Please give me your two cents on decision about parks: Seaworld or kennedy space !

[tamaraten]

get there when the gates open. the up close tour is the best. we had a great guide and you get closer to the launch pads than the general tour takes you. also the lunch with the astronaut is wonderful. great buffet lunch with beverages (as much as you want) and a great talk given by a nasa astronaut.

you can always check in advance on the ksc website who the astronauts will be . they post a couple of months in advance if not more. we had an astronaut that was on hte back up crew of apollo 13 and also flew the space chuttle. my son loved it.

How old was your son when you went?

 

[tamaraten]

Do you have to buy SeaWorld and KSC tickets in advance? You can always just do Uni the first two days and then have the family decide. Early December is slow season.

Great idea - the only thing is that people advise that you should buy the KSC tickets in advance because the bus tours (which everyone advises to do) get filled up really quickly and everyone advises to book it in advance so that you are assured of getting on first-thing. Apparently doing the tours first in the morning is the best way to go. If you go any later than on the first tour, it messes everything else up in terms of coordinating with IMAX movie times, other exhibits, meeting astronaut, etc. With SW it doesn't matter. So that is why I'm hesitant to wait until we get there, just on that one issue. Also, people say that sometimes the lines there to get tickets can be over 30 minutes - so another reason to book in advance. It's true that it's low season apparently, but you never know.

 

[keishashadow]

security (rightfully so) can also take some time, they gave our electronic stuff (multiple cameras & video gear, etc.) a thorough exam.
much smaller operation than any of the them parks, really low key and there doesn't seem to be as much elbowing among the guests.

 

[brenda1966]

regarding bus tours... if you are just doing the regular admission ($41), not the guided tour ($61), then you just get in line for the bus when you want. There's no advantage to buying your ticket in advance for that, other than possibly saving a few dollars. The line for the bus can get long at the visitor complex, maybe 15 minutes is what we waited. At the other stops you get back on the bus whenever you want.

We went on a Saturday in October and the line to buy tickets was not horribly long, but we were not there at opening, it was 12:30. The line for security was zero.

I think if I was coming from overseas I'd do 2 days US, 1 day SW and 1 day Kennedy. I can rest at home! Enjoy!

 

[tamaraten]

regarding bus tours... if you are just doing the regular admission ($41), not the guided tour ($61), then you just get in line for the bus when you want. There's no advantage to buying your ticket in advance for that, other than possibly saving a few dollars. The line for the bus can get long at the visitor complex, maybe 15 minutes is what we waited. At the other stops you get back on the bus whenever you want.

We went on a Saturday in October and the line to buy tickets was not horribly long, but we were not there at opening, it was 12:30. The line for security was zero.

I think if I was coming from overseas I'd do 2 days US, 1 day SW and 1 day Kennedy. I can rest at home! Enjoy!

I did hear that the guided tour was the way to go, and that's exactly what I mean when I mentioned ordering tickets in advance. It's for this tour that apparently sells out in advance but is supposed to be really great compared to the regular one. I'm just going by other people's experiences, but this is exactly my dilemma. To order the tickets in advance, for which date, should we go, and all that...

Do you think 2 days at US is enough?

thanks!

 

[damo]

I did hear that the guided tour was the way to go, and that's exactly what I mean when I mentioned ordering tickets in advance. It's for this tour that apparently sells out in advance but is supposed to be really great compared to the regular one. I'm just going by other people's experiences, but this is exactly my dilemma. To order the tickets in advance, for which date, should we go, and all that...

Do you think 2 days at US is enough?

thanks!

You don't need to make that decision until you get here, really. If you just buy two day tickets, you can upgrade them if you want. So much depends on your kids and how many times they want to ride things, etc.

 

[tamaraten]

You don't need to make that decision until you get here, really. If you just buy two day tickets, you can upgrade them if you want. So much depends on your kids and how many times they want to ride things, etc.

Ok, that's it, I've decided. I can't take it anymore!! We're going to go, buy tickets for two days and then see how we feel, with starting at Universal on the first two days.

BTW, regarding upgrading, I called the Universal ticketing line, and spoke to someone re upgrading - they said with an AP, if you upgrade, you don't get the 15% on the upgrade. I called a second time a few days later (yesterday) to ask about something else, and asked about this question too, and this person said that when you do the upgrade, you do get the 15% discount with the AP!

Does anyone have a real experience tie-breaker answer?

thanks.