When visiting WDW...

Mickey_777

Mickey_777

Well-Known Member
We always stay offsite. We always have a car whether ours or rental.

So yeah we almost always schedule in a beach day and time to hit the outlets and other restaurants we like around town. We usually see CityWalk but haven't made it to the Uni parks in a few years. On our last trip we hit Gatorland which was surprisingly awesome. Let's see what else...well a trip to O-town wouldn't be complete if we didn't get some fresh off the line Krispy Kreme's or cruise International Drive as well. And for some reason I really like visiting the tacky Orlando gift shopps even though I rarely buy anything there.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
We sometimes have planned a day or sometimes 2, off Disney site, just because we know with 2 weeks we have enough time to do and see the things we want to at WDW, and it's good to experience something more in the Orlando area. We build the off site things into our trip plans. Yes, it has been expensive to hire out transportation, but it's been worth it to us to see other things.
 
Disnee4Me

Disnee4Me

Well-Known Member
When the DSs were younger, we went to Medieval Times one night, along w/the in-laws. Usually once we are on Disney property now, we don't leave, but we go down for two weeks and spend one week visiting my mother in Delray Beach and get the see some of the sights down there ... like Sawgrass Mill outlet in Sunrise, Bayside in Miami, Mizner Park in Boca, flea markets, beaches, etc.
 
mouse_luv

mouse_luv

Well-Known Member
DisneyJunkie said:
To be honest.....no. When we pay for a week at Disney, we spend the week AT Disney. I almost feel we have to based on the amount of money we're plunking down to go. And part of the appeal of going there to begin with, for us, is to be completely immersed in the "leave your everyday problems behind and be a kid again" atmosphere of the place. Going off-site for anything, other than ending the trip (or occasional run to Walmart or the grocery store) kind of takes away from that.
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For some people, me being one of them. I'm in Florida, which is over a thousand miles from where I live. And going to a hockey game in a new and different city is RELAXING for me. I don't have to just be at Disney to relax. Yes, it takes my cares away, but there are other places I could go in Florida while I'm visiting Disney that could be considered as relaxing to me as well. It means I'm not home=relaxation which is appealing. That doesnt make me any less of a Disney fan, I'm just saying, this may be what OP was getting at. Also, not related to the post I quoted, but if you don't do what the OP was inquiring about...why even put in your 2 cents to the thread? Just think...nope don't have anything to do with this thread and move along..
 
mousehockey37

mousehockey37

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So far I'm liking most of the responses to the thread! Thanks to those of you who actually offered some insider tips to Tampa and other things to do before and after the game!!!!

To those of you that think that WDW is the only place to see when you are there or you think venturing off property is blasphemy then please, just don't comment or at least tell me why you don't want to see other things.

If you re-read my post, you'll see that budgetarily for my next trip, we're gonna probably go for 7 days, but only have hoppers for 5. So that leaves us some time to do something else.

As another has said, when I'm on vacation, I'm escaping reality. What's wrong with going to see your home team on someone elses turf? It's fun to be the odd fan in a different stadium! It makes getting on tv a little easier LOL!
 
VoiceGuy07

VoiceGuy07

Active Member
For us, it all depends on how long we're staying. If we're staying 8 days or more we might take the opportunity to venture off property by heading to Sea World and Aquatica or Cocoa Beach and Ron Jon Surf Shop for the day. We've also done a day at Busch Gardens Tampa but prefer BG Williamsburg.

One year, we cut our Disney stay short and drove down to Ft. Lauderdale then across gator alley to Naples then back to Disney. Was cool to see more of FL and the one night in Naples was awesome! While we don't "go a wandering" often, for us it's nice to break things up every few years. That being said, we've stayed on the property 12 days straight without blinking too!
 
taz0162

taz0162

Well-Known Member
We went to Gatorland thinking it would be a 1/2 day event and unded up there the whole day. I sat on a Gator, we got to see several gator shows and even ate Gator nuggets. There are gators of all sizes there and many other animals as well. My Kids loved it as you can see with how big the smile is on my 18 month old daughter in the Minnie Mouse Fleece.
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hokie075

hokie075

Active Member
taz0162 said:
We went to Gatorland thinking it would be a 1/2 day event and unded up there the whole day. I sat on a Gator, we got to see several gator shows and even ate Gator nuggets. There are gators of all sizes there and many other animals as well. My Kids loved it as you can see with how big the smile is on my 18 month old daughter in the Minnie Mouse Fleece.
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We planned to go to Gatorland last year but it rained so much the day we had planned we decided just to hang out at Downtown Disney.
 
Sarah Rae

Sarah Rae

Member
My dad is a huge space nerd, so we've gone to the Kennedy Space Centre a few times. We hadn't been in a few years, so him and my mom went on their trip last year. Thank goodness, because the place bores me to death and it means I don't have to go this year :)
 
PUSH

PUSH

Well-Known Member
hokie075 said:
Did you have a bad experience or something?
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Not really. I just think it's become a dumpier city (sorry if anyone disagrees). The beach is just okay, IMO, and the surrounding areas aren't anything special. Plus, it takes a day away from Disney.

We did go there to see a space shuttle launch. We watched it from the beach, but the ride back took 5 hours. It should've taken 1. The fastest we got on the highway was 40 MPH, and that lasted for at most 5 seconds. Most of the time it was pull ahead and brake, pull ahead and break. The reason it was so congested is because there were toll booths that people had to pass through. Once we got through the tolls it was like nobody was on the road.
 
bethymouse

bethymouse

Well-Known Member
To me a trip to WDW is just that.:)
But, to tour the state of Florida is a neat trip. The Keys were awesome! We actually drove the 7 bridges! Man- that was a bit scary!:)
Back in the day, we loved Cypress Gardens ( which is now Legoland I believe).:(
Scenic route used to be A1A down to Daytona.:)
Sea World/Aqautica/BG is one trip for us.:)
Never been to Universal ( sadly).:(
Never been to the Space Center, but I'm sure it's a bit different now not having the Space Shuttle there.:(
 
Walt Disney1955

Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
mousehockey37 said:
have you ever planned days where you go do other things at other places? Not just Universal or Sea World, but things like Daytona Beach, Daytona International Speedway (if NASCAR is in town), head to Tampa to see the Lightning play (NHL)?

I'm a big hockey fan, Flyers are my team, and for our next trip, my gf and I are looking into coming down during hockey season. We're thinking of staying for 7 days, but only getting hoppers for 5. So with the extra day, we were going to head to Tampa to see the Lightning play (whoever it may be on that night), just to do something different.

Has anyone done anything like this? How did it turn out?
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Absolutely. If anyone thinks Central Florida is nothing more than Disney World then you are mistaken. Obviously we've done Universal and Sea World as well as Busch Gardens. But we've also checked out Gatorland for example. Now, if you want a true "half day" park that's the one. You need 4-5 hours maximum there and that's it. Fun place though just don't feed the greedy storks that hang around there.

We also checked out the Titanic Experience which was worth the price of admission. Really liked the Upside Down House too, which was unique. Not to mention there is a lot to do on International Drive.

We also took in a Tampa Bay Lightning game in March 2010. They were playing the Penguins and we got the chance to watch Sidney Crosby play. So yeah, there is more than enough to do outside of WDW. Almost enough for a trip in itself.
 

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