I am planning on a vacation to Orlando and wondering which Disney parks to go to, and or Busch Gardens?
July 1st, 2008 by Marsha
strykerkid423 asked:
Which is the best and best value? I have four days to visit whichever ones I want.
Which is the best and best value? I have four days to visit whichever ones I want.
- Posted in Orlando Vacation
July 5th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Busch Gardens is in Tampa but if you are in the mood for rides and animal attractions and are already going to be in Orlando, go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The park is amazing with the attention to detail and care for which the animals are kept. The only animals we didn’t get to see were the meerkats. They were all underground apparently for the day. But the imagineers and keepers have made it so that the animals are all out for us to see. The lion may be asleep up on his perch in the Safari ride but he’s still out so you can see him. Animal Kingdom is great. I think there is something for everyone’s tastes. and definitely check out Everest, the rollercoaster.
And if you don’t want a Disney experience, try Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. There is not a boring moment to be had there. Tons of rides, shows, food, characters, and shopping. It’s just a really good time.
As far as value goes, Busch Gardens I believe is less expensive than Disney, Universal costs about the same as Disney. Check the websites to see if they are offering a Florida/Georgia residents discount (if you live in these two states). Universal offers a better park hopper deal. Busch Gardens and Sea world often have coupons available at Wendy’s and Taco Bell Restaurants. But truly, for the dollar, the Disney experience makes it a great value. They really know what they are doing
Whatever you do have a great time and wear sunscreen, and don’t forget your umbrella or poncho, the afternoon showers are pretty reliable. Doesn’t last long, and cools the day off so can’t complain too much
July 7th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
it depends on your age. and rollar coaster preferences
disney: -animal kindgdom is for younger kids
-magic kingdom is the same as disney land
-mgm is my fav and has the ‘thrill rides” and shows
- epcot is boring its kind of disney history and culture
- water parks around there are fun
^go there to plan yours
Busch gardens in tampa sux compared to the one in williamsburg but has a lot of rollar coasters (at least compared to disney) but if your ever in williamsburg even if you dont like the one in tampa its worth going to
^go there for tampa
July 8th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Note; Bush Gardens is not in Orlando, its in Tampa, about
2+ hours west by car (depending on traffic) , at the moment,
they are offering shuttle service between Sea World & Bush Gardens.
As for Disney, all parks are the same price with the Magic Kingdom being the favorite for people with young kids. The other 3 depend on your personal tastes. Enjoy your trip.
July 11th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Depending on your age, I would definitely suggest not missing out on magic kingdom and epcot. If you’re older, then definitely check out epcot. you’ll enjoy it!
July 11th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I just returned from orlando I would say the best park out of the disney parks is the mgm I had a lot of fun at that park and it seems to have the best rides. the other disney parks sem to be for younger kids.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:35 am
If you have four days you should really look at your priorities. If you want great rides then you want somehting different to characters and kids rides. I would suggest:
Islands of adventure - A great park (my favourite) it has lots of rides including the hulk and dueling dragons as the big coasters but not forgetting spiderman which is 3D and absolutely amazing. Then theres three great water rides including popeye and jurrassic park. It is greatly themed and there is alot to do.
Animal Kingdom - So much better than busch gardens, the animal enclosures and the safari is ten times better and although there aren’t as many big looping thrill rides they have lots of good attractions like the brilliant expedition everest where you follow the yeti and kali river rapids that will get you soaked. There is also dinosaur a great ride where you go back in time and it’s tough to be a bug the great bugs life 3D show. In my opinon the safari is far better than busch gardens and disney have alot more money for greater themed rides and attention to detail.
Typhoon lagoon OR Blizzard Beach - These are the two disney water parks which are both brilliant. If you prefer a massive wave pool with 6ft high waves every minute then typhoon lagoon is the place for you, it also has some decent slides with a new water coaster in crush and gusher. A family raft ride and some other slides. However if you prefer water slides then go to Blizzard Beach which has the tallest slide in USA and the longest raft slide in the world. It is a great day with many slides and kids areas. There is also the other water park Wet n wild but this is not disney and is in the middle of busy international drive, it is not relaxed and has little themes. It still is a decent water park but I much prefer disneys.
Universal Studios or MGM - Universal studios has some brilliant rides in the rollercoaster the return of the mummy and in Shrek 4D and Men in Black where you shoot aliens. Theres also the unforgettable jaws boat ride and the terminator 3D show. MGM is also based on the movies but does not have as many rides althoguh the two big ones they do have are very good in Tower of Terror which is awesome and Rock n Rollercoaster where you go upside down listening to aerosmith. I prefer universal but MGM also has thing like Muppets 3D, the great movie ride and the backlot tour.
Those are my suggestions but there is also Magic kingdom and Epcot. Magic kingdom is a great park and is hard to leave out but it is still alot for kids even though there are some great rides like space, splash and thunder mountain. Epcot is slightly more educational and only has three rides in test track, soarin and mission space.
Hope you make the right choice and have a good time.
July 14th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
It depends on what you want and who is going with you. Value wise it is the same price to get into any park. If you are there for 4 days I would recommend getting a 3 or 4 day park hopper pass. In those 4 days you could actually visit all 4 parks, and then go back to the rides you want to try again. Disney has it set up so the more days you buy, the less the ticket price per day is. Also, the park hopper option is an extra cost, but the flexibility it gives is important. Let me give you an example. On day one you spend a couple of hours at the Animal Kingdom, then decide that you want to go to MGM and ride the Aerosmith Rock’N'Roller coaster and catch the Fantasmic night time show. You can ONLY do something like that if you add the park hopper option onto your ticket. It just gives you the ultimate in flexibility instead of being stuck going to one park on one day.
Which parks you want to go to definitely depends on what you want. Each park has something for everyone. The Magic Kingdom is traditionally thought of as being for the younger kids, however they have Space Mtn., Splash Mtn., Thunder Mtn. Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and Buzz Lightyear. Epcot is thought of as more for the adults, yet they offer Test Track, Soarin’ and Mission Space. The point is that each park has rides and attractions that appeal to everyone. My suggestion would be to go to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM for sure. The AK is nice, but it is mostly animals (not really tons to see) and Expedition Everest, which is a great roller coaster but not worth going to AK on a limited time schedule. Check out the Disney website and go through the rides and attractions and pick out what you want to see!
As for Busch Gardens, it is in Tampa and a 2 hour ride from Orlando. It is a nice park, but again on a limited time schedule not worth riding all the way to Tampa. I would save it for another trip when you have a bit more time (it gives you and excuse to go back, not that you really need one!)
Hope this helps, have a great trip!
July 17th, 2008 at 3:55 am
go to all parks in disney. forget busch gardens. this are in tampa. about one hour from disney.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:53 am
If you’re bringing young kids, Disney would be your best bet. They did just raise ticket prices however. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is very hot & Humid with not alot to do. Busch Gardens has awesome animal exhibits all over the park. BG & Seaworld also have free beer gardens! Whoo Hoo! Try this…
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I’ve lived in Fl all my life & i enjoy these 2 parks the most. Disney has long lines & too many people period. Most of the rides are for kids & as an adult you’ll have less fun. The best time to visit Florida’s parks is September. Short lines, less heat, less people period.