Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A Family Vacation In Orlando – Disney And Beyond

By Alexandra Jacobs


Orlando, Florida screams Disney World, but when you pack your family up to enjoy a vacation, you need to know that there is much more to do than just the Magic Kingdom, home of Mickey Mouse. If you are planning a week’s vacation, Disney World needs to be on your list. But so does Universal Studios as well as some other great destinations throughout the city.

Just as you would find Hamptons rentals if you go to New York, you can find Kissimmee or Orlando rentals when you come to Florida. This will be the most affordable way to stay in the city and avoid paying all the high prices of hotels. The benefit of rentals is that you have more space and a full kitchen to do some of your own cooking in, too.


A park hopper ticket is a great way to see all there is to see with Disney World. You can visit the Magic Kingdom on one day and visit Epcot the next. As for Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, you can squeeze both of those on the same day if you’re pressed for time to enjoy everything else the city has to offer.


If you plan it just right, you can take a drive out to the beaches of Daytona or Cocoa one day, too. This will provide you with stunning views of the Atlantic and you get to feel the sand between your toes. Be cautious of when the Nascar races are, however, as Daytona can get very busy when the race circuit is in town.

Universal Studios is a great set of theme parks, too. There are the studios as well as the Islands of Adventure, complete with the Harry Potter experience. In between the two parks is what’s known as City Walk, where there are some great restaurants, including Nascar Café, Hard Rock and Emeril’s. There are also several nightclubs where you can escape the kids for a few hours and enjoy live music, karaoke and comedy.

If you’ve brought provisions for keeping the kids busy one night, you can take a drive into downtown Orlando on Church Street. Here, you will find night clubs that cover every genre of music. You can find lots of little whole in the wall bars and street vendors on a Friday or Saturday night, too.

During the summer, Aquatica and Wet n’ Wild can help you stay cool. These are two separate waterparks that are all about waterslides and various other water-themed rides. You can grab an inner tube and sit on the lazy river or tan by one of the many pools.

Orlando and its sister city Kissimmee have plenty to keep you and the family busy all week long. When you want to escape the theme parks for a while, you can find miniature golf courses, airboat rides and many other things to keep you busy without looking very far. Then head to International Drive for every type of cuisine you can image when your hunger cravings set in. Orlando may be known for Mickey but it’s so much more than that, too.


Alexandra is a travel enthusiast who loves to write about tourism, beaches, food, and the wonderful things in the world.  She provides her own insights on vacationing to the blogosphere.  If you would like to learn more about her, follow her @alexsjourneys or visit her blog Alex's Journeys

This article was written based on her 6 days vacation experience in Orlando. You could find more related articles in her blog.

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