The highlight of the trip was, actually, sleeping without getting up in the middle of the night for the kids! Actually, EPCOT was the highlight of the trip. It is a great place to go and it's not only fun, but informative, too. I don't think it's a place geared towards little kids like the Magic Kingdom, but for those 10 years old and above, it's great! Be sure to arrive early and it's best if you don't buy your tickets at the gate. There are several stores, gift shops, and even restaurants that sell discounted tickets. However, if you're only going for one day, like we did, you can only buy one-day tickets at the gate. EPCOT, like the other Disney parks, uses a system called "Fast Pass" on some of the rides/attractions. Though we didn't use it because the crowds were small, it seems to be a great time saver and would help you do and see everything you want to at the park.

The Titanic Museum was also another highlight. The tour was fun and thought provoking, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour guide. The museum, itself, is located in a not-so-nice area off International Drive called The Mercado. However, the tour is great. It highlights the Titanic in a very personal way. The tour guide 'acts' like one of the passengers on the ship and interjects personal stories about himself and his wife throughout the tour.

Nothing can beat the warm sun and tropical drinks in the middle of February when you know that all your friends and coworkers are back at home freezing to death!

There is SO much to do in the Orlando area that you can't possibly do it all in three days. There is truly something for everybody and most of it is within a relatively small area which makes it nice. There are museums, zoos, theme parks, shopping, dancing, nightlife, water slide parks, dining. . . you name it, Orlando's got it.

Quick Tips:

I would suggest getting a good map of the area and plan your routes before you leave your resort/hotel for the day. Some of the maps that the souvenir shops hand out and even the one I got from the rental car place were difficult to read and only had major roads marked on them; if you made a wrong turn you had to just guess where you are sometimes.

Another tip would be to make sure you have some change or small bills for toll roads if you're renting a vehicle from the airport area.

Best Way To Get Around:

Our resort (Summer Bay) was pretty far from the airport and it would have taken us each way for a taxi. . . it cost us for a rental car for four days! Plus we got to go sightseeing and drive around when and where we wanted.

On International Drive, they have a trolley which progresses up and down each side of the street stopping at a whopping number of stops along the way. Sometimes, it stops 2 times a block! Though we didn't ride it, it is very inexpensive to use. I believe that a one day pass is a person and fare to get on once is .75. If you're staying on International Drive or that area, that's the best way to get around.

The amenities were wonderful, including boat/wave runner rental, a man made beach area, and poolside bar.

The unit itself was very spacious. The kitchen was fully stocked with everything anyone would need to cook a decent meal. We were impressed with the fact that it seemed if you needed a certain gadget or utensil, it was there. Granted, we didn't stay long enough to have to cook a meal but, if we did it was all there.

They also have outdoor charcoal grills around the resort property that you can use if you wanted.

The bathroom was large! The shower/hot tub was absolutely huge! We enjoyed that very much, although, taking a shower was strange because one side was higher than the other because of the hot tub feature. Other than that, it was a very nice unit.

The staff were very courteous and the resort grounds were very clean and kept up nicely. They were in the middle of constructing what looked to be a miniture golf course right next to our unit. It looked like it would be done by the summer...just in time for the season peak.

Check-in is a firm 4:00pm, however, they will let you 'pre-check-in' if you get there early so that all you have to do is come back after 4pm and grab the keys. Remember, though, that there is a $30 fee for an extra key! We weren't told that up front and we got an extra one just in case and it was a surprise at check-out time.

All in all, we had a wonderful time and Summer Bay is a place we will stay again!

My wife had the ribs and I had the NY strip. They cook everything over an open pit grill fueled by oak wood, so the flavor is wonderful and the smells in the place were great! My wife enjoyed the ribs, but she said that they got really charred at one end and tasted too burnt. Overall, they were good and fell off the bone when she tried to eat them. My steak was pretty good, even though it was a little more rare than I would have liked. The flavor of the wood fire really came out in the meat!

The only thing we didn't like was that fries and baked potato were $1.99 extra. The meal came with salad AND steamed veggies, but the potato items were extra, even though everybody gets potatoes with steak.

Overall, though, it was good and we'd go back if we got down there again.

The atmosphere was cool. It was like you were in a rainforest and it had animatronic animals and jungle sounds/noises throughout the place. Every few minutes the lights would flicker and they would simulate a storm, complete with lightning and mist. Nice effects and all, but WAY overpriced.

Future World is where the famous "ball" is located. The area has more attractions/rides than World Showcase. It is basically all about technology and science from ancient times into the future. I think the best attractions in Future World are "The Land," which is all about the Earth and environmental issues, and "The Living Seas," which is a huge aquarium housing dolphins, a huge sea turtle, and three manatees.

World Showcase is the part of the park that is mostly shopping, but it's very cool. It is broken up by "countries" and each different country feels just like you are there in the country represented. The buildings, workers, and everything makes you feel immersed in the country...it's very cool. I had been to EPCOT years ago, a couple years after it opened, but my wife had never been there. EPCOT is separated into two different parts, Future World and World Showcase.

Future World is where the famous "ball" is located. The area has more attractions/rides than World Showcase. It is basically all about technology and science from ancient times into the future. I think the best attractions in Future World are "The Land," which is all about the Earth and environmental issues, and "The Living Seas," which is a huge aquarium housing dolphins, a huge sea turtle, and three manatees.

World Showcase is the part of the park that is mostly shopping, but it's very cool. It is broken up by "countries" and each different country feels just like you are there in the country represented. The buildings, workers, and everything makes you feel immersed in the country...it's very cool.

I don't want to spoil it for you, but the ending is VERY cool and thought provoking. On your ticket is a name of a person who was on the Titanic. At the end of the tour, there is a wall of everyone listed and if they survived or died. My person died and my wife's person (and her two handmaids) lived.

Anyway, Downtown Disney is where Pleasure Island is located and it is an area that is basically stores and some eating places, all with that magical Disney feeling. Some of the cool things there are a Lego store and playground with statues and slides all made out of Legos! It's incredible. I can't imagine how much time it took to create some of them.

There's also the Rainforest Cafe, Planet Hollywood, and a large Virgin Record Megastore. Downtown Disney is a good thing to do when you want to just relax and shop and do something other than be in a Disney or Universal theme park.