Suggestions for Orlando trip

[greenclan67]

How far do you want to travel? We did a day trip and did a kayak guided trip. The drive was about an hour. It lasted 2 hours and was awesome. The Manatee swam right up to us, they are very curious creatures and we were about 15 feet from a pod of dolphins. After that we spent time at the beach and had dinner before heading back to Orlando. It was the highlight of our trip. After spending 6 days in the park we were ready for a little more nature.

Who was this with? If you dont mind sharing.

 

[mom2rose&john]

Who was this with? If you dont mind sharing.

Calypso Kayaking and Taylor was the guide. We did the double kayaks and it was a groupon special. It was a very small group, only our family of four and another couple.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Peggy you are so right, I had to just get off the computer and go to bed last night, looking at Disney hotels was making me want to stay on Disney property, but if we are not doing parks and stuff then being on property isn't that important. I think we can have a nicer hotel/pool offsite then a value resort onsite so I'll just go with whatever has the best value and ease of getting around. We're only going to do a few things on property most likely. I made the one breakfast reservation and I know DD wants to do Disney springs.

I didn't think of the campfire thing, I don't think we've ever done that, but that's a great idea and I bet my son would like it!

If you find the time you should definitely try it, FREE character interaction & it's really fun! (you can bring your own food & drinks too)

 

[bearzabout]

These are some of my favorite things to do outside the parks:

Head to the Animal Kingdom Lodge so see the animals in the three viewing areas (free). Just tell the parking attendant you would like to eat at Mara. The place is beautiful in the evening and sometimes they have night vision goggles to look through. Mara has some great soups to sample at pretty good prices.

We love riding the boats around. We park at the Beach Club or Boardwalk, grab one sundae to share at Beaches and Cream, then ride the boat to the studios and back.

The Disney resorts show movies on the beach in the evening. We like to head to the Polynesian in the early evening to buy Dole Whips then stay for the movie if is it not crowded. I found the movie schedule online. We like the food at the counter service restaurant there.

Showcase of Citrus off 27 is fun to visit just to pick fruit. The have a rather expensive truck ride, but it was just fun to stop in and sample the different types of citrus.

Harry P Leu Gardens is a favorite of mine. They have a dinosaur display that the kids should love that will be there until April 30.

Celebration Florida is a great place for a visit. There are benches around the lake and nice walking paths.

The manatees may still be in the springs at Blue Springs State Park. They head to the springs during cold weather. Admission is only $7.

I'd look into renting a home, townhome or condo at Windsor Hills. Look for pictures of the pool and activity center. The kids may never want to leave the resort.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I am going to be a DA. I would save up for another year and go to Orlando. Its still going to cost you hotel, fuel or plane flights, food etc. I ask is this going to cost you a Disney trip? Have you thought about doing another city? going to another Disney Park? or waiting until next year?

 

[kt_mom]

Thanks for all the great ideas! I got a really good deal on a room at Pop through an agency I read about on here ages ago and had forgotten about. She got all but the first night so we'll just stay somewhere cheap that night. I won a couple of sweepstakes earlier this month and got gift cards that equal almost exactly the cost of the Pop room so it seems like it was meant to be. The room at Pop will be cheaper than anything else I had looked at.

Adam - this is just an extra little spring break trip. We take a family Disney trip in the fall on our DVC points so it isn't going to affect that. We'll fly down for that trip because DH says Disney is too exhausting to drive to, lol. But the kids and I don't mind driving and enjoy road trips so we'll just drive this time. DD and I really want to be somewhere warm and figured Orlando would have a lot to offer to do for cheap.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Thanks for all the great ideas! I got a really good deal on a room at Pop through an agency I read about on here ages ago and had forgotten about. She got all but the first night so we'll just stay somewhere cheap that night. I won a couple of sweepstakes earlier this month and got gift cards that equal almost exactly the cost of the Pop room so it seems like it was meant to be. The room at Pop will be cheaper than anything else I had looked at.

Adam - this is just an extra little spring break trip. We take a family Disney trip in the fall on our DVC points so it isn't going to affect that. We'll fly down for that trip because DH says Disney is too exhausting to drive to, lol. But the kids and I don't mind driving and enjoy road trips so we'll just drive this time. DD and I really want to be somewhere warm and figured Orlando would have a lot to offer to do for cheap.

How did you get a room at Pop for less than an offsite motel? There are so many of them that are really inexpensive!

 

[Stefecatzz]

Showcase of Citrus off 27 is fun to visit just to pick fruit. The have a rather expensive truck ride, but it was just fun to stop in and sample the different types of citrus.

Celebration Florida is a great place for a visit. There are benches around the lake and nice walking paths.

Thank you for the Showcase of Citrus idea! I will definitely be checking it out!

I've never been to Celebration but it's on my list. Is the parking all metered or pay stations?

 

[kt_mom]

How did you get a room at Pop for less than an offsite motel? There are so many of them that are really inexpensive!

Sorry, I've been swamped with school and just saw this. Maybe I should have been more specific in my post. I got the room at Pop for less than the different offsite hotels I was looking at. I'm sure there are less expensive rooms offsite.

 

[janicept]

There's a park in Kissimmee that you can go kayaking that no one seems to know about. It's right off 192.
http://www.paddlingcenter.com/

Parking is free and no admission charge for the park. You can walk around and watch or pay for things like kayaking or other tours.