Has the title ,I've booked to go to Florida with the family ,wife and 2 girls,10 and 5.We have booked the doubletree Hilton at sea world /aquatica,has anybody stayed here or in this area,Where's best places to visit with kids at this age,and are there any eateries within walking distance of our hotel,any advice would be good as it's our first time in Florida cheers mick
We stayed there a few years ago, only for 2 nights to take advantage of its private gate into SeaWorld and I think the room key was a fast pass on the rides. The hotel was Ok but parts of it are an up market motel. There are loads of restaurants close by on I Drive but IIRC they are not that easy to walk to
Yes i was in that hotel in November, nothing special as the previous poster said. There is plenty to do thou! From theme parks to shopping! Daytona Beach is not that far. Kids will love the kennedy space centre. The previous poster was right in that no where is within walking distance really
Last edited by miguelh34; 7th January 2015 at 23:07.
The obvious place is Disney! Kids of any age will love it and there is enough there to spend days if you include their waterparks too. I imagine if they are into Harry Potter then Universal is the other big draw. Kennedy is great but I'm not convinced two girls of those ages would like it that much. You on the other hand will probably love it.
Seaworld on principle I would not visit any more. See the movie Blackfish for more info though I have been anti a lot longer than that.
Nobody really walks anywhere over there. Hire a car. It's cheap and pretty much essential.
Theres a great Italian restaurant called Maggianos we visited last year. Food was great and kids meals about $5 with unlimited drinks. Swimming with dolphins at Discovery Cove is a great experience for kids too.
This. There seem to be very few parts of the US where walking is commonplace. (Its one of the reasons I love San Francisco!)Originally Posted by Cynar
You'll need a car but I suspect the kids will like Gatorland especially the jumparoo - reasonably cheap too.
Kennedy space centre is great but my kids found it boring.
Cheers,
Neil.
Forgot to add - Discovery Cove appears expensive at about £200+ each but it includes all food, drinks and parking on the day plus 2 weeks entry to Seaworld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens.
Last edited by Cynar; 8th January 2015 at 11:31. Reason: Useless iphone predicitive text
Quite simple - Disney!!
Four theme parks and two water parks so probably enough to fill the whole vacation if needed. A car will make things so much easier though you can do it on the buses if you really have to. There are certain tickets you can only get in the UK for disney which give you unlimited access for 2 weeks to all of the Disney parks - good value if you intend to go a lot, however if you're going to try and do lots of other things then the US tickets might be the way to go. Where you just purchase the number of days you need. Universal is great too but your eldest will probably enjoy it more.
Universal is great as well. Try not to overload your program: 2 days in a park - day off - two days in a park is a good rythm. Day off is good for sitting around the pool etc. Orlando has a few small but nice attractions on International Boulevard: Ripley's Believe It Or Not is one of them. If you want to enjoy the ultimate historical incorrect experience (but oh so funny!), go to Medieval Times Dinnershow in Kissimmee, just south of Orlando. And what the others said: don't go there without a car.
As seen in the film Cable Guy!
Cheers,
Neil.
Discovery Cove is great but you usually have to book it well in advance. No good just turning up in Florida and hoping to go at busy times. Universal is excellent and of course, Disney. As others have said, walking is a non-starter. It's not just the distances. The road layouts are such that it make it evry difficult to even walk what looks a short distance on paper.
Last time we went, we did an airboat ride (Wild Florida airboat and wildlife, I think), Discovery Cove is great for youngsters, the Disney parks are, well, magical. Universal studios are actually 2 parks next to each other, one is the studios type rides, the other is Island of Adventure with some hard core rides, realistically you need a day for each. Harry Potter is great, but be prepared to queue (we booked via Virgin and got the early pass; 7am), the Hogwarts Express is fun and takes you from one park to the other. If you get a Disney hopper pass, make sure you have the water parks (Typhoon lagoon and Blizzard Beach) which are great for lazy days or afternoons off. Downtown Disney is fun as well for shopping and a bite to eat.
There are loads of steakhouses if you like real steak e.g. Texas Roadhouse ( get good TripAdvisor reviews and we did the one on the 192 near Disney; ,16oz sirloin).
As has been mentioned, a car is a must.
Enjoy!
Not wanting to sound like an ass , but consider giving a Discovery Cove a miss. Captive dolphins aren't my idea of fun.
There's a dolphin recovery place in Clearwater which is much more personal and you'll probably have the place to yourselves. I'm sure it was free when we visited but now it appears to carry a charge.
It's staffed by volunteers who are more than happy to spend time telling you about the individual Dolphins .
Well worth a visit and there are some stunning beaches in Clearwater.
www.seewinter.com
A trip into the Everglades will astound your kids. Get an airboat ride through the area.
Have a go in the baseball batting cages and tell us you don't feel 15 years old again.
Drive to Cocoa Beach and bodysurf on the waves. You might even catch a launch from Cape Canaveral?
All this is obviously dependant on having a car.
Florida is brilliant, but it's not all about the theme parks. You'll all love it.
Best tip I can give you is get up early and hit the parks for 9.00 ish , leave about 1/2.00 pm back to the hotel for a bit sun bathing / playing in the pool .
Shower and change then back to the parks for 6.30/7.00 ish to see the rest of what you want to do and the obligatory firework show.
Don't try and stop in the parks all day / night.
We did it without a car and were based on I. Drive, we had free shuttle buses from the hotel, we also booked a trip to Kennedy and we caught a coach from another hotel. I don't drive and the wife and MIL wouldn't drive in the states so it was are only option. One day we did get a taxi back from Disney which was reasonable and the MIL and the kids took a limo back which again seemed reasonable.
Do look at buying tickets before you leave the UK as you can save a fortune, I liked Universal but the wife and kids preferred Disney.
I can only echo taking some time away from the parks, we did ripleys and crazy golf with some swimming on a lazy day which recharged our batteries.
I thought it was just me!
Been to Florida many times and have never set foot in Disney.
So many natural wonders there that you don't need plastic entertainment.
Cheers,
Neil.
If you happen to visit Daytona then eat at "Joes Crab Shack" on the pier, amazing food and atmosphere.
Yes but Daytona is awful, a bit how I imagine Blackpool to be with the added horror of people driving up and down the beach in a variety of vehicles/bikes with exhaust fumes everywhere.
Cheers,
Neil.
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