Originally Posted By donny123 We have an extra day or 2....what else should we be doing ?? Other parks, beaches, Seaworld ???
Originally Posted By trekkeruss What is your current plan? How many days do you have in total? Will you have a car?
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy How about taking a day to just relax -- it's a vaction, right? Sit by the pool. Take a nap. Read a good book. Go fishing. Go for a nice morning jog and see if you run into any alligators in the ponds around WDW.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss IMO, if it's your first trip to WDW, you shouldn't leave the property, especially since you won't have a car. While there are worthwhile things to see outside of WDW, there is so much do do within its borders that you won't miss the beach, Uni, Seaworld, etc. I'd plan for two days at the Magic Kingdom, two at Epcot, one day at Animal Kingdom and the Studios, one day for either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon lagoon, and the last day for exploring the rest of WDW and/or revisiting anything you want to experince one last time.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper If you can get off property...go. Plenty of good golf courses in the area. The lakes throughout the region are good if you enjoy fishing. Tons of outlet shopping if anyone is interested. Go take a drive through Celebration. It is pretty unique. I really like Old Town, even with the kitschy "carnival" feel. Dixie Stampede is a great dinner show and the food ain't half bad either. If you are going beach hunting, head to Cocoa which is probably the easiest to get to.
Originally Posted By schoolsinger Go to Islands of Adventure. It is the best non Disney park in Orlando.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Isn't the Dixie Stampede in Myrtle Beach? So they have separate show in Florida now?
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Yes, they are in Pigeon Forge as well. It really is a good show and as "interactive" as a dinner show can be. I would guess that kids over the age of 5 would enjoy it...particularly the eating with the hands!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Isn't the Dixie Stampede in Myrtle Beach? So they have separate show in Florida now?<< Dixie Stampede opened in Orlando about 4 yrs ago! They Xmas show is really nice. Stampede is located next door to the Premium Outlets just 5 mins away from DTD. Go there for a nice dinner show if that is your thing. Personally, I would go to Islands of Adventure, or Busch Gardens. Sea World has also improved in the past couple of years, so you may want to concider that. There is also a very realistic new simulator ride out at Kennedy Space center, in which you are made to simulate a take off into space on the space shuttle... it's worth the drive out to the coast and highly enjoyable...but the lines for it are LONG! If you do not have a car, I would give Disney's water parks a try as well...since both of them are quite FUN!
Originally Posted By wahooskipper How does the NASA simulator compare to Mission: Space? I haven't heard from anyone who has been on both of them.
Originally Posted By twirlnhurl ^I have been on both. I assume you have been on Mission Space? The Shuttle Launch Experience is much more educational. It has a fantastic preshow where they explain the sequence of events in a shuttle launch. At times it is very loud, and a 7 year old in our party was very troubled by the noise. Following the preshow, you go to one of the four simulators which hold about 40 people each. I do not know how they handle telling people where to go, as there is no room to reform a queue, and both times I went on it, there was only enough people in the preshow for 1 simulator. Overall, the attraction is less intense then Mission Space, but is far more noisy (and by extension, equally frightening to small children). The entire attraction is narrated by a charismatic astronaut, and is at times quite funny, while always remaining informative. Overall, it is well done (assuming they have overcome the poor planning of the preshow/ride load transition) and a good family ride. I have not been on it as many times as Mission Space, so I don't know how well it holds up to repeat viewings. I currently think it is about equally enjoyable. "but the lines for it are LONG!" I must have gone on a slow day (The Sunday before July 4... is that a slow day?), because the line was about 50 people long both times I went on it. However, I did it first thing in the morning and 10 minutes before park close, so maybe I just found the least crowded times by accident.
Originally Posted By mickey_ring Sea World is a good day trip... Lots of additions since the Budweiser people got it. Free samples of the company's products are available too. Yeeeeears ago there was a bus that went from the Hotel Plaza hotels to Sea World. Something like that may still be so.
Originally Posted By bayrr326 If you want a relaxing day Sea World is your best bet. You spend most of your day going to shows, there are some great rides and many wonderful animal exhibits. The dolphin show Blue Horizons is amazing and I like it better than the Shamu show Believe.
Originally Posted By twirlnhurl ^I think Blue Horizons is a mixed bag at best. The animal stuff is great, but the story line was worse then that of your average Barbie movie. Believe was even worse, again from the story point of view. Both of these shows have some good or great animal stuff. Sea World can be relaxing, but with small children, all the waiting before the shows can be frustrating for small children. Wild Arctic is fantastic, and the other indoor animal exhibits are quite good too. If you have younger children (or like bad jokes), the Clyde and Seymour show is great. The staff was better then Disney's last time we were there (extremely helpful custodians and friendly ride operators) and the park is kept very clean, but I think a more relaxing day could be had at one of the Disney Resort pools or some of the other minor Disney attractions.
