Florida holidays

Things to do

For an 'out of this world' experience, head to Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach, to taste space food and maybe even see a live shuttle launch. Meet your favourite Disney Characters and experience the excitement, fantasy and fun of Walt Disney World Resort. Universal Orlando® Resort brings blockbuster films to life with amazing thrill rides and non-stop action. Try white-knuckle rides at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay. Watch spectacular dolphin shows and water-skiing stunts at SeaWorld® Orlando, splash down flumes at Wet 'n Wild® and swim with dolphins at Discovery Cove®, Orlando.

Explore your destination

Retail Therapy
Get set for a great day at Orlando's fabulous shopping malls. Beginning with a huge American breakfast, you'll head to Wal-Mart®, Millennium Mall and Orlando Premium Outlets® for amazing discounts on designer brands
(itinerary subject to change).

Prices from approx. £23pp (adult); £16pp (child 3-9 yrs)

Wet 'n Wild®
A splashing day out at Orlando's most exciting waterpark, at Wet'n Wild® you can boogie down the thrilling retro raft ride, Disco H2O™, speed down vertical and twisting slides or take it easy on the Lazy River.

Prices from approx. £21pp (adult); £15pp (child 3-9 yrs)

Clearwater Beach - Boat, Thrill and Fish
Head to Clearwater Beach, one of the Gulf Coast's true beauty queens. You can take a pleasure cruise along the Pinellas coastline or try deep-sea fishing, all right beside the thrilling theme park, Busch Gardens®.

Prices from approx. £56pp (adult); £43pp (child 3-12 yrs)

Gatorland®
Enter through the massive jaws of Gatorland®, the Alligator Capital of the World. You'll see gators in their natural habitat, meet Alf, the 15-foot long American crocodile, watch amazing shows, and see exotic birds and even snakes.

Prices from approx. £11pp (adult); £7pp (child 3-9 yrs)

Please note: for further details, please speak to your Representative in resort. This is an example guide only and excursions and prices will be subject to change according to season, availability and demand.

Highlights

Walt Disney World Resort®

• Stepping into a fairytale at Disney's Magic Kingdom, a major attraction of Florida holidays, with themed rides, shows and parades inspired by Disney's stories
• Seeing Disney's characters brought to life at Disney's Animal Kingdom, with its high-speed coasters, amazing rides, jungle themed parades and fabulous Lion King show
• Feeling like you're in the movies on your Florida holiday at Disney's Hollywood Studios, with stunt shows, movie rides and Broadway-style shows
• Experiencing rides based on the future at Epcot, blasting off in Mission: SPACE and travelling around the globe in World Showcase
• Plunging down America's highest waterslide, Summit Plummet, at Disney's waterparks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, full of thrills and fast slides

Universal Orlando®

• Soaking up the movie magic at Universal Studios®, a real film and TV studios where you can take a tram around famous filmsets, watch stunt shows and go on rides based on the flicks
• Meeting your heroes at Universal Islands of Adventure®, a real highlight on your Florida holiday, with five exciting lands and rides based on comic books and super heroes

Other adventures

• Having an adventure at dolphin shows at SeaWorld®, speed slides at Wet n' Wild® and fast rollercoasters at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay, some of Florida's other holiday attractions
• Spotting alligators and exotic birds in the Everglades National Park, the US's largest subtropical wilderness
• Meeting an astronaut at Kennedy Space Center, where you can tour launch areas, see giant rockets, train in space flight simulators, and even view a launch
• Grabbing your clubs for a round of golf on your Florida holiday, with courses including Falcon's Fire Golf Club, Kissimmee and five championship courses within Walt Disney World Resort®

Food and drink

Florida holidays are known for their amazing choice of food. You'll find themed restaurants like Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Hard Rock Cafe throughout Orlando and the theme parks. Ribs and burgers are big favourites here, as is seafood, with Red Lobster a popular restaurant chain.

IHOP (International House of Pancakes) is a much-loved breakfast place, where you can fill up on everything, from a full-on American breakfast to pancake stacks smothered in syrup.

Dinner shows make a great night out, including a three-course dinner and show of amazing special effects, action and adventure. The famous ones are Pirate's Dinner Adventure, Medieval Times, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and Arabian Knights, and they're all within a short drive of Kissimmee and International Drive.

Evening Flavour

Magical days and exciting nights fill your Florida holiday. You can head to Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney®, Walt Disney World Resort®, for nightclubs, comedy shows, bars and restaurants, from Fulton's Crab House to Bongos Cuban Cafe. Disney's BoardWalk is dedicated to themed restaurants, and Universal's CityWalk has the world's largest Hard Rock Cafe.

Within Disney's parks, there are firework shows including Wishes™ Nighttime Spectacular at Magic Kingdom and the SpectroMagic Parade, an amazing character procession with coaches and floats illuminated in fairy lights. Times vary throughout the year.

Shopping

You can pick up designer brand clothes and trainers for half their UK price on Florida holidays, perfect for presents. Here are some of the best places to try:

Orlando Premium Outlets® (exit 68 off Interstate 4, Orlando) is a Mediterranean style village with 110 stores.

Florida Mall (on the corner of South Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road, Orlando) has a whopping 270 fashion, accessories, gift and department stores.

Festival Bay Mall, International Drive, is a shopping and entertainment centre with stores including Nine West.

Lake Buena Vista Factory Outlets has famous names at amazing prices, from Gap to Sony.

Local weather

Information

Language: English. Currency: US Dollar. US Embassy and Consulate: 24/31 Grosvenor Sq, London W1A 1AE. Tel. 020 7499 9000. www.usembassy.org.uk

Travel money

US Dollar

You can get commission-free foreign exchange on currency notes and travellers cheques at most First Choice Travel Shops and Holiday Hypermarkets.