I talk a lot about the theme parks and give general tips here. But I bet a lot would like to know just what I personally would do if I was on a vacation in Orlando, Florida. Well, this fall my mom and sister will be coming down.
It will be the first time they have come down here together, for my mom it will be her first time in Florida. So I’ve been thinking about what to do and where to go once they are here.
Now they can only stay about a full week, which is about the amount of time many spend on a Orlando vacation. So what do you do in a week for someone who has never been down here before?
Well it’s for sure your only going to skim the surface of what you can do down here. I’ve been making a list of the best way to show mom the most she can see, without overdoing it. So, we have about 8 days total.
Now, the first and last day will be just flying down or back, so those days are pretty much shot. That leaves 6 full days we can do something. The number one thing on my list is, one day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom! 
An Orlando vacation is just not complete without one day at the Magic Kingdom, especially if you have never been there before. So mom and my sister will finally get to see Cinderella’s Castle and all that good stuff.
Plus they will get to see some great fireworks and maybe a night parade if they have them this fall. Crowds will be light in the fall so it’s one of the best times to go. So that takes care of one day, 5 left.
Since mom has never been to the ocean we have to spend a day there. But, she also happens to be a big NASCAR fan! So we will go up to Daytona Beach and stop by the Daytona 500 racetrack.
They have a little tour you can take so we will do that. Mom can finally see the track in person and say she has been there. From there we will head down to route 1A, which is the road that follows the beach.
But we will NOT stop at Daytona beach! Too crowded and busy. Instead I will give them a scenic ride all the way up to Flagler beach, north of Daytona. Up there you can find many places to pull over and have the beach all to yourself.
Two days down, four to go. Next I want to take them to an animal park of some type. That leaves me with Disney’s Animal Kingdom or SeaWorld. Animal Kingdom has more real animals in it, while SeaWorld is mostly aquatic types.
But I think they will enjoy SeaWorld, with the dolphins, whale shows and so on. Plus it’s a more laid back, easy going type of park. Especially during the fall. So SeaWorld it is! Three days left.
Next we will spend a day at Universal Studios. Me and my sister will enjoy the thrill rides there, and I already have an annual pass. Mom can enjoy a few rides but not too many. We can all go on the Harry Potter and the forbidden journey ride, which is a blast.
Plus I will take them to eat at Margaritaville! They have fantastic food at great prices, not just drinks. In fact none of us will drink at all, it’s just for the food. 3 days down, 3 to go.
I want to have a few days with nothing planned. On those days I will just take them around the area, show them the cool places to see and so on. Maybe spend a few hours at a miniature golf place and so on.
Maybe me and my sister will take a helicopter ride, check out Old Town, eat at some places they never ate at before. Just do the little things with no hurry about it. You need a few days like that to wind down.
So if we do anymore theme parks, it will just be one. Maybe Epcot, that has a bit of everything and a cool show each night. I’m going to leave that open and just see how we all feel.
So that’s my own plans for my Orlando family vacation! It’s based on the fact that I have an older mom and middle aged sister (sorry sis) with no kids. For those with kids your plans might be totally different.
Whatever you do, have a few days where you have nothing planned. Check out some smaller attractions those days, go to some nice restaurants, chill out a bit. Walking around the theme parks tire you out!
