JulieVikmanis

My husband and I will be meeting our grown son in Disney World this weekend. We'll be staying at the Dolphin in the Epcot area. We'll spend one day in Epcot. The second day son and I would like to go to Animal Kingdom but Dad is not excited by that park and none of us are fond of Magic Kingdom or MGM or whatever that has become so we'd be unlikely to enjoy Universal either, I assume. We need a plan for how to spend Sunday before we drop sonny off for an 8 p.m. flight back to NYC. All suggestions gratefuly considered. Anything fun to do on International Drive? Other places to consider? Thanks.

xrae

Spend the day in Winter Park, Fla. It's probably a 30-min drive from that area of Orlando. They have a wonderful museum featuring Tiffany stained glass, decor, jewelry, pottery, and more. It's an amazing museum. Open 1-4 Sunday. http://www.morsemuseum.org/

You can also take an hour-long boat ride through the city's lakes and canals, and/or stroll the upscale shopping on their main street.
http://www.ci.winter-park.fl.us/2005...re/enjoy.shtml

JulieVikmanis

xrae, thanks so much. That's a very appealing idea. We've not been to Winter Park in a long time and it could be a pleasant change from Disney.

j999_9

Kennedy Space Center?

321go

Plenty of good restaurants on Park Avenue in Winter Park too.

If you want to spend the day in and around I-Drive, Sea World is at the south end and is a very enjoyable park.

MichelleY

Gatorland?

Debi

Seaworld - my favorite place in Orlando. They have a "Behind the Scenes" tour that is fabulous (a bit expensive - but I thought it was WELL worth the price) I'd say Discovery Cove, but there's probably no way you could get in there now - that place is awesome. Also, at Pleasure Island (or right next to that) there is a Cirque du Soleil that is usually pretty great and some fun places there.

sassy_cat

Sea World, great place to spend a day.

DancingBearMD

Several suggestions on Disney property:

--There's a challenging for adults mini golf course right next to the Dolphin.

--The Dolphin's pool is great.

--Breakfast at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, then stroll around the resort to the animal viewing areas and to see the African art and artifacts.

--See the Christmas decorations at the Grand Floridian, then take the monorail to the Contemporary and a boat from there to the Wilderness Lodge to see the decorations there, then take the walking path to Fort Wilderness. Combine with a meal somewhere along the way--breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe is nice.

--Shopping at Downtown Disney. Rent a pontoon boat and putter up the creek toward the Port Orleans Resort.

Off the property but nearby, try Celebration. If you're interested in architecture, check out the buildings by Philip Johnson, Michael Graves, Cesar Pelli and others. Have lunch at the Columbia restaurant (a branch of the Ybor City institution) or elsewhere there.

DancingBearMD

Also maybe Dad can give Animal Kingdom a chance. If he wishes he can stick to things like the animal displays (the major trails have gorillas in Africa and tigers in Asia, and there are several smaller displays in the Oasis and around the Tree of Life), the Flights of Wonder bird show (surprisingly well done), and take the pleasant little train right to Rafiki's Planet Watch for a chance to see the vetrinarians at work. And of course the safari ride.

JulieVikmanis

Thanks much to all of you. I'm still intrigued by the Winter Park idea, but it looks like it could be a tough sell with DH. The idea of hotel hopping on the Disney properties via monorail to see all the Christmas decor might just appeal to all and the Boma/walk around might give sonny and me our opportunity for some hint of Animal Kingdom. Sea World had been kind of on our radar and I'll investigate it a bit more to present to "the boys" for a decision along with all these many options you've provided. Thanks so much. One way or the other I'm sure your ideas will lead us to an enjoyable day.

flyfaraway

I second Discovery Cove. I recently visited the park for work, and honestly had one of the best experiences I've ever had in Orlando (and I'm a Disney/Universal Studious veteran). Swimming with the dolphins is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I'll never forget. Admission is all-inclusive, as well - food, drinks, etc.. and the staff does everything in their power to make you feel comfortable and enjoy the experience. I'd call and try to make reservations!

xrae

Doesn't the Discovery Cove admission also include a week's pass to Sea World?

starrs

Sea World
Discovery Cove if it's not too cold
Go a bit north and canoe at Wekiwa Springs. You'll be in a different world - it feels like you are paddling in a Tarzan movie -
http://www.canoewekiva.com/

RedRock

You want something different try Forever Florida. Its only about an hour from the attractions area.

http://www.floridaeco-safaris.com/about.php

Take US 192 east from Kissimmee to Holopaw, south on US 441 for about 7 miles to the entrance on your left. Stop in Saint Cloud at Fat Boys for breakfast.

321go

RedRock, thank you for mentioning Forever Florida. It doesn't get mentioned nearly often enough here and it's a great way to see "real Florida."

RedRock

321go, too many people think International Drive, Orlando and Disney are the Real Florida.

DancingBearMD

Perhaps a bit ironic but they also have hiking and buggy tours at the Nature Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve (f/k/a Walker Ranch):

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/no...s/art5523.html

This property was purchased by Disney and dedicated as a preserve to enable Disney to alter wetlands in connection with the construction of the Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.

JulieVikmanis

Well here's what we did.

Fri. picked Sonny up at airport and had late dinner at Ming Court on International Drive. Perfect place for late night dining, good Chinese food and nice atmosphere.

Sat. Did Epcot big time. Saw almost everything. At at Tokyo dining for lunch and France for dinner. Saw Illuminations and caught first boat out of the park back to the Dolphin.

Sun. Sonny convinced Dad to try Animal Kingdom again. Surprise. He loved it. Took oodles of pix and saw lots of animals, kept remarking about how much better it was than the other time he went. The "boys" did the Yak and Yetti rollercoaster even. We had lunch at the Yak and Yetti restaurant and were really happy with the duck with orange and wasabi sauce. Left Animal Kingdom about 1:30 and spent time during the afternoon playing the Fantasia mini-golf course within walking distance of the Dolphin. Relaxed a little and then went to dinner at Il Mulino, the Italian restaurant in the Swan, before putting Sonny in a cab to return to the airport and to NYC.

So, we stayed with Disney throughout after all--and enjoyed it thoroughly. I do, however, have all kinds of ideas to follow up on for our future trips and I thank those who made suggestions once again.

DancingBearMD

Thanks for reporting back, glad you had a good time.