Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

blue_monkey_2

r.mac wrote: »

What type of thing can you/did you use the concierge service for?

Trips, tickets, advice, special events - anything really: http://concierge.virginholidays.co.uk/florida/

Email them and they call you back, they work 9-2 US times (I think). Because we booked DC tickets with concierge, they matched the price of DC and gave us free transportation to our hotel (we had booked that independantly and was on a VH fly drive!!) we also got free Kids Eat Free cards and invite to the early opening of HPW.

I am going to book our Flex and Universal tickets through them to see if I can get the invites at the airport again, save going to the welcome meet but DS has Autism so maybe that is why they were a bit more flexible for us.

They do charge in US$ so make sure you have a card that does not charge a fee - ie: Santander Zero card is our 'holiday card'.

blue_monkey_2

r.mac wrote: »

Apart from that is there anything anyone can recommend for toddlers?

With our 3 and 4 year old we only did all Disney Parks and SeaWorld. Plus some shopping Take a buggy, they are expensive to hire and it is tiring for little legs - even if you drop it somewhere in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. The last thing you want to do is be carrying them.

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE

thanks blue i thought i would get that answer the girls both have a comfort blanket so i think they would be fine with them at bedtime and they could sleep together DH thinks they will be fine for 3 weeks as long as they are with us

another thing i was going to ask was about taking a buggy for my 4y :eek: as well as the yongest its not very often she goes in one now so im not sure if she would in a years time also do others take them for bigger kids i dont want to be the only one and people staring
also is there much to do at bush gardens with little ones would it be worth going

K-Mac_2

I know this will be a very difficult question to answer as everybody is different in terms of what they like, but I'll see what comes back anyway.....

We are having a short trip over to Florida and plan on doing one theme park and one water park.

In your opinion what is the best theme park for ages 14+
(Also is a base ticket the best option for us?)

Thanks in advance!

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE

mac when we went with my son age 13 he loved universal

blue_monkey_2

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE wrote: »

thanks blue i thought i would get that answer the girls both have a comfort blanket so i think they would be fine with them at bedtime and they could sleep together DH thinks they will be fine for 3 weeks as long as they are with us

another thing i was going to ask was about taking a buggy for my 4y :eek: as well as the yongest its not very often she goes in one now so im not sure if she would in a years time also do others take them for bigger kids i dont want to be the only one and people staring
also is there much to do at bush gardens with little ones would it be worth going

RE: Buggy. Universal, Seaworld, waterparks, BG - no, the parks are small and are usually done in 8-9 hours and the kids seem to cope fine with them. You'll see very few there.

However, Disney. Yes. We had DD when she was 4 1/2 and she used hers. She would be asleep come 8pm and we still wanted to see the fireworks (bad parents!!) so we took the Phil & Teds and both used to be asleep by 8pm (yep - ear defenders on they slept through the fireworks, LOL. M kids had severe noise phobias though).

You'll see kids of 9 and 10 in the Disney buggies, you have nothing to worry about age 5 being the oldest I can promise you that. Better to have it with you (check it in and then leave it in your hotel room if you do not need it) than be stuck hiring them at Disney for $16 a day.

I would suggest taking it folded up, place it in one of the buggy parks at the start of the day and then go and get it, if she needs it, later in the day. It's a long day for them. It's all very well people saying 'you should go home if your little one is tired' but when you only have a few days in which to see a certain parade or fireworks and when your little one is tired every day by them, then why not take the buggy so you can see what you want? Why should mum & dad miss out - it is their holiday too? It's not like you use it all day every day at home so it's a one off. Who cares. Just hide it when you have the photos done

blue_monkey_2

K-Mac wrote: »

I know this will be a very difficult question to answer as everybody is different in terms of what they like, but I'll see what comes back anyway.....

We are having a short trip over to Florida and plan on doing one theme park and one water park.

In your opinion what is the best theme park for ages 14+
(Also is a base ticket the best option for us?)

Thanks in advance!

Islands of Adventure - with a view to popping into Universal if you have time at the end. IOA has loads of fast coaster rides, water rides (a change of clothes is definately needed if you go on the Bilge barges), Harry Potter World. Go against the flow - finish at HPW LAST as everyone else does it first! Do hulk first and work your way round clockwise, arrive at HPW last as it will be quiet then, do not worry about Fordidden World - not a lot to do there - or Suess Landings - it's for kids!!

Universal is not really for teens IMO, there is only 2 'good' rides there now and we did it in 5 hours, going on everything except Men in Black and Rip Ride Rockitt (which never seems to be working)

But it depends what your son likes.

I'd not do MK, Epcot or AK if only there for one day. Possibly Hollywood Studios though.

Or Busch Gardens. Loads of good coasters there but an hours drive from Orlando. But not all kids like coasters.

Did you get the answer you wanted.... :rotfl:

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE wrote: »

mac when we went with my son age 13 he loved universal

sorry i ment to say IOA

SDG31000

Hi JulieJesta, Congratulations on your win I'm off to Orlando over Easter, it's our first visit, but I'm happy to try to get you discount books/vouchers if they will help. I'm just not promising as I'm another Florida newbie and am working things out as I go along.
I too suggest getting over to www.thedibb.co.uk There is lots of great information and advice and links to discount vouchers/websites, including one that shows all the restaurant e-clubs you can join for money off vouchers.
As for saving for the trip, I've been saving my £2 coins and it is surprising how quickly they can add up without you really missing them. Also I asked for dollars as birthday and Christmas presents from my family, which they were happy to do. It's never going to be a really cheap holiday, but then I find that holidays rarely are anyway.
I forgot to say that we got our car hire, and maybe the insurance, using airmiles. We converted our Tesco clubcard vouchers when they were offering double miles and got quite a lot. So that might be worth looking into and seeing if it will save you some cash.
I know there are much more knowledgeable people on here, but I'm more than happy to help if I can.

KarenG

Proudmummytothree - my Dds have never got homesick, even when the littlest was 3.

I agree that three weeks is a far better duration than two (actually, if you can go for even longer than three that's great )

Juliejesta, apologies if you've said already and I've missed it, but which hotel are you staying at? Many (probably most actually) hotels in Orlando come with a free fridge, so that would help with perishables etc.