When can we go to Orlando, Mum? It's a plea heard in families everywhere, and no wonder, for Orlando is the theme park capital of the world, and the good news is that it's not just for children. Adults can have a great time here too.
Of course the leader of the pack is the Walt Disney World Resort, a city in its own right with no less than four major theme parks. The Magic Kingdom is the original Disney park, but Mickey and his friends are no less magical for that. Next comes Epcot, where you can explore the world and beyond - train as an astronaut or fly high above the glorious landscapes of California. At the MGM Studios, it's showbiz time, and you are the star as you take part in Hollywood style adventures - perhaps interacting with Toy Story characters or plunging 13 storeys in a runaway elevator. The latest addition is Disney's Animal Kingdom, where you can ride a roller coaster up Mount Everest (but beware of the yeti), or go on safari to see real, uncaged animals roaming over acres of savannah.
| Orlando is the theme park capital of the world... |
However the Walt Disney World Resort has some serious competition to face in Orlando. Universal Studios offers equally awesome attractions, where you can belt up to ride 'Back to the Future', or have a very close encounter with Jaws. Universal's Islands of Adventure has some of the fastest, scariest rides, and watch out, for in the Jurassic Park River Adventure, the raptors are roaming free again. Sea World is the place to encounter whales, dolphins and even a couple of polar bears, and Wet 'n Wild is the place to cool down and shoot down some seriously fast flumes.
Orlando hotels come in two varieties - theme park and not - so the overall purpose of your holiday will influence your choice of hotel. Those wishing to do more than just seek theme park thrills may look at Orlando hotels in the main tourist location of International Drive; perennially popular and within easy reach of pretty much everything the area has to offer. Alternatively, Colonial Drive offers shopping opportunities close to its hotels, and there are other accommodation options that offer golfing and tennis facilities as well as the usual swimming pools and bars. Many hotels in Orlando are geared towards business travellers, and family hotels are in great abundance.
With all these attractions come holidaymakers, and with all those holidaymakers come restaurants. So it's no surprise that you can find almost every type of restaurant here from budget Vietnamese to Planet Hollywood. The choice of shops, too, is unbelievable, with outlet malls competing for your cash against upmarket stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's. With so much on offer, is it any wonder that the children are so keen to come on holiday to Orlando?
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Manufactured fun at its slickest, for both the child with you and the child in you, Orlando is the theme-park capital of the world. Loop the loop, watch the whales, make the movie, eat the ice cream and shop, shop, shop.
Like being scared, sick and totally disorientated? Fly high on Disney-MGM's Tower of Terror, and hang free on SeaWorld Orlando's Kraken. At Universal Studios Orlando, fight through 3D cobwebs on The Amazing Adventures of Superman. Suit up for the world's tallest Skycoaster in Kissimee and swirl down the tubes at Wet 'n Wild's Blue Niagara. And that's just for starters.
Get up close with sea lions, dolphins and whales at a SeaWorld Orlando show. Join an activity camp or sleepover to feed butterflies and birds at Cypress Gardens' Nature's Way. Pet the animals at Disney's Fort Wilderness. Children ride the rides and meet their favourite characters at Universal's Seuss Landing and Goofy's Wiseacre Farm at Disney's Magic Kingdom.
Exercise the body on one of the city's 168 golf courses and the brain at The Wells' Built Museum of African-American History. Treat the ears at the opera and the eyes at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which has a world-class collection of Tiffany glass. Wallow in mindless luxury at one of 11 luxurious spas.
Have an out-of-this-world time at the Kennedy Space Center or an out-of-his-mind experience at the Salvador Dalí Museum in coastal St Petersburg – also great for a day on the beach. Ride an airboat through the Everglades or, if you haven't had enough of theme parks, head to Tampa Bay and Busch Gardens.
Kit the kids out top to toe, Ralph Lauren your man and wallow in Versace heaven. Enjoy the favourable exchange rate and massive discounts at Orlando's ring of outlet malls, offering top designer gear at rock-bottom prices. Start at the Florida Mall and Orlando Premium Outlets; get a final fix at Sanford Flea Market, with 1700 stalls.
Holiday calories don't count – choose gourmet or garbage, but it all comes super-sized. This is the spiritual home of burgers, doughnuts and fizzy drinks, not to mention southern fried chicken and Key Lime Pie. Seafood restaurants, martini bars and frosted jugs of margaritas add Caribbean gloss.
Footsore and weary? Too bad. The fun doesn't stop when the sun goes down. All the parks are alive with restaurants, music, and spectacular laser and firework shows. Downtown Orlando is awash with dinner shows, from Cirque du Soleil to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, while the Church Street area is ideal for a bar crawl.
You've got the T-shirt, the baseball cap with mouse ears, the princess pyjamas and a cuddly dolphin. Now hit the outlet malls for everything from trainers to a new computer.
Bring your comfortable shoes, a shady hat, an extra suitcase, a pocket full of cash – and plenty of people to play with.
Hyped up every day of the year, Orlando's attractions whip themselves into an exhaustingly competitive frenzy of gaiety over the major festivals including Christmas and New Year, Independence Day, Hallowe'en, and Thanksgiving. In between, celebrate Mardi Gras and the Silver Spurs Rodeo in February and Gay Day in June – any excuse to party.
New Year's Day (1 Jan), Martin Luther King Day (3rd Mon in Jan), Washington's Birthday (3rd Mon in Feb), Memorial Day (last Mon in May), Independence Day (4 Jul), Labor Day (1st Mon in Sep), Columbus Day (2nd Mon in Oct), Veterans' Day (11 Nov), Thanksgiving (4th Thu in Nov), Christmas Day (25 Dec).
This is a year-round destination. Orlando days are generally sunny and warm or hot while evenings can get cool enough for a light jacket or jumper. Daytime temperatures rarely dip below 23°C, even in January, or rise above 35°C in August. The rains come from June through to August, when it is also sticky and humid. July and August bring hurricane season, with occasional violent, short-lived storms.
220V AC, 60 Hz, two-pin plugs are standard.
+1 (national), 407 (area code) + 7-figure number (Orlando).
The US dollar ($) is the currency.
GMT -5 (GMT -4 in summer).
Head around the world at Epcot and dive into the ocean at SeaWorld Orlando. Blast into outer space at the Kennedy Space Center and discover Disney in the Magic Kingdom.
Meet Charlie Chaplin on Amityville Island at Universal Studios, pose for a picture with Mickey Mouse and Cinderella at Disney's Magic Kingdom and gasp with awe as riders skim the water on the back of Shamu the killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando. Feel the G-force grab your breath at the Kennedy Space Center's new Shuttle Launch Experience.
If the fun all gets too much, super-rich Orlando does a nifty sideline in fine cultural museums and galleries. You can hunt for alligators in the swamps on an airboat ride, and laze on the beach at St Petersburg, an hour's drive away. Then, of course, there are all those shops.
Plan your trip carefully. Look for discounted park tickets (such as the five-park Orlando Flexiticket). Get up and out early in the mornings to beat the crowds. Take a pushchair for children and water for all. Pace yourselves to save some energy for the evenings. The Disney Fastpass timed-ticket system allows you to cut out lots of queuing.
Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.
