About 7 years ago, we visited Disney World for a quick day trip with Quinn & Ian. We opted for Magic Kingdom because that was the suggestion from our friends who lived in Tampa--who took us there. We couldn't have timed it worse. It was the end of March and Spring Break for most the eastern seaboard. In fact, they closed the gates to visitors at 1:00 p.m. because of they had reached capacity! Even at 7 and 5, the boys were still too short for many of the rides. The food was mediocre and expensive and the lines were never-ending. After we returned home we learned that we should have gone to Universal instead. This was where the rides were--and all the fun.

After doing some research we decided on a 5-park Flex Pass. This gave you admission to Universal, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Aquatica and Wet 'n' Wild over a 14 day period. It was really the best deal to be had and one that met the desires of all 7 of us. Quite a tall order in itself. We started at Universal and did half the day there and half next door at Islands of Adventure. Universal was more Disney movie oriented and reflected many of the hits from the 90's. Islands of Adventure had more restaurants and larger scale rides like "The Hulk" and "Jurassic Park". They were also putting the finishing touches on the "Harry Potter" castle.