Five days in Orlando. What would your itinerary be?

[AntiopeofThemyscira]

Next February. Five days, what must we not miss theme park wise.

Many thanks 😊

How old are your kids?

Currently am in Florida. I got a two day Disney and 14 day universal (it was as cheap as a three day). We have 4 days to do universal and it's not long enough, wish we had skipped Disney. My boys preferred gatorland to Disney (they are 11 and 13).

If you do Disney get fast pass tickets. We used Orlando attractions to buy tickets

I've been to Orlando 5 times, and will be going again in a few weeks. Universal is our favourite park, better rides than Disney imo and you can visit the wizarding world of Harry Potter (I'm a big fan of HP).
There's something for all ages there

Also, millennia mall is one of my favourite malls. There's a Cheesecake Factory there too

I would do 2 days of Univeral Studios/Islands of Adventure (get park to park tickets so you can do the Hogwarts Express), 1 day at the new Universal water park, 1 day at the Magic Kingdom, and then one other Disney park. Go and see Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs too!

Oh thought it'd be worth mentioning. Some resorts offer theme park tickets at a reduced price if you attend their sales tour/pitch. We did it once but never bothered again as it takes half a day from your holiday

What age are the kids?

Depends on age but Sea World and Kennady Space Centre

Obviously, Disney at least two days, (I usually get a five day pass) definitely a day or two at Universal, love it there. A day at Legoland....much bigger and so much better than the one here. I always get a pass and do one day at a theme park and one day off because it is so tiring. All this depends on your children's ages though as you might want to skip Legoland.

They're 15 and 11.

Seems like Universal is the way to go. Also would like to fit in a water park. Was thinking Blizzard Beach?

Don't go to Seaworld!
Volcano Bay is the brand new Universal waterpark.

Animal rights aside SeaWorld awful lately. Universal sounds like a good fit, if you haven't been before then I would do a day at Disney (we can go and only do Disney!) There are 4 Disney parks and 2 Disney Water parks. They just opened Pandora at Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios is probably best avoided as they are doing huge amounts of work but it is home to Star Wars, the very brilliant Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock & Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. Magic Kingdom is pretty special but not for Thrill Seekers. We often visit in January and February, not too busy but can be full of large South American tour groups. In terms of water parks - Typhoon Lagoon is better thematically than Blizzard Beach but Volcano Bay and Aquatica both have more grown up (too scary for me) looking flumes. Just be aware that sometimes it's declared not warm enough in Feb to open the water parks so ensure you have a backup plan. We love Orlando and go annually!

I wouldn't bother with Legoland personally. It's nearly an hours drive from Orlando and, after experiencing Universal, the rides felt very tame and underwhelming in comparison, even to my 5 year old. I think your DC would find it a bit babyish. Although one positive was that the park was very quiet, so we did the whole thing in a few hours.

Kennedy space center is truly fantastic. And you meet a real astronaut.

Definitely Universal and Gatorland (off Orange Blossom Trail). If weather is not great, a few hours in Wonder Works on International Drive is really good fun. The town of Celebration is lovely for breakfast and a walk around the lake, it's so different from the rest of the area, built like a traditional town. Love the shopping malls at Lake Buena Vista, and on IDrive. Have a great time.

Volcano bay has dreadful reviews on Tripadvisor.

I'm quite gutted. We were really looking forward to going there in August.

The best water park we have visited in Orlando was Typhoon Lagoon

I'm at Volcano Bay right now! It's fab!! But I recommend getting here early as possible so you can get a couple of beds and some shade. If you're staying at a Universal hotel, you can get in an hour before everyone else.

That's good to hear skippy
How long are you waiting for rides?

The most popular rides had waiting times of over an hour, up to 2 hours for some. But, there are lots of "ride now" ones too. You get an electronic wristband thing that you tap in at the ride you want to do. This reserves your place in the queue. You can then go off and do other rides until you get a notification that your place in the line is ready.

Universal studios for sure - both parks.

Typhoon lagoon if you want a water park - it's amazing.

I'd do Hollywood studios over the other Disney parks. I loved it there.

At those ages I would do Kennedy Space Centre, 2 days at Universal. A shopping/ rest day?
Either Discovery Cove/ Aquatica/ Seaworld
Or Disney- but you would have to prioritise as Disney is too big for 2/3 days.