupon to free child admission with adult.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Gatorland is fun, especially the parakeets. Bring cash for the sticks of seeds, I think it's a dollar a stick. You walk into a large aviary and the parakeets fly freely all around you, and will land all over you if you have food for them.

An airboat ride is a lot of fun too, and honestly, the less polished looking the company, the more fun it is.

Tarpon Springs is not too far of a drive. It's a Greek sponge diving community.

There's the Titanic museum.

St. Augustine is wonderful and can be made into a day trip. Be sure to buy tickets for the trolley, that way you can get around to the tourist attractions without driving. Be sure to visit the old fort.

If you've never done it, you gotta do Medieval Times at least once in your life.

Seaworld.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

There's the Titanic museum.

While I would highly recommend the Titantic Experience on I-Drive for teens and adults, I wouldn't say its really a good choice for children the ages of the OP's. Personally, due to the structure of the tour (walking, quietly listening to the guide, viewing artifacts) and the "mood" of the attraction, I would not recommend it for kids under 10.

 

[jm106]

Thank you, We talked about stopping in St. Augustine on the way through(Sunday.)
We have Medieval times here in NJ, going next week again(and they have a groupon.) Tarpon springs sounds neat, thanks for the suggestion. With only 4 days in orlando I may save it for another time(since we plan to move there, I will have plenty of time, woo hoo .)

My kids have seen the Titanic Exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia 2 years ago. They liked it and do well in Museums because they do go with us a lot. I had asked on another post if anyone knows if it is the same as the one that was in Philly. My Ods loves history(actually going to Savannah and Charleston on way home from FL.)

 

[jm106]

Ah, just a quick glance at web site and yes, it looks like the Titanic exhibit that was in Franklin Institute and yes, it is a great experience for kids(that like museums and can look and listen) as well as teens and adults.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Another good one I didn't suggest because it's seasonal is Blue Spring state park. In the winter the wild manatees gather in the crystal clear spring to keep warm. There's a long walkway along the spring/river to view them. That's one to keep in mind when you have your place down there.

 

[jm106]

Another good one I didn't suggest because it's seasonal is Blue Spring state park. In the winter the wild manatees gather in the crystal clear spring to keep warm. There's a long walkway along the spring/river to view them. That's one to keep in mind when you have your place down there.

Thanks! I cannot wait to explore it all and not be limited to just a few months of the year to do outside activities. Fingers crossed we can get our house fixed to sell soon.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We went to Legoland when the boys were 10 and 12--strictly because the 10-year-old is a HUGE Lego fan. I mean lives and breathes the stuff! Yes, it's geared to younger kids. But you are able to ALL ride 90% of the rides. We certainly didn't just sit back and watch. The water park is a lot of fun too. The Miniland is worth the price of admission alone!!! I'd definitely consider it! The 12-year-old was definitely going just to make his brother happy, but ended up having a blast too. Of course, it helped a lot that we went the last week in August and there was absolutely no one--and I mean no one--in the park. As we walked in, I asked my husband if he was sure it was even open! We literally walked onto every single ride all day. At most, we waited for one round on the roller coaster. They had the run of the place!

 

[maurene]

I loooove Kennedy Space Center. I forget how long the drive is, but you can take as little or as long as you want there. On our visit, I'm pretty sure we were there less than 3 hours. I would love to go back and do some of the optional tours -- like the one that takes you on the launch pad. I remember doing some of the videos/shows, one bus tour, the exhibit halls, and a bit of the rocket garden.