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orlando advice
mamonem
Posts: 1 Newbie
Restaurants
• Restaurants at the Walt Disney Resource are available for booking up to 180 days in advance, so book early for your favourites, such as ‘Be Our Guest’. A Credit Card is required to secure a booking and is non-refundable if you don’t cancel it within the allotted time.
• If you’re struggling to find a reservation slot for your favourite restaurant, try returning nearer the time, even the day before as cancellations often crop up.
Avoiding the Queues
• Pick your must-see’s
• Obvious, but if you can go out of season and the holiday periods – I know it’s not possible for everybody.
• Get there early – and by that I mean allowing time to go from the car park (if driving) etc. to the actual park and be at the ‘gate’ as it opens
• Start at the back – and/or go straight for your favourite rides
• Consider going anti-clockwise around the park, or check out the online ‘routes’ which are published as being the ‘best’ (although they aren’t always)
• Single ride queues, doesn’t mean you won’t be on the same ride, so if your happy to take the risk and don’t care about sitting next to the person your with, join the single ride queue.
• Hotels on the resort, for example, Hard Rock Hotel, can give you ‘Fast Pass’ type tickets as part of your booking and early admission to the park.
• Fast Pass @ Disney is a good way of booking rides – only 3 at a time per day but once you’ve used one, don’t forget you can book more for the same day using the mobile app or kiosks at the park
• Use the Disney Apps to see the queue times and be guided by them
Food
• Meal Plans can be a good way of saving money, if your happy with the restrictions that apply and you are comfortable you would consume the aspects included
• Have a good breakfast – late/light lunch – and then fill up again for dinner
Buying Tickets
• Ticket Bundles can include more than one park and other features such as Memory Maker (captures and makes available all of the photos taken around a park, linked to your entrance card/band) for free.
• Disney often does a 2 weeks for 1 week offer
• Use a trusted but specialist broker, but make sure they are an official Disney seller, such as : Orlando Attractions, or American Attractions. Other non-approved resellers exist, such as Orlando Attraction Tickets.co.uk where feedback is good.
General
• Avoid the ‘perfect trip’ – don’t be a slave to the parks, and choose a pace that is comfortable. Consider ‘days off’ for relaxing, or a good idea is to get in early, and then take a trip back to the hotel/villa for lunch/afternoon nap or play in the pool – and then return in the evening
• Hire Cars can be useful, especially for getting outside of the resort but make sure you have good insurance cover, and be aware of parking charges, both at your hotels (if you’re a guest, it doesn’t mean its free), and at the parks themselves.
Other Resources
• MoneySavingExpert.com has some good advice, you can find it here.
• The Walt Disney World book is recommended, lots of great advice but for me it was TOO detailed, comparing everything from hire cars, to restaurants, and the general tips got a little lost. Although it can be found cheaply, and so if you’ve the time, it’s a useful guide.
• TripAdvisor can be a good source for reviews of all kinds, both hotels, restaurants, and attractions
• There are even tools for planning your rides, RideMax is one example
• Useful Maps can be found here
• Restaurants at the Walt Disney Resource are available for booking up to 180 days in advance, so book early for your favourites, such as ‘Be Our Guest’. A Credit Card is required to secure a booking and is non-refundable if you don’t cancel it within the allotted time.
• If you’re struggling to find a reservation slot for your favourite restaurant, try returning nearer the time, even the day before as cancellations often crop up.
Avoiding the Queues
• Pick your must-see’s
• Obvious, but if you can go out of season and the holiday periods – I know it’s not possible for everybody.
• Get there early – and by that I mean allowing time to go from the car park (if driving) etc. to the actual park and be at the ‘gate’ as it opens
• Start at the back – and/or go straight for your favourite rides
• Consider going anti-clockwise around the park, or check out the online ‘routes’ which are published as being the ‘best’ (although they aren’t always)
• Single ride queues, doesn’t mean you won’t be on the same ride, so if your happy to take the risk and don’t care about sitting next to the person your with, join the single ride queue.
• Hotels on the resort, for example, Hard Rock Hotel, can give you ‘Fast Pass’ type tickets as part of your booking and early admission to the park.
• Fast Pass @ Disney is a good way of booking rides – only 3 at a time per day but once you’ve used one, don’t forget you can book more for the same day using the mobile app or kiosks at the park
• Use the Disney Apps to see the queue times and be guided by them
Food
• Meal Plans can be a good way of saving money, if your happy with the restrictions that apply and you are comfortable you would consume the aspects included
• Have a good breakfast – late/light lunch – and then fill up again for dinner
Buying Tickets
• Ticket Bundles can include more than one park and other features such as Memory Maker (captures and makes available all of the photos taken around a park, linked to your entrance card/band) for free.
• Disney often does a 2 weeks for 1 week offer
• Use a trusted but specialist broker, but make sure they are an official Disney seller, such as : Orlando Attractions, or American Attractions. Other non-approved resellers exist, such as Orlando Attraction Tickets.co.uk where feedback is good.
General
• Avoid the ‘perfect trip’ – don’t be a slave to the parks, and choose a pace that is comfortable. Consider ‘days off’ for relaxing, or a good idea is to get in early, and then take a trip back to the hotel/villa for lunch/afternoon nap or play in the pool – and then return in the evening
• Hire Cars can be useful, especially for getting outside of the resort but make sure you have good insurance cover, and be aware of parking charges, both at your hotels (if you’re a guest, it doesn’t mean its free), and at the parks themselves.
Other Resources
• MoneySavingExpert.com has some good advice, you can find it here.
• The Walt Disney World book is recommended, lots of great advice but for me it was TOO detailed, comparing everything from hire cars, to restaurants, and the general tips got a little lost. Although it can be found cheaply, and so if you’ve the time, it’s a useful guide.
• TripAdvisor can be a good source for reviews of all kinds, both hotels, restaurants, and attractions
• There are even tools for planning your rides, RideMax is one example
• Useful Maps can be found here
0
Comments
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My advice.
Don't bother, it's expensive and I have never been to a place that tries to drain every last cent out of you ( except for Miami) .
There is only one thing on a mind of a Floridian, your money.The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.0 -
There is already a long-running specialist thread on this subject https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1820085
Why the need to start another?Everything will be alright in the end so, if it’s not yet alright, it means it’s not yet the endQuidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur0 -
Or just go to Universal. A fraction of the cost, less crowds and better rides.Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear0
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peachyprice wrote: »Or just go to Universal. A fraction of the cost, less crowds and better rides.
more compact resort, and better hotels too
.
OP your post scared the living daylights out of me, its supposed to be a holiday!0 -
Do I smell sizzling pork products?0
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