Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

lizzielie

Wow, I have spent the last week or so reading through the 292 pages of fab tips and trip reports! Hubby and I have booked a cruise leaving Fort Lauderdale 1st September, and as it is Transatlantic with no stops, thought to combine it with a week in Orlando.

What was originally intended for a week for two, we are now travelling with a few of my work colleagues (poor hubby, a house full of head strong women :rotfl:). So in total we are 6, sharing a villa.... Yes, we must be a bit :eek:

Anyhow, our flights are booked, thanks to BA miles, we got o/w flights for £500 in total, quite happy with that! And with the villa coming in at less than $300 for both of us, it has been a good MSE start for a change:)

Although I am guessing that comes to an end soon, as when seeing the prices for the parks...

I am hope someone here can help a little with a couple of questions if possible:

-For the Royal Akershus Banquet Hall in Epcot, do you need to book in advance or can you just turn up at any given time to eat?
- Having been to DLP and DisneyLand last year, so the jury is a little bit out if to go to MK. How much of a difference is there between Disneyland and MK?

I am sure there will be a few more questions soon. Thanks in advance for all your help

vivatifosi

lizzielie wrote: »

Wow, I have spent the last week or so reading through the 292 pages of fab tips and trip reports! Hubby and I have booked a cruise leaving Fort Lauderdale 1st Se
I am hope someone here can help a little with a couple of questions if possible:

-For the Royal Akershus Banquet Hall in Epcot, do you need to book in advance or can you just turn up at any given time to eat?
- Having been to DLP and DisneyLand last year, so the jury is a little bit out if to go to MK. How much of a difference is there between Disneyland and MK?

I am sure there will be a few more questions soon. Thanks in advance for all your help

Royal Akerhus has a princess theming at the moment. The whole world has gone Frozen crazy and it is centred on Norway. Yesterday, the lines to meet the princesses from the film took four hours. So definitely book, you can always cancel.

MK is bigger than Disneyland. It has also just had hundreds of millions spent on a very lavish extension. DH, big Disney buff, told me that the extension cost more to build than the whole of Disneyland. Mine train cars are already in daily testing, though no soft opening scheduled as yet.

MK doesn't have Matterhorn, or Alice, and Pirates is (again according to DH) 38 seconds shorter, but we'll worth it. Have fun!

lizzielie

vivatifosi wrote: »

Royal Akerhus has a princess theming at the moment. The whole world has gone Frozen crazy and it is centred on Norway. Yesterday, the lines to meet the princesses from the film took four hours. So definitely book, you can always cancel.

MK is bigger than Disneyland. It has also just had hundreds of millions spent on a very lavish extension. DH, big Disney buff, told me that the extension cost more to build than the whole of Disneyland. Mine train cars are already in daily testing, though no soft opening scheduled as yet.

MK doesn't have Matterhorn, or Alice, and Pirates is (again according to DH) 38 seconds shorter, but we'll worth it. Have fun!

Thank you vivatifosi, I was hoping we could just drop in for Royal Akershus like a normal restaurant Especially as I have no real interest in meeting with the princesses, all I wanted was a bit of Norwegian food I might just stick to the bakery for my little food fix.

Thanks also for the comparison between the two parks, I love the whole happy feel you get from the Disney parks, so I think we will have to make the trip to MK in addition to a day at Epcot. With a day already booked for Mani/Pedi and shopping (lots of, as no luggage restrictions :j), means we have another 3 days to cover Busch Gardens, Sea World and Universal. Although I suspect our plans will change somewhat though... The aim is to be completely knackered by the end of the week

Sorry, one more question, as we would really just need day tickets, we would be better off buying them when over there right?

jeanna_2

Hi, I've put this on the flights section but thought I'd ask here as well.
We are booking a flight from Glasgow to Orlando from sat 7/6/14- fri 20/6/14 the price is £611 with Virgin a direct flight booked through lastminute,.
Is this considered a good price?
Thanks for your help

Wardy

After a bit of help if you wouldn't mind....

We're going to Orlando Oct this year. As we're swimming with dolphins at Discovery cove, we've already covered the ticket for Seaworld, so was thinking of buying the universal 3 park bonus ticket as we're spending one of the weekends at the HRH. With regards to the Disney parks, we want to go, but not sure if we'll do both MK and AK, and if we do, we were thinking whether we would want to leave and come back on the evening for the firework display as it will be a long day.

so a bit of advice.... do we buy a ticket on the day at the park rather than buying a flexi type ticket? and if we do, would we be able to leave and come back on the same day. Finally, does anyone have any idea of cost? The magic your way ticket looked pretty expensive....

pinkzebra

AdamBrunt wrote: »

Hi all,

We are busy planning our first trip to Orlando (as a treat for kids and mainly for after our eldest has finished her Year 6 SATS in May 2015).

Planning a two-centre break including Universal (not Disney or, at least, not the 'princess castle bits' as my son calls them) Parks and then R&R in the Quays or Clearwater.

1) We currently have 4 choices of time to go: Feb half term, Easter, May and August. Any recommendations in terms of cost and/or temperature (our son is not good in hot conditions) ?

2) How many days is enough for the parks ?

3) We currently have a quote of £6K for 2 adults and 2 children, mid-May, for 10 nights at the Loews Royal Pacific and then 7 nights at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort. This comes with unlimited Universal express and early hours entry but is room only in both hotels. Does that about right or can it be done a lot cheaper ? Replacing the Loews RP with Westgate Palace brings the quote down to £4700. Both options include flights with Virgin.

3) Has anyone stayed at the Drury Inn - seems to get a very good rating on tripadvisor and inc free breakfast, buffer dinner and shuttle service to Universal studios ?

4) The same agent is quoting £210pp for Orlando 5 park combo tickets (Universal Studios, Islands of adventure, Aquatica, Sea World and Busch Gardens) but doesn't say how many days this ticket is valid for. Again, is that about right ?

5) On top of the the, possible, £6k we would also need money for food. What is the best way of doing this ? Meal 'packs' (or whatever they're called) or just winging it in off-site restaurants ?

Thanks in advance for any help

I'll try and answer some of your questions.

1) I would pick May. It can still get hot, but it is not as hot as August and there is less rain. Easter is the second busiest time to visit (after Christmas). Although the new Harry Potter extension may not be open by then - so if that is important to you then it would have to be August.

2) I have looked at some comparison sites (Kayak, Momondo etc) and you could get your prices down a bit. May ...Flights about £560 each, Loews RPR (Through booking.com) £1800 for a club room (club room includes breakfast amongst other things). Sheraton Sand Key £1099 - total altogether about £5139.

Remember to add car hire (around £300 total), and parking charges at Loews RPR, which are about $15? a day (however, this means you don't have to pay to park when you visit the Universal Parks).

Westgate Palace is not even close to the universal resort hotels in terms of niceness.

3) I haven't, but it sounds a bit like say a Premier Inn/Holiday Inn level of accommodation - whereas Loews RPR is more upmarket. Universal hotels are worth staying in just for the express pass.

4) Floridatix is offering that pass for £200 for adults (£188 for 9 and unders). I have used them before, and they are great - you get real tickets, not vouchers.

5) Food - if you get the Loews club room (costs above) you will get breakfast included. We normally eat off site, although Universal city walk has some nice mid-price options like the Hard Rock Cafe, and MArgaritaville. Jakes bar at Loews RPR is not too pricey either. Also Universal has fast food like Panda Express and Moes, which are cheap. We like to eat offsite too like at Sweet Tomatoes, Olive Garden, Chillis etc on International Drive. Look out for coupons in the Sunday Orlando Sentinal newspaper, or from the official visitor centre on International Drive. I wouldn't bother with a meal deal thing - you normally only have a choice of a few places to eat at.

vivatifosi

Wardy wrote: »

After a bit of help if you wouldn't mind....

We're going to Orlando Oct this year. As we're swimming with dolphins at Discovery cove, we've already covered the ticket for Seaworld, so was thinking of buying the universal 3 park bonus ticket as we're spending one of the weekends at the HRH. With regards to the Disney parks, we want to go, but not sure if we'll do both MK and AK, and if we do, we were thinking whether we would want to leave and come back on the evening for the firework display as it will be a long day.

so a bit of advice.... do we buy a ticket on the day at the park rather than buying a flexi type ticket? and if we do, would we be able to leave and come back on the same day. Finally, does anyone have any idea of cost? The magic your way ticket looked pretty expensive....

You can leave and come back the same day providing it is to same park, otherwise you would need park hopping option, which is, imo, expensive for what it is. If you keep your receipts for parking you can re-enter for free. I think current gate prices are $90 for most Disney parks per one day ticket $95 for MK, as it is most popular they have started charging more. Multi day tickets reduce the cost per day, generally quite substantially. Anyone visiting very regularly, ie more than 2 weeks in a 1 year period, should consider an annual pass.

marco_79

We are a family of 4 travelling for the first time to Orlando. We have two girls age 4 & 8 and looking for the first timer experience. We have all the theme park tickets bought for the plans below. We decided to do Legoland in place of Discovery Cove as youngest too small to swim with Dolphins and wouldn’t be too happy watching her sister! We have a car booked.

This was the plan but looking to change it now after changing mind about 4th July MK following guidance from others and my own research. Think it would be too much for the girls to spend all day/night there in the crowds. We would like to see the fireworks somewhere that night.

Original Plan

03/07/14 Travelling - Arrive at Disney Hotel - Dinner somewhere – McDonalds Sanford possibly.
04/07/14 Magic Kingdom – Have CRT booked for 1855h but going to change MK to another day to avoid the crowds after taking advice from other dibbers.
05/07/14 Pool - Downtown Disney - Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiquie Booked 1545h at DTD – Planet Hollywood booked for 1845h with another family.
06/07/14 Epcot - No dining plans yet.
07/07/14 HollyWood Studios - Hollywood and Vine character lunch 1245h booked
08/07/14 SeaWorld
09/07/14 Rest Day - Shopping
10/07/14 Universal Studios - Stay night at Hard Rock
11/07/14 Island Of Adventure
12/07/14 Magic Kingdom
13/07/14 9.20am Caf! Mickey Breakfast - Rest Day - Shopping
14/07/14 Legoland
15/07/17 Animal Kingdom
16/07/14 Re-visit any favourite.
18/07/14 Shopping -Go to Airport - Fly Home

New Plan Thoughts

03/07/14 Travelling - Arrive at Disney Art of Animation - Dinner somewhere – McDonalds Sanford possibly.
04/07/14 Animal Kingdom or Legoland
05/07/14 Pool - Downtown Disney - Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiquie Booked 1545h at DTD – Planet Hollywood booked for 1845h with another family.
06/07/14 Magic Kingdom
07/07/14 HollyWood Studios - Hollywood and Vine character lunch 1245h booked
08/07/14 SeaWorld
09/07/14 Rest Day - Shopping
10/07/14 Universal Studios - Stay night at Hard Rock for Fast Pass
11/07/14 Island Of Adventure
12/07/14 Epcot
13/07/14 9.20am Caf! Mickey Breakfast Booked - Rest Day - Shopping
14/07/14 Magic Kingdom
15/07/17 Animal Kingdom or Legoland
16/07/14 Re-visit any favourite.
18/07/14 Shopping -Go to Airport - Fly Home

Restaurants we also want to eat in over the two weeks are -

Hardrock Caf! (Whilst at Universal)
Bubba Gump Shrimp (Whilst at Universal)
CRT
Trex
Cheesecake Factory
LongThorns
Tony Roma

Any help greatly appreciated as we are rookies at this. I will just phone up Disney and hopefully switch CRT to another day when we are at MK.
Marco

meer53

marco_79 wrote: »

We are a family of 4 travelling for the first time to Orlando. We have two girls age 4 & 8 and looking for the first timer experience. We have all the theme park tickets bought for the plans below. We decided to do Legoland in place of Discovery Cove as youngest too small to swim with Dolphins and wouldn’t be too happy watching her sister! We have a car booked.

This was the plan but looking to change it now after changing mind about 4th July MK following guidance from others and my own research. Think it would be too much for the girls to spend all day/night there in the crowds. We would like to see the fireworks somewhere that night.

Original Plan

03/07/14 Travelling - Arrive at Disney Hotel - Dinner somewhere – McDonalds Sanford possibly.
04/07/14 Magic Kingdom – Have CRT booked for 1855h but going to change MK to another day to avoid the crowds after taking advice from other dibbers.
05/07/14 Pool - Downtown Disney - Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiquie Booked 1545h at DTD – Planet Hollywood booked for 1845h with another family.
06/07/14 Epcot - No dining plans yet.
07/07/14 HollyWood Studios - Hollywood and Vine character lunch 1245h booked
08/07/14 SeaWorld
09/07/14 Rest Day - Shopping
10/07/14 Universal Studios - Stay night at Hard Rock
11/07/14 Island Of Adventure
12/07/14 Magic Kingdom
13/07/14 9.20am Caf! Mickey Breakfast - Rest Day - Shopping
14/07/14 Legoland
15/07/17 Animal Kingdom
16/07/14 Re-visit any favourite.
18/07/14 Shopping -Go to Airport - Fly Home

New Plan Thoughts

03/07/14 Travelling - Arrive at Disney Art of Animation - Dinner somewhere – McDonalds Sanford possibly.
04/07/14 Animal Kingdom or Legoland
05/07/14 Pool - Downtown Disney - Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiquie Booked 1545h at DTD – Planet Hollywood booked for 1845h with another family.
06/07/14 Magic Kingdom
07/07/14 HollyWood Studios - Hollywood and Vine character lunch 1245h booked
08/07/14 SeaWorld
09/07/14 Rest Day - Shopping
10/07/14 Universal Studios - Stay night at Hard Rock for Fast Pass
11/07/14 Island Of Adventure
12/07/14 Epcot
13/07/14 9.20am Caf! Mickey Breakfast Booked - Rest Day - Shopping
14/07/14 Magic Kingdom
15/07/17 Animal Kingdom or Legoland
16/07/14 Re-visit any favourite.
18/07/14 Shopping -Go to Airport - Fly Home

Restaurants we also want to eat in over the two weeks are -

Hardrock Caf! (Whilst at Universal)
Bubba Gump Shrimp (Whilst at Universal)
CRT
Trex
Cheesecake Factory
LongThorns
Tony Roma

Any help greatly appreciated as we are rookies at this. I will just phone up Disney and hopefully switch CRT to another day when we are at MK.
Marco

It will be very warm and humid when you are there, some thunderstorms, be prepared to abandon your plans at short notice. The queues will be long and your children are young, you only have 2 rest days in your plan, might be a good idea to be prepared to be a bit flexible !

Eating out on the day you arrive could be a problem depending on what time you get to your accomodation. We always find that when we get there (usually about 4pm ish) we're way too tired to go out to eat and usually just have a small snack then go to bed. You need to remember the time difference. Our kids are always grumpy and they're in their early teens now !

Be prepared for a wait to eat at Bubba Gump, Hard Rock and Cheesecake Factory too. Will you get preferential booking at HR as you're staying there ? They aren't places you can just walk in and sit down.

If you can, book another weeks holiday for when you get back, you'll need it

marco_79

meer53 wrote: »

It will be very warm and humid when you are there, some thunderstorms, be prepared to abandon your plans at short notice. The queues will be long and your children are young, you only have 2 rest days in your plan, might be a good idea to be prepared to be a bit flexible !

Eating out on the day you arrive could be a problem depending on what time you get to your accomodation. We always find that when we get there (usually about 4pm ish) we're way too tired to go out to eat and usually just have a small snack then go to bed. You need to remember the time difference. Our kids are always grumpy and they're in their early teens now !

Be prepared for a wait to eat at Bubba Gump, Hard Rock and Cheesecake Factory too. Will you get preferential booking at HR as you're staying there ? They aren't places you can just walk in and sit down.

If you can, book another weeks holiday for when you get back, you'll need it

The 5th, 9th and 13th are rest days and if we need more we will take them. We will probably aim to be at the parks early then go back to the pool in the afternoon before returning some nights if the kids are up for it.