Kate

Hi, First question - my husband and I are thinking of coming to Orlando from the Uk in June. The thing is, we went to LA last year and went to Universal Studios and Disneyland there, and did Wet n Wild in Vegas on the same trip, and hubbie is a bit concerned that there won't be anything left for us to do in Orlando as we have "done" all that now. I think there will be loads for us to do, but have to provide him with some examples (men! ;0) Can someone put my mind at rest and tell me that there are stacks of things to do in Orlando apart from the whole Disney thing?! Part 2 - We were only thinking of spending the week there before moving on to a beach resort on the Gulf coast - any recommendations?
Cheers, thanks.

Tony Hughes

Kate the brochures from the big tour companies in the UK (such as thomsons) will have a section with OTHER attractions (and I assume places like Sea World, Cypress Gardens, Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral etc) which you can visit whilst in Florida.

Are you taking children with you? Ever considered trying somewhere a little different? Florida will have plenty for you to do. Have a good trip.

Tony

mikki

Hi Kate,
I live in central Florida so I know a lot about the Orlando area. If you are interested int the beach, you may want to consider Miami (South Beach) and then drive down to the Keys. Also the beaches in Southwest Florida are beautiful...especially Captiva Island and Sanibel Island.

If you are set on Orlando, don't miss Sea World and Pleasure Island (for nightlife).

martyn

We stopped at Orlando in Decmeber 2000 and I would advise that you visit the Islands of Adventure at Universal. The Spiderman ride and Hulk rollercoaster are fantastic. Going in December is the best time as we never queued for any ride for more than 5 minutes and the parks sell loads of xmas stuff! We are going back to Florida, from the UK, in June but this time we're doing the full fly drive to Miami, The Keys and Sarasota. Enjoy.

Jim

A one-word answer to your original question: No.

If you haven't made travel plans, I would definitely reconsider, unless your main reason for coming to Orlando is to visit the theme parks. There's really no other reason to go.

If you want to stay in Florida, I would heartily recommend Miami and/or Key West. Much more fun and interesting, and much less plastic than Orlando.

Lisa

Just wondering...do you have to travel in June? The best time to go to Florida is in the winter or the spring (except for spring break). While it's not horribly hot yet in early June, visiting at that time of year kind of negates the whole point of going to Florida!

rob

if you've done the attractions thing in Calif. then you know what to expect in Orlando....theres just more of it here. the rides will be different or should i say a variation of what you have already done in Calif. i you are bored with the rollercoasters, flume rides, caged animals, 3-D movies, motion simulators, and go-cart tracks then forget about O-town. we do have some nearby state parks but i wouldn't plan your vacation around that.....although you could make day trips from here to St. Augustine or the beaches.

jim

Orlando is very much a theme park town. However, if I were to give grades, LA theme parks would get a "C" and Orlando would get an "A+". Just skip magic kingdom, and go straight to MGM and EPCOT.

annK

Gee no one has mentioned the great shopping in Orlando, there are LOTS of outlets and outlets malls all over the area and you can buy coupon books that give you even better discounts.

You might think about getting a travel book on Florida so you can get more ideas on what is there that is to your liking.

We loved Epcot and MGM and did the Kennedy Space Center our last trip down, there's also Downtown Disney for an evening out.

Have a great time.

mara

Have you ever considerd taking a crusie. The disney crusie is incredible. Lots of fun for adults and kids. It may be worth looking in to.

Kate

Hi everyone - thanks for all your replies. Mixed opinions! I've done a bit more reading and I think we will go to Orlando but use it as a base for seeing other things like the Kennedy Space Centre and Daytona. Plus there is Sea World which we didn't do in CA and of course shopping, and hubbie and I are big mini-golf and karting fans so I think we'll have plenty to do without the theme parks! Thanks again for your help.