We are a family of four headed to Disneyworld, arriving Saturday December 21 and leaving the 26th. Our kids are 17 and 13. I am soliciting idease for what to do, and in what order. We do not want to spend all 5 days at theme parks, so are looking for some alternatives, and also, we hear so much about what days to tour which parks. Finally, it seems that it does not pay to get the four day park hopper pass, since that eliminates Universal Studios...but then we're really forced to spend one day in a single park. Thoughts, please.

I just copied this from the www.disboards.com (a site devoted to WDW)

For whomever was interested in the three day hopper offered by http://www.orlandotripplanner.com (Central Florida Tickets and Travel), I gave them a call (1-888-678-8899), and ordered the tickets. Here are the prices:

Adult three day hopper (no expiration) - $155.00 (tax included)
Child three day hopper (no expiration) - $125.00 (tax included)


You might consider going to Kennedy Space Center for a day, (www.kennedyspacecenter.com)it's about an hour drive.

I hope you have hotel reservations already, you may have a tough time if you don't.

Other WDW websites are www.wdwig.com, www.mousesavers.com and www.ourlaughingplace.com

Have a wonderful vacation! We are going Jan 11th!

I live in Orlando and can tell you that this town is packed with tourists already. If you've never been here before, I strongly recommend a visit to Sea World, my favorite park, and to Universal's Islands of Adventure if your teens like roller coasters. Nothing else comes close for excitement!

Groan.....

There are absolutely a kazillion things to do in Orlando.

Check out the Dolphin Experience.

Have they been to Disney before? If not, you'll probably want to concentrate on those parks alone, and the Park Hopper would be worth it. If so, and the they like big roller coasters, plan on a day or two at Universal. If they don't go for the big coasters, or have done Universal, definitely do two days at Sea World. If you buy a ticket for SW's Discovery Cove, it includes a full day of snorkeling there (plus lunch) AND a second full day at the Sea World Park. You can also purchase the half hour dolphin encounter session to go with your snorkeling day. Both DC and the dolphin encounter require reservations.
If you need suggestions for being efficient at Disney, post back and I'll continue. It will be packed there, so use Fast Pass whenever possible!