When is the Best Time to visit FLORIDA for Amusement Parks and Beaches?

I was born and raised in Florida. I was told by someone that works in the theme parks that September/October is the best time to travel to the parks. Kids are back in school so vacationers generally are out of town. Usually that time of year is still pretty warm too. The snowbirds havent nested back in the area that early in the year either. Not to far from Cocoa beach is Kennedy Space Center. I dont know if the kids would like it or not but they have some neat stuff there. Im including there website if you want to take a look. Cocoa Beach is not all that great. I would recommend clearwater personally, it is close to Tampa. Sea World is always a blast and they have a new water park next door now too. If anyones birthday is in that time disney is letting visitors in for free on their birthday which could save you $75, if money is an issue. If you have any more questions just let me know. Hope this helps. I live about an hour away from the attractions now but still frequent them. http://kennedyspacecenter.com/

Well as we all know Florida is very hot. Since i live here in Florida and only an hour away from Orlando were Disney World is located i would have to say there are plenty of months to go, but don't go during the summer as it is so hot and your on concrete asphalt all day that gets burning hot to even touch. I would say your best time to go would be March and April as it isn't raining much then and even October and November would be good as it isn't so hot and not cold out yet. I hope i was able to help you out as i am a local Floridian residence and go to disney world quit often.

It all sounds wonderful to me. I think your ideas are great and I reckon ALL the kids will have a ball. Sorry, can't offer any advice though. Do you need someone to carry your bags?

we went in january one year and there were no lines at disney and we got off a ride and went right back on it if we wanted to. it was not too hot and we actually needed a lightweight windbreaker while on the outdoor rides but it was heaven if you ask me. i do not like really hot and humid weather so it was the best for me. i have also been at disney world in august and november. august was way too crowded and way too hot for me and november was really nice. the weather was in the 70's and it was not overly crowded.

When I was growing up, as well as when my son was growing up, we always found the best time to go was in November, before Thanksgiving. In fact during the week just before Thanksgiving, there were hardly any lines at any of the major theme parks. It was terrific to spend less time waiting in line and more time 'doing'. We always booked hotels while we were there, and with the slowness we saved 50 to 75% on rates even staying on the beach. Independantly owned motels/hotels had better discounts that the chains. Do you have any friends or family living in Florida, who may be AAA members? November used to be 'Florida Appreciation Month'. Check with them to see if it still is, having them prepurchase theme park tickets at their local AAA location will save you enough to be able to buy more souvenirs. If you mail your souvenirs back to yourself, you'll save a lot of headaches at the airport. You'll have a great time! Your children are the perfect ages! My only suggestion is to consider Universal Studios instead of MGM. My son liked it better when he was younger...but liked MGM better when he got older. See? Gives you a reason to go back in a few years!

i THINK ITS THE TIME OF MAY-JUNE ,SINCE i HAVE BEEN IN fLORIDA FOR 2 MONTHS IN THIS PERIOD AND FOUND THE TIME VERY PLEASANT.hAVE A GOOD DAY

I do not know the answer to this question, because I have never set foot in the state of Florida, but my husband used to live down there, my step-son was born down there, and we have a load of friends down there in Florida, so he should be able to come up with a decent answer for you as soon as he finds this discussion.

About the beach idea - the Gulf stays considerably warmer than the Atlantic. Plus, with the kids the age they are, you should also consider the waves. On the Atlantic side the waves will easily knock kids over and an adult would have to be right there in the water next to them the entire time. In the Gulf, there's waves, but they wouldn't knock a toddler over. :) But if that's not a concern and were interested in the Manatee viewing, there are plenty of places to do that around here. I think the best area with the most manatee options is the Crystal River area. I personally love the glass bottom boat tours there. Imangine the kids delight as they can look through the bottom of the boat into the crystal clear spring water and see all the manatees and fish. The boat drivers also feed them so they come around the boat. Regarding the attractions. Stop and think for a moment. It all depends upon what type of weather you want to walk around in all day long... Even during our coldest time of year, if it dips below freezing for 3 days, it's alot! Christmas time last year we were all walking around in short sweating! My kids spend the day in the pool... If the heat/humidity is not a factor, then my suggestion would be in mid-September right after all the schools are back in session. If you prefer to walk around and not have sweat dripping off of you and everyone cranky from the high heat/humidity, then I would suggest early to mid February. Another tip. Considering you are looking to be busy at the parks all day rather than the hotels, it is NOT worth it to stay at the theme park hotels as you will not be using any of the extras you'd be paying for (ie: water parks at the pools, roaming characters, ect). Just stay at a local hotel that you find for cheap. Yes, you will probably have to drive to the park instead of taking the shuttle, but you could also leave the park in the afternoon for lunch at Mc D's or Burger King rather than spend $8.50 for a single hot dog inside the park... When we go to the parks (we get the year passes for a different park each year), I freeze some drinks and bring them in a cooler for when we leave the park at the end of the day. They're still very cold and keep the kids tided over until we get home. I also stop on the way to the park and go through a fast food drive through for breakfast or I bring pop tarts and/or dry cereal as most of the time, they are still mostly asleep when they are getting dressed and out the door. This allows them a few more minutes to sleep and I don't get to stressed rushing them while they're still not even awake yet. Hope this helps. I've lived in the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas for over 20 years now... :)

hehe..... i don't know much about that ... but wish you a happy journet ~! and enjoy yourself...