Theme Parks - Poplar Grove,IL

Money saving tip--you can take food into Disney parks--don't know about the other ones. I learned this through the library--they have books called Disney on a Budget and such.

I grew up in south FL and would strongly recommend the Disney water parks. It is seriously hot and unbelievably humid during the summer. If you really want a combination theme park, I would suggest actually going to Tampa and doing Bush Gardens- cool rides, coasters, great food and some water rides to stay cool! This was our favorite as kids!

How tall are your boys? I have a 5 year old boy and an 8 year old girl. We went to Florida in April and visited Sea World, Magic Kingdom and Busch Gardens. My 5 year old boy is 45 inches tall and was not tall enough for most of the rides at Busch Gardens. It was a pretty big disappointment for him. Sea World is not great for rides. There was one ride for him that was a "big kids" ride (I think you had to be be 42 inches tall). However, he was very into the shows so he still had fun. We were so disappointed with Busch Gardens for him that we decided to go to the Magic Kindgom for one day. Our plans were flexible as we had some no expiration tickets we could use for Disney. Both of my children were tall enough for every ride at Magic Kingdom. We had also visited before, so they knew what they wanted to go on.
In other years, we have visited Universal & Islands of Adventure and they are geared towards taller children than mine. Once they hit 48 inches they are able to ride more.
As for price, Disney is the most expensive. However, after visiting them all, I think it's worth every penny. For Disney, the more days you buy the cheaper it gets. I think the best option is a 7 or 8 day pass. If you don't use it all in one trip and plan to go back, the no expiration is worth it.

www.disboards.com is a good starting place for all that

From Disney World, for one day with that age I would say magic kingdom would be your best bet.

IMO Universal and Islands of Adventure seem kinda like Great America with a different theme. But magic kingdom is unique.

Disney magic kingdom is the best one.

for one day, with the younger aged children..Magic Kingdom! they may not be tall enough for the big coasters at universal.

It is very hot and humid in Florida in the summer, just so you know. If it is Disney you want Magic Kingdom would be the best for the boys age, but I also think they would enjoy Sea World and Busch Gardens as other have suggested (and I think they might be a little cheaper). I know most of them offer AAA discounts. Here is one site for tickets and
http://www.orlandoticketsales.com/oi/?s_kwcid=TC|10370|fl...#

If you deceide to do the Magic Kingdom let me know I have a speadsheet I did for my boss when she took her daughter recently and it gave her an idea of what attractions would be good for her age and where they could eat and a few other clues, I would be happy to send it to you.

Hope you have fun.

J.

What about Sea World? We loved it and it's great for kids! Also, there's Discovery Cove. It's kinda pricey, but well worth it!

Living in southen FL, we have been to Orlando many times with our boys.

That being said, I avoid the theme parks in the summer - it is hard to describe how hot & miserable it gets in central Florida.

One thing that we do LOVE to do in summer is go to the water parks, especially Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. There is something for everyone at both of these parks. The key is to get there when they open, or go right after a storm in the late afternoon. Even though it's hot, you can always cool off in the wave pool or the lazy river. And there are lots of fast slides too.

AAA has discounts for many Orlando attractions - you may want to check there. Otherwise we always do FL resident deals so I'm not able to be as helpful to you on that front.