Snacks are packed, park tickets are loaded (or maybe they're not — we'll get to that), let's talk Orlando.
Six days, and every single one comes with a choice: go big and touristy, or go local and let someone else deal with the crowds. This isn't an either/or trip — mix and match however your family actually likes to travel. Some days you want the full-tilt theme park magic. Other days you want a quiet spring, a good sandwich, and nobody in a costume.
Choose your travel style!
Your Orlando Itinerary
Day 1 — Land and pick your basecamp.
Easy Way: Check into a Disney resort like Disney's Art of Animation — full immersion, buses everywhere, kids clock the theming the second you walk in.
Local Way: Check into Margaritaville Resort Orlando instead — laid-back pool scene, its own water park, and you're still ten minutes from the parks without paying Disney-resort prices.
Eat (Easy): 'Ohana at Disney's Polynesian — no park ticket needed.
Eat (Local): Se7en Bites downtown — a tiny, beloved comfort-food spot most tourists never find.
Day 2 — Your first park day.
Easy Way: Magic Kingdom — start with Peter Pan's Flight before the lines build.
Local Way: Blue Spring State Park — a gorgeous natural spring for swimming and kayaking, with a fraction of the crowd (and manatees in winter).
Eat (Easy): Be Our Guest Restaurant.
Eat (Local): The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park — one of Central Florida's actual best restaurants, twenty minutes away and mostly overlooked by tourists.
Day 3 — World Showcase or the real Florida version of it.
Easy Way: EPCOT's World Showcase — a passport stamp book makes it feel like real travel.
Local Way: Winter Park's Park Avenue, capped off with the Scenic Boat Tour — a mile of historic canals and lakefront mansions, guided by locals, for about the price of a churro.
Eat (Easy): Via Napoli in EPCOT's Italy pavilion.
Eat (Local): Prato on Park Avenue.
Day 4 — Switch gears entirely.
Easy Way: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure — full Super Nintendo World energy.
Local Way: Gatorland — old-school Florida at its best, alligators, a zip line, and none of the wait times.
Eat (Easy): Mythos Restaurant inside Islands of Adventure.
Eat (Local): Se7en Bites again on your way back through town.
Day 5 — A slow day, on purpose.
Easy Way: Evermore Resort's lagoon and lazy river — a full day of unstructured pool time.
Local Way: Wekiwa Springs State Park — swim, kayak, or just sit in the shade with zero lines anywhere.
Eat: Whatever's closest to the pool, honestly. This is the day you don't plan.
Day 6 — One last morning before you fly home.
Easy Way: Disney's Animal Kingdom for a calmer final park visit.
Local Way: Harry P. Leu Gardens — a quiet, beautiful botanical garden that's basically the opposite of a theme park, and a nice way to end the trip.
However you build your six days — full send or scenic route — hit reply and tell me which way your family leans. I'm always curious.
Your Weekend Passport Planner,
- Josh
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