lovetotravel2

We are taking the Carnival Glory cruise out of Port Canaveral this summer.
Will have our 12 year old daughter with us. My husband really doesn't like Disneyworld type places but I would like to spend at least one day in Orlando prior to the cruise. Anything fun you can suggest that both my husband and daughter might enjoy?

antmaril

They might enjoy the Cirque du Soleil show called LaNouba. We (myself, husband and 15 year old son) saw it last year and enjoyed it very much! I would think your daughter would love it. The Cirque du Soleil is located in the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

Dreamer2

Great suggestion above!
Has your daughter ever been to Disney? If not, I think your husband has to give in and go (one day won't kill him!), or you take her alone. If he just can't bring himself to do the Magic Kingdom, the others are all nice options, too. Animal Kingdom if you're in to wildlife, MGM for movie fans, or Epcot for science and social studies.
You could finish off the day with LaNouba.

S_F_E

Here's a suggestion that isn't actually in Orlando but is nearby - between Port Canaveral and Orlando.

I used to live in Orlando (and I'm of the same mind as your husband) so one thing I always take visitors to do whenever I return to the area is go canoeing at Wekiwa Springs State Park - here's a website:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/dis...ring/index.asp

and here's another link to a picture of someone canoeing on the river there:

http://www.physics.ucf.edu/~luo/canoe-wekiwa.jpg

You will see the REAL Florida - including a crystal clear natural spring great for swimming, flowing into a river lined with trees draped with Spanish moss and all kinds of "jungly" plants - you can rent a canoe and watch fish, turtles, alligators and lots of birds while you paddle leisurely along - it really is beautiful and you feel like you are truly in a different world. The experience has always received rave reviews from my visitors and my kids love it (although one time my youngest got so excited at seeing a huge gator lying on a log at the edge of the river that she stood up in the canoe, almost tipping it over right in front of said animal, and gave me a little more excitement than I was bargaining for).

lovetotravel2

Wow! Love the canoeing idea!
We live in California so YES we have done Disneyland.
Thanks so much for the great suggestions.

strings

You should do Disney for your daughter. I almost guarantee that you'll be pleasantly surprised once you get there. My father went last spring and "wasn't looking forward to it". Now he says it was the best vacation of his life. Whatever you decide have a great vacation ; )

Postal

Being someone who lives in Orlando and hates Disney (and holds Universal and Sea World just a few steps higher), I firmly agree with the canoeing idea. Each day we lose more and more of our natural areas as 500 families per month move into the state. I'm not sure how long it will take for Orlando to be one big mass of concrete, but it sure doesn't seem far from that now.

If by chance you still want to try La Nouba, start shopping on Ebay for tickets to avoid the $75 ticket price. I've picked several sets up on Ebay for half price and given them as gifts.

Another option is bike riding on the West Orange Trail which stretches 21 miles just west of Orlando, but since it's already REALLY hot here, you'd probably be better off on the water.

ronkala

Go to the I-Ride trolley site at www.iridetrolley.com. This is a hop-on hop-off method of transportation and the site lists many attractions along International Drive and Universal Blvd.

lovetotravel2

What is Port Canaveral like? Is it worth staying there the night before the cruise? On the Cruise Critic forum I read some good reviews for the Radisson Port Canaveral Resort.
Now my hubby says he is interested in Kennedy Space Center. How far is that from Port Canaveral? Sounds like we need all day to tour that. Thanks for all your help. I still like the idea of canoeing and seeing those gators!