Tips from this trip

1. Our trip to Orlando was amazing. This is a great holiday for the family. It is an active holiday, if you are like us and want to make the most of every minute, expect to walk 12 to 13 kilometres per day on average. The parks offer great experiences and truly give you some fantastic memories. We think the best age to visit Orlando is 9+. Before going it is worthwhile checking the park attractions online, the websites give you valuable information on height restrictions and this may help you plan your vacation better.

2. We have now visited Orlando twice in January. Again we were very fortunate with the weather. Initially the weather was quite cool but a few days into our trip we enjoyed sunny days and cool nights. It was still warm enough for my boys to enjoy swimming in the evenings after spending all day in the theme parks. If you do intend to visit Orlando in the summer than be prepared for some VERY warm weather, we could not help but notice the misting fans at most attractions.

3. We bought our Disney and Universal tickets in Australia. We did not compare our price with those prices available locally. However we do think you may be best to get tickets when you arrive. We noticed special offers like the Universal 2 day pass with a third day thrown in for free. Definitely worth doing your research before you purchase your tickets.

4. Disney accommodation is expensive. We stayed for half of our trip at Staybridge Suites, a serviced apartment complex located just outside of Disneyworld. We loved Staybridge. The boys loved the heated pool and spa, we adults liked the free breakfasts, free Disney parks Shuttle and Disney help desk located in the main foyer. The rooms are clean and well appointed. Staybridge also has a happy hour on some weeknights; this was great for small snacks when returning from the park and also meeting fellow travellers. The second half of the trip we spent at Disney's Art of Animation Resort. The resort is impressive but equally expensive. The kids were blown away when we arrived. There are numerous Disney resorts, we counted 20 of them. When staying at a Disney resort you can take advantage of the free buses to the parks. The only disadvantage when staying in a Disney Resort is that the outside world no longer exists. Everything is about Disney, you won’t easily find information about other non-Disney parks or attractions in Orlando.

5. Busch Gardens

Best suited for: Teenagers and thrill seekers.

The free shuttle is not great. You get to the park 1 hour after it opens and leave 30 minutes before closing. If you are serious about getting as much in as possible I would suggest finding an alternative mode of transport. If you intend going on as much rides as possible then a quick pass is a must. Being January we did not need a quick pass. This park is more suited to teenagers and adults. Whilst there are lots of animal exhibits, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is in our opinion far better.

6. Legoland

Best suited for: Young children 6-12 and Lego fanatics.

Legoland is a MUST. The free shuttle from Orlando is awesome, you get to the park at the time it opens and it leaves for the return trip 30 minutes after the park closes. A great park for younger kids. Make sure you bring some spare clothes as 'The Quest for CHI’ ride is a must but the kids and most likely you too will get soaking wet! The only hassle we had was with the photo system they use. At Disney you use your Disney wristband and Universal you get one photo card to swipe each time you take a photo with a park photographer or save a ride photo. At Legoland you get like a bunch of dockets, one for each photo. You have to claim each docket individually yourself online and the Picsolve software is not the greatest. It is a really cumbersome system.

7. Kennedy Space Centre

Best suited for: All ages.

Make sure to take a Gray Line Shuttle. With Gray Line you get a special welcome on arrival by an astronaut. This is not an amusement park, it is a working facility. However it is fun and educational. The Gray Line driver will give you tips on what to do. It is important you plan the day well or you will miss out. Our bus driver recommended the following itinerary and it worked well.

a. The Gray Line welcome meet and greet.

b. The Space Centre Tour. Takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.

c. The Shuttle Atlantis.

d. Exploration Space.

e. At 4pm the 3D IMAX movie.

8. Seaworld

Best suited for: All ages.

Seaworld is well worth a visit. On our last trip we took the VIP Package. The VIP package supplied a personal tour guide, all meals and reserved seating at all the shows. This trip we chose to book a Penguin meet and greet package. Both the VIP and Penguin meet and greet packages were excellent. However on this trip we found it more relaxing as the Penguin experience only took two hours which allowed us more time to explore the park. So if you do take the VIP tour package consider having a second day at Seaworld where you can explore the park at a more leisurely pace. The new Penguin experience is part ride part animal attraction. Very much worth doing but keep in mind it does get quite cool.

9. Universal Studios

Best suited for: All ages.

Universal Studios seems to be a favourite amongst the family, especially the Islands of Adventure Park. Universal is made up of two parks being Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. Both are great and right next to each other. My boys prefer Islands of Adventure, which has a couple of great water rides and of course the standout attraction which is the Harry Potter area. There are now two Harry Potter areas, one in Islands of Adventure Park (Hogsmeade) and the other in the Studios Park (Daigon Alley) with both areas linked by a train. The Studios Park has mostly indoor attractions except for the awesome Rock IT roller coaster. Both parks have a "quick queue" pass you can purchase. It is pricey but great value as it will help to ensure you do each park in a day. However please note that there are no quick queues for either Harry Potter rides. So when visiting the park make sure to go do those rides first thing in the morning when the queues are shortest.

10. Disney World – Magic Kingdom.

Best suited for: Young children 6-12.

This is a great park which caters to smaller children. When going to this park get there early as they have an opening show. The Seven Dwarfs ride is very popular so make sure to either book a fast pass for the ride or get there early. Don’t miss a number of smaller but great rides in Tomorrowland.

11. Disney World – Animal Kingdom.

Best suited for: All ages.

The Kilimanjaro Safari is a MUST DO as is the Yeti roller coaster. The new Dinosaur ride is also a must do. The park is currently being upgraded so I suspect some great new attractions are on the way.

12. Disney World – Hollywood Studios.

Best suited for: All ages.

This is our favourite Disney Park. Make sure you do the Aerosmith Roller Coaster, The Twighlight Zone Tower of Terror and also Buzz Light Year. The shows are really worth watching both the car stunt show and the Indian Jones show. If you have little children you may want to enrol them in the Jedi Training Academy. WARNING this is very popular and spots fill up quickly. Our suggestion is get to the park at 8:30am or earlier if you do not yet have an entry pass already and go straight to the Jedi Academy to register your child. We did this on the visit last time we were in Orlando and it worked well.

13. Disney World – EPCOT.

Best suited for: Older kids 9+

This was our first visit to this park and we LOVED it. Mission Space is a must! Also Test Track is fantastic, don’t miss out you will love it. This is a big park and to visit it properly you need to think about doing it over two days.

14. Disney – Fast Pass. The fast pass system at Disney has changed and not for the better. Each person has three fast passes per day i.e. you can only choose three attractions to bypass. This is very limiting. Contrary to the advertisements you may see, changing your fast pass or making decisions on the day about what to use your fast pass for may lead to disappointment. We found that the rides we liked had their fast passes booked in seconds. It is possible to book some attractions a few days ahead but that still is no guarantee. The fast pass also limits your ability to hop between parks. Unlike Universal where you can move between parks and use your Fast Pass easily, Disney’s system is very limiting. We had some issues with the fast pass and we discovered whilst some staff could make bookings/changes across parks other staff were unable to do so. In one case the fast pass completely failed with half our family booked on one attraction and the other half on another yet we were supposed to all be booked on both. The Universal Fast Pass is far superior to Disney’s pass especially if you are travelling from overseas with limited time. My tips for Disney’s Fast Pass. Book attractions early, for those attractions you can’t book do them early in the day. Forget making changes on the day … it won’t happen.



Suggestions for what to do when it is raining , cold or both!

Parks/Attractions which are good to visit when it is cold and/or wet.

- Universal Studios Resort … NOT to be confused with Universal Islands of Adventure. Most attractions for this park are indoors with the exception of the Rock-It Roller Coaster.

· Disney Downtown – This is not a park perse. However Disney Quest is indoors and can keep the kids entertained for several hours.

· Ripley’s Believe it or not. This took up two comfortable hours. There are quite a few interactive things for the kids and also interesting exhibits. Some items are a little on the dark side so be prepared to do some explaining to the kids.

· Wonderworks. We did not visit this attraction but from what we have learnt through others it is a great place to visit, full of interactive activities and also has lasertag. I am sure this can kill some time and burn some energy.

Parks which have water activities and you will get wet!

· Legoland – Especially the World of Chima, “The Quest for CHI ride”. Great fun but be prepared to be soaked.

· Universal Islands of Adventure Park – Rip Saw Falls and the Jurassic Park Rides will ensure you get wet!

· Seaworld - Journey to Atlantis.

** Ponchos are available at all parks. However they can be quite expensive, we suggest that you get ponchos outside the parks and bring them along with you. Ponchos in the parks can be quite expensive.