02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page v CONTENTS List of Maps xi About the Authors xiii Introduction 1 Why “Unofficial”? 1 There’s Another World Out There 1 The Attraction That Ate Florida 2 It Takes More Than One Book to Do the Job Right 7 PART ONE Accommodations 9 Orlando Lodging Options 9 Selecting and Booking a Hotel 9 Getting a Good Deal on a Room 12 Condominiums and Vacation Homes 20 Orlando’s Best Hotels for Families 9 Hotels and Motels: Rated and Ranked 39 What’s in a Room? 39 Room Ratings 40 A Word about Toll-free Telephone Numbers 42 The Top 30 Best Deals 42 HOW THE COPYRIGHTEDHOTELS COMPARE 44–51 MATERIAL HOTEL INFORMATION CHART 52–67 PART TWO Busch Gardens Tampa Bay 69 Getting There 72 Admission Prices 72 Arriving 73 Contacting Busch Gardens 75 02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page vi VI CONTENTS Attractions 76 Morocco 76 Crown Colony 76 Egypt 79 Nairobi 81 Timbuktu 83 Congo 86 Stanleyville 88 Bird Gardens 91 Dining 93 Shopping 94 PART THREE Cypress Gardens 95 Getting There 98 Admission Prices 98 Arriving 99 Contacting Cypress Gardens 99 Attractions 100 Adventure Grove 100 Kids’ Rides 107 Splash Island 109 Jubilee Junction/Lake Eloise 111 Nature’s Way 113 The Junior Water Ski Experience and the Junior Belle Program 116 Star Haven Amphitheatre 116 Dining 117 Shopping 117 PART FOUR Gatorland 119 Getting There 121 Admission Prices 121 Arriving 121 Contacting Gatorland 122 Attractions 122 Gatorland Adventure Tours 126 Dining 126 Shopping 127 PART FIVE The Holy Land Experience 129 Getting There 131 Admission Prices 131 Arriving 131 Contacting the Holy Land Experience 132 02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page vii CONTENTS VII Attractions 132 Dining 136 PART SIX Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex 137 Getting There 140 Admission Prices 140 Arriving 141 Contacting Kennedy Space Center 142 Attractions 142 Visitor Center Complex Hub 142 Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour 149 Other Tours 151 Viewing a Launch 152 Dining 152 Shopping 152 PART SEVEN SeaWorld 153 Getting There 156 Admission Prices 156 Arriving 158 Contacting SeaWorld 160 Attractions 160 Dining 176 Shopping 177 Discovery Cove 177 Getting There 180 Prices and Reservations 180 Arriving 181 PART EIGHT Universal Orlando 183 Disney-MGM Studios versus Universal Studios Florida 183 Universal Orlando 186 Lodging at Universal Orlando 187 Arriving at Universal Orlando 187 Early Entry and Universal Express 190 Singles Lines 191 Lockers 191 Universal, Kids, and Scary Stuff 192 iVillage Live and Blue Man Group 192 Universal Studios Florida 194 Universal Studios Florida Attractions 195 Live Entertainment at Universal Studios 210 Universal Studios Florida Touring Plan 211 02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page viii VIII CONTENTS PART EIGHT Universal Orlando (continued) Universal Studios Florida One-day Touring Plan 211 Buying Admission to Universal Studios Florida 211 Touring Plan 211 Universal’s Islands of Adventure 213 Beware of the Wet and Wild 213 Getting Oriented at Islands of Adventure 214 Islands of Adventure Attractions 215 Marvel Super Hero Island 215 Toon Lagoon 219 Jurassic Park 221 The Lost Continent 223 Seuss Landing 225 Islands of Adventure Touring Plan 227 Islands of Adventure One-day Touring Plan 227 PART NINE The Water Parks and Water Sports 229 Wet ’n Wild and Adventure Island versus Disney Water Parks 229 A Flume-to-Flume Comparison 230 Wet ’n Wild 231 Body and Mat Slides 232 Raft and Tube Rides 233 Other Attractions 234 Wakezone 235 Adventure Island 235 Admission Prices 235 Arriving 236 Getting There 237 Contacting Adventure Island 237 Attractions 237 Water Sports 241 Buena Vista Watersports 241 Orlando Watersports Complex 242 PART TEN Miniature Golf 245 PART ELEVEN Old-Town 253 Getting There 253 Admission Prices 254 Arriving 254 Contacting Old-Town 254 Rides and Attractions 254 02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page ix CONTENTS IX Nonticket Rides 255 Ticket Rides 261 Dining 264 Shopping 265 PART TWELVE International Drive 267 Plan Ahead 267 Getting There 268 Attractions 268 PART THIRTEEN Airboat Tours, Horse Rides, Zoos, and Nature Tours 281 Airboats 281 Airboat Tours 282 Other Animal Attractions 287 PART FOURTEEN Museums and Cultural Attractions 293 Kids and Museums 293 Attractions 294 PART FIFTEEN After Dark 305 Dinner Shows 305 The Shows 305 Family-friendly Comedy Shows 312 The Shows 312 Universal Orlando CityWalk 314 Getting There 315 Admission Prices 315 Arriving 315 Contacting CityWalk 318 CityWalk versus Pleasure Island 318 CityWalk Clubs 319 Metropolis and Matrix 320 Downtown Orlando/Church Street Station Area 321 Getting There 322 Bars and Clubs 322 PART SIXTEEN Dining 325 Dining outside Walt Disney World 325 Take Out Express 325 Dining at Universal CityWalk 328 One Man’s Treasure 330 02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page x X CONTENTS PART SIXTEEN Dining (continued) Buffets and Meal Deals Outside Walt Disney World 330 Fast Food in the Theme Parks 333 Dining at Universal Orlando 335 Universal Orlando Restaurant Profiles 337 Indexes and Reader Survey 349 Accommodations Index 349 Restaurant Index 353 Subject Index 355 Unofficial Guide Reader Survey 367 02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page xi LIST of MAPS South Orlando and Walt Disney World Area 10–11 Hotel Concentrations around Orlando Area Attractions 13 International Drive Area 14 Lake Buena Vista Area and the I-4 Corridor 15 US 192–Kissimmee Resort Area 16 Rental-home Developments 26–27 Busch Gardens 70–71 Cypress Gardens 96–97 Gatorland 120 The Holy Land Experience 130 Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex 138–139 SeaWorld 154–155 Discovery Cove 179 Universal Orlando 188–189 Universal Studios Florida 196–197 Islands of Adventure 216–217 Universal Orlando—CityWalk 316–317 02_098431_ftoc.qxd 3/19/07 9:23 AM Page xii.