The Heart of Florida

Let's start with Disney World: anyone with kids won't get out of a trip to their parks.

BUT: Check out Sea World, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens, and all of the strip in Kissimmee -- that's where the REAL fun begins, I think.

Quick Tips:

Europeans will be surprised to find 1-2 hour lines for attractions in the major theme parks. Plan for it -- and if you can't stand the thought of that, do other attractions instead. There's plenty of other stuff outside the parks worth doing.

Best Way To Get Around:

If there is any other way than by car, I don't know about it.

Most hotels DO have shuttle services to the major attractions, but nothing beats the freedom of a car.

What a show! Dine at an old-fashioned, knights in shining armor jousting tournament.

Enjoy surprisingly excellent food while you watch first an amazing horse show, followed by a spectacular jousting tournament -- and finally, the unavoidable duel between good and evil, where, of course, good prevails.

Bloody good entertainment and though not cheap, worth it all.

Off-season (if there is such a thing), it is great: lots of cool shows with amazing animals and their almost-as-amazing trainers.

Don't miss the sea lion show if you have kids -- it is just so darn funny, you almost pee!

The killer whale show is another MUST-SEE -- five minutes after the show, I was still transfixed in my seat, dreaming about sticking a killer whale in my bathtub of my third floor apartment!

Flipper -- how can one go to Sea World and NOT see Flipper? Go see the dolphins -- they are amazing creatures with a most wonderful playful personality!

Ever wanted to swim with the dolphins? At Discovery Cove you do just that! Discovery Cove has four things to offer:
A freshwater river
A saltwater river
A great beach
A SWIM WITH A DOLPHIN!

Crazy as I am with dolphins, when I heard about Discovery Cove, I just HAD to get in on it.

A full day of snorkeling in the two rivers, one filled with corals, caves, tunnels and pretty interesting underwater decor, the other with a ton of fish, ranging from small parrot fish to pretty darn big rays -- and a swim with your own dolphin! Well, not quite your own -- you share him/her with 5-6 other people, but still, you get to touch him and play with him and all. EXTREMELY neat for anyone who still remembers Flipper -- or for anyone who never knew Flipper, but loves these amazing animals!

In between swims, you have a wonderful beach with various fun for the kids as well as a pool of rays, where you can actually touch a ray also -- all set in what I am sure the advertising agency calls a "lush, tropical garden", which is no exaggeration -- the place is beautiful!

When you tire of all the water, go through their voliere with all kinds of rather interesting and quite sociable birds -- and be well advised to accept the bowls of food the people there offer you for the birds because the birds have come to expect it. :)

You don't HAVE to include the dolphin swim, but I'm sure you'd kick yourself if you went and DIDN'T swim with them, so spend the extra money. Included in the admission is also a 7-day pass to Sea World, so the price is not really THAT bad.