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Theme Parks - Walt Disney World, Universal Studios & Seaworld
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Whether this is your first or fiftieth visit to the central Florida and Orlando area, you will always find something to do. The Walt Disney World area is forever growing and evolving at a rapid pace and as such, it
is impossible to show you all the delights that are waiting beyond the four walls of the villa.
When visiting the theme parks, irrespective of all tips and guide books - the best bit of advice... comfortable shoes and sun-screen are a
must!
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Walt Disney World Resort, Florida |
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With iconic images, fantastically themed events and mesmerising shows, the Walt Disney World
Resort caters for all ages and is a delight for any visitor to the area. Incorporating a number of distinct parks - each with their own theme and
characters - these provide a change from the tranquillity of Indian Wells and relaxing by the pool.
It is not all about theme parks however, Walt Disney World also offers shopping, nightlife,
entertainment and sports facilities.
Click on the Walt Disney World park logos or the links below for the official
websites. These will provide
information on individual parks, rides and attractions, current ticket prices (along with special promotions) and opening times of each park.
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Magic Kingdom - Magical fun, shows and rides for
all the family - Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
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Epcot - Science
adventure with thrill rides and the World Showcase of countries -
Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Soarin' and
Dive Quest
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Animal Kingdom - African wilderness in Florida -
Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari and Dino-Rama land for the children
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Hollywood Studios - Movies based theme park -
Rock 'N' Rollercoaster, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and
Stunt Spectacular
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Typhoon Lagoon - Water-park with a
tidal wave machine, beach, water rides, chutes, lazy river and even a shipwreck
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Blizzard Beach - Fantastically themed water-park and beach set in an 'alpine' ski
resort
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Wide World of Sport - Sports complex with amateur and professional events
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Disney Quest -
Indoor virtual gaming and interactive arcade - CyberSpace Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean
and Virtual Jungle Cruise
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Downtown Disney / Pleasure Island - Entertainment, shopping and dining -
Cirque du Soleil, AMC Cinema and the House of Blues
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Disney's Boardwalk -
Entertainment, shopping and dining
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Magic Kingdom |
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Hollywood Studios |
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Animal Kingdom |
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Universal Studios, Orlando (top of page) |
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If you are more 'thrill-seeker' than 'Mickey-seeker', you will enjoy the white-knuckle rollercoasters and fantastic themed rides at Universal Studios
and Islands of Adventure. As a working studio, the majority of the rides are themed around the
movies and television so expect something for all the family.
Click on the Universal Studios park logos or the links below for the official
websites. These will provide
information on individual parks, rides and attractions, current ticket prices (along with special promotions) and opening times of each park.
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Universal Studios - Family theme park based around the movies -
ET, Jaws, Men in Black, Revenge of the Mummy and the
Simpsons
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Islands of Adventure - Awesome thrill rides, roller-coasters and 'get-wet' rides -
Incredible Hulk, Spiderman and Jurassic Park
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Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Part of Islands of Adventure - Forbidden Journey,
Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff
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Universal CityWalk - Dining, shopping,
nightlife and clubbing. Also includes live music at Hard Rock Universal
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Wet 'n' Wild - The original water-park and still one of the best at the top of International Drive. Just get wet!
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Wizarding World of Harry Potter |
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Islands of Adventure |
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Universal Studios |
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Seaworld, Orlando and Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay (top of page) |
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If animals and sealife are your preference, then Seaworld and Discovery Cove are a must when visiting the area. With killer whales, sharks, penguins, dolphins, sea lions,
polar bears, tropical birds, horses and thrill rides, Seaworld offers a fantastic day out for all the family. Discovery Cove is
exclusive and it is here you can swim with dolphins, barracuda and sting rays. Aquatica is the latest water park to be added to the area,
with swim through tubes and sealife including more dolphins!
Click on the Seaworld park logos or the links below for the official websites. These will provide
information on individual parks, rides and attractions, current ticket prices (along with special promotions) and opening times of each park.
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Seaworld -
Family park with sealife in abundance -
Shamu, Dolphin Cove and Shark Encounter. Manta and Kracken
rollercoasters
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Aquatica - Orlando's newest
water-park with wave pools, lazy river and high-speed tube rides
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Busch Gardens -
Wildlife park and thrill rides in Tampa Bay -
SheiKra, Cheetah Hunt, Congo River Rapids, Kumba and
Rhino Rally
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Discovery Cove - Swim with dolphins,
relax around the lazy river with tropical birdhouse or catch some rays on the closest beech to Indian
Wells
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Shamu show |
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Manta rollercoaster |
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Seal Pirate show |
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Having decided which of the theme parks, attractions and water-parks you would like to visit, there is the decision of
where and when to buy the tickets. Not only that, but there are a considerable variety of 'passes' you can buy which cater for multiple parks, tickets that expire after a certain amount of days and 'Hopper' passes (allowing you to visit multiple parks on the same day).
At certain times of the year, some parks will offer special promotions whereby a second or third day is free, which could mean purchasing a multi-day pass is not always necessary.
For special events or parks like Discovery Cove which only allow a limited number of persons to enter each
day , pre-purchasing tickets is strongly advised. For attractions like Gatorland, look out for voucher booklets
and on-line deals which may have money-off coupons.
Buying tickets at the park gate can sometimes be the most expensive, unless there are
good value 'return deals' e.g. buy one day, get the rest of the year free. Cheaper deals can often be
found by pre-purchasing before arriving in Florida. We would always recommend that you compare the official park websites for special
promotions with ticket agencies and even your local travel agent. When considering price, many of the official park websites have their tickets and passes quoted in US
Dollars. Always take into account the current exchange rate at the point you buy. Before purchasing attraction tickets,
ensure your requirements are met with regard to what parks are included with the ticket, how many days the ticket
is valid for
and do 'unused' days ever expire.
When you arrive in the Orlando and Kissimmee area, you will notice that ticket outlets are just about everywhere - all advertising the
'best' price. Beware of purchasing tickets at market stalls and from unofficial sellers. These may be time-share related, or 'unused' day passes that have been sold on and require identification to gain entry back into the parks. It is worth noting that the Walt Disney World multi-passes are
'high tech', with re-entry back into a Walt Disney World park comparing a biometric finger-bone density measurement!
To gauge the approximate prices of many of the passes and tickets, take a look at 'Orlando Park Tickets' for discounted tickets from a reliable agency.
There is also another independent seller based alongside WalMart on the edge of Indian Wells and highway SR535.
As frequent visitors to the parks and attractions, we are always available to assist guests with their
vacation plans and ticket requirements.
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