Busch Gardens or Not
 

We are planning a trip to Universal Orlando in June. We plan to stay at the Royal Pacific Resort on site at Universal and see Sea World, Wet'n'Wild, both Universal parks and possibly Busch Gardens without renting a car. Busch Gardens, however, I understand is a little further away and I don't know if this is realistic. We have a full week for our vacation. Also, we have three children who will be 13, 12 and 8 at the time of travel.

Hi nebraskamom,
Busch Gardens is in Tampa which is 1 1/2-2 hrs West of Orlando depending on traffic, etc. It's a neat place but you would need to get over there.

If it's a day away from Orlando you are after (and I realise this may not be your intention) you may want to consider a trip to Kennedy Space Center, about an hour drive east of Orlando.

That would be a great day for you based on the ages of your children and it is just as interesting for adults too. It will make a change from the Orlando theme parks.

You are going to have a GREAT time! We stayed at the Royal Pacific in March and had a blast. We spent 4 entire days, sun up to sun down at the parks.

Sea World is a blast and the Kraken was my favorite roller coaster. One thing, it will be hard to go to another theme park without the VIP pass.

We stayed at the Royal Pacific in January. It was very nice. It is in a great location because you can walk to the parks and/or take a shuttle. You can also walk to City Walk where there are alot of restaurants and shopping. Emeril's new restaurant opened at the resort while we were there so he was there the whole week which was pretty cool. We thought the food, service and atmosphere at the restaurant were great.

Busch Gardens is a blast. It is very animal-centric and the park itself ranks as one of the best zoos around. Its' zoo keepers are reknowned, its animal experience is up close and personal.

I'm not a big fan of rollercoasters but if you are then go to Busch Gardens, definitely. They have more rollercoasters than the other parks combined.

All that said, the drive from Orlando to Tampa is about the worst experience you can imagine. I would not wish it on my ex-husband. You might want to wait for another trip -- or wait until the Florida legislature coughs up the bullet train that the Florida voters mandated in a referendum a year ago (our governor is doing his best to ignore that expensive proposition).

You will love Universal and the Royal Pacific Resort. What you will really love is the express access your room key will give you for the attractions at the Universal parks and the restaurants. It's the best perk ever. There is a free shuttle from the Universal hotels to Sea World and Wet n' Wild, but you would have to get to Busch Gardens on your own. I would say forget Busch Gardens and enjoy the Royal Pacific and the Universal Parks and City Walk. It's so convenient to be able to walk to everything!

I was in Busch Gardens in early December with my mother and we had a great time. I enjoyed it more than our last visit to EPCOT. The rides were a LOT of fun. The bonus of going midweek in early December, of course, is that you have NO lines. We walked directly onto every ride that interested us.
Unfortunately, you won't have that situation in June. Still, I think it's worth visiting. (Note: on a lot of the rides you WILL get wet, particularly the Congo River Rapids--fun!--and the log flume ride--bring ponchos or buy them on site. Otherwise, prepare to be soaked.)
Too bad the drive from Orlando itself is such a pain. We took back roads from the Leesburg area for most of the way and ran into very little traffic, with the journey taking 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Busch gardens is pretty far from universal. You need some kind of transportation. Universal, Islands of adventure, and the disney parks will problalby keep you busy. Also Sea world and discovery cove are in the area. Have fun!!!

Been to Busch gardens. It is alot of fun for the kids!!! It is a bit far away..but it is worth the drive!

Thanks everyone for your input it is much appreciated the kids voted for Busch Gardens, so, I guess we're going. Also, I called the Universal Orlando reservations center and was told that with the 5 park flex ticket the shuttle to Busch Gardens is included. Thanks again for all your advice.

Are your kids into fast rides and roller coasters? There is not much for kids who like to stick to carousels and flying elephants. Busch gardens is for kids who like the wild rides! The roller coasters there are great!

Not true. There is a kiddy section that is really fabulous. Huge treehouse. Water shooting out when you least expect it. Big balloon room with cargo nets, climbing.

But, so sorry...big kids not allowed, Nebraskamom. But it's a nice place to sit and watch the kids.