Should we make the drive?

We are returning to Florida at Spring break again in April 07 but this time we are staying in St. Pete Beach. Are we crazy to drive to Orlando and back to take the kids to Disney?? My husband thinks the kids will want to go to MK(I think maybe he%26#39;s the one who wants to go) but have%26#39;nt been to Busch gardens either and its closer but we only are able to do one or the other...our boys are 8,6,5.

Thanks in advance

Should we make the drive?

I think with the ages of your kids , Disney may be a better option. Busch Gardens has lots of rides your 5 %26amp;6 year old may not be able to go on. Disney has much more to offer younger kids. Would you consider staying a night in Orlando? THat way you wouldn%26#39;t have such a long drive after a long day in the parks.

Should we make the drive?

I would have to agree about splitting your time between the 2 cities rather than driving back and forth. The one thing to remember is that the parks will be very full during Spring Break so you literally could be in the park all day long and it will be quite warm then as well. I don%26#39;t think I would want a 2 hour long drive at the end of a long day like that.

At the hour you%26#39;d have to leave St. Pete to get to Disney at opening time, not to mention that long drive back after you%26#39;ve worn yourself out at Disney all day, I%26#39;d say it%26#39;s not worth the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

We used to try this when we stayed at Daytona Beach. We%26#39;d get up at 4:30 AM, drive all the way to Disney, and we had to go early to beat the Orlando morning rush hour traffic (70 miles). We%26#39;d stay from park opening until park closeing, then try to drive back late that same night. We nearly wrecked the car once when we simply couldn%26#39;t keep our eyes open.

I used to live near St. Pete and we never drove over for just the day. We would always stay over at least one night (and usually two). It can be done, but it%26#39;s a very long day and you have to time your driving around the local rush hours, so you don%26#39;t get stuck on the road.

Since it sounds like you will have a car, I would do Orlando either at the beginning or end of your St. Pete Beach trip. That%26#39;s what we used to do when we drove down from Ohio. We would drive into Orlando first, spend a couple nights doing the Disney thing (they only had one park back then), and then we%26#39;d head to the beach for the rest of the trip.

Thanks for the input.

We are flying in and out of Tampa and staying at a already booked hotel on the beach... deposit taken so I guess the idea of the drive is not so appealing as we would not be able to stay overnight. Does anyone know if Busch Gardens is worth it with kids that are our ages?

I%26#39;m afraid, as far as the rides go, Busch Gardens will be a little to ';old'; for the younger children. They probably won%26#39;t be able to ride many of the ';big'; rides since they may not be tall enough.

However, the animal part of Busch Gardens will be enjoyable for them. It%26#39;s all up to you as to whether its worth the money for the limited things you%26#39;ll be able to do there.

I have a 7-year-old son, and we go to BG enough to warrant annual passes -- it%26#39;s much more laid back than WDW, and my son has plenty of fun!

While there are a few height restrictions, he%26#39;s tall enough to ride most of the rides (most height restrictions aren%26#39;t imposed if they ride with an adult -- except the biggest thrill rides) -- there are also water rides for the family, and lots of great shows and animal exhibits.

There%26#39;s an entire section specifically built for kids -- the Land of the Dragons has smaller rides and water attractions -- bring their swimsuits and surf shoes and let them enjoy --

Thanks Sunshine817 for the info. My boys love the rollercoasters at MK and would want that type of ride.... any other ';special'; things we should do at Busch gardens??

Thanks

The summer before this past summer, we stayd at a beach resort in St Pete Beach. We have been to DW, but decided to drive to Orlando for one day to make a return trip to Epcot. The drive was not bad at all. We left about 8 in the morning and stayed until the park closed, then drove back to St Pete Beach. It was a pleasant drive, and staying on the beach was well worth the drive to Orlando as opposed to staying in Orlando.

I don%26#39;t think you will mind the trip at all. It was a nice day trip and we got to spend a lot of time at Epcot.

While in St Pete, if you have a rental car, you might consider taking a side trip up the coast north to Tarpon Springs. It%26#39;s a great little Greek Sponge fishing village, with a lot of interesting shops. The kids can watch the sponge fishermen and you will love the shops.

Check out the Tampa Bay area closely, there is a lot to do there for kids any age.

Lowry Park Zoo was rated #1 Family Friendly Zoo in America by Child magazine. http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/

How about a ride on a Pirate Ship? Drive down to Fort Desoto Park great beaches and a bit of history. Visit Hillsborough River State PArk. Spring is a great time to be outdoors in Florida!! Take a guided Canoe trip down the Hillsborough River from a few hours to all day!

There%26#39;s also the Florida Aquarium http://www.flaquarium.org/

MOSI [Museum of Science and Industry] http://www.mosi.org/ with it%26#39;s IMAX theatre.

And, If you don%26#39;t mind a little drive [you ARE looking at going all the way to WDW...not the same I know but...] Take a trip down to Parrish, Fl to the Florida RR Museum and take a train-ride out into the ';Wilds'; of FLA in an open passenger car. Find them at http://www.fgcrrm.org/

These are all things my Grandkids have done [except the Pirate Ship-ran out of time] and they loved%26#39;em.