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Disneyworld Florida
- Thread starter Giraffe
- Start date
It is likely to be your first trip of many.
I'm off there myself on August 18th for what will be my 12th trip - 7 nights at the Wilderness Lodge and then over to Universal - not booked the hotel yet - but probably Hard Rock Hotel.
What do ya wanna know?
I'm off there myself on August 18th for what will be my 12th trip - 7 nights at the Wilderness Lodge and then over to Universal - not booked the hotel yet - but probably Hard Rock Hotel.
What do ya wanna know?
Definitely take advantage of the early access that you will be given at the various parks during your stay on the resort. Get in early, get the big rides out of the way, return to the hotel for lunch and some time round the pool and then go back later afternoon.
Buy just one refillable soda cup instead of one each.
Have a great time
Buy just one refillable soda cup instead of one each.
Have a great time
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
Went to Florida for a lads holiday way back in 91...blimey that does seem like a long time ago...the tip we got, which probably still applies, get books of coupons for some crazy discounts on prices that are already pretty cheap.
Don't urinate in the street, one of my mates did and I ended up going to bail him out of prison after the local law enforcement officers took exception...how bloody embarassing was that?
If you go to gatorland try to go on a warm and sunny day, the gators are cold blooded and if the weather is cool or cloudy they just lie around doing absolutely nothing. Cape Kennedy was brilliant, well worth going to, your kids will be well impressed...I was! Oh, the Americans love the British, we are probably their only real friends in the World...they will be pretty much creaming themselves when they hear your accents, play on it, they love us!
Don't urinate in the street, one of my mates did and I ended up going to bail him out of prison after the local law enforcement officers took exception...how bloody embarassing was that?
If you go to gatorland try to go on a warm and sunny day, the gators are cold blooded and if the weather is cool or cloudy they just lie around doing absolutely nothing. Cape Kennedy was brilliant, well worth going to, your kids will be well impressed...I was! Oh, the Americans love the British, we are probably their only real friends in the World...they will be pretty much creaming themselves when they hear your accents, play on it, they love us!
Mr Burns
New member
DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT under any circumstances go to Epcot, unless everything else is shut, and you have absolutely nothing else to do. (and that includes sticking pins in your eyes)
It is the most boring place in the world. If you have to go there, do it on the first day, 'cause everything else will seem 1000000 times better.
As the great Homer Simpson once said 2 miles up in a plane, "oooooooh, it's even boring flying over it!"
It is the most boring place in the world. If you have to go there, do it on the first day, 'cause everything else will seem 1000000 times better.
As the great Homer Simpson once said 2 miles up in a plane, "oooooooh, it's even boring flying over it!"
Conkers
Well-known member
Make sure you go to Islands of Adventure, easily the best theme park i've ever been too. Pisses all over Universal or any Disney park. Riding the Incredible Hulk during the fireworks is something special.
I also highly recommended "Blackbeard's Crazy Golf" located at the "Crossroads" which is situated very close to one of the entrances of the Disney complex. Afterwards you can also pop into the local supermarket and buy some dirt cheap Jelly Belly beans
I also highly recommended "Blackbeard's Crazy Golf" located at the "Crossroads" which is situated very close to one of the entrances of the Disney complex. Afterwards you can also pop into the local supermarket and buy some dirt cheap Jelly Belly beans
Best thing about being in resort,disney hotels, is the transport system,totally seamless from 1 park to the next.Worst thing is the food,have done All Star twice and the food is monotonous and overpriced compared with outside restaurants.
Coupon books are free and readily available and will save you a few dollars on food places outside the resort. Once you done the late night shows and fireworks head down to Kissimmee for cheaper eating and a host of food chains.
Magic Kingdom is more for the younger age ranges, a few good rides for adults but you have to do it and get pics etc and the parades are good. Epcot is not that bad it has the test track and earth rides and a few more within the countries etc but be prepared for a long walk around the lake and take plenty of water with you. Some of the countries have shows which breaks this up.
If you want coasters etc then islands at universal and bush gdns have to be top of the list.
Coupon books are free and readily available and will save you a few dollars on food places outside the resort. Once you done the late night shows and fireworks head down to Kissimmee for cheaper eating and a host of food chains.
Magic Kingdom is more for the younger age ranges, a few good rides for adults but you have to do it and get pics etc and the parades are good. Epcot is not that bad it has the test track and earth rides and a few more within the countries etc but be prepared for a long walk around the lake and take plenty of water with you. Some of the countries have shows which breaks this up.
If you want coasters etc then islands at universal and bush gdns have to be top of the list.
Mellor 3 Ward 4
Well-known member
Just make sure you plan ahead well. If you plan well then in a fortnight you can see/do most things.
Make sure that you know what you are going to be doing each day, so don't end up waking up and having to decide which park to go to.
Then leave a couple of blank days at the end so you can go back to your favourite ones again.
I suggest to do 'Theme Park' on day one,MGM is a good place to start, then Water park next then on the third day stay by the pool/shopping as a rest day then back to a theme park on the fouth day etc. As someone above said, Islands of Adventure is superb, but get there early for the big rides. (Also get to Animal Kingdom early and do the jeep Safari first thing) - not only is it quiter but the animals are all wandering around - in the middle of the day they tend to sleep in the shade.
Have fun - it's a great place!
Make sure that you know what you are going to be doing each day, so don't end up waking up and having to decide which park to go to.
Then leave a couple of blank days at the end so you can go back to your favourite ones again.
I suggest to do 'Theme Park' on day one,MGM is a good place to start, then Water park next then on the third day stay by the pool/shopping as a rest day then back to a theme park on the fouth day etc. As someone above said, Islands of Adventure is superb, but get there early for the big rides. (Also get to Animal Kingdom early and do the jeep Safari first thing) - not only is it quiter but the animals are all wandering around - in the middle of the day they tend to sleep in the shade.
Have fun - it's a great place!
Gazwag
5 millionth post poster
Best tip - Plan Plan Plan - Know what you are doing everyday
Visit Welcome to theDIBB very cheesy site but packed with info.
If you have any days left on your passes when you come home sell them on ebay.
This book is also excellent Amazon.co.uk: Brit's Guide to Orlando and Walt Disney World 2007: Simon Veness, Susan Veness: Books
Book dinner shows from UK before you go - if you do Medieval Times and/or Pirates Dinner its well worth upgrading so get very close to the action and the kids get chosen to join in.
Visit Welcome to theDIBB very cheesy site but packed with info.
If you have any days left on your passes when you come home sell them on ebay.
This book is also excellent Amazon.co.uk: Brit's Guide to Orlando and Walt Disney World 2007: Simon Veness, Susan Veness: Books
Book dinner shows from UK before you go - if you do Medieval Times and/or Pirates Dinner its well worth upgrading so get very close to the action and the kids get chosen to join in.
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Marshy
Well-known member
ooooh Universal, MGM, Sea World....you will have a great time.
Some reasonable stuff up there and some not-so-reasonable.
A benefit of staying in a Disney resort is Extra Magic Hours (EMH) - this is where one park opens an hour earlier (typically 8am instead of 9am) for onsite guests. As above, you can get in early and get on the bigger attractions with minimum/no waiting at all. At the other end of the day, the EMH park for the day will be open for an extra 3 hours to onsite guests, with all the big attractions remaining open. Depending on exactly when you go, this can mean the Magic Kingdom being open until 3am.
Whether you make use of EMH or not, and you probably should on your first few days as the time difference will mean you wake up early, it is a great tactic to get to the parks at or just before opening time. Again, you can get on the big attractions first before crowds build up. Again, as above, retreat to your resort pool or Typhoon Lagoon/Blizzard Beach during the afternoon heat and then return to the parks for the parades/fireworks which are amazing.
Use (Disney) Fastpass - this is free and available to all for the bigger attractions. You put your park tickets into a machine which will give you a paper slip detailing when you can return to the ride and pretty much walk straight on, bypassing the regular line. A typical tactic on getting into a park early, say Hollywood Studios (no longer called MGM) would be to head for Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror which are side by side. Pick up a fastpass for one and then ride the other. As you exit that ride, get a fastpass for that ride again (giving you the opportunity to return) and ride the other.
Use Photopass for family shots. Disney Photopass photographers will be everywhere - use them. They'll take your photo(s) and give you a card with a unique number and barcode on it. If you don't have one to hand (ie one you've been given before) they'll give you another one - you can group them together online when you get home. They do this in the waterparks too - giving you a rubber wristband with a plastic card on it. You're under no obligation to buy any of the photos, but you can have literally as many as you want taken and order them all on a CD for around $100. Before you order the CD you can edit the photos, crop them and add Disney graphics etc. It really is great value for getting your whole group together. However, the Disney photographers will also take your photo with your camera if you wish.
Disney restaurants (ie sit down, not counter service) - these get booked up months in advance - people can book 180 days before they wish to dine. If you do fancy any of the good restaurants in the parks or Disney resorts, including the character meals, you need to try and book now as there won't be much, if any, availability. Disney Dining is 001-407-939-3463, dial via something like 0844 200 95 95 to only pay a penny a minute.
Although it sounds as though you have Disney accommodation booked for your whole trip, strongly consider a single overnight stay at Universal. There are 3 hotels and they are all very, very good. If you stay at a Universal hotel, you get Front of the Line access, ie a bit like Disney Fastpass but you get it included and unlimited for nearly every ride. This means you can walk on almost anything you want however many times you want. It's the best way to do Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Typically you'd pack an overnight bag from where you are and head over to the hotel early on day 1. Check in, your room might not be available, but you'll get a room key which you can use immediately. Go to one of the parks and use your key to jump the queues. Stay the night at your hotel and you keep your room key to repeat the queue jumping in the other park on the second day.
EPCOT - this place quite often splits people. I didn't used to be a fan and I'd just wander around World Showcase and take a few photos. Now it is probably my favourite park. For a start there is no alcohol in the Magic Kingdom, but there is plenty in EPCOT. Some of the attractions are pretty decent too: Mission: Space, Test Track, Soarin' (the big attraction in EPCOT), Honey I Shrunk the Audience is OK as is the boat ride in Norway.
I'm going to stop now as I could go all day...
A benefit of staying in a Disney resort is Extra Magic Hours (EMH) - this is where one park opens an hour earlier (typically 8am instead of 9am) for onsite guests. As above, you can get in early and get on the bigger attractions with minimum/no waiting at all. At the other end of the day, the EMH park for the day will be open for an extra 3 hours to onsite guests, with all the big attractions remaining open. Depending on exactly when you go, this can mean the Magic Kingdom being open until 3am.
Whether you make use of EMH or not, and you probably should on your first few days as the time difference will mean you wake up early, it is a great tactic to get to the parks at or just before opening time. Again, you can get on the big attractions first before crowds build up. Again, as above, retreat to your resort pool or Typhoon Lagoon/Blizzard Beach during the afternoon heat and then return to the parks for the parades/fireworks which are amazing.
Use (Disney) Fastpass - this is free and available to all for the bigger attractions. You put your park tickets into a machine which will give you a paper slip detailing when you can return to the ride and pretty much walk straight on, bypassing the regular line. A typical tactic on getting into a park early, say Hollywood Studios (no longer called MGM) would be to head for Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror which are side by side. Pick up a fastpass for one and then ride the other. As you exit that ride, get a fastpass for that ride again (giving you the opportunity to return) and ride the other.
Use Photopass for family shots. Disney Photopass photographers will be everywhere - use them. They'll take your photo(s) and give you a card with a unique number and barcode on it. If you don't have one to hand (ie one you've been given before) they'll give you another one - you can group them together online when you get home. They do this in the waterparks too - giving you a rubber wristband with a plastic card on it. You're under no obligation to buy any of the photos, but you can have literally as many as you want taken and order them all on a CD for around $100. Before you order the CD you can edit the photos, crop them and add Disney graphics etc. It really is great value for getting your whole group together. However, the Disney photographers will also take your photo with your camera if you wish.
Disney restaurants (ie sit down, not counter service) - these get booked up months in advance - people can book 180 days before they wish to dine. If you do fancy any of the good restaurants in the parks or Disney resorts, including the character meals, you need to try and book now as there won't be much, if any, availability. Disney Dining is 001-407-939-3463, dial via something like 0844 200 95 95 to only pay a penny a minute.
Although it sounds as though you have Disney accommodation booked for your whole trip, strongly consider a single overnight stay at Universal. There are 3 hotels and they are all very, very good. If you stay at a Universal hotel, you get Front of the Line access, ie a bit like Disney Fastpass but you get it included and unlimited for nearly every ride. This means you can walk on almost anything you want however many times you want. It's the best way to do Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Typically you'd pack an overnight bag from where you are and head over to the hotel early on day 1. Check in, your room might not be available, but you'll get a room key which you can use immediately. Go to one of the parks and use your key to jump the queues. Stay the night at your hotel and you keep your room key to repeat the queue jumping in the other park on the second day.
EPCOT - this place quite often splits people. I didn't used to be a fan and I'd just wander around World Showcase and take a few photos. Now it is probably my favourite park. For a start there is no alcohol in the Magic Kingdom, but there is plenty in EPCOT. Some of the attractions are pretty decent too: Mission: Space, Test Track, Soarin' (the big attraction in EPCOT), Honey I Shrunk the Audience is OK as is the boat ride in Norway.
I'm going to stop now as I could go all day...
Mrs Coach
aka Jesus H. Woman
Excellent advice above from Bozza, and most of which I found out DURING my two week stay in April/May, and I wish I'd known at the beginning! Something I didn't do, but people who went after me did and were going nuts about was the park at the side of Sea World where you can pay to swim with the fish, dolphins etc. At £140 its not cheap but those who did it were going mad about it and apparently you get free passes to Sea World too.
I didn't know about the staying at a Universal Hotel for unlimited front of queue access - we purchased a pass 'on the day' in the park, it's £12 and you can use it just once on each ride, but found it adequate during peak periods as early and late, there wasn't much of a queue - but then, we went out of season - during a busy period I'm pretty sure I'd take up Bozza's suggestion about the hotel/free fastpass as I HATE queues!
The buses from Disney Hotels to the parks are free and frequent, but very very crowded, they stuff as many people as they can on each bus, not recommended for anyone claustrophobic!
You'll have a brilliant time! Enjoy!
I didn't know about the staying at a Universal Hotel for unlimited front of queue access - we purchased a pass 'on the day' in the park, it's £12 and you can use it just once on each ride, but found it adequate during peak periods as early and late, there wasn't much of a queue - but then, we went out of season - during a busy period I'm pretty sure I'd take up Bozza's suggestion about the hotel/free fastpass as I HATE queues!
The buses from Disney Hotels to the parks are free and frequent, but very very crowded, they stuff as many people as they can on each bus, not recommended for anyone claustrophobic!
You'll have a brilliant time! Enjoy!
Am I starting to come across quite anoraky about this now?!?
This is Discovery Cove and during your visit you do get a one-on-one swim with a dolphin (which they'll photo and video and try and sell to you) but people who go do tend to love it. Not cheap, as above, and generally needs to be booked in advance as it is very limited capacity each day. Might be too late now for your trip - but worth a call if it appeals.
The cost of the Express Pass you can buy on the day does vary depending on the time of year. £12 is pretty cheap. At peak times it can be around $50 per person per day. And, as you say, this is only valid for 1 ride on each attraction (although sometimes the attendants don't enforce that). At peak times for a family of 4 over a 2 day visit to Universal, a hotel is likely to be cheaper. You get the advantage of being able to ride each ride as many times as you want and, at the end of the day, no-one has to drive 'home'. You'll be a short stroll (or boat ride) from your hotel. But I'd suggest you stop at Citywalk, pull up a chair outside Margaritaville. Enjoy the music, watch the world pass by and the sun go down. Oh, and have a few drinks too!
That's more often the case on the way 'home' since, typically, most people head away from the parks at the same time. The buses are air-conditioned though!
This is Discovery Cove and during your visit you do get a one-on-one swim with a dolphin (which they'll photo and video and try and sell to you) but people who go do tend to love it. Not cheap, as above, and generally needs to be booked in advance as it is very limited capacity each day. Might be too late now for your trip - but worth a call if it appeals.
The cost of the Express Pass you can buy on the day does vary depending on the time of year. £12 is pretty cheap. At peak times it can be around $50 per person per day. And, as you say, this is only valid for 1 ride on each attraction (although sometimes the attendants don't enforce that). At peak times for a family of 4 over a 2 day visit to Universal, a hotel is likely to be cheaper. You get the advantage of being able to ride each ride as many times as you want and, at the end of the day, no-one has to drive 'home'. You'll be a short stroll (or boat ride) from your hotel. But I'd suggest you stop at Citywalk, pull up a chair outside Margaritaville. Enjoy the music, watch the world pass by and the sun go down. Oh, and have a few drinks too!
That's more often the case on the way 'home' since, typically, most people head away from the parks at the same time. The buses are air-conditioned though!
Gazwag
5 millionth post poster
Dont drive use taxi's - taxi drivers know the quick ways in without much queueing, ie going to the Boardwalk and catch a boat to MGM, Epcot and, somewhere else cant remember.
Gazwag
5 millionth post poster
Which was by far the highlight of our visit.
Papa Lazarou
Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Goodness. It's been years since I paid my only visit to Florida... on my honeymoon in fact 
[Note - I have long since divorced ]
My favourite park back then was Seaworld - quite incredible; actually that's not entirely true - they were all incredible. The rollercoasters at Bush (sp) Gardens at Tampa were superb, as was the free beer they gave away!
We stayed 'off-site' on International Drive in Orlando (opposite Wet n Wild in fact), and drove to the parks each day, which isn't as convenient as staying at a park.
We did a trip to one of those Meal Show type things - the one we went to was some Henry VIII type do - you get 1 or 2 hours to eat and drink as much as you can... the rest is up to you.
We also did a 2 day trip to the Bahamas whilst there; which included a night in a hotel in Miami, a flight by Laker airways to the Bahamas, and a day at one of the big casino hotels, including lunch... very nice.
We also got to see a Space Shuttle launch whilst we were there - we watched it from Titusville.
I've got 2 young kids, so I'm holding off going back until they are both old enough to enjoy the trip... best get saving
[Note - I have long since divorced ]My favourite park back then was Seaworld - quite incredible; actually that's not entirely true - they were all incredible. The rollercoasters at Bush (sp) Gardens at Tampa were superb, as was the free beer they gave away!
We stayed 'off-site' on International Drive in Orlando (opposite Wet n Wild in fact), and drove to the parks each day, which isn't as convenient as staying at a park.
We did a trip to one of those Meal Show type things - the one we went to was some Henry VIII type do - you get 1 or 2 hours to eat and drink as much as you can... the rest is up to you.
We also did a 2 day trip to the Bahamas whilst there; which included a night in a hotel in Miami, a flight by Laker airways to the Bahamas, and a day at one of the big casino hotels, including lunch... very nice.
We also got to see a Space Shuttle launch whilst we were there - we watched it from Titusville.
I've got 2 young kids, so I'm holding off going back until they are both old enough to enjoy the trip... best get saving
Go without them first!
The bigger rides like many at Universal will be 'easier' without small kids, and you can enjoy many of the alcohol options - Citywalk at Universal, 'drinking around the world' at EPCOT and a night out at the fantastic Jelly Rolls at the Boardwalk. Take in a basketball, baseball or American football game if any appeal.
And, of course, you're not tied to school holidays so can go for reasonable flight costs when the parks aren't as crowded and the weather is not so extreme.
Mrs Coach
aka Jesus H. Woman
No, it's excellent advice - and when you're spending THOUSANDS on a trip like this, people would be very wise to listen to your words of wisdom to make sure their trip is one of a lifetime!