Florida - Hints and tips........

[tracy75]

Off to Florida on holiday in 5 weeks time, any hints anps tips of where to go and what to see? We are spending 2 weeks there and hiring a car.

Cheers in advance.

[chazza]

Do all the usual themeparks:

• Universal


• Islands of Adventure


• Disney Studios


• EPCOT Center


• Magic Kingdom


• Animal Kingdom


• Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
  (If you do these you won't have to do Wet 'n' Wild type places as TL and BB are better than them)


• Pleasure Island


• Sea World


• Busch Gardens

Apart from these I would recommend the following:

• A trip to Belz Mall and Florida Mall for shopping


• Gatorland (if it appeals to you)


• A trip out to Kennedy space centre


• A shuttle launch (check with your rep for details of launches


• A trip to cocoa or daytona beaches on a nice day


• A night at Wild Bills or King Henrys Feast (do one or the other, no need to do both

For eating, try places like:

• Sizzler


• Ponderosa


• Wild Jacks (my favourite)


• International House of Pancakes
  

[Clanad]

When you're completely Theme Parked out, try an Everglades Airboat tour. Fairly inexpensive and something different. Check here:
http://www.evergladestours.com/airboat_tours.htm
http://www.evergladesairboattours.com/fishing.html
http://www.ecosafari.com/

Take a morning, if you're in the Ft. Lauderdale area, and have brekfast at the Original Pancake House... try the 49'ers...sourdough, thin and chewy... really great place..Check here:
http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?wpst1=0&cnty1=4&strt1=2851+N.+Federal+Hwy.&city1=Fort+Lauderdale&stnm1=FL&zipc1=33304&regn1=0&plce1=&wppv1=&dphd1=&stpr1=&sthd1=&regp1=0&labl1=&subm=1&ccty=0&qscr=mmfn&chgr=&chsi=&chsv=&mdpcid=21187-1.ExpediaRestMaps|+Restaurant_Review|+freesearch|+US
Additionally, if you're into mall grazing, the largest outlet mall in Florida is in Ft. Lauderdale. The Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall is over 1 mile long. Check here:
http://fort.lauderdale.retailguide.com/data/m100968.htm
http://www.locationsite.de/miami/sawgrasse.htm

Welcome to the U.S.!

[gazzawazza]

A tip about eating out. Almost everywhere you go you'll find little books of coupons. These offer lots of big discounts for eateries, and most have vouchers for money off entertainments and shopping malls.

[gazzawazza]

Also, learn how to use the express passes in the theme parks. In Disney, although on your express pass it says "You can not get another express untill x time" try it, we used to have two or three on the go so we hardly had to wait for any rides.

If you do go to Blizzard Beach I wouldn't bother waiting for the great big vertical drop slide (can't remember its name). I waited a full hour (longest wait) and it was literally over in 3 seconds... Waste of splashing time!

[gazzawazza]

Also, at the car hire place, don't take the upgrade if they offer you one. I was offered one by an employee who said I was his last sale of the day and that I'd be a fool not to take the upgrade as it was a far superior car.

I declined and hey presto, still got the upgrade, just as my mate promised me I would!

[Metz]

For eating try Tony Romas On I-Drive :o)

[jno]

drive down the Keys to Key West. Go to St Augustine, one of the oldest towns in the USA. Drive up north to Seaside, where The Truman Show was filmed. (But remember Florida's quite big, so don't attempt everything.)

[flipflop104]

Have to disagree with Chazza - Wet and Wild is better than Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. If you buy a 4 or 5 park Florida pass it will give you unlimited entry to Universal, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld and Wet 'n' Wild (5 day pass is same but with Busch Gardens). We used to go out for the day and then go into Wet 'n' wild at the end of almost every day (instead of hotel swimming pool) cos the pass is unlimited. Great if you've got kids.

Another tip (cos most stuff has already been covered in the previous replies). When you go into the theme parks DO NOT be tempted to go on the first rides you come across - go straight to the back of the parks and work forward - everyone else is so excited they go on the first stuff they see meanwhile you are at the back of the parks with very short queues cos no one else has got that far yet. And by the time they get to the back you're almost at the front and that's almost empty cos everyone else is now queuing at the back of the parks.

[spudqueen]

I got an excellent guide book last year, A Brits Guide to Orlando and Walt Disney World (you can get it in Smiths or Waterstones). Well worth getting as it's written specially for Brits so understands what we need to know!

PS go to Krispy Kreme doughnuts - they are out of this world! Oh and go shopping in Walmart and Target for great bargains.

[Metz]

we got the brits guide too,we found it a great help http://www.askdaisy.net/orlando/itinerary.htm

[daff24]

Church Street Station - a good fun night out.