Two weeks too long in Orlando

towger

I'm looking at Summer holidays for 2013 and thinking of Orlando. The kids are bit older so thinking more of Universal rather than Disney. Anyway, is two weeks too long to stay put in Orlando ? Or are the hotels god enough with decent pools etc to spend time relaxing when not in the parks ? Or do people recommend moving on to a beach resort too ? Somebody suggested Clearwater to me but it does not seem to be up to much ... does not even have a train station ?
Thanks for any tips !

Black Swan

Spent a few days in Orlando. Not much in Orlando besides amusement parks. How about 1-week Orlando, followed by 1-week Florida Keys?

galwayjohn89

I go to Orlando a good few times a year and think there is plenty for 2 weeks.

Last time I went was 10 days with my mates. (I am 20)

Did 4 days in Disney, 1 day golf, 1 day doing mini golf & go karting, 1 day doing airboat rides and Florida Mall, 1 day waterparks, 1 day pool and 1 day downtown Disney & Boardwalk, (and 1 day hospital at the end!) Could of easily stayed there for more would of loved more time to just lie by pool. I've been there for a month straight and had stuff to do.

tan11ie

Anything less would be mad...lots to do,even with kids in tow.

fox007

Love Orlando were going back in July 2013 for 2 weeks We have been going since 2008. if you want a lovely hotel have a look at the Double tree seaworld its walking distance to seaworld 10 mins where you will be surprised at the amount of time you will spend here more relaxed atmosphere within this park I think any way.Then universal studios you can spend a week here and never get board then you have the Florida mall for all your shopping needs.A car is a must when here but there is a bus service that runs the length of international drive called the itrolley but that will not take you to the parks or Florida mall most hotels do shuttle busses to all the parks tho.Planning is key when going to Orlando their is just so much to see and do you will not have time for everything.Clear water is an hour or so from Orlando lovely town but you need a car to get there lovely beach all water sports etc to do while there nice trip to get away from the parks and see a bit more of the state.If you have anymore questions just ask.Im looking for cheap flights if anyone ha seen any let me know.HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL ON BOARDS

alanceltic

The question is what to do in 2 weeks not will it be long enough. A magical place which caters for all ages and tastes. The Universal parks are soooo much better than Disney and if your kids are young you can get away with not doing any of the Disney parks at all. We went last summer and done all of the Disney & Universal parks but that's only because we taught it would be a missed opportunity as we had never been but they cater primarily for the younger kids whereas Universal have far more "flagship" rides.

If I could give you one tip it would be to consider renting instead of going the hotel route. We rented a 2 bed condo in a gated community and it was about 1300 sqft, it was as close to the parks as most of the hotels and had a pool and club area on a par with most hotels. So much more spacious and relaxing and it really was great to have a proper home to chill out it. Cost wise it actually worked out cheaper than a decent hotel. If you decide to go this route google "Windsor Hills" or I can pass you on further info.

Orlando can be done without a car but it wouldn't be my cup of tea not to have the ability to go where you want when you want, a small price to pay for the comfort.

One other VERY useful tip. If you are doing Universal in July/Aug expect the parks to be extremely busy, they have got an express pass which gets you to the front of the line on ALL rides (except happy potter) and this is worth its weight in gold during these 2 months. You can do both of the Universal parks very comfortably with a day in each park if you have these passes but they are expensive. What you can do is book 1 nights accommodation in one of the 3 on-site hotels, check in at 9am, get your express passes and do a full day at one of the parks. Your express passes are valid for the full day of checkin and also check out so you get 2 full days express passes for all 4guests (in a standard double 2ad2ch) which works out cheaper than buying a ONE day express pass for a family. This allows you to do both parks in full without the stress and hassle of the queues and we done a second day at each park (just a couple of hours both days) at a much more laid back pace just cherry picking our favourite rides.

scwazrh

For me Clearwater is heaven , I spent two weeks in Orange tree which is within 10 miles of Orlando but also spent sometime in Miami ( which i didn't like) but had a brief visit to Clearwater .Clearwater is like Miami without the big city feeling.