Very short Florida trip - Suggestions to my plan of attack

[NegativeGLover]

I'm headed to Florida for an ASME Bioengineering conference the last week of June. I've been lucky enough to schedule things so that I can get about 2.5 free days total to do my own thing. The following is my route of attack and I am asking for any open advice to help make it a better one...

 

I'm landing in Miami on Tuesday and instantly headed to Boomers. I plan on hitting Boomers for some Hurricane rides and hopefully some go-cart action. I've got a 2 hour drive over to Marco Island that evening, so I plan on having about 7 hours total. I'm going to most likely look up some small things to do, and potentially visit Uncle Bernies for the credit depending on how whorish I'm feeling... Any other things in Miami that are must do things?

 

I will be leaving Marco Island and driving approximately 3 hours or so up to Tampa to hit Busch Gardens on Sunday. I'll hopefully have a ticket from online to save a few bucks and time as I figure I will have from about 5 till close to try and get in all the credits. I think I can get them in with the alloted time that I will have even though it will be a Sunday, and if not, there is always next time. I will be looking for a really cheap to stay most likely half way between Tampa and Orlando. I've seen some cheap places online that I will most likely stay at - but are there any that are cheap, clean, and close by to Orlando that anyone would recommend?

 

I will use that next Monday to most likely visit IOA. I haven't been to Orlando for about 8 years and I think this will be the best opportunity for me to hit this park. Here is my big question - With only 1 day, should I go ahead and get the dual park pass and try to get in to ride the Mummy, Simpsons, and some other stuff - or should I stick to just doing IOA and just have a great day there? I would love to ride the Mummy just to get the credit, but the same goes for Rock n Roller and Expedition Everest over at Disney. I would love to spend more time, but I am thinking 1 day is all I get. Any suggestions on this one day of credit whoring while still having a great time and getting to enjoy the park (I know they semi contradict each other)? The last morning (Tuesday) I thought about stopping in at Seaworld and hitting Kraken and Journey to Atlantis. I don't have a scheduled flight yet, but it will probably have to be in the middle of the afternoon. Is it do-able to hit Sea World as well and be to the Airport by around 1-2 ish?

 

Any other help or suggestions are appreciated. I also would love to know of any sideshow attractions or great little stops along the way from Miami to Marco Island up to Tampa to Orlando... Thanks for any advice!

[WillMontu]

When heading from Marco to Tampa, be sure to swing by King Richards in Naples. It's on Airport Road, just north of Pine Ridge Road. There's not much there, but there's a Dragon Wagon.

 

At Universal and IOA, in terms of credits, the lowest capacity rides are the Flyers at IOA and Woody Woodpecker at USF. Try and hit IOA right at opening. They will open the front half of the park at this time, so you can get a few rides in on Spiderman and Hulk if you want. When they open the back of the park, head straight to Camp Jurassic and get on the Flyers. After half an hour, the park will enforce the "kids required" rule, and the line will get very long due to the ride's low capacity.

 

Dragons usually doesn't have much of a line. Be sure to ride the front of Ice. Flying Unicorn generally doesn't usually have a long line, as it can run two trains. If you're sad and pathetic and count powered coasters, make sure you hit the Seuss Trolley Ride

 

Woody Woodpecker is a lower capacity Roller Skater. Try to ride early in the day if it's busy. To get on Mummy, use the single rider line, as it is [usually] quite effective. Same goes for MIB. Simpsons will probably have a long line due to the fact that it's new, but it moves quickly and provides plenty of entertainment.

 

If the parks are very busy and you have some extra cash, consider getting an Express pass