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Travel Guide: Orlando

Planning your Disney World visit -
Best ways to use your time

You have so many choices when visiting Orlando you really should carefully plan your time. This page suggests how.

You find tips for a family with younger children and a sample schedule for adults only or for adults with teenagers. You'll have more fun in Orlando!

This assumes you have 7 days, which is typical, but you can easily modify.

Families with small kids

• Universal Studios, although the "Back to the Future" ride may be too intense for younger children.
  
  
• Disney's Animal Kingdom in the morning, late lunch, and relaxing by your hotel pool in the afternoon.
  
  
• Sea World with the hotel pool in the late afternoon. Energetic? Substitute Wet 'n Wild for the pool.
  
  
• Universal Islands of Adventure with late afternoon or early evening dining at Universal CityWalk.
  
  
• The first day of a nature tour drive, including a visit to Alexander Spring for swimming and Silver Springs (slow to load) for nature viewing.
  
  You can either return to Orlando, or overnight in Ormond Beach or New Smyrna Beach or even Daytona, if it's not March spring break season.
  
  
• Kennedy Space Center, plus an Atlantic Ocean beach such those found at Cocoa Beach or the Canaveral National Seashore.
  
  
• Disney World
  

With small children, you should save Disney World for last. Otherwise, everything else seems anticlimatic.

Many hotels arrange child care, which lets you enjoy places like the House of Blues Orlando and Church Street Station in the evening.

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Adults only or families with teenagers.

Energetic adults or a family with an enthusiastic 15-year-old teenager might prefer

• Universal Studios with lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (for the atmosphere, not the food), just outside the entrance. When you leave the park for lunch, make sure that your hands are stamped, so that you return to Universal for free.
  
  Ask, and if not too busy, one of the Hard Rock wait staff may give you a free tour of the private rooms, including a VIP room stuffed with furniture and a piano from John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's former New York apartment. Be sure to give a nice tip, if someone takes the time to do this.
  
  
• Sea World in the morning with Wet 'n Wild in the afternoon.
  
  
• Universal Islands of Adventure with dining at the adjacent Universal CityWalk in the evening.
  
  
• The nature tour day one, including perhaps the Alexander Spring canoe trip described in the scenic drive. (Be sure to call and confirm the canoe trip, as suggested.)
  
  You can continue on to an overnight near the Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral (Ormond Beach, Cocoa Beach, New Smyrna Beach, etc.) to enjoy the beach in the late afternoon, or return to Orlando.
  
  
• Kennedy Space Center and on to the Canaveral National Seashore or Cocca Beach, with a stop at Ron Jon's Surf Shop.
  
  
• Disney EPCOT Center (same link as Disney World).
  
  
• Disney World, staying into the evening to enjoy the fireworks display.
  

The entire nature tour takes three days. You just complete days one and three, or parts of these, above.

Day One (Alexander Spring in Ocala National Forest and Silver Spring)
Day Two (Salt Spring, St. Augustine, Palm Coast, and Ormond Beach)
Day Three (NASA Kennedy Space Center, Canaveral National Seashore, Cocoa Beach, Ron Jon’s Surf Shop)

How do I get the cheapest prices for the hotel quality I want?

Families should definitely check the suites and vacation rentals available on Hotels.com . Click on the vacation rentals tab in the upper left.

If quality, location, and price are keys for you, but not a specific hotel or resort, check the deeply discounted prices for both rooms and suites on Hotwire.com.

If you want rooms for one or two people, seriously consider using Priceline.com Hotels. Don't know what to bid? Check Priceline 10 most requested neighborhoods!

Click here to get bidding tips to help you save.

Have a great time in Orlando!

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