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Old 16 Jan 21, 03:55 PM  
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JoJo88
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We’ve stayed a few times in Orlando without doing the parks, or at least no Disney parks. We’ve thought of going elsewhere, but Orlando/Florida has everything we love/need. Accommodation is inexpensive compared to other places, we enjoy the familiarity, the choice of restaurants, shops, other entertainment, so it suits us. We did mix it up, for example, a few nights in Miami as that’s where we flew into. Time on the Gulf Coast. We even stayed up at Universal, at Sapphire Falls without doing the parks, but enjoyed City Walk, Blue Man Group etc.

The very first time we went with no Disney Parks, it did feel strange being so close and not going, it tugged at my sentimental heart strings, but it was nice taking a much slower pace. We’ve been to Florida 8 times, but only visited Disney parks the first 3 times
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Old 16 Jan 21, 04:10 PM  
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ELLENUT
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Our last 2 trips ( 2016 & 2019) were non Disney trips ( mainly due to cost). Plenty to keep us busy, had universal parks, seaworld, aquatica & Busch tkts. 2019 added DC which was great. We also like pool days & shopping days. We have also been to the eye, Tussaud’s & sea life on those trips too which is a good day out. Also go-karting & wild Florida are good fun.

We still did downtown Disney ( sorry, Disney springs &#128514 used transport and went around the resorts ( fireworks from the poly). Cheap way to get Disney fix
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Old 16 Jan 21, 05:01 PM  
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Originally Posted by JoJo88 View Post
We’ve stayed a few times in Orlando without doing the parks, or at least no Disney parks. We’ve thought of going elsewhere, but Orlando/Florida has everything we love/need. Accommodation is inexpensive compared to other places, we enjoy the familiarity, the choice of restaurants, shops, other entertainment, so it suits us. We did mix it up, for example, a few nights in Miami as that’s where we flew into. Time on the Gulf Coast. We even stayed up at Universal, at Sapphire Falls without doing the parks, but enjoyed City Walk, Blue Man Group etc.

The very first time we went with no Disney Parks, it did feel strange being so close and not going, it tugged at my sentimental heart strings, but it was nice taking a much slower pace. We’ve been to Florida 8 times, but only visited Disney parks the first 3 times
I love following your trips! And very much like you, we love Florida for all of those reasons. I’m not a fan of sitting round the pool doing not a lot, it’s too hot and we get bored. We love all the different things you can do in Florida!
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Old 16 Jan 21, 05:13 PM  
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Thanks everyone. Food for thought. We have friends coming with us which is why I’m keen to make it a great holiday, they’ve never been before and are not fussed with Disney, but they want to do universal. I’m trying to make it as cost effective and relaxing for us, I’m not used to having to think about other people’s needs to holiday but that of our own!
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Old 16 Jan 21, 05:19 PM  
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We have done a trip with no parks. But I don’t think I’d go to Orlando if I wasn’t doing parks. There is so much more to Florida than Orlando. We did a road trip, and went to Sanibel island, the Keys, Fort Lauderdale, a couple of nights near cocoa beach to do NASA, st Augustine, Amelia island. All different places. We are not sunbathing people. We did loads of activities - shelling in sanibel, paddleboarding, turtle hospital and dolphin research centre in the keys, a water park (Rapids) north of Fort Lauderdale, dropped into outlet shops, nasa, mini golf, looked around the historic bit of st Augustine, boat trip, baseball.
Other places we have previously visited and would go back to are Dunedin (gulf coast), Kelly park (state park north of Orlando - you can go tubing there), weekie watchee springs (a little north past Dunedin), Sarasota.
So much to do.
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Old 16 Jan 21, 08:32 PM  
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DH and I went for our 25th anniversary in 2017, first time just the two of us . We went to Universal once so I could get my fix but that was it .
We did how miss Epcot as we enjoy just walking around soaking up the atmosphere but we could definitely do a no park visit just not a no shopping one
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Old 16 Jan 21, 09:44 PM  
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If I was to not do the parks, then I would look at Pensacola. You can fly in via Atlanta. From there, you can visit
Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum
Pensacola’s Beach, fabulous and with Margaritaville Hotel, dining at Floyd Flounders restaurant.
You can drive an hour to USS Alabama at Mobile.

You can drive a beautiful 60 miles along the foreshore to Destin and stay near Henderson State Park, another beautiful, unspoiled beach.
You can hire a boat to Crab Island (there is no Island and no Crabs).

You can then either fly from Destin to Tampa or drive the 430 miles..
From there You have the Rainbow Iver.
You have beautiful Fort de Soto.

You can then drive to Venice and sample Casperson Beach, collecting fossilise Sharks teeth, having a meal at nearby Sharky, watching the sun go down from the Pier.

You can then Drive to Naples where you can visit Delores Wiggins State Park where we saw a Manatee, Turtles nests and Wild Tortoises before dining in the Yardhouse.

You can then drive the Tamiami Causeway, stopping at Buffalo Tigers airboat rides.. run by Native American Indians and less than nothing like anything up in Orlando.

You can then fly out of Miami Int.

Just a few suggestions!

Edited at 09:45 PM.
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