Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
36
Moments
Kid-Friendly Tours
SeaWorld earns its reputation as an education-friendly park with a variety of
small-group tours. One of the most interesting is the
Behind the Scenes Tour.
This 90-minute trek gives kids a chance to come face-to-face with a penguin
and get a behind-the-scenes look at polar bears and sharks while learning how
SeaWorld cares for their animals.
The Penguin Spotlight and Dolphin Spot-
light Tours,
both hour-long tours, let guests see how the animals are cared for
and trained. Behind the Scenes runs $30 per adult, $20 per child (ages 3-9),
plus park admission; Spotlight Tours run $50 per adult, $40 per child, plus park
admission (
&
800/406-2244;
www.seaworld.com). All three of the tours are
kid-friendly, though kids under the age of 5 may lose interest after the interac-
tive experience is over. Both are on a first-come, first-served basis, so reserve
your place at the Guided Tour Information Desk when you enter the park. June
to August,
Adventure Camps,
including resident camps, day camps, and slee-
pover programs (
&
800/406-2244;
www.seaworld.com) are offered.
At Walt Disney World, the kid-friendliest tour is the
Family Magic Tour,
an
interactive scavenger hunt that costs $28 per person, plus park admission
(
&
407/939-8687;
www.disneyworld.com).
2
attraction, but if you have kids this is
nothing new to you. When you plan
your day's activities, be sure to account
for necessary breaks and naps. Will your
whole family be able to enjoy the expe-
riences that Disney and other parks
have to offer? This is something you
will have to decide. My five kids range
in age from 7 to 15, and we have trav-
eled with just about every age combina-
tion you can think of. On our first
family trip, my oldest (now 15) was 4,
and his two younger siblings were ages
3 and 1. While the 1-year-old has abso-
lutely no recollection of the trip, he was
thoroughly amused by the sights and
sounds everywhere we went. The
3-year-old (now 14) still remembers
plenty. You'll need to take into account
your kids' stamina, interest, and toler-
ance levels before you decide whether to
make the trip and when planning your
daily itineraries. My kids could go well
into the evening inside the parks, but
many other children can't, so it may
take you longer to cover a park (it took
me 2-3 days to do Magic Kingdom
when my youngest was 2). At the time
my nephew was 7, and he was petrified
by some of the rides in the parks; even
my own kids, who'll try anything once
and have never been wary of rides, freak
out at attractions involving sensory
effects. It may be repetitious, but I'll say
it again: Know your own child before
deciding whether he or she is ready for
this sort of trip. Not every child will fall
in love with Disney World at first sight,
and it's a rather large expense to incur if
Junior's going to be frightened, sleepy,
or cranky for the entire trip.
•
Planning Ahead
Make reservations
for “character breakfasts” at Disney (see
chapter 5, “Where to Dine”) as soon as
possible. Disney usually accepts them up
to 90 days in advance, and many are
booked minutes (I'm not kidding!) after
the 90-day window opens, so mark your
calendar to call (and be sure you keep in
