Orlando, Florida

        Orlando Florida, the Sunshine State, is also the happiest place on earth for me. Why? Because I'm a kid at heart forever and my favorite theme parks are there such as Disney World, Universal Studios, and Seaworld. Most of you are hesitant to go on vacation because you're afraid that it will be too expensive or maybe you had been there already but doesn't want to go back because you spent too much money on your last trip. In this blog, I'm going to give you tips on how to enjoy Orlando without breaking your piggy bank.

          So where do I start? 2 weeks ago, we were just in our Wisconsin vacation for Columbus Day. My husband told me that he got this conference that he wanted to attend so me and the girls decided to tag along. Once again, we packed our bags that were barely unpacked from our previous getaway and drove 19 hours from Chicago to Orlando.

           Tips: Last minute flights are always expensive. For family of 4, instead of spending $2000 for airplane tickets, we only spent almost $300 in gasoline. The price of gas was also cheaper as you go further south so make sure to fill your tank.

          Next, my husband's conference was held at the Disney Swan Resort. With the discounted rate, the hotel will still cost us a thousand dollars for 4 nights + $18 parking fee/day + no free breakfast. And because I know that we will be at the theme park and my husband will be at his conference all day, I decided to book an accommodation which was 10 mins away from the Swan and half the price.

So here's the list of our 5 days itinerary when we got to Orlando.

DAY 1:     UNIVERSAL CITY WALK

          After driving overnight, we got to our hotel and went to the City Walk for Dinner. Tip: Preferred parking cost $10 because it's supposed to be closer, regular parking was $5. After paying more, we realized that the distance was not really much of a difference. So just get a cheaper parking and wear comfortable shoes to walk.

          The City Walk was full of life! There were shops and restaurants all over. We had dinner and drinks at Margaritaville. We were tempted to go to Universal Studios but the kids were a bit scared of the Spooky Halloween Fest.

DAY 2:  DISNEY SPRINGS

          We went to Disney Springs (formerly called Downtown Disney) to just hang out and walk around. We made reservations at the TREX restaurant and while waiting, the kids enjoyed digging some fossils in the play area inside. Tip: Even if you're not eating in that restaurant, you can just get in the fossil play area from the shop. Also, the adult menu was a big portion so 2 people can share. Every 15 mins, the restaurant have special dinosaur sound effects.  It was really entertaining!

        Then we went to the Lego store where kids played forever. Disney Springs also had the biggest Disney Store I've ever seen. My girls were never too old to enjoy Disney toys again! And not to mention, Bella's love for chocolate!

DAY 3: BUSCH GARDENS

         We drove 1.5 hours from Orlando to Busch Gardens Tampa. The park was huge! It's a zoo and a roller coaster park all in one. My favorite ride was the Cheetah Hunt Roller coaster and Falcon Fury. The park also had different shows scheduled throughout the day. We were in our slow pace that day that we didn't finish the last section of the park. Kids were okay because it was the Sesame Street area so they were a little too big for that. Tip: Make sure to bring extra clothes to change because the water rides and play area will really make you wet. If your kids are smaller, start on the left side of the park so they can enjoy the Semame Street section.

         I was thinking that we'll have enough time to go to the beach after Busch Gardens but we were all so tired that we just went back to our hotel to rest.

Cheetah Hunt

I conquered the Falcon Fury!

I've never seen so many flamingos in my life!

DAY 4: SEAWORLD

        I was so excited for this day because I love Seaworld and it was my girls' first time there. Our favorites were the Dolphin, Sea Lion and Shamu shows. The kids were just mesmerized seeing a lot of sea creatures that they haven't seen. Since it's Halloween week, they had trick or treating for kids and they were very generous in giving treats. It was very festive!

          Tip: Buy a wristband for the meals because you can eat all you can while you're at the park. The restaurants close an hour before the park closes so make sure to eat your dinner earlier so you can get your money's worth using your dining plan.

         I must say, Seaworld is now one of our favorite themeparks!

DAY 5: ORLANDO PREMIUM OUTLET MALL

          Last day in Orlando, we went shopping in the outlet mall before going to Aquatica Waterpark. But since there were a lot of GOOD DEALS in the stores and its a bit cooler during that day, we decided to just ditch the waterpark and shop more. Tip: Control yourself and don't spend all your money!

          After picking up my husband from his conference, we went to Disney Boardwalk to kill time before driving back to Chicago since it was rush hour. Parking was free and we took the ferry ride just to have a tour in different areas. The restaurants here were pricey so we just ordered pizza and sat on the patio by the water. The weather was nice. Kids also enjoyed watching the performers on the boardwalk. We wanted to stay for the movie at the park but it was time for us to go.

         Tip: I just realized that if you plan to go to Disney Epcot and Hollywood, to save money for parking, you can park free at the Boardwalk then take the free ferry to those parks back and forth.

          It was an awesome 5 day getaway and a mother-daughter bonding for us! Too bad my husband was not able to join us at the theme parks but I'm sure Florida will be our second home so we'll have plenty of time to do it next time. Tip: Fall is the perfect season to visit Orlando. The weather was not hot and there's lesser people at the theme parks. You'll definitely enjoy all your outdoor adventures! If you plan to stay for 5 days, just go to 2-3 theme parks because at the end of the day, we all get so tired from walking and we need an extra day to recover before going to the other parks.

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