bluejeans

Hi everyone! My family will be vacationing in Florida for the first time next week. We are thinking of doing 1 or 2 theme parks with our two boys 18 and 22 yrs. old. Is Disney World geared more for younger children? If so, what parks would you suggest for more thrilling rides? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

sarge56

bluejeans, my teens much preferred Universal Studios. But that is my family. You should check out the websites of both Disney and Universal (Universal also has Islands of Adventure). Here is link for Universal:

http://www.universalorlando.com/parks_overview.html

nytraveler

If you go to Disney definitely do EPCOT - which is much more geared towards adults. With the World Showcase countries and the "topic" - energy, the seas, and esp the race track - it's much more like a world's fair than an amusement park.

The magic kingdom and animal kingdom are much more geared towards kids - and MGM we found just so-so.

coldkelly

My kids of that age definitely preferred Universal.

shirley82

It will definitely depend on the kids. I'm 25 and a couple of friends and I had a great time visiting Disney last year. We skipped the shows for the most part but hit as many rides as we could. Any more than 2 days and I think I would have been really bored.

Magic Kingdom is fun if you're talking about a 22 year old and 18 year old who aren't going to give you attitude about it. If they can just let go and enjoy a few rides, then they'll have fun. I could have spent a whole day there, but it's definitely the park geared more for kiddies.

I actually thought MGM was ok. The Tower of Terror is one of the scarier rides, and the Aerosmith roller coaster was fun too. Not much to DO there though, so I wouldn't plan to spend much time. Just get in and get out.

Epcot's definitely more mature than the other two. Lots of science and speed. There's light shows there at night too - which I thought were cool. Again, though that depends on the boys. If they're into that stuff, they'll like it. If they're not, they'll think it's lame. Also, I find the world village to be kind of a tourist trap. The food is the most expensive in the park, and there's not much else to do on that side but shop. It's worth a walk around, but it didn't hold much interest for me.

At 18 and 22, you could definitely let them run free. The day pass lets you go between the Epcot, MK, and MGM. We did that and felt like we'd seen everything we wanted in an (admittedly exhausting) 12 hour day.

That was a really long post. Hope it helps!

socialworker

Hi--are you from the US? If you are and you have never been to WDW, then I am not sure if your "kids" will like it, given that they have never gone and have no childhood nostalgia to draw on. Also it seems, perhaps, that if you all had wanted to go, you would have gone by the time your sons reached these ages.

However, if you are from another country, then it may be a novelty for all of you just to experience it. My son just turned 30 and we have been going since he was 6, so he still likes it. Had we never gone, it is hard to know how it would hit him at an older first time.

Maybe listen to other posters re: Universal, altho our family much prefers WDW....

cmeyer54

the nice thing about having older teens/young adults is that they can do their own thing and still meet up with you for a dinner, etc at disney. Epcot is more adult, Cirque, Pleasure Island, etc. however, the sheer disney experience makes it worth a trip to magic kingdom...the Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster at Disney Studios is also great fun for older kids and I bet they would also like Expedition Everest and/or Dinosaur Experience at Animal Kingdom. If they like water parks, the disney ones are excellent with plenty of high speed slides, etc. Our kids liked Universal and Islands of Adventure as well but I found them to be just one big roller coaster after another without the theming and attention to detail at disney. If you get a Park Hopper ticket, they can see and do what they like and then take the transportation to another park and do the same. Its not like you have to stay in one place all day.

bluejeans

Thanks to everyone who replied. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated. We are from the U.S. (IL) We've never gone to FL mostly because we are not big on "touristy" destinations. The boys were deeply into scouting so most trips were camping/hiking etc. They are fun loving though, and love big thrill rides. We are staying in Siesta Key (simply because we want to relax and be away from the hordes of people in Orlando). That being said, we did want to spend 1 or 2 days at a theme park (we can deal with 1 or 2 days of crowds). There are so many to choose from, that the more I researched, the more confused I became. The park hoppers and multi-day passes were just adding to the confusion. Now that we have a better idea of what the parks are like, (thanks to your input), we can narrow our options. Universal and Epcot seem to be more of what we are looking for. One more question: (sorry, can't help it), what about Busch Gardens? What is that like?

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond. Your help is invaluable.

Bluejeans

Jimingso

If you only have 1 or 2 days for theme parks I wouldn't bother driving to Tampa for Busch Gardens. My teens much preferred Universal over WDW and Busch.

nytraveler

Busch Gardens is much more like a typical amusement park you can find anywhere in the country - nothing special about it at all.

Debi

Also - don't forget Sea World - my favorite place in Orlando....

kwren

I guess I'll chime in too. My kids have been to WDW, MGM, Universal, Busch Gardens and Epcot over the years. We had 2 days to spend in the area a week ago and told them they could decide - except that my husband and I said no to WDW. They love WDW, and I think every kid would love to go, and maybe even SHOULD go there at least once if not more (hey! it IS Disney World after all!), but we, the parents, have had enough!!! They would have been happy to go again. We have always had a great time there and there are certainly enough rides for that age range to keep you busy all day!

The one making most of the decisions was our son who will be 19 in 4 days, and the 14 year old concurred. (Had our 21 year old been going, he would have agreed as well, I have to say) They all love thrill rides. They sat down one night and viewed all the websites and after several hours, came up with their informed decision! Their first choice (much to my chagrin as we were at an Orlando hotel and it was an hour away) was Busch Gardens, so off we went. We all had a blast. Their choice for the second day was Universal Studios (so much for the free Disney shuttles from the hotel). My husband and I dropped them off at Universal and picked them up at 10 pm and did our own thing for the day. (We saw Blue Man Group next to the Universal entrance and it was a riot. We had a few drinks in the clubs in that area while waiting for them to meet us at closing.)

If you go to Busch Gardens, in addition to the rides which my boys wanted to go on, there is an animal show with 80 animals in it! Birds, cats, dogs, a kangaroo, skunk, porcupine. They all did exactly what they were supposed to do. I've never seen anything like it. Don't miss it! Busch Gardens seems calmer than the other parks, probably because it is landscaped beautifully and provides coolness and some separation between different areas of the park. If you boys like animals, that would be a good choice. There are lots of areas with animals, a safari area with rhinos, zebras, and other animals, a bird area, a tortoise pond, elephants, the orangutan area was a riot as they carried clumps of palm leaves in their foot up a rope. My son loves animals and did the special animal tour a few years ago (it cost extra)

Busch Gardens also has a hospitality house which gives out free cups of a half dozen types of beer all day if you like that. My husband liked that, but I was wishing for wine myself

I did ask them about EPCOT and was laughed out of the room. A resounding NO!!! was the answer to that one. No research needed! EPCOT certainly is not as exciting overall, although there were a couple of good rides, and I wouldn't recommend it instead of the other parks for a first trip. MGM has more of the Disney animated-movie themes which is what swayed the vote against it in the end, although there are certainly some good rides to still make it a worthwhile day.

If you are a AAA member, buy your non-Disney tickets before you leave home. It was quite a savings! MUCH better than any discounted tickets at local stores and ticket desks in Florida.

So rereading this, my vote for older 2 boys for 2 days staying in the Orlando area is for WDW and Universal. The exception would be if you don't mind travelling a bit and love animals, consider Busch Gardens by checking out the website and seeing if it appeals to you.

beanweb24

I'm 34 and snuck in a visit to Disney while on a business trip. I love thrill rides. Here's my impression (did 4 parks in 2 days):

Disney Studios
* Rock N Roller Coaster (do the single rider line)
* Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom
* Safari ride (not a thrill like a roller coaster, but a thrill from being amazed at what you're seeing)
* Everest (my favorite ride in all the parks; do the single rider line)

Magic Kingdom
* Hate it at my age. Best for small children. Had to do Space Mountain, but after the other rides it was small potatoes.

Epcot
* Soarin' is cool but not thrilling in the way the other rides are.
* Test Track is way fun, and definitely a thrill. Do the single rider line.
* Mission space also cool, but not as cool as the others.

If I had to go back and choose two parks, I would go back to Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom and ride those 4 rides over and over and over again.

bluejeans

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys are THE BEST. Although we are still deciding, the more info we have the better. I have been on the computer for several days now, and I'm getting delirious!! After reading more opinions, it looks like all parks are back in the running again! Argh!!! This is way too complicated. I'll keep looking and keep you posted. Thanks again.

By the way, beanweb24: after that itinerary, how much business did you get in? LOL

Bluejeans

greenfairy

I would definitely consider the Islands of Adventure for your family as well. It is part of Universal Studios, but it hosts more thrill rides that kids your age will enjoy. My children are around the same age and still love Epcot at Walt Disney World. It's an educational theme park, but some of the best memories I have with my family have taken place at Epcot. Mission: Space is a very intense ride that my children enjoyed thoroughly, and my husband and I enjoy visiting the French Pavillion in the World Showcase. I know you have gotten so much advice from everyone else, but I thought I'd let you know my thoughts as well!

SupraChica

Islands of Adventure (which is next to Universal) is the best choice for thrill rides lots of roller coasters and it has other thrilling rides. Universal Studios is in major need of renovation and kind of blah. The new Simpsons ride is fun but not worth waiting more than 45 min in line. The only other ride worthwile in Universal is The Mummy. They have a 2 park pass if you want to see at least Universal.

Disney is Disney, I think everyone should go there at least once.

beanweb24

I'll chime in regarding Universal -- I thought the Hulk roller coaster and the Spider Man ride were also awesome.

(Note: I did my amusment park touring *before* the conference began)

rascat

Hi Bluejeans!

I have two sons, ages 27 and 25. They grew up in Central Florida, and are huge coaster enthusiasts! Their favorite park is actually Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. Having grown up in this area, they've been going to Disney, etc. since they were babies. They worked at the parks during HS and college, so it's old hat to them. But they do have their favorites.

First choice is Busch Gardens, as it has the most coasters in one location: Montu, Gwazi, SheiKra, Kumba, and Scorpion.

Second choice is Islands of Adventure. Both guys think Hulk is the best coaster in Orlando. They also like Dueling Dragons, and the Spiderman ride (even though its not a coaster).

They still have friends working at Disney, so they get to hop from park to park, and never spend the whole day in just one of them. For adventure, they like Disney Hollywood Studios the best (Tower of Terror, Rock-n-Rollercoaster, and various stunt shows).

DH and I like Busch Gardens for the garden setting and the animals. Neither one of us got much out of Islands of Adventure, except the 2 coaster rides and Spiderman. We were glad DS got us in for free. Sea World is actually our favorite park, but DS's groan if we suggest they join us there.

Be sure to use lots of high SPF sunscreen and reapply it all day long. The afternoon sun can fry you in 20 minutes or less this time of year!

Hope you have a great family trip here in Florida!

DancingBearMD

Since you're staying in Siesta Key and don't really have a yen to do Disney, I'd just stay close and do Busch Gardens. Driving back and forth to Orlando for a day at a theme park will make for a LOOOOONNNGG day.

bluejeans

Hi everyone! A big thank you to everyone who responded to my inquiry. Your opinions were extremely helpful in our decision making process. After much discussion, we have decided to get tickets for WDW with a park hopper. This seems to make the most sense. It is quite a drive from Siesta Key but we knew that when we made our reservations. I was thinking if we were that tired, or wanted to go back the next day, we could stay overnight someplace close (nothing fancy). Just an idea though. Again, thanks to everyone who took the time to respond, I really appreciate all your help.
Bluejeans