The major Orlando theme parks have taken Orlando from a nondescript, sleepy little town known for alligators and oranges to the number one vacation destination in the world. Pay attention to the following tips and you will not only have a fun-filled day, but you will awaken the following morning with the energy and enthusiasm to explore another of the many treats that await you during your Orlando vacation. On some of the individual theme park’s pages, I have set up areas for “Must Do” attractions, height restriction rides and, in some cases, unknown “secrets” or facts not generally known about a particular ride or Orlando theme park.

• An Orlando vacation is unlike many others, so heed these words of advice - wake up early if you will be spending a full day at a theme park! Although the major theme parks say they open at 9:00 AM, they begin letting people into the parks around 8:30 AM (they don’t want a substantial crowd to develop at their entry gates for fear of a stampede). So, hop out of bed and beat the traffic on the roads and in the parks!
   
• Determine the night before what the Must Do rides are for you and your family. If you are amongst the first people in the theme park, you can knock off four or five of the major rides before the lines get too long. [Notice I said “rides.” The shows can be done at any time. In most cases, the huge crowd you see gathered, waiting to get in to see a show at an Orlando theme park, all get admitted at the same time. The exception to this rule would be the night shows, where it is best to “set up camp” an hour early so that you get a good seat. Before you “set up camp,” however, make sure that you have visited the rest room, that you have something to nibble on and that you have something to keep the children occupied (handheld game, coloring book, map of the next day’s activity) while you wait.]
   
• When it gets crowded, see a couple of the shows. As mentioned above, virtually everyone gets admitted into the shows, so there is no urgency to be the first in line.
   
• If you are at an Orlando theme park that has a parade, you will need to pick out a spot along the parade route as much as an hour beforehand if you want to have the best viewing area. (You won’t want the little ones to pout for the rest of their Orlando vacation because they couldn’t see Mickey Mouse, due to the big ogre in front of you!) Once again, make sure that you have taken care of the “necessities” and have something to do while you wait for the parade to begin. If you have already seen the parade, lines for many of the rides (especially the ones regarded as “kiddie rides”) get shorter while the parade is going on.
  
  
• Leave the theme park. That’s right ... I said “leave the park” in the early afternoon and have lunch outside of the theme parks, where you can get a better value and, in many cases, a higher quality meal. If you are staying in a place during your Orlando vacation with a swimming pool, the kids will more than appreciate the time to splash around and you can kick back and relax. If you are at a Disney theme park and have a “Hopper” ticket that includes the water parks, you may want to drive over to one of them. Wet ‘N Wild is a water park located near both Universal Orlando and Sea World, where you can go if your hotel is too far away.
   
• Get your hand stamped and save your parking pass. As you are leaving an Orlando theme park, make sure to get your hand stamped so that there are no hassles when you try to re-enter the park later (or another theme park if you have a “Hopper” pass). Also, your parking pass at one park is good for all of them all day long (within the same group of theme parks, that is) so just leave your parking pass on the dashboard of your car so you don’t forget it. Save the parking pass and you won’t have to pay to park again when you return later in the day.
   
• Now that you’ve had a chance to “recharge your batteries” and relax a little during your Orlando vacation, jump into your car and head back to the theme parks. In the late afternoon, you will see throngs of families leaving the parks, worn out from a long day of lines (keep an eye out and you will invariably see children tugging at their parents sleeves, pleading with them to leave, so that they can go back to their hotel’s swimming pool). You can get quite a few rides done before the night show (if there is one) begins. Don’t Miss The Night Shows! They are all unique, truly spectacular and are a big part of what makes the Orlando theme parks so special. If you have already seen the night show, the lines for rides are much shorter while the show is going on.