Ok ladies, unleash your in Alan Whickers.
I'm going to Florida in April, 6 days in Orlando doing the obvious then 6 days in Boca Grande then a short hop for 3 days in New York. I'm taking the missus, two kids (7&8) and then my two grown ones (21&19) and there respective partners, so all in 2 adults, 4 nearly adults and 2 kids.
I haven't booked the hotel in New York yet because I'm confused. I've been a couple of times but nobody else has. My holidays there were always off piste. Do I want to stay Times Square or village. I've also found a place with a great view over the Hudson, bigger rooms for your buck and a 4 minute tube from ground zero. So in order;
Disney main park
Universal Studios
Universal Islands of Adventure
Seaworld
Beach
Airboat? Fishing?
New York
Ground zero, time square, empire state......
What shall I do, what shouldn't I miss, if I stay in New Jersey will I really be robbing my family of a cramped hotel room near the park? Should we swim with dolphins, fill yer boots, it's only money!
I don't know anything about Florida, but I've been to NYC a few times. My thoughts:
- We stayed in The Pod Hotel (http://www.thepodhotel.com/). Tiny rooms, but cleverly designed and it's right slap bang in the middle of Manhattan (right where you want to be). Probably not the cheapest, but it was good fun.
- Go up the Empire State Building at night, it's incredible.
- The Statue Of Liberty is well worth the queue/security hassle for the ferry. The museum on Staten Island is pretty good too.
- Go and get a 'beer and a slice' in Little Italy. It's the best pizza you can get outside of Naples. So I'm told.
- Greenwich Village is always lively, lots of indie shops and great bars with shuffleboards and cheap beer!
- Rent some bikes and go for a ride around Central Park. Excellent for clearing away the jet-lag.
- If they're playing, and you've never been to one before, go and see a baseball game. It's a unique experience! They can go on all night though, so prepare for a late one and bring a jacket.
- Walk through Time Square on a Friday/Saturday night, just so you can get hassled by the comedy club guys. They'll follow you down the street yelling one-liners at you to try and go into their clubs, it's a good laugh.
- If you want a beer tasting extravaganza, pay a visit to The Ginger Man (http://www.gingerman-ny.com/)
- Get yourself a bagel from Ess-A-Bagel (http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/). Go easy on the fillings if you want to be able to walk anywhere afterwards.
I'm gonna save that reply Tut, going to new york in the summer and some of that sounds too good to miss :D
Flordia
Do both universal parks they were the best out of all them. The Simpson ride is one of the best. Also it really had alot more theme park as lots of moive bits. For example the Blue Brothers turned up and started singing.
Disney go to the main park spend the day there and make sure that you stay for the fireworks at the end of the day as they are great. Oh Bush gardens as well is worth a shot.
As you are only there for 6 day Nasa might be a bit of a trip but is great I really enjoyed it.
I agree with Tut on his New York I would add doing going down to the park where the Staten Island ferry is quite pretty and has the old power station from MiB
New Jersey I wouldn't stay in mainly because of the travel. The beaches are great lots of places to chill out etc but still some distance from the city.
You could always go north I don't think Niagara is that far I think TL was out there recently.
Hope that helps
Not done Florida yet so I cant comment.
The places I was going to suggest are not really family friendly as I have always been working in NY so Sales have taken me out to some pretty interesting places that only the locals would know. Niagra is a days drive realistically and I would recommend circling back via Boston is there is plenty to do there if you are going to attempt that trip. Toronto is an amazing place too =) well worth a visit!
Back to NY; I got a pretty cool tour of the UN as one of my colleges brothers worked there so got to sit in all of the seats with photo ops and cool stuff that you cannot normally do, with Kids I would leave that one off as the normal tour is pretty boring. Ground Zero for me was worth it but again its a 10 minute jobbie and kids may get bored. Empire state is a thumbs up and I think you can book a slot these days to avoid queues.
Keep you younger ones on a bit of string as walking around NY in rush hour can be pretty crazy depending on where you go and its easy to get em lost.
DZ
Not sure Niagara falls is doable with only 3 days..........if my memory serves me well it's 5-6 hours drive each way from NYC to there so it would be a day lost to car travel. Worth seeing......but probably does not fit your schedule.
Quote from: BrotherTobious;367796You could always go north I don't think Niagara is that far I think TL was out there recently.
It's too big of a trek unless you fly up there. You really need 1.5 days of solid uninterrupted time at Niagara to do everything there. You can cram it into a day (just), but a 2 day stay there is recommended (nice hotels overlooking the falls). Not really commutable from the apple though.
The best part of Florida to me is the Keys, i love the food down there which is real not corn dogs etc the scenery is also great the drive over the sea is breathtaking the people there were also friendly.
Been about 14 years since I was in Florida but I agree with BT. I found the Universal Parks to be the best of the Theme Parks and Bush Gardens has/had some of the best rollercoasters in the States in addition to being a fun mix of Theme Park and Zoo. We only spent about 9 days in Orlando after a couple of weeks in Naples on the west coast but we had enough time for basically all the parks if we wanted. The main reason I liked Sea World and Busch Gardens is that they have a nice change of rides and feeling around them after doing Disney and Universal Parks which are very movie/cartoon focused.
Never been myself but sea fishing could be fun for the family or at least the lad's, Ladies might get a bit bored?
When you go to florida, you might get a pass where you get access to all the Disney Parks. Sure "Magic Kingdom" is the classic and biggest one, but for small kids the Disney Animal Kingdom is actually where good i think. You can easily spend 2 days in the Magic Kingdom park, but Animal Kingdom is more like 1 day. They also have a park called Epcot which is a lot of mechanical things, and its actually a really cool place. Some of the things are for bigger children (and childhood like adults) so personally its my favorite park.
Last time i was in Florida (2008) the Disney Parks had their Fastpass technology and Universal Studios have a VIP pass. Some of the things you have to buy, but you can save a LOT of time in the queues if you look into how these things work. You might have to buy some of them from home, as they only sell in limited numbers.
Have a nice trip ;)
Spent a week in and around Miami once, which is quite a way south of Florida Florida, but if you're going that far...
We stated at the unique Betsy hotel in south beach on ocean drive. It wasn't quite the same America I have seen anywhere else. Lots of interesting people-watching and art Deco buildings everywhere. Loads of places to eat loads of good food (our trip coincided with a Miami fine dining promotion)
Did a tour in one of those flat boats with massive fans zooming down narrow lanes between the mangrove-type-plants, was pretty fun, and the people running the alligator farm from where it started were something else...
I can highly recommend the guided jet ski tour round the Miami bay area, past the mansions of the rich and famous. Totally different perspective from when you are in the middle of it all. Throw in the terrifyingly fun parts like having to go fast enough to ramp over the wake of a container ship in order to overtake it and going full throttle to reach 50 or 60 mph on flat (ish water). Well worth it.
Go north from the 192 out of Kissimee on the 27 for about 25 minutes and you'll come to the Lake Ridge vineyard (http://www.lakeridgewinery.com/) (left-hand side) they do a free wine-tasting tour of the facility.
On the same road, shortly before that on the right, is the Citrus Tower (http://www.citrustower.com/clermont/) and Museum of Presidents. The museum is small and very cheesy, but the tower can give clear views for miles - you can see the Disney Parks from up there.
Going south on the 27, a bit further (30-40 minutes) there's the Bok tower and gardens (http://boktowergardens.org/tower-gardens/the-singing-tower/) at the highest point in Florida. Take some insect repellent though, we got bitten to hell. Worth it though for the photos we got.
North even further is Silver Springs (http://www.silversprings.com/) (about 1 hour drive from Orlando) - it's where the old Johnny Wisemuller tarzan films were made. The water there is clear to the bottom in 30-40ft of water, so in the 40s they could film under water. There's glass bottom boat tours and a zoo. Worth a days excursion.
These are a few places I've been on my last trip to Florida that are off the tourist trail (and a bit cheaper as a result).
If you want to do Dolphins, Seaworld's discovery cove (http://www.discoverycove.com/) is a great day out. Things to note: All the family should be able to swim to get in with the dolphins, but if they don't (toddler or non-swimmer) they can stay on the beach. All wetsuits, food and suncream is supplied in the park - all but souvenirs are inclusive.
The park is a lazy river, beaches, lagoons and play areas around a cabana restaurant and shop, there's bird aviaries where you can hold exotic birds and a artificial reef where you can swim with fish and rays.
It's exclusive - only 1,000 visitors a day - so you have to book. It ain't cheap (about £650 for a family of four) however, here's the best bit, if you book and buy the "package deal" they include 14 days unlimited pass to the Busch group's other parks - Seaworld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens, so if you can make use of that, you save a packet! normal admission for 2+2 to any Florida park is around £200+ per day.#
Airboat rides in the glades - an experience, but not altogether pleasant. The water is like stewed tea (the mangroves put tanin in the water) and it smells horrible, plus the very loud boat frightens away all but sleeping gators. A tractor ride is better. You are more likely to see wild pigs and bears as well as gators and the abundant birdlife.
Hope that helps some.
Sounds like Arithon was on the same holiday as me lol.
We really enjoyed swimming with Dolphins at Discovery Cove. As Arithon says, you need to book it in advance.
The other parks are just what you'd expect but we really enjoyed Animal Kingdom more than the others. It's done well and the animals are not fenced in as such so is a lot more aesthetic.
May be consider going to NASA's Cape Canaveral? It's a large site and pretty spectacular. Not the cheapest and the Vehicle Assembly Building has to be seen to be believed. Depending on your budget you can do a experience day from anything from a tour to lunch with Buzz Aldrin so your call. Don't think you can go weightless though which would have been good!
Rednecking it you can go airboating in the Everglades (worth a visit in any case if you want a day away from the commercialness of it all).
We were there for a month so drove the length of the Keys and back. I doubt you'll be wanting to do that but the keys are real quirky. The biggest laugh we had was going for some drinks out the hotel, turn left and a few hundred metres up the road. Muggins accidentally turned right, straight onto 7-mile bridge which meant a nice 14 mile round trip before getting to the shop - d'oh.
For NYC:
As you're splashing the cash helicopter trips are a spectacular way of seeing downtown.
The kids (boys anyway) may want a trip to see the Intrepid Aircraft carrier (http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/)while the girls do the Bloomingdales and Macy's sort of thing.
MOMA (http://www.moma.org/)was great but not sure the kids will like it. We mainly went as they had a Seurat exhibition and he's my favourite painter.
Whatever you do, go visit a Brookstones store if you've never done it. The kids will love you for it.
Have to do the Empire State just 'cos you must.
We prefer to stay midtown as you can get anywhere (from Ground Zero to Central Park) really easily. We stay near Madison Square Gardens and found it well located. Are you hotel'ing it? My only other idea would be a serviced apartment where you can relax between trips and visits. Apparently AirBNB (https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s?location=New+York%2C+NY&checkin=&checkout=&guests=10&submit_location=&page=1)is meant ot be a good way. Otherwise Greenwich Village is popular as is the new district of Hells Kitchen.
Ground Zero was pretty haunting when I last went there - mind you that was two months after 9/11. We went to NY again in 05 but didn't make it south.
Statue of Liberty is a good one (comfy shoes) alternatively the Staten Island Ferry is a cheaper way of seeing the sites and looking like a commuter.
Rockefeller Center - 'top of the rock' ? No iceskating in April but a site.
Central Park - horsey trip if you're loaded, bikes if not.
http://www.thehighline.org/ - this is a new one where they've converted an old ele train into a park. I've read about this is so many architectural magazines over the last couple of years and apparently it's stunning (and free). A great place to walk, get out and sightsee.
Go have a look at Grand Central Train Station, just to suck it in if nothing else.
Bryant Park is a nice place to visit - the kids may like it.
If you want a truly bizarre experience (and a girl with you) then the American Girl Place (http://www.americangirl.com/stores/location_ny.php) has to be up there. Take along your American Girl doll where it can have its hair done, get its ears pierced, buy it a new wardrobe and even take it out for lunch in the restaurant with its own special chairs etc. I kid you not.
Shopping wise? Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks on 5th Avenue, Brookestones. Tiffany's just so you can sing the song as you go past.
Apart from that have fun!
Quote from: Penfold;368251We mainly went as they had a Seurat exhibition and he's my favourite painter.
Ooooh, my stipples have gone all hard......
Seurat always reminds me of Lowry, but with less point to it.....
:getmecoat:
Thanks all, some good stuff in there.
We've sorted the park tickets for Orlando so got that pretty much covered now. Boca Grande will be a chill out then hitting New York. We're hotelling New York because we couldn't find a serviced apartment, but we're midtown so should be fine. Excited isn't the word, predominately to give the kids something to remember!
Quote from: Benny;368288Excited isn't the word, predominately to give the kids something to remember!
We did the same for our kids last year with a trip to Canada. It's worth it and they'll talk about it and remember it fondly for the rest of their lives.