You don't have to fly to Orlando to build a vacation around a theme park.
Sometimes the trip is Universal Orlando for several days. Sometimes it's loading up the car and heading to Cedar Point. Maybe the kids want a water park. Maybe everybody wants roller coasters. Or maybe you just want a fun weekend that doesn't require a week off work.
That's why I wouldn't start by asking which theme park is the “best.” I'd start with who's going, what everybody likes to do and how big of a trip you actually want this to be.
A great theme park vacation can be a week in Orlando or two nights and a road trip. It just has to fit the people going.
You don't need to know the exact park yet. Start with the kind of vacation everybody is picturing.
Several park days, a Universal hotel, Harry Potter, Epic Universe, thrill rides, Volcano Bay and enough to make Universal the whole vacation.
Cedar Point, Kings Island, Hersheypark, Busch Gardens or another park where the rides are the main reason you're going.
Water slides, wave pools, lazy rivers and a vacation where cooling off is part of the plan instead of an afternoon break.
Drive somewhere, stay a night or two, spend a day or two at the park and be home without turning it into a major vacation.
Thrill rides for some, family rides for others, shows, food and enough variety that different ages can all have a good time.
Some of these can easily be the whole vacation. Others make more sense as a weekend, road trip or part of a bigger trip.
Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe and Volcano Bay give you enough to build a real multi-day Orlando vacation. Where you stay can matter too because Universal hotel benefits and transportation can change how the trip works.
One of the first places I'd look for somebody who says, “We want roller coasters.” It's also an easy park to turn into a Midwest road trip instead of a big fly-away vacation.
Another strong Midwest option with major coasters but enough family attractions that the entire group doesn't have to be a thrill-ride fanatic.
Hershey gives you more than just the rides. You can build a couple of days around the park and then add other things around Hershey instead of making the whole trip one long park day.
Big rides and animal experiences make this a different kind of Florida park trip. It can work by itself or fit into a longer Central Florida or Gulf Coast vacation.
One of the easier parks to build into a bigger destination vacation because you're also in the Smoky Mountains. You can have park days without every day needing to be a park day.
Six Flags has parks in different parts of the country, so I wouldn't treat “Six Flags” as one vacation. The specific park, rides and location are what determine whether it makes sense for your trip.
SeaWorld combines major coasters with animal experiences, shows and family attractions. It can be its own park day or one part of a larger Orlando vacation.
I still hear people talk about Universal like it's something you add onto a Disney vacation for a day. You can certainly combine the two, but Universal has grown well beyond that.
With Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe and Volcano Bay, there is enough there to build several park days around Universal alone. Add the hotels, CityWalk and some downtime and it can easily become the main vacation.
Familiar Universal attractions, entertainment and themed areas, plus access to the Hogwarts Express with the appropriate park-to-park admission.
Major thrill rides, Harry Potter, family attractions and some of Universal's best-known rides.
Universal's newest theme park changed the way I would plan a Universal vacation. It deserves real time in the schedule instead of being squeezed into whatever time is left.
A full water theme park that can give everybody a different kind of park day and break up several days of walking through traditional theme parks.
Universal hotels aren't interchangeable. Location, transportation and included benefits can make one hotel a much better fit than another for a particular trip.
There isn't one correct number. It depends on which parks matter, how much everybody wants to ride and whether you want some breathing room between long park days.
This is usually more helpful than trying to rank every theme park in the country.
Buying the park ticket is the easy part. These are the things that can completely change how the vacation feels once you're there.
Ages matter, but so do height requirements, thrill tolerance, walking ability, sensory needs and what everybody actually likes.
A cheaper hotel isn't always the better value if you're spending extra time and money getting back and forth. At some destinations, staying at the park's own hotel can also come with benefits worth comparing.
Too few days and everybody is running. Too many hard park days in a row and everybody is exhausted. Sometimes adding a night makes the trip easier without adding another park day.
I don't care if one park has 70 rides and another has 40 if your family only cares about six of them. The rides you want matter more than the total number.
This is worth checking before the trip, especially when younger children are traveling with older kids. A park can look perfect until you realize the rides everyone is excited about won't work for half the family.
Regional parks may operate seasonally or on reduced schedules. Florida brings heat, humidity and storms into the conversation. The time of year can change both the park experience and how I would build the days.
Express and other line-saving products can be valuable, but I wouldn't automatically buy them without looking at the park, date, hotel benefits, crowds and the attractions you care about.
Theme park days are long. Where you eat, when you stop, whether you can easily get back to the hotel and how you're getting around can matter a lot more by day three than it did when you booked the trip.
Tickets are only part of it. Hotels, transportation, parking, food, express products, water parks, special events and other add-ons can change which trip gives you the better overall fit.
You don't have to figure out every park, hotel and ticket option before you contact me. That's kind of the point.
If you already know the park, great. If you don't, tell me who's going and what everybody wants from the trip and we can narrow down the places worth looking at.
I look at more than the room. Location, transportation, park access, room setup and hotel benefits can all affect whether a hotel actually works for the trip.
I don't want to build you a vacation that looks great on paper and feels miserable by the third day. Travel days, park days, water parks, breaks and downtime all need to make sense together.
Tickets and hotel rates are only the beginning. I'll also look at transportation, parking, line-saving options and other things that can affect the actual trip total.
Questions don't always stop once the vacation is booked. I'm still here before the trip and while you're traveling if you need help with something.
Tell me who's going, when you're thinking about traveling and what everybody wants to do. If you already know the park, we'll start there. If you don't, that's fine too.
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