We are heading to Orlando for a conference, but we have an afternoon and evening to hit a theme park. Which one would you recommend and why?

I have been to Disneyland several times (and even EuroDisney), but have never been to Orlando. We like rollercoasters & rides as well as interesting sites to see.

Thanks!

My favorite is Epcot. I just love "touring the world".

And IMO, Disneyworld is better than Disneyland.

If you like roller coasters, go to Islands of Adventure at Universal. Great coasters and othere rides ang the theming is wonderful.

Do you also know about the passes you can buy that will let you jump to the head of the line? Do they sell those passes only at certain parks? Our time will be limited so I thought this may help us do a little more at the park.

Thanks.

Toontown, at Disney, you don't buy the passes, I believe that you have to get a timed pass from a machine at the entrance for the rides, then you come back at the time that prints out on your pass. There are two lines, you get in the line for the pass, which is much shorter and moves much quicker. It's a good idea, but you have to do some good planning to use them.

Personally, with that much time, I would do Sea World (downside is no rides). If you've never been to Animal Kingdom, its a fun park, takes much less time then Epcot or Disney, and has a fabulous new rollercoaster called Expedition Everest. It's one of the best I've ever been on!!!

You can buy express passes for the Universal parks. The price varies depending on the time of year. So again...I recommend Islands of Adventure. You can buy the express pass in advance on the Universal site or at the park when you arrive.

Are you kidding? Sea World has great rides!

My favorite roller coaster, Kraken is in Sea World!

Another vote for Island of Adventure. Hulk and Spiderman are worth admission by themselves but this park is not only great for rides but has nice theming as well.
Hitting the parks in the afternoon may leave you without front of the line access at any of the parks because most of the popular rides will run out of passes by mid day. If you can stay on site at universal you will get front of line access all day. I think Disney may be going that route as well if theyy haven't already.

Ok...I agree that Spiderman is one of the best rides of its type anywhere but the "theming" at Universal is nowhere near as good as at Dsiney IMO.

If you are interested mainly in the rides at Unoversal, particularly the coasters, then why not spend the money for the VIP package that gets you to the front of the line at EVERY ride you want to go on..again and again and again if necessary.

Dukey said just what I was going to say- both parts.

Islands of Adventure is fantastic. Spider Man ride is, IMHO, the BEST RIDE EVER! It's a 3-D motion simulation ride. When the "heat guy" throws a flame at you, you feel the heat, when "water guy" throws water you feel sprayed, when another guy "hits" the front of your vehicle, your vehicle shakes...and then you "free fall" down the side of the Empire State building into Spider Man's web.

I think Animal Kindgom is more for kids as is Disney World.

With the Universal theme parks, you can buy a pass that lets you into both parks on the same day. That way you can do the best of Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. If you stay at a Universal property, you can use your hotel key to get to the front of the line. If not, you can pay an additional fee at the park to go into the "fast pass" lane for quicker access.

I would review the websites for the various properties and look at the main attractions. See what appeals to you...

Personally, I would steer clear of Disney's Magic Kingdom or Epcot if you only have an afternoon and evening. There is simply too much to do there for that limited amount of time. If you still want to do Disney, I would recommend Animal Kingdom or Disney-MGM Studios.

My other suggestion would be Sea World. I have never ridden any of the rides there, but I love the shows.

As far as Universal, since I am not really a fan of roller costers, I like Universal Studios better than Islands of Adventure.

Unfortunately, Busch Gardens Tampa is too far away for only half a day.

Go Travel - I agree Kraken at Sea World is my favorite roller coaster too! It's so smooth!

One place NOT to go IMHO is the Universal Studios park. I think we were confused and went there, instead of the recommended Universal Islands. This was three spring times ago, but my 20-something daughter and I were really disappointed we'd spent our one day and too much money in the tacky, ill-kept, ridiculously expensive-for-what-you-get Universal Studios. The Jaws ride is so dumb, we couldn't help but laugh at it. Even tiny little kids wouldn't fall for that schlock!

We have been to all the Disney properties in Orlando, when our kids were younger, and are always impressed with Disney's entertainment value. If you can stay at a property with monorail access to the parks, it's really helpful.

I'd recommend Epcot for its very interesting and crazy rides. A more intellectural approach to thrill rides. We liked the 3-D 'rides', too, like Honey I Shrunk the Kids, for the special effects.

You can get a ticket for more than one park in one day, and that's also a good idea if you've got the stamina.
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