Need help planning trip for the summer.

[coastermom]

OK we are either going to USF and IOA or Disney . We have a 4 year old but we also have a 11 and 14 year old too. Our plans were to go to USF and IOA and do maybe one or two days at Disney with a major Disney trip next year. My question is where to stay I really want to stay at a universal hotel anyone of the three but wondering which is more child friendly ? We have to go during the summer for obvious reasons schooling for the kids  and the fact that we both work in the schools. Any help is useful guys and thanks.  

[Nitro1118]

First of all do USF/IOA. The best theme park vacation you can and will ever do.

As for where to stay, stay at the Hard Rock Hotel. In April 2004 I stayed there and it was fantastic. It is by far the most family-oriented, very laid back atmosphere with lots to do for kids and teens. It is a beautiful hotel that is the closest hotel to the parks. With staying there you also get unlimited free Universal Express passes to all rides. Express is you flash your hotel card to queue people, they let you go into a special queue in which you are guarenteed to skip a long line and wait in a line of 15min or less. That is by far the best perk of any hotel of all time, IMO.

As for the actual parks, ask me any question and I can answer them, along with give you any tips. USF/IOA are 2 of my 3 favorite parks out of the 20 or so I have visited. They are fantastic, and will appeal to everyone in your family.

[Cyclonic]

If you are doing a major Disney trip next year, you may find it better off skipping it completely this time around and instead concentrate on the other Orlando attractions, like maybe Sea World or taking a ride out to Cypress Gardens (which is less then an hour away).  Just some more options to think about.

[WadeJ]

First of all do USF/IOA. The best theme park vacation you can and will ever do.

Gee, not a little biased are we?  Now its my turn

Actually, USF and IOA will leave your 4 year old completely bored.  And maybe even the 11 year old depending on their level of adventure.  I've been to nearly ALL of the Orlando area destinations more times than I can remember but I definately recall how little there was to do for my little guys at both Universal parks.

So if you do Universal, figure on only 2 days for both parks.  You will be able to do every single attraction that you are able to do with you kids more times than you need.  And going on the adult attractions with child-swap does get old once you have ridden once or twice.

Cypress would be a neat side-trip to add another day but IMO, I'd stay away from Sea World until all of your kids are a little older.  It's a VERY nice park but it was nearly torture to keep our little ones occupied there as there is nothing for them to do (Even Epcot has more for kids!)

With that said, Disney World has things that you ALL can do TOGETHER.  Don't bother going unless you plan to stay on property and can dedicate at least 4-5 days there.  At this point, there is almost nothing on the entire property that you can't ALL ride together and with the new stunt show at MGM, revised Tower of Terror, Soar'n, Mission Space, Test Track, Splash, Big Thunder, there are plenty of bigger thrills.

Usually, we plan a trip to Disney and make a side-trip to Universal, etc.  That usually works out better.  BUT, I think Disney World can be extemely tiring, frustrating and annoying in the heat of the summer so keep that in mind to.  

Having the onsite hotel at EITHER place is a good idea.  Its very nice to be able to run back for a swim or nap to unwind.  For Universal, I've only ever stayed (every time actually) at the Royal Pacific.  It is NOT family oriented so I'd stick with Nitro's recomendation and go with Hard Rock.  For Disney, we've stayed at nearly every single on-site hotel now and for some reason, we almost always end up back at Port Orleans Riverside .

[Cyclonic]

POR is outstanding.  It is a little more expensive then the All-Star Resorts, but the differance in the quality of the facilities and the service is night and day.  I would highly recommend it as well if you stay on the Disney property.

[OrlandoRocks]

I will also agree with Wade about everything he says. Universal Parks are mostly geared to Teens rather than kids especially at Islands of Adventure. There are only a hand full of attractions that a four year old can enjoy at IOA. I have stayed at The Royal Pacific Resort at Universal three times and it is mostly geared to conventioneers. I think that the kids will enjoy Disney parks much better since it has more family friendly resorts and parks. The only thing that you might enjoy about Universal that everything is within walking distance while at Disney World you have to ride busses and monorails to you're destination. Don't get me wrong they are both world class desintations and I enjoy both Universal and Disney equally.

If you have any more questions please ask !  

[Nitro1118]

Wade-

Nothing to do for kids at Universal? Pretty much all of the movie geared rides a 4 year old could ride. Then you got shows like Shrek 4D, and you're in business. At IOA, you got Spiderman, Dudley, Popeye, JPRA, those teacups, Poseidon, all of Seuss Landing, etc... Then you have Citywalk, which 90% of it is geared towards families. Lastly, all of this is smashed into one area, with the hotels right there. At WDW, everything is spread out and you need to tram to everything.

On a side note, I have been visiting Florida for as long as I can remember, and Universal has ALWAYS been my favorite over Disney. The 4 year old will LOVE Disney, but everyone else, not as much. Universal is geared towards 8-9 and up. Universal is just a more compressed resort and everyhting you need is right there. The perks from the hotels are fantastic, and it is just a great place to stay. Disney is good for little kids, but once you reach 10 or so, you want thrills beyond Space Mountain, and Universal does that better than Disney.

[WadeJ]

Wow, Citywalk for kids and families  :shock:   I must have been drinking too much to realize that... isn't that what CW is for?  Drinking?  :lol:

Maybe during the daytime but even still, there is nothing at all for kids to do at City Walk.  Its a drinking/eating/nightclub district and a nice distraction while walking between parks and hotels.

edit:  I just wanted to add that I do in fact LOVE City Walk.  I should probably buy stock in Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville because I've spent soooooo much money there.

[coastermom]

well we have done Disney everytime we have gone to FLA. the older two are really into coasters and are looking forward to IOA and the Hulk and DD. We are thinking about a BIG Disney trip next year and the IOA/USF this year. I am going to stay on universal property because it is just worth it with the express pass. I know the summer is HOT and annoying so if we use the expresss pass and parent swap USF and IOA should be short trips. I am going to drive to disney for one day to do Magic kingdom. We are going to get the Park hoppers for 10 days that include the water parks and never expire so we can do a long trip to disney next summer. We don't want to do IOA /USF as well as all of disney in one trip we did that once and it was EXHAUSTING. When we do stay in disney i always stay at port orleans riverside . It is a really nice place to stay with the kids. I was really looking for a good hotel on Universal property. thanks for the input everyone

[Nitro1118]

Again, Hard Rock Hotel. Best hotel out of the 3 for the family, very laid back, excellent service, very close to USF, and beautiful hotel. Again, any tips or advice you need/want I can give you for Universal (I'll let Wade do Disney if you need that).

Wade-

As I said, 90% is for kids. CW has lots of themed restaurants to NBA, nascar, etc... Lots of shopping there, too.

[Bubba Z]

Here are some kids rides that I can think of. USF,  E.T. Shrek, Jimmy Neutron and woody woodpecker. IOA,  Seus Landing, Dudley,Popeye and Flying unicorn. I didn't do either of the water rides which I regret. The other rides you mentioned are a little to much for my than 4 year old daughter. She did go on Spider man and  JP which turned out to be a little much for her. And Poseidon we manage to only get about 1OO ft inside before she turned back. USF and IOA are great and the detail is top notch,  I just think Disney is way more geared for kids. Especially for girls with all the princesses around.  I could go on about how great Disney was.  I also enjoyed Sea world so maybe you could add that to your trip as well Coastermom. The first tip , which we all agreed on is to stay on property!!

[OrlandoRocks]

If they are getting into coasters I would recommend a trip to Busch Gardens Tampa. They have the best coaster collection in the state.

Universal
If you are going to stay on site use you're AAA or entertainment card when booking you're hotel room it will save you quite a bit. You're kids will love the hard rock hotel pool they havea great slide and a underwater stereo system in the pool !

Disney
It is a great idea to buy the 10 day ticket with no expiration with the options if you go down quite frequent. It saves alot of cash in the long run.  :wink:

[Bubba Z]

Here's a site that may help you out.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=30

[Nitro1118]

Here are some kids rides that I can think of. USF,  E.T. Shrek, Jimmy Neutron and woody woodpecker. IOA,  Seus Landing, Dudley,Popeye and Flying unicorn. I didn't do either of the water rides which I regret. The other rides you mentioned are a little to much for my than 4 year old daughter. She did go on Spider man and  JP which turned out to be a little much for her. And Poseidon we manage to only get about 1OO ft inside before she turned back. USF and IOA are great and the detail is top notch,  I just think Disney is way more geared for kids. Especially for girls with all the princesses around.  I could go on about how great Disney was.  I also enjoyed Sea world so maybe you could add that to your trip as well Coastermom. The first tip , which we all agreed on is to stay on property!!

Of course Disney is geared more towards kids. But, she only has one 4 year old, and 2 others that are above 10 years old. Once you get to that age, Disney loses its spark and magic.

As for sites on unviersal, here are my 2 favorite:

www.IOACentral.com

www.universal-excitement.com

Second one will give you most tips and info.

[coastermom]

thanks guys . I will look at all the sites i have saved them . I am really trying to do something for everyone and two trips is just easier then one trip that is just too long. My 4 year old is pretty brave and i am looking forward to him in USF and IOA but we are going to MK only for him. Next year big disney trip so we will all enjoy it more but the big kids are busting to go to USF and IOA so it is really for them . I can't think of them being as excited after we get there after two years at CP and KK here but they really want to go. I am looking into the hotels and will let everyone know what we decide on .

Just think After the snow today SUMMERand the heat are looking  really good now!!!  

[Nitro1118]

Very generous of you, 2 Florida trips in 2 years. Your kids should worship you.

Again, Hard Rock is byf ar your best choice. Royal Pacific would be seocnd best choice, but the quality and overall laid back atmosphere of Hard Rock dwark Royal pacific. And Portofino would be good for you and husband, but not for kids.

[Bubba Z]

Once you get to that age, Disney loses its spark and magic.

 Does  Disney every lose its spark and magic with over 16 million visitor's a year? I'm over the age of ten and love going to Disney.

Well coastermom,  I hope you find all the information you need and have a great trip!

[Nitro1118]

When you get older, at some point you look back and realize what wonderful product Disney is (as do theme park junkies like myself, although I'd rather go to either USF or IOA over any Disney park). But for teens and most people over 10, they prefer the thrills and excitement of Universal. And most visitors of Disney are families with children that are still into Finding Nemo and whatnot.

[Bubba Z]

Than why have a picture of TOT in your signature ? I'm done. Off topic

[Nitro1118]

ToT=Greatest ride ever built.

And also notice ROTM's sign and Spiderman are in it  

[OrlandoRocks]

Don't try to argue with Nitro1118 about Universal. He is one of the top posters on IoaCentral  :wink:  :lol:

Sorry to get off topic.

[Nitro1118]

Hahaha  :lol:

coastermom-

If you don't want to stay on property, pick up one of Universal's vacation guides from AAA. They have a good list of hotels which are very close to the parks and offer great perks of their own.

[coastermom]

Very generous of you, 2 Florida trips in 2 years. Your kids should worship you.

Again, Hard Rock is by far your best choice. Royal Pacific would be second best choice, but the quality and overall laid back atmosphere of Hard Rock dwark Royal pacific. And Portofino would be good for you and husband, but not for kids.

Yes they should worship me after giving birth to them !! Not just the vacations but anyway ..

We are going to stay on property it is just the best thing to do . I can't wait after the storm i want to go NOW!!!

[Deadman]

Once you get to that age, Disney loses its spark and magic.

 Does  Disney ever lose its spark and magic with over 16 million visitor's a year? I'm over the age of ten and love going to Disney.

I don't think I could do a trip to Orlando with out hitting atleast a couple of the Disney Parks. USF and IOA are good but they do not have that special spark and magic :wink:  as the Disney parks do.

[WadeJ]

Whichever, as I said, I enjoy both resorts.   Coastermom, you may be better off saving up the funds for a more "complete" Disney vacation and instead packaging together something like Universal (as your home base) and doing Cypress, Sea World (although I don't know if the little guy will like it) and maybe even the space center.

I feel that WDW is a complete waste of money for 1-3 days.  Besides getting ripped off on the tickets, there just isn't enough time to do everything during a short visit like that.

Another idea that we like to use is the Disney Annual passes.  If you REALLY feel the need to pop over to Disney during a vacation to Universal, buy the annual passes and then you can do half a day at Universal and then swing over to a Disney park of your choice.  You also get free parking and food/shopping perks.  THEN, just make sure you do your visit next year BEFORE your 1 year is up on the AP and you should either break even or save money.  For example, we just returned from Coronado Springs and a room that should have been 150 a night cost us 79 a night with the AP discount (which fluctuates).  So on your next trip, the hotel savings alone could almost make your park passes free.