Orlando Travel Forum

Hello,

My husband and I are planning to go to Orlando over the Memorial weekend. This will be our first visiit to Florida
Can someone suggest where to start from in Orlando? We will be there for 5 days.I have booked the hotel and car
Since there are so many places to visit, if someone can suggest what are the "not to miss" places to visit for both of us..please note..no kids (we don't have any yet:))
Also, where can I buy discounted tickets for the places you suggest?

thank you in advance.

A lot depends on what you like. Disneyworld is always on my list. Epcot, Animal Kingdom are perenial favorites. Sea World, and other attractions can be fun as well. Old town Orlando is always fun too. Bush Gardens near Tampa is only 90 minutes away as well.

I fully agree that what is a "must see" to one is a "ho hum" to another. I have greatly enjoyed Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot, Sea World, Universal Studios, the Kennedy Space Center (45 miles or 45 minutes away), and more

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/visit/orlmap.html

The Orlando/Orange County convention & visitors Bureau suggests the following for discount deals

Official Orlando Travel Counselor Hotline 1-877-460-6849
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST

And I like Disney World and Universal! Everyone likes different parks so it's probably best that you research each one and decide what appeals to you. If you like roller coasters, etc. go to Universal's Island of Adventures. I think Universal Studios is better than MGM although MGM has a couple of good rides. Check out Downtown Disney and Universal's CityWalk for restaurants/entertainment. Be aware that the parks will be very (!) crowded during the holiday weekend and it is likely to be hot as well! Have a great time!

I agree with the last 3 posters. You need to decide what your main interests are and then go from there. Check out websites for Disney, Universal, The Space Center and Sea World. We have been to all and have enjoyed all the activities so I don't think you can go wrong.

As far as discount tickets there is a place in Kissimmee (suburb or Orlando and not far away from Disneyworld) called Billy Boys Discount Tickets. If you look at the building from the outside you'll wonder if you should even step in there, but they have been around for quite some time and the last time we were in Orlando 2 years ago we picked up discount tickets for the Space Center, Universal and a dinner theatre. They are located on Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (Highway 192) and here is their website. http://www.greatorlandodiscounts.com/

Another area to check out while in Orlando is International Drive. You will find a number of activities there and they also have many different restaurants to choose from. Our 2 favorite restaurants are Bahama Breeze and Tu Tu Tango. I have a review of Tu Tu Tango on my VT Orlando page if you want a more in depth review. A website for International Drive is http://internationaldriveorlando.com.

Hello,

Thanks for first quick reply. We are young couple in our mid 20's. We like more activity type fun.
Disney world is on our list but I heard there are 4 parks..and 2 parks in Universal..also some other must see attractions near by.

Sea-world...we already saw Sea-world in San antonio, TX..so not planning to see that.

Space world..is that similar to what houston, Tx space center has to offer..

Please also suggest on where to buy discounted tickets for these parks?

thanks,

DISCOUNT TICKETS:

As far as discount tickets there is a place in Kissimmee (suburb or Orlando and not far away from Disneyworld) called Billy Boys Discount Tickets. If you look at the building from the outside you'll wonder if you should even step in there, but they have been around for quite some time and the last time we were in Orlando 2 years ago we picked up discount tickets for the Space Center, Universal and a dinner theatre. They are located on Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (Highway 192) and here is their website. http://www.greatorlandodiscounts.com/

If you have not already, type Orlando in the Search box (above) here on virtualtourist.com. You can use the many features including the top five reviewers. That will give you a better idea of what fun, active places you will like. I don't know if the Space Center is like Houston as I have not visited the Houston site.

Hello,

I tried by searching Orlando for destinations..nothing came up :(

Make sure that when you type Orlando in the search box the scroll area to the right says Destinations. If you did that correctly then the next page will show the most popular results and you will then have to click on Orlando a little further down that page.

You don't say where you're coming from, so I'm not sure what is in Orlando that may be different from where you live.

I would suggest:

- Spend a day in New Smyrna beach - you can do 'google maps' - it's south of Daytona. You can go to a Publix supermarket and get a couple of subs and a dispoable cooler (maybe try getting the cooler at Walgree's it's less than at Publix). You can park on the beach and enjoy. Do note there tend to be sharks in the beach. (editorial: it's ironic this is where we used to take our kids and swim and we never saw one - looks like it started recently) - however, it is still the best looking beach in the area and you can wade without going in too deep and enjoy the day.

- Lew Gardens - this is a special place off I-4 in Winter Park: http://www.leugardens.org/locate.html - extremely enjoyable and a very old institution in Orlando. From here you can go downtown Winter Park (take Fairbanks and turn left on Park Ave.) This is a beautiful village to stroll around and have a glass of wine.

- Wekiva Springs state park: http://www.floridastateparks.org/WekiwaSprings/Activities.cfm
Go canoeing and kayaking in the real Florida - a wonderful experience. Directions to the park should be on the website. I live near here ;=)

These should be a nice break from the Disney frenzy - I would probably stay clear away from Disney on Memorial Day, it may get so full sometimes people get turned away, and the ones who get in stand in lines for hours.

I would highly recommend you take the drive to Tampa for a day & go to Busch Gardens. The rollercoasters & zoo are excellent, But the MUST DO experience is the Sundowner Safari where you feed the Giraffes.
Check out the website:
www.buschgardens.com/bgt2/Explore/UpClose.aspx?id=739#gotodetail
It was one of the greatest experiences of my life after initially being luke warm on the concept when my wife booked it. It also includes a beer tasting as well.
As for the other parks, loved Islands of Adventure, Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom.
Hope you have a great time
Regards John

Apart from dinner shows and the like I would be dubious of anywhere selling discounted tickets, especially for Disney. In my experience they don't exist without a catch, usually a timeshare presentation.

Hi,

I am sorry i didnt say earlier that we will be driving from Texas. In the past two days, we were advised to either pick Universal Studio or Disney world for our 4-5 days trip to Orlando.
As I mentioned before, we don't need to visit Sea world as already seen at San Antonio. We are not too much into scary roller coaster rides.
please advise on picking the right parks..outdoor adventures are fine..but not spending a day beach type..
someone mentioned about mousesaver website for discounted tickets but that is British pounds..
please advise where can I get discounted park tickets?

thanks in advance.

The difference between the space centers in Houston and Florida is that the one is Florida is where they actually launch the rockets from, so you can see the launching pads and the Vehicle Assembly Building (over 500 feet tall), where the rockets are prepared for launching. However, I haven't been there in years, so I am not sure how close you can get to everything given today's security precautions. If you get lucky, you can sometimes see a rocket launch (we saw one when I was a kid and it was really cool to see.

Hello,

Can someone please suggest a website to buy discounted tickets to Disneyworld and Universal?
i am leaving tomorrow and want to buy tickets online so I don't end up paying regular price at the gate.
please help!

Try this website. http://www.officialticketcenter.com/. Or else when you are in town check out the info I gave you last Friday about discount tickets.

I BOUGHT TICKETS FROM http://www.officialticketcenter.com/ and they are 100% legitimate and the fairest price I found. If you only have 5 days you will not see both Disney and Universal and still enjoy them, I think you will be too worn out. One year we did Disney. Another year we did Universal. Universal is by far less expensive so because this is a last minute deal for you I would say try Universal instead of Disney . Plan that another year and take a full week to enjoy it. We LOVED BOTH unbelievably! The main thing is do not rush and over extend yourself. Try to slow down and enjoy especially at Disney. Both parks in my opinion can be enjoyed most by getting to the parks 30 min before opening time. You will get on most of the rides you want because by noon they really slow down because of long lines.

You can buy a two park (Universal and Isle of Adventure) 7 day pass online and print tickets at the park's website. You save 30 dollars if you buy two days in advance. http://www.universalorlando.com/tickets/hot-deals.html
We did this last year and went 4 or 5 times mostly in the AM then left when it got too busy to enjoy our pool at the house we stayed at, relaxed and enjoyed dinner , watched a movie and rested up for the next day.
My family will be driving to Kissammee this Friday into Saturday for a week too. This will be our 4th time. you can email me directly if any more Qs jk_disc@nbn.net