Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

lizzielie

hcb42 wrote: »

Off to Orlando in 63 days time - just in time for Christmas. Never been before and didnt realise this was one of the busiest times ever. We have 10 days excluding arrival and departure day.

Two adults, no children approx 50yrs old....don't want to do loads of rides although will do some that are not too stomach churning..!
Anyway drafted up a basic itinerary

Magic Kingdom 2 days
Epcot 2 days
Seaworld or Discovery Cove (1 day)
Busch or Seaworld (1 day)
Universal Studios (not the side with HP World) 1 day
Cocoa Beach and Kennedy Space Centre 1 day
Clearwater Beach (no Parks!) 1 day.
1 day spare!

Not quite sure if our feet will cope with that, but that part aside, does this seem sensible - in particular do we need 2 days at the first two ?

Appreciate any tips! Not started to buy tickets yet.

Hey hcb

Trust me, your feet will kill you at the end, but in a nice way My husband and I went in August and without kids.

Anyway, to answer your question, we did Epcot in half a day, although we did skip the futuristic stuff, and didn't go on too many rides. We also did MK in one day (15 hours though....) and managed to go on all the rides we had set out to do, and did not have to rush around. Although with the humidity it would have been impossible!!!

That said, having been to DLP and to Anaheim, we had a fair idea of what to expect.

For Universal, both parks offer something unique, you should comfortably be able to visit both parks in one day. Harry Potter Land is busy, but the HP ride in I of A park is well worth it! With the park hopper, you can also take the train between the 2 parks (unfortunately we didn't know that). We liked both parks, although I of A is smaller, but had some awesome rides and glad we didn't skip it.

Best suggestion, use the Disney App and select your 3 fast passes wisely.

For tickets, we bought the Universal tickets beforehand as there is a good online discount on their homepage. For Disney, we found no good deals anywhere for 2 days visits, so bought them on the day. I am sure someone else here will give you more info on that though:)

Don't forget to set aside some time for shopping too. Have fun!!!!!

Birdie85

Hcb42- If you're not planning on going on all of the rides (and wasting precious hours queuing) you should be able to do MK and Epcot in 1 day each, but it probably is a good idea to plan in an extra day if you're going at a very busy time! I'd plan on going back to Epcot another day because there's too much food to fit in over just 1 day! Don't really see the point in whizzing through Epcot in half a day... take your time and soak it all up! There's loads to see and do (and eat...) in the World Showcase, it's one of our favourite places in WDW!

The Future bit is a bit of a quick walkthrough kind of thing TBH (the 'thrill' rides are good, some of the other things aren't great!), but if you get there early you can do that stuff then move over to the World Showcase for lunch. Just make sure that you decide on where you want to eat before you go so you don't get carried away and fill up in Mexico then regret your decision by the time you get to France!

I agree with the advice to get a Universal Park Hopper so you can take the train between the 2 parks. We can do Universal in a shortish day so you might like to do IOA too. There are some amazing rides there, even if you're not quite brave enough for the Hulk, some of the other rides like Spiderman are great! WWOHP is always worth a visit too IMO, even if you're not a big fan.

hcb42

Thanks for all the tips. That helps. We did have another thought which was only buy Disney 14 day pass and do all their parks and perhaps skip Universal Studios and Seaworld with the potential to do them on another trip - and would work out cost effective too - but in two minds now as to whether we would regret doing it that way - it's too hard this! :rotfl:

Birdie85

Well... with the fact that you don't want to do loads of rides I'd be tempted to stick to WDW. Even the big thrill rides at Disney aren't *that* scary compared to Universal. It's a better place to go around and take your time soaking up the atmosphere and it's great to be able to come and go with the 14-day pass so if you can't manage a full day and night at a park, you can go back another evening for dinner and the fireworks!

That said, I never miss the Universal parks!

It is difficult to choose what to do though, every time I come home I still feel like I have unfinished business because I didn't do everything I felt that I should have done! Last time we went we decided not to go to Seaworld, but then wanted to go once we were out there and it cost a fortune to buy tickets at the gate! Won't make that mistake again!

jackieblack

hcb42 wrote: »

Thanks for all the tips. That helps. We did have another thought which was only buy Disney 14 day pass and do all their parks and perhaps skip Universal Studios and Seaworld with the potential to do them on another trip - and would work out cost effective too - but in two minds now as to whether we would regret doing it that way - it's too hard this! :rotfl:

We were there last christmas/new year and decided not to do Universal. All the parks are so crowded that just getting around takes longer than at other times. We did WDW and Seaworld & Busch Gardens. We thought that Seaworld felt much more 'Christmassy' than the other parks and we chose to spend Christmas Day there, it was much less crowded than any of the WDW parks that day

hairy_g

I know you've been 7 times before, but bear in mind you'll be going during the hottest months of the year, last time we went in june the temperature was 106f leaving the airport at 6pm.

Now33

We have got our flights and accommodation booked our first visit next August. Can anyone provide any advice on car hire?

I have been looking at Alamo, and it would appear to be cheaper to pay in advance, but I am wondering if I book now, will I get a cheaper deal than I would get by booking next year?

There are four of us travelling (Children are ages 16 and 11), so I'm wondering what size car to get - within my price range on Alamo I can have Chrysler 200 (£277), Ford Fusion (£292), Rav4 (£300), Hyundai Santa Fe (£364) or Chrysler 300 (£367). Any recommendations?

Also am I likely to be charged any extras on these rates? The website says the rates include CDW with no excess, which is what I need, but was wondering if there were any conditions here. There is an additional charge for Alamo gold of about £60 , which includes a full tank of fuel and cover for other drivers - is this worth it/ how much is the fuel worth? (not really essential for me to have a further driver)

purplemusky

Now33 wrote: »

We have got our flights and accommodation booked our first visit next August. Can anyone provide any advice on car hire?

I have been looking at Alamo, and it would appear to be cheaper to pay in advance, but I am wondering if I book now, will I get a cheaper deal than I would get by booking next year?

There are four of us travelling (Children are ages 16 and 11), so I'm wondering what size car to get - within my price range on Alamo I can have Chrysler 200 (£277), Ford Fusion (£292), Rav4 (£300), Hyundai Santa Fe (£364) or Chrysler 300 (£367). Any recommendations?


Also am I likely to be charged any extras on these rates? The website says the rates include CDW with no excess, which is what I need, but was wondering if there were any conditions here. There is an additional charge for Alamo gold of about £60 , which includes a full tank of fuel and cover for other drivers - is this worth it/ how much is the fuel worth? (not really essential for me to have a further driver)

We always pay in advance to get a better rate over the past 3 years we have used, Alamo, Hertz and Dollar. Not had any problems with any of them. You will only be charged extra if you sign up for extra's and don't read your paperwork. When you get to the desk they may say about an upgrade but remember to check if you have to pay for this.

We paid £240 for a mid size SUV last year and got a Chevrolet Captiva. We booked this through holiday auto's when they had an offer on. Not sure if your a member on the dibb but keep an eye out on their website for deals.

stinky_daddy

Has this thread been moved somewhere else?

I only ask, as the last post was sometime ago (have been reading this thread again (and the dibb) to catch up on things and to see what might have changed / is likely to change before our next visit (went 2013 & are planning on returning in 2016)) lol

TIA

ukd

vivatifosi

It's still around I think, just moved down the pages a bit. Now it's not a sticky, people sometimes ask questions about Disneyworld without pasting on here as it doesn't always sit on the front page.