Advice needed for a trip to Orlando - Help please!

bubble30

:j :rotfl: HI,

I am flying out to Florida from Glasgow to Sanford in 4 weeks time. I have many questions. Can anyone give some advice?
1. How do you rate Globespans Premium Class?
2. How expensive or inexpensive is it to eat out in Orlando?
3. Any idea how much a couple would need to take in spending money - excluding Park Tickets?
4. Where's best to buy Park Tickets? For adults, what Parks would you recommend? We are interested in the 5 Park Flex Tkt and 14 day Disney Ultimate - Is that too much?
5. Is buying tickets online reliable? What about etickets? How do they work?
6. Anyone recommend good restaurants in Orlando - special occassion?
7. Is it easy to get around Orlando without Car hire - Parks etc?
8. How good, reliable is the I- Trolley?

Cheers

elisebutt65

Hi there there is a good British Disney site called the Dibb - I won't give the direct linky as I don't think we're supposed to but you can google it.

You can ask all questions Disney on there and they are a really good bunch of people - no trolls etc

love2save

These 2 places issue proper tickets and both are very reliable. I would avoid e tickets as you still have to queue when you get there and they aren't any cheaper.

Cheapest place usually to buy tickets is: http://www.themeparkticketsdirect.com/

Quickest for delivery though is here and they price match http://www.orlando-ticket-deals.co.uk/walt-disney-resort/wdisneyw.htm

I thoroughly recommend the Cheesecake Factory in Mall at Millenia. The food is wonderful and there is so much choice. They have branches everywhere and the Americans love it! (The cheesecake is TDF too!) http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/

You will have a great time!! Have fun!

love2save

Forgot to add...it depends where you are staying if you can get around without a car easily. We stayed at a Disney owned hotel when we first went to Orlando and they had their own transport to the parks...it was very tiring though and not so easy to get to restaurants etc. We now stay at a villa when we visit...more room and comfort and cheaper...and definately need a car. Cheapest place for car hire we found was: http://www.usrentacar.co.uk/ or http://www.yescarhire.com/usa/home/location/florida.htm

jordylass

bubble30 wrote: »

:j :rotfl: HI,

I am flying out to Florida from Glasgow to Sanford in 4 weeks time. I have many questions. Can anyone give some advice?
1. How do you rate Globespans Premium Class?
Never used it, but on other flights have shelled out for the upgrade and always found it worthwhile.
2. How expensive or inexpensive is it to eat out in Orlando?
It depends where you eat, there is a huge variety, but it is possible to eat very cheaply with massive portions.
3. Any idea how much a couple would need to take in spending money - excluding Park Tickets?
Very subjective, I spend a lot, but buy a lot of clothes there.
4. Where's best to buy Park Tickets?
I always buy from Universal site and pick up with my card at the machine when I get there.
For adults, what Parks would you recommend?
I wouldn't bother with Disney at all. I know loads of adults love it, but for me, Universal, IOA, Busch and Seaworld are the parks of choice.
We are interested in the 5 Park Flex Tkt and 14 day Disney Ultimate - Is that too much?
How long are you going, I would say this is way too much for 2 weeks, and you wouldn't be able to do anything other than parks in 3 weeks.
5. Is buying tickets online reliable? What about etickets? How do they work?
Yes, very reliable, when you get there take your credit card and reference number to the machine in the wall and it prints them out.
6. Anyone recommend good restaurants in Orlando - special occassion?
Charley's Steak, Victoria & Albert's at the Grand Floridian Resort, Gaylord Palms (I've not eaten here, but heard it's very good, especially Sunday mornings).
7. Is it easy to get around Orlando without Car hire - Parks etc?
There are coaches from I-Drive, but I always stay in a villa and use a car.
8. How good, reliable is the I- Trolley?
Seen it going up and down, I-Drive, think it runs every 10 minutes or so.

Cheers

If you're staying local to the parks for the whole time and need a relaxing day, head to Typhoon Lagoon.

Doonhamer

Don't get the 5 park flex ticket unless you are able to get to Busch. But do try and go, it's a great park. For adults the Universal parks are better than Disney, but it would be a shame to go to Florida and not see the Disney thing. Maybe get a 3 day Disney pass. The Disney water parks are nice. Animal kingdom nice too. Airboats on boggy creak are fun. Oldtown Kissimmee worth a visit, Thursday or Saturday I think they have old cars.

TGI Fridays in Florida are much better than the UK and worth a visit for a nice meal. They will come and sing happy birthday at the table for you if that's your thing. Outback Steakhouses are nice too, oooh the warm bread and the soup....

For cheap all you can eat there are many, Ponderosa springs to mind. Think they are about $10 to $20 dollars each depending on what you have with the buffet.

No idea about spending money, depends on you. I suppose for 2 adults a minimum of £500 could do you for food and drink for 2 weeks, thats $70 a day. After that it depends how much you like shopping!

bubble30

Hi Guys,

Thanks to you all for your brilliant response to my very lengthy query. You've given us so much advice - a great help!

Cheers

bubble30

Hi again!

More questions!

We plan on using the hotel's free bus service to and from the parks. Do you know if they are reliable enough and easy to get at park closing times?

Thanks

duchy

The Disney buses run to all the hotels until every single guest has gone (and to the transportation centre for guests staying off-site). If you stay off site and miss the last shuttle to your hotel (off site)always check for shuttles to other nearby hotels before paying for an expensive cab.
A lot of your questions depend on where you are staying. If you are staying at a Disney hotel food is likely to be deaer than if you are staying on International Drive for example where there is lots more competition so lower prices.
Yopu can get a public bus from the lower end of I Drive to the Disney transportation centre (and the trolley along I-Drive to get to that bus) much cheaper than the shuttles from the I Drive hotels and often no longer as the shuttles often stop to load at several hotels along the way.
I budget around $100 a day for spending money for food and "bits" for two people but have a seperate budget for clothes/trainers etc shopping.
Buy your park tickets before you go it will be cheaper.
I also highly recommend the dibb -brilliant site with loads of info and very helpful posters on the forums.

bubble30

Hi

Any good Malls in Orlando? I am staying on I-Drive - no car hire. Any you could recommend?
Also, do you think it would be worthwhile to hire a car for a couple of days? If so, who would you do it through over there and where would you recommend seeing for the day?

Thanks again!

duchy

All your questions are answered in HUGE detail on the dibb bubble.
I would really recommend doing your research as there is so much to see in Orlando that if you don't preplan it's easy to miss out on loads.
Car-hire is nice to have but not totally essential the companies are pretty much of a muchness so just find one with a good price and pre-pay the insurance as adding it on in Florida is much more expensive. Definitely pays to shop around though-prices vary a LOT !