Disney parks or not?

We are coming to Orlando Feb 16-23. We had not planned on visiting any of the Disney Parks. We are going to Universal, IOA, Seaworld and spending a day at Cocoa Beach and maybe....Clearwater for a day. My question is should be maybe do at least 1 Disney park? If so, which one??? We will be taking our 2 boys ages 8 and 11. I thought I had my whole trip planned out but now I am starting to panic, thinking MAYBE we should do 1 Disney park. We will have a rental car. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Disney parks or not?

Keep your original plan.

8 and 11 are:

too old for the Magic Kingdom

too young for Epcot

and MGM is similar to Universal.

Disney parks or not?

Why not swim with the manatees instead? There is no age minimum for it and no scuba certification or anything like that. THAT would be a memorable experience. Not too far from Tampa!

8 and 11 is definitely NOT too old for magic kingdom. i say you should of course take them to MK. i first went when i was 5 and have enjoyed it ever since.

take them to MK before universal or they may be bored with the milder rides.

8 probably isn%26#39;t but an 11-year-old wants thrill rides...

i have always had fun at MK and i am also into thrill rides (love the hulk, dueling dragons, sheikra, etc). i loved it at 11 years old, and other 11 year olds i knew loved it as well. the three mountain rides are plenty to occupy an 11 year old. besides, you don%26#39;t even know what he likes to ride. is he going to want to go on the hulk??

if they like seaworld (which only has ONE real thrill ride -kraken rollercoaster) they will like MK.

freezincold, instead of ';maybe'; doing clearwater i would make that a priority over cocoa. cocoa is pretty run-down lately due to the 2004 hurricane season. its also a little dirty, covered with seaweed, and crab%26#39;s nests (put my blanket on top of one last time! not a great experience...).

You%26#39;ll be right there, I would give yourselves a little Magic. If you feel Magic Kingdom is not right for the boys ( I don%26#39;t think anyone, kids included, are ever too old for MK ) I would give Hollywood Studios a day. They might enjoy the Stunt Car Show in addition to Tower of Terror and Rock n roller Coaster. I also wouldn%26#39;t rule out Epcot which has 3 of the best rides, IMO, Soarin%26#39;, Test Track and Mission Space and some of the Best Restaurants :)

I also agree, give Cocoa Beach a Miss

8 days is plenty of time to throw a little Disney Fun into the mix

No one mentioned Disney%26#39;s animal theme park?

Cocoa Beach is rather built-up. Playalinda Beach (Canaveral National Seashore) is beautiful but issues may persist about nudity. The Kennedy Space Center and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge make a good day trip. Or Sebastian Inlet State Park, which has surfers to watch, fishing, a protected beach, and other things to do. It%26#39;s a beautiful area, a bit of unspoiled Atlantic coast.

How could we forget Animal Kingdom !!

You could fit in 1/2 day at AK and 1/2 day at HS. Double the fun :)

MGM..head right to Rock N Rollercoaster. Then over to Tower of Terror. Have lunch or dinner at the Prime Time Cafe. Spend the day at this park if you only have one to choose. Your kids will talking about this for a long time.

Your kids are old enough that you may wish to give them the list of options and let them chose among a few of them. Maybe each one gets one day to pick, then you fill in the rest?