Travel Weekly Agent Reporter Kelly Colson gives us her account of the Cosmos fam trip to Orlando, Florida, visiting SeaWorld, Aquatica, Disney and Universal
Friday: Seaworld and Aquatica
Seaworld is Orlando`s marine adventure park, featuring animal encounters such as feeding dolphins or touching stingrays, and brilliant marine shows.
My favourite was the Shamu show Believe. Everyone was amazed by how the killer whales interacted with the trainers, displaying their agility and speed and splashing the front rows.
The park also offers two rollercoasters. Kraken is Orlando`s only floorless roller coaster, soaring 140ft through seven giant loops, while Journey to Atlantis is a water ride with one of the world’s steepest drops.
The park caters for all ages – the Shamu’s Happy Harbour area has six child rides, including a special kids’ coaster.
Aquatica is the recently-opened waterpark situated opposite Seaworld. (There’s a regular shuttle bus running between the parks.)
Surprisingly, there weren’t long queues for any of the attractions. Maybe this was down to good organisation.
There is a relaxing beach area with sun loungers, and a lazy river for those just wanting to kick back. For the more active there is a large wave pool, and various slides and tube rides – one, Dolphin Plunge, passes through a pool of Commerson’s dolphins.
Saturday: The Gulf Coast
Our drive to St Petersburg took less than two hours. The beaches here are amazing; mile after mile of award-winning white sand. The area seemed quiet and relaxed with varied accommodation, a wide choice of bars and restaurants and plenty of water-based activities including deep sea fishing.
Downtown St Petersburg is only a 10-minute drive away. Here there is a wider selection of places to eat, from fast food to smart restaurants. There are also several museums, including one with the biggest collection of Salvador Dali paintings outside Spain.
Clearwater is a 30-minute drive from St Petersburg, and is much busier, with a younger crowd. We headed for the popular Pier 60 area. There’s a good selection of shops and its restaurants are great for watching the sunset.
Again, the beaches here are pristine. I would have no hesitation in recommending both of these resorts for families, couples, groups or older passengers, as both offer a holiday as relaxed or as busy as you want.
A car would be handy for exploring the local area, but is not essential. I also noticed Clearwater has the only roundabout I have ever seen in the USA!
Sunday: Shopping and Old Town Kissimmee
On our day off we headed for the shops, hitting the premium outlet mall at Lake Buena Vista. Note that the centre only sells clothes, perfume and make-up – no electrical goods.
One of the girls recommended that we go to Old Town Kissimmee for our evening off. What a gem! It has a lovely Fifties atmosphere – really different to the theme parks.
They have fun fair complete with a big wheel and haunted house, loads of old quaint shops, and on Friday and Saturday nights classic car cruising. It was difficult to drag people away!
Monday: Disney
The Magic Kingdom consists of seven areas situated around Cinderella’s Castle: Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Main Street USA and Mickey`s Toontown.
The park is designed to cater for every age range and features more than 40 different attractions. My personal favourites are the Haunted House and the brilliant 3D adventure show Mickey’s Philharmagic.
Hollywood Studios (previously MGM Studios) reflects the glamour and drama of Tinseltown, with movie-inspired rides and shows.
Try the 13-storey lift plunge of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and the Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster which twists and turns you through the dark to the sound of rock music.
This park caters more for adults, teens and older children – toddlers would prefer the Magic Kingdom.
Tuesday: Site inspections
We were shown round a few Disney area villas. Whenever I am asked to calculate the cost of a standard villa I recommend the clients upgrade to a superior property.
Most of the time the additional cost is minimal, and the superior decor and facilities outweigh the small spend.
Due to the location of these properties car hire is essential.
My favourite property was Floridays Resort Orlando, at the south end of International Drive. It’s a new 35-acre property of two- and three-bedroom luxury suites.
Floridays had the biggest pool of all the properties we visited, which was brilliant for families, as well as a second pool geared towards adults.
The accommodation was to a very high standard; all had two full bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens, washer, dryer, 37-inch flat panel HD plasma TV, DVD and even an Xbox!
There are plans to extend the resort, the second phase of which will include a waterpark, due to be completed in autumn 2009.
Floridays has ample parking for clients who have hired a car, and for non-drivers free daily shuttles to Disney, Seaworld, and Universal Studios are provided. The Itrolly bus is also within walking distance.
Wednesday: Universal
Universal Islands of Adventure is an adrenaline junkie’s paradise, with some of the most technologically advanced rides around.
The park is made up of five themed islands: The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, Toon Lagoon, Marvel Super Hero Island and Seuss Landing. Building work is underway on a sixth island with a Harry Potter theme.
My favourite rides were the Incredible Hulk Coaster, a 40mph ride that dominates the park, and the 3D ride The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman.
The brave should ride the Duelling Dragons: they are the world’s first near-miss rollercoasters, named Ice and Fire (Fire is scarier).
I felt this park is better for older children and adults. Many of the rides have height restrictions.
Universal Studios is a TV and movie-themed park with rides, shows and attractions for all age ranges. My favourite here was the newly opened Simpsons ride, based on the family’s day out at Krustyland.
Kids will be kept entertained with a 4D show featuring Shrek and his buddies.
For the borderline insane there is an extreme audience participation show, Fear Factor Live, where you can test your bravery against other audience members.
>>Photos from the fam trip on flickr
Getting there
Our group flew into Orlando Sanford International Airport, just a 45 minute drive from Orlando. It proved a pleasant surprise: from touchdown to boarding our transfer bus took 35 minutes, considerably less than my past experience at Orlando McCoy airport.
Accommodation: Carib Cove
Carib Cove is in a nature reserve close to downtown Kissimmee, just over an hour from Sanford airport. The property is a retreat from the hustle and bustle of Orlando, but still within easy reach of the theme parks. (Disney is 6.5 miles away.)
Personally, I would not sell this property without car hire. There are no shops or restaurants within walking distance, so we had to rely on taxis. There are plans to link the resort by boat to its sister property Bahama Bay, however.
Accommodation is of a very high standard. Apartments have air con, TV, washing machine, iron and ironing board, a full kitchen with fridge, dishwasher, coffee maker, toaster, cooker and microwave.
The property also offers a swimming pool, sauna/steam room and a gym. Overall it’s a good bet for couples and older clientele.
Orlando top tips
- Don’t take sterling currency. It is extremely difficult to change sterling unless you go to a bank. Take US dollars or withdraw money from the many ATMs.
- Make sure you drink plenty of water – there are free water fountains within the parks.
- Use plenty of high-factor sun cream even if you tan easily. The sun in Florida is very strong and you can burn easily just walking around the parks.
- Take a hat too, as you will spend time waiting in line in the blazing sun.
Florida fam trip photos
- See more of Kelly’s photos in Travel Weekly’s flickr galleries
