What To See & Do....????

[tattooed-madman]

Hi,
Im off with my family to Florida flying out from Gatwick on 13th JULY for 2 weeks staying at the Animal Kingdom hotel, we have booked a 14 day pass for the disney parks, we also want to go to Seaworld but me and my wife cannot decide weather to book this as a package with other parks ie Universal, Bush Gardens, some people tell me that you shouldnt try and see everything in 2 weeks but then some other friends said that you'll be able to see everything, does anyone have any advice on the best thing to do, and to anyone whos been before what are your top 3 things other than the Disney parks to see and do. Thanks in advance. Simon

 

[TrixyA]

Two weeks is a long time to spend running around parks. If I had two full weeks to spend in Orlando, I would schedule a number of down days or 1/2 days to recoup and relax at the pool. Theoretically, you can do everything in Orlando in 14 days, but will you enjoy the last 4-6 days if you are completely exhausted?

 

[mmmears]

We've enjoyed SeaWorld and Cape Canaveral (the US Space place).

We haven't tried Universal in Florida, since I'm not into the rougher rides (roller-coasters, etc.).

It really depends on how many days you choose to spend at each of the WDW parks. If you want to see "everything" 2 weeks isn't that long. If you choose which attractions appeal to you most and are willing to skip the others, then you should have time to see other places. Also, are you planning to spend time at the TL and BB? They are fun but do take up alot of our time!

Also depends on the family -- in our experience 2 weeks with a toddler can let you see less than one week with just 2 adults. Kids like to meet the characters, take rests, play in the water, and do the kiddie rides!

We tour WDW first, then leave a day or two at the end of the trip to either return to our favorite WDW rides or go to another park. By then, we're usually pretty tired, though.

I hope this helps you some. Have a great trip!

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Will you have a car? If not, you will have to use a car service to get to the non-Disney parks. (A taxi would be very expensive.) Most of the local limo companies have special rates to Busch Gardens (Tampa is about 60-90 minutes away), Cape Canaveral (90 minutes), and SeaWorld and Universal/Islands of Adventure (20-30 minutes, depending on traffic).

I think you could add maybe two of these four, but not all four. I would allot a day for each of these, or maybe two for Universal/Islands of Adventure.

On the other hand, you can easily spend 14 days at WDW and never leave the property. We do a ten-day visit every January, and don't nearly do everything. In July you will be dealing with huge crowds and the hot and humid Florida weather. That will slow you down even more. You will definitely need down time and/or swim time to compensate. Did you purchase tickets that include the two Disney water parks? That would be another two days.

You didn't mention the age of your kids, but if they are about 7 or older, you'd probably enjoy at least half a day at Disney Quest too.

 

[Lamandpercy]

This year we are doing 15 nights at Disney and it's not too long. We also fly from UK (be prepared to be up early that first morning) and love our time there. We are spending a couple of weekends at Universal and Sea World but we have been a few times before.

The weather is hot and humid and I always want a rest in the afternoon. We go back to our hotel and swim and maybe have a kip for an hour then go back to a park for the evening. AKL has a great pool and hot tub -we used them every day! You can buy a refillable mug at Mara and fill it with pop, tea, coffee or hot chocolate as many times as you like. They are about 12 dollars.

If you do decide on Universal a taxi is the easiest way to get there but also expensive (we paid 35 dollars 3 years ago for one way). I believe there are buses from TTC near the Poly but not sure about the times/prices. You could also hire a car - expensive for one day though. Universal Islands of Adventure does have a lot of roller coasters and rougher rides compared to WDW. If you're not fond of these it could be a long day waiting for others to ride. They do have a fastpass thing you can buy which is good for each ride once.

If you have any more questions that want a UK point of view on please send a PM. Hope you have a great trip to the world.