Our trip to Orlando was planned with “Everything But Disney” (or Universal or Seaworld) in mind. To that end, we purchased 5 day Go Orlando Cards for pre-paid admission to a variety of tourist attractions. We stayed at Marriott's Cypress Harbour, which is very nice as expected. I have posted a review in the Member's Only Resort Database section.
For those who want the short version, I would recommend the Go Orlando Card if you want an activity filled vacation and have someone willing to be in charge of making sure you get from one activity to the next in a timely fashion. Someone needs to be organized enough to make the reservations for the activities that require them, and make sure you leave with time enough to get there. If you are going for a week, and the weather is expected to be nice, I would definitely get a 3 day card. We had no other plans and were going in January, we got the 5 day card. Since our flight arrived Sunday evening and left Sunday morning, that really only gave us 6 days of vacation, leaving us with only one “free” day. Thankfully (?) the weather was too cold while we were there, so we didn’t miss not having much pool time.
So, that’s the short version, here’s what we actually did. As I said, we arrived on Sunday evening, so we just checked in, and went out to dinner. I had also printed out a bunch of Restaurant.com gift certificates, and we chose to make use of one of them. We went to Nile Ethiopian restaurant and it was really good. If you’ve never been to an Ethiopian restaurant before, the foods are usually strongly seasoned (not necessarily hot, but some dishes are) stews of vegetables and/or meat served on top of injera, which is a flat, crepe like, sour dough spongy bread made of a grain called Tef. You tear off pieces of the additional injera they serve and use it to scoop up bits of the stews. When you are done with the bulk of the stews, you eat the gravy soaked injera that lined your plate. Nile is a welcome oasis in a sea of neon lit chain restaurants lining International Drive.
A sampler platter at Nile Ethiopian Restaurant.
Click for more images.
We were kind of wiped from our travels, so Monday we stayed in the Orlando area for Day 1 use of our Go Orlando Card. First, we drove south to Gatorland. We got to see lots of alligators, as well as a few others animals. Unfortunately, the cool weather meant that the Gators did not jump very high during the Jumparoo show, and many of the more delicate animals, especially the birds, were not on display. Try to go to Gatorland during a warm day. Alligators are cold blooded, they are more active in the warm weather. Be sure to sample the fried alligator nuggets and barbecued alligator ribs available at Pearl’s Smokehouse on site. We spent about 3 hours at Gatorland, and saw all three shows they offer: the Jumparoo, Gator Wrestling, and I even participated in the Upclose Encounters, helping to hold a really long boa constrictor.
It took three of us to hold this snake, that's me on the end.
Click for more pictures from Gatorland.
Bonus for those with kids... If you are there on a hot day, Gatorland features a small splash park. No rides, but lots of sprinklers & fountains to run around in. It would be a great place to cool off, so be sure to bring or wear bathing suits if you are going on a hot day.
After lunch, we headed to International Drive and checked out Train Land International and Wonderworks. Out front of Trainland, they advertise their helicopter tours more than the trains, so I actually drove by and had to turn around. Be sure to take a copy of the scavenger hunt. Without it, it would be a 5 minute walk through, “gee that’s neat” look at a massive model train collection and miniature villages. But, by using the scavenger hunt, you take the time to look at all the impressive details, making it last 30-45 minutes. The hardest item to find? Big Foot. Good luck finding him, we had to ask for help!
One of the Trainland scenes
Trainland is about 1 block from Wonderworks, so rather than move the car, and pay for parking, we left it parked in their lot and walked. Wonderworks was quite fun. There are many interactive exhibits. Some psychological (try walking straight through the spinning tunnel), while other demonstrated weather phenomena or modern technology. Wonderworks takes around 1.5-2 hours to go through.
No, the picture isn’t upside down. The building is.
We went to Butcher Shop steakhouse for dinner. The flame grilled entrees (lamb chops for me, NY strip for dh) were excellent, as were the sides. But we don’t recommend bothering with their appetizers, which seem way overpriced, i.e. $10 for one rather small crabcake, on the menu as “lump” but either overworked or backfin crab was used, as it was all shreds of crab, I sent it back. They honored by Restaurant.com gc even though they are no longer listed with them (I printed mine out back in August). No loss if you choose to go somewhere else, imo.
My husband’s main desire for this central Florida vacation was to visit Kennedy Space Center. Not to worry, the $40 admission is included on the Go Orlando Card. In fact, it even took care of our one spare day, as your admission ticket is good for a return visit within 7 days. We thought KSC would take a few hours in the morning, then we’d go over to the Police Hall of Fame. Instead we spent the entire day there. There are two different 3D IMAX movies to see, a space shuttle launch simulator, bus tours of the entire complex, just a lot more than we expected. In fact, if you really want to see the Police Hall of Fame, you’ll have to tear yourself away from KSC to do it. That way you can use your return ticket to KSC on a non-GOC (Go Orlando Card from now on) use day. The Astronaut Hall of Fame is included as well. You pass it on your way to the main KSC Visitor Complex, it is right next to the Police Hall of Fame.
We never did make it to the Police Hall of Fame, btw, just too much to do at KSC. I highly recommend you visit, we even got to see actual white room construction of components of the International Space Station. Really cool.
The VAB or Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.
It is one of the largest buildings in the world, by volume.
Click for more images of the Kennedy Space Center.
We met a friend in Cocoa Beach for dinner at the Old Fish House. It is casual, and not too expensive, unless you have as big an appetite as my dh, who went for their All You Can Eat Rock Shrimp for $34. The way their AYCE deals goes is you order the most expensive item you are interested in, then you can sample the rest of the items for that price or lower. They have really good seasoned steamed shrimp and crabs, fried shrimp, clams, and grilled or fried fish. This was not a restaurant.com deal, but it was a very nice place, with friendly service and house made key lime pie. What more could you want?
For those who want the short version, I would recommend the Go Orlando Card if you want an activity filled vacation and have someone willing to be in charge of making sure you get from one activity to the next in a timely fashion. Someone needs to be organized enough to make the reservations for the activities that require them, and make sure you leave with time enough to get there. If you are going for a week, and the weather is expected to be nice, I would definitely get a 3 day card. We had no other plans and were going in January, we got the 5 day card. Since our flight arrived Sunday evening and left Sunday morning, that really only gave us 6 days of vacation, leaving us with only one “free” day. Thankfully (?) the weather was too cold while we were there, so we didn’t miss not having much pool time.
So, that’s the short version, here’s what we actually did. As I said, we arrived on Sunday evening, so we just checked in, and went out to dinner. I had also printed out a bunch of Restaurant.com gift certificates, and we chose to make use of one of them. We went to Nile Ethiopian restaurant and it was really good. If you’ve never been to an Ethiopian restaurant before, the foods are usually strongly seasoned (not necessarily hot, but some dishes are) stews of vegetables and/or meat served on top of injera, which is a flat, crepe like, sour dough spongy bread made of a grain called Tef. You tear off pieces of the additional injera they serve and use it to scoop up bits of the stews. When you are done with the bulk of the stews, you eat the gravy soaked injera that lined your plate. Nile is a welcome oasis in a sea of neon lit chain restaurants lining International Drive.
A sampler platter at Nile Ethiopian Restaurant.
Click for more images.
We were kind of wiped from our travels, so Monday we stayed in the Orlando area for Day 1 use of our Go Orlando Card. First, we drove south to Gatorland. We got to see lots of alligators, as well as a few others animals. Unfortunately, the cool weather meant that the Gators did not jump very high during the Jumparoo show, and many of the more delicate animals, especially the birds, were not on display. Try to go to Gatorland during a warm day. Alligators are cold blooded, they are more active in the warm weather. Be sure to sample the fried alligator nuggets and barbecued alligator ribs available at Pearl’s Smokehouse on site. We spent about 3 hours at Gatorland, and saw all three shows they offer: the Jumparoo, Gator Wrestling, and I even participated in the Upclose Encounters, helping to hold a really long boa constrictor.
It took three of us to hold this snake, that's me on the end.
Click for more pictures from Gatorland.
Bonus for those with kids... If you are there on a hot day, Gatorland features a small splash park. No rides, but lots of sprinklers & fountains to run around in. It would be a great place to cool off, so be sure to bring or wear bathing suits if you are going on a hot day.
After lunch, we headed to International Drive and checked out Train Land International and Wonderworks. Out front of Trainland, they advertise their helicopter tours more than the trains, so I actually drove by and had to turn around. Be sure to take a copy of the scavenger hunt. Without it, it would be a 5 minute walk through, “gee that’s neat” look at a massive model train collection and miniature villages. But, by using the scavenger hunt, you take the time to look at all the impressive details, making it last 30-45 minutes. The hardest item to find? Big Foot. Good luck finding him, we had to ask for help!
One of the Trainland scenes
Trainland is about 1 block from Wonderworks, so rather than move the car, and pay for parking, we left it parked in their lot and walked. Wonderworks was quite fun. There are many interactive exhibits. Some psychological (try walking straight through the spinning tunnel), while other demonstrated weather phenomena or modern technology. Wonderworks takes around 1.5-2 hours to go through.
No, the picture isn’t upside down. The building is.
We went to Butcher Shop steakhouse for dinner. The flame grilled entrees (lamb chops for me, NY strip for dh) were excellent, as were the sides. But we don’t recommend bothering with their appetizers, which seem way overpriced, i.e. $10 for one rather small crabcake, on the menu as “lump” but either overworked or backfin crab was used, as it was all shreds of crab, I sent it back. They honored by Restaurant.com gc even though they are no longer listed with them (I printed mine out back in August). No loss if you choose to go somewhere else, imo.
My husband’s main desire for this central Florida vacation was to visit Kennedy Space Center. Not to worry, the $40 admission is included on the Go Orlando Card. In fact, it even took care of our one spare day, as your admission ticket is good for a return visit within 7 days. We thought KSC would take a few hours in the morning, then we’d go over to the Police Hall of Fame. Instead we spent the entire day there. There are two different 3D IMAX movies to see, a space shuttle launch simulator, bus tours of the entire complex, just a lot more than we expected. In fact, if you really want to see the Police Hall of Fame, you’ll have to tear yourself away from KSC to do it. That way you can use your return ticket to KSC on a non-GOC (Go Orlando Card from now on) use day. The Astronaut Hall of Fame is included as well. You pass it on your way to the main KSC Visitor Complex, it is right next to the Police Hall of Fame.
We never did make it to the Police Hall of Fame, btw, just too much to do at KSC. I highly recommend you visit, we even got to see actual white room construction of components of the International Space Station. Really cool.
The VAB or Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.
It is one of the largest buildings in the world, by volume.
Click for more images of the Kennedy Space Center.
We met a friend in Cocoa Beach for dinner at the Old Fish House. It is casual, and not too expensive, unless you have as big an appetite as my dh, who went for their All You Can Eat Rock Shrimp for $34. The way their AYCE deals goes is you order the most expensive item you are interested in, then you can sample the rest of the items for that price or lower. They have really good seasoned steamed shrimp and crabs, fried shrimp, clams, and grilled or fried fish. This was not a restaurant.com deal, but it was a very nice place, with friendly service and house made key lime pie. What more could you want?
Last edited:
