We are planning a trip to Orlando area in March, 1999. How is the new Wild Animal Kingdom? We generally do enjoy zoos. We have a variety of ages on this trip from 4 1/2 to 59(a couple of college age kids too). Will my four year old like Universal? Any suggestions for a scenic beach within 2 hours of the Disney area? I would prefer to go the the Gulf. Has anyone snorkeled with the mamatees? Is this ethical? How far is the Crystal river? Any other suggestions for day trips? We plan on doing several days of amusement parks, but welcome other suggestions, too. What's your favorite restaurant(out of the parks)? I appreciate any information you can give me. If you ever need help planning a trip to Minnesota send me an E-mail.

We were in Orlando a few years ago, of course that was before the Animal Kingdom, and we don't ordinarily go to beaches (we all swim like rocks). But I think I could suggest going to Kennedy Space Center, if you are at all into that kind of thing. We had a really good time there, looking at all of the old spacecrafts and such. It is only about 50 miles or so east of Orlando, right on the Atlantic Ocean. Also, in our opinion, Universal Studios was the downer of our trip. We were so high on it prior to going, but it was a bummer. There were only about three good rides. Of course, they may have added some things since then, but most of the rides and attractions back then were for older people than 4 1/2, probably 10 and up. Remember, these are only our opinions. Hope this helps some.

My husband and I were in Animal Kingdom in April for its sneak preview. We enjoyed the park very much. When you go, do not go with the idea that it is a zoo. To many people make that mistake. It is not a zoo. When you go on the safari, don't go with the expectation that you will see all the animals. Disney has tried to recreate an African safari (as best that Disney can). As with a real safari, there are no guarantees that all the animals will be out. On the gorilla trail, the gorillas may all be out, some may be out, or none at all. Animal Kingdom is a much smaller park than than the other Disney parks. It's paths are narrow and its public areas are small, thus, there it gets more crowded. March will be a good time to go because more attractions will be open then, such as the Asia section. We found that because it is small, it can be done in half a day. As for other parks, Kennedy Space Center is a must. You would be doing your family an injustice by going to that region and not seeing the place that played such a pivotal role in our history.

Thank you for the information. I think that going to the Kennedy Space center is a great idea.

Amy,

We made our trip to Disney last May with a two year old and eight year old. Animal Kingdom is a must!! Some advice: go early!! If you can do early entry, do it. Hit the Bug's Life show then move on to the Safari (we were told the animals get fed in the mornings so there's a better chance of seeing them). Ditto the remark about the park being small--it is! So it is quite manageable to do just about everything before noon.

Have fun!!

Seems like you got a lot of opinions on Animal Kingdom. I have been to Disney World 42 times. We absolutely love it. I suggest you go to Clearwater Beach. The gulf is beautiful and much safer than the otherside. (I have little ones too.) It's about 90 minutes from Orlando. The favorite place to eat on the Beach is Frenchy's, do not miss their Grouper sandwiches. River is fun too. Please be sure your child wears a life vest. The water is VERY VERY COLD at that time of year. We have been in July and nearly froze. We also really enjoyed Busch Gardens in Tampa. If you are a AAA member get the discount tickets first. You'll save! (At least you can buy lunch) The park has everything for everybody and it's about one hour from Orlando. Great roller coasters! Have a great time! (Before we moved to Florida we used to live in Bloomington!)

We were at A.K. in the middle of January '99.We really enjoyed it, altho it was just my husband and myself. It was quite crowded, and we spent about 4 hours there. We enjoyed the Lion King live show (very entertaining: singing, dancing, gymnastics, etc.)We also enjoyed the safari--had to wait almost an hour and didn't get on the jeep until about 2PM but saw LOTS of animals (giraffes, gorillas, elephants, lions, etc)even tho everyone said to get there early. If you like thrills and special effects you MUST go to the ride called "Countdown to Extinction" in Dinosaurland (part of A.K.) Very fun, thrilling, exciting. I still liked the M.K. and Epcot better, but Animal Kingdom is worth spending a few hours if you have the time.

Thanks for all of the info everyone! We are getting very excited about our trip. It sounds like Frenchy's is the place to eat, I have heard it mentioned before. Thanks again.

Just visited the AK in October. As mentioned, get to the park early and do the safari right away. While it was neat it is NOT worth a two hour wait. A Bug's Life is a must see as is Countdown to Extinction (I'm not sure about a 4-1/2 year old enjoying it though). Stay away from The Jungle Book show, pretty boring. Because the park is in such a confined area I would only visit it during the morning hours, the afternoon gets so hot and crowded and there are not a lot of shaded areas for you to sit in.

Just visited the AK in October. As mentioned, get to the park early and do the safari right away. While it was neat it is NOT worth a two hour wait. A Bug's Life is a must see as is Countdown to Extinction (I'm not sure about a 4-1/2 year old enjoying it though). Stay away from The Jungle Book show, pretty boring. Because the park is in such a confined area I would only visit it during the morning hours, the afternoon gets so hot and crowded and there are not a lot of shaded areas for you to sit in.

Just visited the AK in October. As mentioned, get to the park early and do the safari right away. While it was neat it is NOT worth a two hour wait. A Bug's Life is a must see as is Countdown to Extinction (I'm not sure about a 4-1/2 year old enjoying it though). Stay away from The Jungle Book show, pretty boring. Because the park is in such a confined area I would only visit it during the morning hours, the afternoon gets so hot and crowded and there are not a lot of shaded areas for you to sit in.

Blue Spring State Park near Orange has a boardwalk along which you can walk and watch the manatees in the spring--also has picnic areas.

Our mixed age group even found reasonably decent food for all at one of the chains just west of the Disney entrance--was it Golden Corral? It has the food stations with fresh pizza always in the oven, etc. The hot food buffet was not as good as the other areas, but suited Grandma.

Thank you for the additional info. I have read about Blue Springs State Park. It is good to know that you found it worth while. Although I have been to Florida several times(late teens, early 20's), I never realized how much there is to see there. It is really hard to narrow it down. Based on all of the advice here I'm pretty sure we will do the Animal Kingdom, and Kennedy Space center. Thanks again!!