Hit the Streets
"Pick three or four theme
parks to visit on a weeklong trip -- fewer if your kids are under age
5," says Ogintz, the founder of TakingtheKids.com. Disney's Animal
Kingdom offers a new Wilderness Explorers program with sticker badges
and field guides for kids ages 7 to 10, while SeaWorld Orlando opened
the Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin exhibit in May ($89 for 12 and up,
$81 for kids 3 to 11, free for younger kids). The highlight: a chilly
ride through the South Pole. Princesses will delight in the Magic
Kingdom's made-over Fantasyland (with a new castle for Belle) while kids
obsessed with superheroes, Transformers, or Harry Potter may prefer the
two theme parks at Universal Orlando Resort ($140 for 10 and up, $130
for kids 3 to 9, free for kids under 3, for a two-day ticket to both
parks). Universal's new attraction Transformers: The Ride -- 3D opened
in June. On very hot days, head to a water park; Wet 'n Wild Orlando
($55 for 10 and up, $50 for kids 3 to 9, free for younger kids) and
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon ($52 for 10 and up, $44 for kids 3 to 9, free
for younger kids) have fun sections for younger kids. Balance the rest
of your trip with lower-key stops like the Orlando Science Center ($19
for 12 and up, $13 for kids 3 to 11, free for younger kids) or Lake
Eola. "My kids like riding the swan boats and feeding the ducks there,"
says Orlando resident Melanie Edwards, who blogs at modernmami.com.
Hit the Sheets
To be near Walt Disney World, stay at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort
Bonnet Creek; 84 of its 400 rooms have bunk beds and two sinks -- one is
kid-size. (Rooms with two double beds start at $159 per night and
bunk-bed rooms start at $239 per night. Get 15 percent off a two-night
stay and a $50 resort credit with the promo code PARENTS; wyndham.com.)
Have a large family, or bringing the grandparents? Book a two- bedroom
suite, which sleeps eight, at Sonesta ES Suites Orlando. A kitchen,
pool, and free breakfast are perks. (Rates for a two-bedroom suite start
at $149 per night; sonesta.com/orlando.)