By Phyllis W. Zeno

School’s out, or soon will be, and families are already thinking about where to go for a short getaway if they have not yet made plans for an extended vacation. Florida still ranks Number 1 on most travelers’ lists, and for good reason...the climate is bright and sunny, the beaches are some of the finest in the world and the theme parks are without peer.

Panama City
For an old-fashioned family vacation, complete with colorful amusement parks, arcades, miniature golf, souvenir shops and 27 miles of newly widened white sandy beaches, head for Panama City in Northwest Florida, so-named because it’s on the same meridian as part of the Panama Canal Zone. Accommodations range from waterfront resorts to small, family-owned motels.

Amelia Island
Zig-zagging across to the northeastern corner of the state, you’ll find Amelia Island, a nifty combination of luxury resorts and beach inns. The charming Victorian village of Fernandina and the historically interesting Fort Clinch State Park round out your visit.

St. Augustine
Heading south, you’ll find something of interest to the whole family at St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest continuously occupied European city. Kids will love clambering over the old fort, Castillo de San Marcos, built in the 17th century, and visiting the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse at 14 St. George Street in Historic St. Augustine. Then head south on I-95 and cut across on I-4 to the entertainment capital of the world, Orlando, with its major theme parks, Walt Disney World and Epcot, Universal Studios and SeaWorld.

Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth throughout 2002. If you’ve been hesitating to visit because you anticipate long lines, you’ll love Disney’s FASTPASS. Here’s how it works.

Ticketed guests or annual pass holders enter the park main entrance gate. Guests visit any attraction offering the FASTPASS service, insert their theme park ticket into the FASTPASS machine and out comes the free FASTPASS telling when to return to the attraction. Holders are given a one-hour window for their return. Upon returning at the designated time, guests head straight for the FASTPASS entrance and proceed to the boarding area with little or no wait.

Primeval Whirl debuted in April in Disney’s Animal Kingdom as the 24th FASTPASS and features cars that spin as they roll along a twisting track. The new coaster is part of Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama!

The hardest-to-arrange mealtime at Walt Disney World Resort is a character dining experience, “Once Upon A Time” character breakfast in Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom, featuring Cinderella and friends. This occasion is typically booked up early in the morning of the 60-days-out window—shortly after the dining-arrangements phone lines open at 7 a.m. ET.

Disney “reservationists” will suggest an alternative, such as “A Grand Morning” breakfast at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort with Mary Poppins and friends.

12 of the 24 character dining experiences are breakfasts. There are three lunch experiences and six dinners.

All four Walt Disney World theme parks offer at least one character mealtime. Most, but not all, of the breakfasts are $15.99 for ages 12+ and $8.99 for ages 3-11. Lunches are $16.99 (12+) and $9.99 (3-11). Dinner prices vary.

Universal Orlando
At Universal Orlando, guests can choose from two exciting theme parks...Universal Studios Florida and the new Islands of Adventure.

You can “ride the movies” at Universal Studios Florida, taking in such thrillers as Men in Black: Alien Attack, Back to the Future and Terminator 2: 3-D.

At the new Islands of Adventure you can journey through five fascinating islands where state-of-the-art rides invite you to Live the Adventure! The whole family will want to meet The Cat in the Hat in Seuss Landing. And most incredible of all is The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, where a simulator surrounds you with terror.

For anyone not tall enough or old enough for the popular Incredible Hulk coaster, Islands of Adventure has opened two new child-sized roller coasters. The Flying Unicorn and Storm Force on Marvel Super Hero Island.

SeaWorld
SeaWorld Orlando celebrates the summer with an array of thrills and exciting special events, including a patriotic summer-long festival where “Every night is the Fourth of July.”

The Fourth of July celebration includes a spectacular Shamu nighttime show and also showcases the park’s 400-foot red, white and blue lighted sky tower.

The newest thrill is Kraken, a monster of a ride that has the fastest, tallest and longest roller coaster in town. Imagine a coaster that sends riders 15 stories in the air to plunge toward earth at speeds of 65 mph...and upside down seven times. Now imagine such a ride without a floor. That’s Kraken!

Busch Gardens
Whether you’re gasping at the Snake Charmer in the Sultan’s Tent in Morocco or marveling at the leaps and twirls of the 16 ice skaters in the show World Rhythms on Ice, you’ll find hours of pleasure at Busch Gardens Tampa.

Ride the Serengeti Express Railway or take the Skyride across the Serengeti Plain to see hundreds of exotic African animals.

Tour the Great Ape Domain at the Myombe Reserve, join a safari on the Edge of Africa or get up close and personal on a raging river thrill ride on the Rhino Rally.

And if rides are your thing, Gwazi is the Southeast’s largest double wooden roller coaster. Or try Kumba, with a 135-foot drop. Montu, Python, Scorpion...all are thrillers. And if you enjoy getting wet, you can count on it on the Tanganyika Tidal Wave.

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