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Old 04-18-2019, 06:48 PM
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Default What's to do in Florida?

I think I've finally convinced my husband to take our family of 4 to the US for a holiday! We have two girls who will be 13 and 16 by the time we go.

The 13 yr old is obsessed with Harry Potter, so I'm thinking The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando is a must. The 16 yr old however isn't that interested in Harry Potter. What else is there to do in the Florida area that she might like? We really have no clue at this stage how long we'll be there or where else we might go, though I don't imagine we'd venture too far from the state.

Would love to hear suggestions, and any tips/tricks to save money. e.g. one online search says to "stay at an on-site hotel and purchase a Universal Orlando Vacation Package". ... etc. Is that really the best way to go?
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Old 04-18-2019, 10:52 PM
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Travel planning...one of my favorite things to do!

Universal Studios Florida has Harry Potter for the younger, but depending on what the older is interested in, she might like it too. There are sections for Jurassic Park, the Marvel Characters, more thrill rides (as well as a few shows if she doesn't like rides).

There are I believe 2 hotels that if you stay there, your stay includes Express Pass, which is a pass that allows you to go through a shorter line. However, if you would rather stay elsewhere, you can still purchase the Express pass seperately.

There are 2 different US parks, plus a water park.

There is also WDW if anyone is a Disney fan. There are 4 seperate Disney parks, so more days would have to be planned, and there is a little more planning involved period.

There is Sea World if anyone enjoys animals, and Discovery Cove (there is an option to swim with Dolphins, and an option to purchase a Discovery Cove ticket that includes days at Sea World and SeaWorld's water park.

Undercover Tourist is a great site to purchase discount tickets. Their prices include tax (Usually) making them cheaper (since regular site prices do not alway include the tax). They are a legitimate company and I've purchased through them at least twice.

What other questions do you have?

Orlando isn't that far from a beach either. I can't give advice on a good one, but you can search. I'll send you a pm with links to a few planning sites you can join to find more answers/help if you would like!
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Old 04-19-2019, 07:42 AM
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I went twice to Universal and stayed on site but didn't purchase a vacation package. It wouldn't have saved me much money, but other people have different priorities. I would get the pass that allows you to do both parks in one day. You can not ride the Hogwarts Express without it. My girls are 16 and 15 and really like it there.
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Old 04-19-2019, 02:02 PM
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Sounds like an awesome trip, Jacinda!!
I've never been to Florida, but WDW and Wizarding World of Harry Potter are on my "someday" list!!
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Old 04-20-2019, 10:06 AM
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From Orlando, it's easy enough to go to the east coast to a beach New Smyrna Beach or Daytona Beach via I-4, about 1 1/2 hrs.

You could also go east to Cocoa or Melbourne using the Beachline. You might enjoy a tour of the Kennedy Space Center while in that area, where the rockets and space shuttles launched from.

We have beaches on the west coast too, about 2 hours away or so in St. Pete or Clearwater. Tampa also has the Busch Gardens theme park with rides and animals in the same park. It's usually less crowded than the Disney parks.

There's the Florida Keys if you'd like to experience that. It is quite a bit of a drive from the Orlando area.

There's a nice science museum, Orlando Science Center, downtown that's worth a visit. We also have really nice concert and sports stadiums so you can check to see if any events are happening in town during your visit.

As a Harry Potter fan, both Universal Studios parks were a lot of fun to see in person. Depending on the time of year you visit, they will also be very crowded.

The Disney parks are also very crowded most of the year, but not all. If you're visiting during OUR summer, it will be hot and crowded and everyone will be cranky so pack your patience. It will be very difficult to see more than one Disney park in a day so if you want to see more than one plan on multiple days.
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Old 04-20-2019, 10:26 AM
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I'd vote for a drive up to St. Augustine too, it's seriously one of my favorite things in Florida. It's the oldest city in the United States. On the beach, you can see the Old Fort, and there are lots of things to do there. It's probably 2 hours from Orlando.

About the 2nd week of January would one of the best times to go to Universal or Disney. Nicer weather and the crowds aren't terrible (if it's not president's day weekend). We like going in February for the same reason.

Check the www.disboards.com for research. They have a Universal section to their forums and Disney. I've used them for all 3 of our Disney trips. Also, if you go to Disney, the Star Wars Galaxy's edge is opening this summer, so Hollywood Studios is going to be a nightmare if I had to guess, no matter when you go.
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Old 04-20-2019, 01:35 PM
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When are you thinking of coming to Florida, Jacinda? How long? A lot of what you can do will depend on what area you're staying in and how open you are to traveling around the state a bit. <3

Orlando area is a tourist trap and pretty far inland away from the ocean, so it gets super hot and in my opinion a bit miserable during the summer months!

I haven't been to Universal since I was 23 or so, so I can't say much about it or give you any tips about traveling there. I do visit Disney World yearly. We avoid it in the summer months... it is CROWDED and hot. If we do Disney in the hot months it is only for a day followed by a day at one of their amazing water parks. We love Typhoon Lagoon! It's such a clean, nice water park.

Another park to consider is Sea World Orlando. They have some amazing sea creatures there! The Beluga Whales are my favorite. The roller coasters are intense and fun, too. It's not a terribly huge park and there is a lot of shade to keep it cooler.

St. Augustine (awesome old city, historic things to see, old fort, great food, charming place to visit) Not the best or most beautiful beaches here in my opinion. When we visit we like to stay at a historic Bed & Breakfast called the St. Francis Inn. It's charming and their breakfast and mid-day snack time is yummy!!!

As for the best beaches in north FL, I'd go to the Panhandle and visit Navarre Beach, or Pensacola Beach. Gorgeous white sand beaches and great shelling!!!

If you want to explore south Florida there is a ton to do down here, too. A million gorgeous beaches to choose from, malls, shopping, etc. Zoo Miami, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, Monkey Jungle, Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor, Rapids Water Park, and more Everglades airboat tours than you can imagine! LOL

Some people with more than a week to explore enjoy flying in to Miami Airport and road tripping in a rental car to Orlando and flying home from that airport. There is so much to see in this state. If you need more ideas, I have more.
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Old 04-20-2019, 02:21 PM
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We're hoping to go next February. Our plan is 2-3 days at Universal because my son is a huge Harry Potter fan. 2 days at Disney; 1 at Epcot & 1 at Animal Kingdom. 1 day at Cocoa Beach & Kennedy Space Center. 1 open day to decide while we are there; maybe just stay at the motel, maybe SeaWorld, who knows.
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Old 04-20-2019, 03:53 PM
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Thanks everyone. So many great ideas! We'd be looking at Dec/Jan as that's our summer holidays. What's the weather like then?
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Old 04-20-2019, 04:28 PM
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You've gotten great advice about other things to do, so I don't have much to add to that. My Orlando expertise is limited to Disney! December and January are very different in Orlando because of the crazy crowds that the theme parks get during the Christmas season. Others can address it better than I can, but in general I think early December and mid-to late January would be great times to go. The few weeks right around Christmas and New Years are..more crowded than I have words for! The weather is usually wonderful then. There can be some cold days, but rarely is it too cold to be outside.

As far as Universal vs. Disney, one thing to know is that I think Universal's rides are more thrill rides than Disney's are. The coasters are bigger and more intense, etc. Given the ages of your kids that may be perfectly fine with you, but even though my kids are similar ages (10, 13, and 15) none of them likes intense rides. We love Disney but tend to avoid Universal and amusement parks closer to home that rely less on theming and more on thrill rides.

Vanessa mentioned Galaxy's Edge, the new Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios. It's opening August 29th, so no one knows exactly how crowds will be affected afterward. There's lots of speculation online (and plenty of doom and gloom predictions), but I think everyone is watching what happens when the version on the West Coast (at Disneyland) opens on May 31st.

EPCOT is another of the Disney parks, and it's especially good for adults and teens. It has fewer rides than the other parks, but there's a section called World Showcase where there are pavilions themed to countries around the world, with restaurants, entertainment and shopping. EPCOT does a lot of seasonal festivals that older kids and adults enjoy, too. In December there will be Festival of the Holidays with seasonal storytellers and food, and sometime in January they start the International Festival of the Arts. (Those are the 2 I haven't been to--I know more about Food and Wine in the fall and the Flower and Garden Festival in the spring.)
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Old 04-20-2019, 05:56 PM
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Dec/Jan is cold (for us here in FL) so when we visit that time of year water stuff (like the pools at the hotels, water parks, and beach) is out for us. So basically a lot of what I suggested above. The Disney water parks are also closed at that time. It's the perfect theme park weather, though, and people who live in Florida know it... so often you will find more locals in the parks than any other time of the year. The crowds can be heavy because of the Mickey Christmas Party. You can find crowd calendars online to help you make an educated guess about which parks to visit which days.

Like Rachel said, Disney is less thrill rides, more thematic. Universal, Sea World, etc are more thrill rides and roller coasters.

If you have more days to explore and want to get away from the Orlando area, the cooler weather in Dec/Jan is perfect for St. Augustine for a few days, and Kennedy Space Center with a quick drive through Cocoa Beach just to see the shore and go to surf shops.

Also, don't forget that in the Disney resort area is a huge Disney themed shopping and dining area called Disney Springs. You can go there and see shows, movies, street performances, eat ice cream, shop, and dine. It's a lot like being at Disney World without the rides or entry price.
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Old 04-20-2019, 09:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacinda View Post
Thanks everyone. So many great ideas! We'd be looking at Dec/Jan as that's our summer holidays. What's the weather like then?
Depends, it could be in the 30's F or 80, lol!

This is what I found online.

The average daytime temperature is generally around 23°C (73°F) whereas the average minimum temperatures drop down to 10°C (50°F).

January is the coldest month overall for Orlando and the 11th is its chilliest day. It has a daily high averaging 70.8 °F (21.6 °C) and low of 48.8 °F (9.3 °C). ... January gets as cold as 32 °F (0 °C) typically on one or two nights.
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Old 04-20-2019, 10:05 PM
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We were at Universal/Islands of Adventure in February 2018.

Here was my take away.

Islands of Adventure is the better of the two parks, we did both parks in one day, and had been to Islands before, but my kids seemed to like it better. A lot of the rides at Universal/IOA seem to be inside 3D type attractions, thrill rides for sure.

Aside from the Diagon Alley and Simpsons area of Universal, we skipped the rest of the park. My kids just weren't interested. It seemed a little dated to me, but we do love Islands of Adventure. And the City Walk there is amazing too.

We also love Disney. If I had to rank the Orlando Parks, this would be my list.
Magic Kingdom
Islands of Adventure
Epcot
Animal Kingdom
Hollywood Studios (but this will make a jump once all the construction is finished I'm sure)
Universal
Sea World (we haven't been in like 7 years though)

I also love Tampa, Clearwater, which is only about an hour from Orlando. Beautiful beaches. Busch Gardens is awesome! It's probably in my top 3 theme parks, big thrill rides, and beautiful animals. Just a great park.

They have Zoo Tampa (you have to see Manatees when you're in Florida)

And I've never been to the Florida Aquarium, but it's suppose to be fantastic, also in Tampa.
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Old 04-21-2019, 05:28 PM
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You girls are awesome. We've loosely narrowed it down to 1 week at the Universal & Disney theme parks, then a week of something else. Now it's the something else we have to figure out. Do we road trip around, or go somewhere completely different, etc. My 16 yr old just wants to shop. Which are the best outlet malls? With our exchange rate, everything will be expensive anyway, so the bigger discounts we can find, the better.
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Old 04-22-2019, 03:15 PM
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January is cold for Floridians, but as a northern, it was just fine for us. I wore a hoodie the whole time, but local people were bundled up.
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Old 04-22-2019, 04:13 PM
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another resource is www.mousescrappers.com...they are a scrapping site, but also share info on all things disney....I personally think low to mid 70's is great!!! I live in central CA and our spring is soooo short...we are now heading into our HOTTTT summer
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Old 04-22-2019, 05:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacinda View Post
You girls are awesome. We've loosely narrowed it down to 1 week at the Universal & Disney theme parks, then a week of something else. Now it's the something else we have to figure out. Do we road trip around, or go somewhere completely different, etc. My 16 yr old just wants to shop. Which are the best outlet malls? With our exchange rate, everything will be expensive anyway, so the bigger discounts we can find, the better.
They have tons of shopping in Orlando. The Florida Mall, plus Disney Springs and The City Walk. But they have outlets all over too.
https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outle...-international
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Old 05-04-2019, 06:35 PM
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Originally Posted by aussiegirl View Post
Travel planning...one of my favorite things to do!

Universal Studios Florida has Harry Potter for the younger, but depending on what the older is interested in, she might like it too. There are sections for Jurassic Park, the Marvel Characters, more thrill rides (as well as a few shows if she doesn't like rides).

There are I believe 2 hotels that if you stay there, your stay includes Express Pass, which is a pass that allows you to go through a shorter line. However, if you would rather stay elsewhere, you can still purchase the Express pass separately.

There are 2 different US parks, plus a water park.

There is also WDW if anyone is a Disney fan. There are 4 separate Disney parks, so more days would have to be planned, and there is a little more planning involved period.

There is Sea World if anyone enjoys animals, and Discovery Cove (there is an option to swim with Dolphins, and an option to purchase a Discovery Cove ticket that includes days at Sea World and SeaWorld's water park.

Undercover Tourist is a great site to purchase discount tickets. Their prices include tax (Usually) making them cheaper (since regular site prices do not alway include the tax). They are a legitimate company and I've purchased through them at least twice.

What other questions do you have?

Orlando isn't that far from a beach either. I can't give advice on a good one, but you can search. I'll send you a pm with links to a few planning sites you can join to find more answers/help if you would like!
Oooh! I didn't know that about Express Passes. Is there a limit of how many shorter rides you can take, like the magic band things at Disney? Do you know the names of the hotels by any chance?
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Old 05-04-2019, 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Neverland Scraps View Post
Oooh! I didn't know that about Express Passes. Is there a limit of how many shorter rides you can take, like the magic band things at Disney? Do you know the names of the hotels by any chance?
There are 3 hotels that offer the Express pass with your hotel stay- Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. With stays at any other hotel (including offsite), you have the option to purchase the Express pass seperately. With the regular express pass, you can ride each participating ride only once. You can also upgrade to Universal Express unlimited which allows you to ride using the Express pass an unlimited amount of times on the participating rides. You can also purchase Express pass at the park (this is helpful if it ends up being a really busy day, but you didn't know this ahead of time).

They say that the amount of planning needed for a trip to US is sooo much less than a Disney trip!
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Old 05-05-2019, 09:07 AM
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When we did our cruise last year we spent a few days in Orlando. We stayed at one of the on-site hotels, which was great. We only had time for the Magic Kingdom though, as we only had one day there.

A bunch of the guys went to Nasa, which they all loved.

We were also in Coco Beach for a couple of days before our cruise, which was nice and relaxing.
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