Orlando is one of the country’s premiere vacation destinations.
Millions of people visit here each year, and many thousands more dream of coming and ask their friends and acquaintances who have been here for advice.
When planning a trip to Orlando, people tend to trust the opinions and advice of their friends who have already visited the city – and why shouldn’t they? But sometimes visitors to Orlando have experiences that aren’t representative of the attractions or city as a whole, and they end up giving bad advice based on those experiences.
Here are 5 of the worst pieces of advice ever given about booking an Orlando vacation:
- Orlando has a bazillion hotel rooms. You don’t need to make reservations in advance
Yes, Orlando has quite a few hotel, motels, bed-and-breakfasts and RV parks to cater to the constant stream of visitors. But there are certain times of the year when all of these locations fill up fast. Or if not all of them…then the ones closest to the attractions that you intend to visit.
The best way to ensure that you get the rooms you want, at the best rates you can, is to book well in advance.
- No rooms available? Postpone your trip for a while.
On the other side of the coin are those people who only have knowledge of the “traditional” lodgings in Orlando – the hotels, motels, B&Bs and RV parks.
But actually, there are other places you can stay. Thousands of people throughout Orlando offer their own private vacation homes as rentals through Vacation Home Rental Marketplaces such as Airbnb and HomeAway. And there are a few vacation planning companies that manage vacation home rental properties as well, such as OrlandoVacation.com.
- Disney World is only for kids
Disney World is a great family vacation destination, and provides plenty for the parents to do and enjoy as well as the kids. What adult wouldn’t enjoy The Twilight Zone Tower of Tower, or the Pirates of the Caribbean ride? All of the Animal Kingdom theme park is suitable for both kids and adults. Epcot Center? That’s best for teens and adults.
But even if you don’t have kids, Disney World is a great place to vacation, especially if you’re staying at one of the results for a golfing vacation. Star Wars enthusiasts will certainly enjoy the new Star Wars land that will open in the Hollywood Studios theme park in late 2017.
- Your kids will only want to see Disney World, Universal Studios or SeaWorld
It’s true that Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld are the “big three” among Orlando’s theme parks. It’s true that vacationers love these theme parks and return again and again, for good reason.
But there are many more theme parks near Orlando to explore – and quite near the Big Three, too. It all depends on your particular interests.
For example, GatorLand is great fun for any kid or adult who likes nature and natural adventure. There’s thousands of alligators and crocodiles here, an aviary, and a petting zoo. There’s also their signature Screamin’ Gator Zip Line!
What child doesn’t love playing with Legos? What adult doesn’t enjoy the nostalgia of remembering when they were young enough to play – and build – with those beautiful pieces of plastic? Legoland has plenty of rides for young kids, and attractions as well, but also a botanical garden that will impress you with its beauty.
Gatorland is only a few minutes from Walt Disney World. Legoland is 32 miles south of Disney World, but if you love Legos, you’ll love Legoland. And the LEGOLAND hotel offers individual LEGO® themes which are a lot of fun.
- If you don’t like theme parks you won’t like Orlando
There is much more to do in Orlando than just visit theme parks!
There’s plenty of outdoor adventures to take park in – plenty of well-maintained bike trails if you like to bike. There are even a couple of mountain biking trails. There’s fishing and hiking. You can even go SAPing (stand up paddle boarding).
There are plenty of museum – art museums, science museums, history museums – there are even a couple of “entertainment” museums – Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Madame Tussaud’s Orlando wax museum. A new museum called SKELETONS: Animals Unveiled is also a lot of fun (for all that it perhaps belongs in the natural history category!). This museum is located beneath the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel on International Drive (I-Drive). It’s on I-Drive that you’ll also find the Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Madame Tussaud’s Orlando.
Then there’s all the sports action. Basketball fans will want to take in a home game of the Orlando Magic. Soccer fans will feel the same about the Orlando City SC, there’s minor league baseball with the Florida Fire Frogs, and the Atlanta Braves play their spring training games here as well.
But that’s not all! The Orlando Shakespeare Theatre features world class performances. There are amateur acting companies such as the Mad Cow Theatre. Touring Broadway shows come to the Orlando Theatre.
Orlando is also a foodie destination, with several world-class restaurants featuring celebrity chefs such as Norman Van Aken of Norman’s and James and Julie Petrakis of The Ravenous Pig.
- It doesn’t matter when you go. Everything’s open all year round!
Another worst-ever piece of advice.
Ever wanted to run a marathon through Disney World? See Halloween or Christmas themed shows at one of the theme parks? Catch a certain sporting event?
It’s essential to plan your trip to Orlando because, while everything may be open year-round, certain events only happen at certain times of the year!
Now that we’ve exposed you to the worst advice ever about booking an Orlando vacation, let’s give you the best piece of advice you can possibly get. Talk to an Orlando vacation specialist, and learn from his or her expertise on this great city!
