Theme Parks in Florida / Florida Attractions
Of course, families visiting Kissimmee and Orlando will visit the Theme Parks in Florida. One word of warning, before you visit a Theme Park in Florida or one of the many Florida attractions, it may be best to pop around the local Dollar Store and purchase a waterproof poncho, especially if you are visiting in high season, as for around one hour per day, you are likely to have torrential rain (nature's air conditioning).
DISNEY WORLD
The best known of all the theme parks in Florida and Florida attractions has to be Walt Disney World, a park which is the size of Manchester city. The theme park consists of Magic Kingdom, here you will meet Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and all the other favourite Disney Characters. EPCOT (experimental prototype community of tomorrow), MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Water Parks are a popular Florida attraction and Disney water parks include Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY
For a peaceful day or an exciting night, Downtown Disney, a popular Florida attraction,is well worth a visit. Planet Hollywood, Virgin Megastore, unique shops, theatres, shows, restaurants and the largest Disney Character Store anywhere in the world all make up Downtown Disney. The complex comes comes alive at night when Pleasure Island, a party animals paradise opens it's doors. Parking and entry are free into Downtown Disney.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Universal Studios is my favourite of all the theme parks in Florida. Universal, to my mind, offers such a variety of entertainment that every person in your party will be enthralled, no matter what their age. Every time I visit I come across a street show which I have never noticed before. Universal Studios has extended it's park and now includes Islands of Adventure and City Walk. A word of advice, once you park your car it is a long!! walk to the entrance of the parks in sweltering heat, however, Universal deals with it quite well, as all the way, you are treated to music blasting out from Blues Brothers (a show not to be missed) Beetlejuice Review (again, excellent entertainment), and many others. Disabled visitors might like to note that it may be best to hire a wheelchair. In March, and again, in April of 2000, I took my, as then, 85 year old mother to Florida. I had hired a wheelchair for our arrival at the villa, which she was furious about (very independent woman) but we did need it for Universal. Universal, unlike Disney, has no transport laid on from the car park into the entrance of the park.
On entering the park, pick up a guide book, this gives you starting times of the various shows. After missing Blues Brothers a few years running due to inclement weather, I found out that the show is held in Pat O'Briens pub, just opposite 'The Orphanage' if it should happen to rain
SEA WORLD
Sea World offers a lovely, tranquil setting, that is, so long as you don't sit in the first 15 rows of the Shamu, Killer Whale Show. I made the mistake of doing this once as I thought, ' oh well, I'll get wet, I'll soon dry off in this heat ' Believe me, nothing prepares you for the sudden soaking of gallons of ice cold water aimed from a single flick of a Killer Whale's tail. Spend the day in Sea World getting up close to manta rays and dolphins. Watch hilarious, family shows such as the Clyde and Seamore Show or try out the rollercoasters,Journey to Atlantis and Kraken.
Sea World, as does Universal offer a ticket upgrade on leaving the park. Simply take your one day pass, costing approx $50 per adult to the booths adjacent to the exit and you can upgrade to next day entry for approx $15.
THEME PARK PASSES
We would recommend GreatOrlandoDiscounts for purchase of theme park tickets. GreatOrlandoDiscounts is owned and operated by Billy Boy's Tickets, a contracted and authorised ticket broker for Walt Disney World Tickets. Billy Boy's is situated on Highway 192 and tickets can be ordered by clicking on the links at the top and bottom of the page. A reputable company with tickets at discounted prices. A currency converter can be found on our Golf Courses page, if required.
On our first visit to Florida, in 1990, we purchased a 5 day family pass for the theme parks in Florida but found, for us, that it was money wasted as we are a non swimming family and the tickets included entry to the Water Parks. As we were only in Florida for 14 days and 
had so much to see and do we never did manage to use up all the days on the theme park ticket. For a family who enjoys Water Parks though, the 5 day pass will probably be good value, but best to arrange them prior to travel through a reputable agency like Ticket Momma or Billy Boy's. You will also notice booths in the Kissimmee / Orlando areas advertising 'Free Disney Passes or 2 tickets for Disney $20' These passes are genuine but you will have to be prepared to sit through a 'presentation' which may last for a few hours, extolling the virtues of Timeshare Ownership in Central Florida, not really a good idea if you have kids who actually want to go visit the park 'RIGHT NOW!!!'
Information below provided by Neil Stewart
TIP 1 -- Plan ahead. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to arrive in Orlando and not have any idea what you plan to do. It's best to spend some fun time with the family at home and plan your vacation agenda. More than likely you won't stick completely to your plan when you get there but try to use it as a guide.Work out how many day's you'd hope to spend at each attraction and decide which attraction's you want to see.Doing this will insure that you don't run out of day's and maybe not have any time left to visit the one you hoped to visit before you leave. Remember: Orlando is a big place so you'll not get to do everything in one visit so choose carefully.
TIP 2 -- Start Early. You'll want to get as much out of your day when you visit the park's. Go to bed not to late so you can wake up early to get started. Have a large buffet breakfast which are very reasonable in Orlando which will help you get going. This will save you time and money when you get in the park as the price's are more expensive there. Remember: No matter what time you arrive at the park it's still considered one admission unless your using a hopper pass or the like so get there early and get your money's worth.
TIP 3 -- Do The Reverse. Most people when they get to the theme parks head in one direction.For example they may all walk round the park clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on which park it is.You'll soon realise when you get there.A great tip is to do the opposite and walk the other way.This means all the rides that most people will be finishing their day on will be the one's you start of with.You'll find that they are not as busy so there won't be as much waiting involved.Another way to beat the queue's is to do the ride's when the parade's are on if you don't mind missing them.Remember: It can get quite hot in the queue's so to avoid dehydration drink plenty of water and if possible bring your own as it can be quite expensive buying it there. Also don't be put of by some of the waiting time sign's.You might find it say's 30 minute's wait time but you might find yourself walking straight on.
TIP 4 -- Pick Your Spot . At the end of each day at many of the parks you'll be presented with a stunning fireworks and lazer display. Trying to get a good spot to see the show can sometimes be difficult.If your happy that you've seen as much of the park that you want to then it's a good idea to pick a good spot maybe an hour before the display starts.This might seem like a waste of time just waiting for things to begin but it is a very relaxing and stress free time to unwind from the busy day you've just had.For example - a great place to see the Illumination's Reflections of Earth show at Epcot is to go to The Rose And Crown bar in the world showcase section of the park.Her you can have a beer and sit in comfort and watch the show. Remember: After the evening fireworks are over most people tend to leave the park so be prepared for a slow walk to the main gates.
TIP 5 -- Speak With Your Tour Rep On Arrival. When you first arrive at your hotel after a long flight it can be a bit daunting trying to take in all what's ahead of you. This is even more so if it's your first visit to Orlando. Usually you will be given the chance to meet up with your travel company's tour rep. Normally this would be first thing the following morning depending on your arrival time.Frequent visitors may decline this invitation but it is always useful no matter how many times you visit. During the meeting your rep will answer any questions that you may have.They will be able to give you a general layout of the area and supply you with maps.You will also be given the opportunity to purchase tickets. At 'Stop Orlando' we recommend that you buy your ticket's before you leave as this gives you more time to plan your trip. Buying them from your tour rep dosn't give you much time to decide which ticket's you require and you may be put on the spot and purchase ticket's which you didn't really want.If your not planning on going to themeparks or attractions every day then buying from your rep might suit you but if your planning on filling your complete vacation with eventful days at the parks then plan ahead. Remember: If your tour rep can't answer any questions you may have then they will probably be able to find it out for you in a small space of time.Don't be afraid to ask anything you like no matter how stupid it may sound.They are there to help.
TIP 6 -- Use Your First Day Wisely . Now this tip might not be to everyones taste but it can be a blessing in disguise.It's very tempting after your plane touches down in Orlando to go running out of the airport and dive straight into one of the many themeparks.You leave your bags unpacked in your hotel room and worry about unpacking them the next day. This might be ok for people that don't have to far to travel and may be full of energy and are raring to go when they arrive but like the majority of tourists in Orlando you have probably had one hell of a day travelling. The best thing you can do is take it slightly easier the first day.Firstly get your suit case unpacked.This will only take you twenty minutes.You don't want to be trying to do this on your second day before you hit the parks.If you arrived on a late flight leave it till the morning.On your first full day in Orlando don't be getting up at sunrise to to rush down to Disney or wherever.What you want to do is have a relaxing breakfast. Tour International Drive and experience the many exciting and fun activities you can do there. Finish of your first day by trying one of the many amazing restaurants near your hotel. Have a night cap then go to bed. You'll wake up the next morning feeling like you've had the best night's sleep ever. All that travelling will be well out of your system and you'll now be ready to spend the next 13 day's going crazy in the park's. Remember: Try to give yourself some time to explore the smaller attractions throughout Orlando.You'll be surprised at how many there are - some of which you may not have heard of.
TIP 7 -- U.S Travellers Cheques. This one is aimed mainly at visitors outside the U.S. When getting your currency before you go you'll probably want to take travellers cheques rather than cash. Instead of buying your cheques in the currency of your home country you would be better buying them in U.S dollars format. This way you'll be able to use them the same way you would use cash. For Example - If you take your travellers cheques in say U.K sterling ,you'll have to find a place that will exchange them for U.S dollars.This will happen every time you want to use them.Not only will you have this hassle of getting them changed to dollars but you will also more than likely have to pay a commision fee to the exchanger.On the other hand if you bring your cheques in U.S dollars (which you can get before you leave) you will be able to spend them like cash in almost all the shops and attractions throughout Orlando.You will even be given change in U.S cash. Remember: You will probably be asked for I.D when spending your cheques so don't forget to take it with you when your out.It's a good idea to take a small bit of cash with you for your first day as this can be useful for your trip from the airport to your hotel for the likes of beverage's or a newspaper or the toll roads if your hiring a car.
TIP 8 -- Use The I-Ride Trolly System . Getting arround International Drive couldn't be easier. The I-Ride is a tram like bus service that runs the full length of International Drive. You can get on and off anywhere along the route for the one of price of $1. Children under 12 ride free if accompanied by an adult.They arrive every 20 minutes so you won't have to wait long to catch one.If your planning on using the system regularly then we'd reccomend buying a pass which range from 1 day at $3 to a 14 day pass at $16. Remember: You'll need to have the right change on boarding one of the trams as they don't give change.This isn't so bad as you can get rid of all your build up of quarters and dimes that you'll aquire over your stay.You know the change you always come home with that you won't be able to exchange anyway.
TIP 9 -- Use The Vouchers .Make sure you pick up and use the many voucher books you'll find throughout Orlando.You can pick them up virtually anywhere.In these books you'll discover vouchers for discounts on a lot of the smaller attractions plus many 2 for 1 offers. There'll be plenty of vouchers for shopping and you'll be able to save plenty on dining out aswell. Remember: Vouchers are there for a reason so don't feel embarrassed about using them.We all love a bargain don't we.
TIP 10 -- Do Something Different .We all go home from Orlando with many happy memories that will last with us forever. You'll be able to tell all those folks at home all about the many rides and thrills you experienced during your stay ,but if you really want to amaze them then do something different.Everyone knows about the theme parks and the fabulous shopping etc but why not do one thing that most people never do when they visit Orlando.For Example - Take an airboat ride through deep swamps surrounded by alligators or go deep see diving or maybe see Orlando from the sky in a helicopter tour .Remember: Your tour guide on arrival will be able to help you arrange these activities when you arrive.There is an option to do the airboat ride combined with a trip to Kennedy Space Center which is available as a coach trip from many hotels.
This information is provided by http://WWW.STOPORLANDO.COM.
Theme Park Information
http://themeparkinfo4u.com/
Every one in the world turns into a happy child the moment
that they enter a theme park.