Orlando Florida/Disneyworld (Part 2) *CLOSED*

atro1

fellap wrote: »

I used to work at Disney and I recall that October was one of the quietest periods to visit the parks, as mentioned the temperatures are still pretty good too

Hi fellap.
How was it working for Disney, trying desperatley to get rid of my 24 year old daughter!!! Suggested Disney to her for a couple of years!

sharnad

I want to go for a week in either the last 2 weeks in feb or the first week in mrach from manchester. I am going with my fiance and dont really care about the hotel but he would like a car to get around and there are some good deals on first choice but they seem to get more expensive the later you book
Is it best to book ASAP or wait a little and how long does it take to get a visa exemption through
I would like to go to disneyworld for the day but am not bothered if we stay there or further away we have been looking at kissimee as it seems to be cheaper
Any advice would be apperciated thanks

kyssyn

Mmmh, I can't help with the car hire aspect as I'm not a driver but I can say categorically, without a shadow of doubt that it simply isn't possible to spend one day in Disney and enjoy it to the full. You could do one park in a day but there are four and each of them have things to offer. If you try to rush it you'll miss many of the things that make Disney special (parades, fireworks, restaurants, water parks, secret tours/hidden mickeys, downtown disney etc).

It can be cheaper to stay outside Disney but if I were you I'd check where the hotel actually is on google maps. The first year I went the travel agent told us of a cheap hotel that was 'on the road to Disney' (Hwy 192) but failed to mention that it is an insanely long road and our hotel was in the middle of nowhere. It took an hour's drive to get to civillisation each day. I'm not trying to discourage you from staying away from the Disney area but do your research first to ensure that you end up somewhere convenient for the places you want to visit.

When asked about where to stay by first-timers I generally tell people to stay in Disney purely because they will likely spend quite a bit of time at the parks, the free transportation (within Disney property) is really handy and it can work out better for park passes (length of stay ones etc). Disney's budget hotels are good with free soft drinks, tea, coffee etc - for the length of your stay.

Nowadays I stay in a villa and find it's the best accommodation for me now. However, I couldn't imagine enjoying it without getting to know the area first.

Enjoy your trip whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll love it

disney_cjd

Great post from Krssyn.

A wee tip is that if your off site hotel offers a free Disney shuttle you know its not too far away.

Also,. try some of the hotels down hotel plaza blvd such as the Regal Palm or Doubletree - these are within walking distance of Downtown Disney and also Crossroads which has great resturants like Chevvys, Olive Garden, Barhama Breeze and also a Goodings Supermarket.

disney_cjd

The Pop Century is one of my favorite value resorts. But its closing! Its being changed into Disneys Inn and Suites and will rival the Nick hotel. The Legends area will be shutting shorty to have test rooms built and developed. If successful the entire resort will be refurbished.

The rooms will be great.

Aklso for those of you in teh All Stars resorts remember you can request a building prior to arrival. I like the All Star sports best as its least crowded, first on bus pick off nad bus drop off and also the touchdown blocks 7 and 10 are greatly located.

Have fun

RenB21

disney_cjd wrote: »

Hi Paul

No worries at all.

Yes Thanksgiving is the 19th (its a Thursday) and normally the third Thursday of November. The days running up to it are not to bad but that day will be busy in the parks adn Friday is known as "black Friday" its the biggest shopping day of the year - loads of sales.

Ckearwater I really like but then I go only for a few days and the kids love the beach. But its only 1ht 40 mins from Orlando so its not bad as a day trip at all.

500 quid a week is pretty good for a hotel budget. In the US you pay per room not per person so that allows what 750 bucks about 100 bucks a night?

I would drop Annette at Mouse Fan Travel an email re the Disney hotels. She can get you a great quote for the first week at least.

Lake Buena vista is a lovely area in my opinion but its still pretty near Disney. If you want to do parks and shopping and sunbathing etc then stay around Orlando or maybe Tampa as you have Buscj Gardens etc.

I just did a search on Marriott.com for your second week inc thanksgiving and this otel came in at 119 bucks a night - http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcorl-residence-inn-orlando-lake-buena-vista/

There were some for 99 bucks also ad these are good 3-4 star hotels. Other chains may well be cheaper and check out hotels.com also.

Have fun searching around!!

Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday of November - in 2009 it's the 26th November. I double-checked - http://www.calendardate.com/thanksgiving.htm

disney_cjd

RenB21 wrote: »

Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday of November - in 2009 it's the 26th November. I double-checked - http://www.calendardate.com/thanksgiving.htm

Yep - sorry - I stand corrected - its the FOURTH Thursday of November.

Thanks

Edinburghlass_2

disney_cjd wrote: »

The Pop Century is one of my favorite value resorts. But its closing! Its being changed into Disneys Inn and Suites and will rival the Nick hotel. The Legends area will be shutting shorty to have test rooms built and developed. If successful the entire resort will be refurbished.

The rooms will be great.

Aklso for those of you in teh All Stars resorts remember you can request a building prior to arrival. I like the All Star sports best as its least crowded, first on bus pick off nad bus drop off and also the touchdown blocks 7 and 10 are greatly located.

Have fun

The Legendary area never opened

lily_the_pink

We have just got back from 2 weeks in Florida - 10 nights in Orlando.
Just thought I would mention a few things that might help:

1. change money before you go (the rates we saw being quoted were outrageously bad - take nationwide card of course if you have)

2. If doing mainly disney then on-site is a good option. We were doing a bunch of different things (including getting married) so decided to stay off site. We stayed at a condo called Vista Cay which is near the convention centre/seaworld. 5 minutes early in the morning to universal and about 15-20 to disney. It is on Universal Boulevard parallel to international drive. The condo was great though there are still bits under construction (we were away from the construction noise, close to the publix supermarket). It was fabulous - see reviews on Trip Advisor so good central option.

3. International drive itself is very busy and in parts a bit dated but you can walk around . Some bits are nicer than others, but the traffic is slow. I192 is a very busy fast moving road - not for none-car drivers.

4. Get to the parks early if you are going in the busy period. We paid for tour guide mike and touring plans and it was money well spent. Over christmas and New Year we seemed to avoid the worst of the crowds and the queues. At the disney parks, if you get there early use fast passes whenever possible - build up a collection for the afternoon.

5. Dont miss fantasmic (hollywood studios overall is a really good day) - we booked a dinner package which included 3 course meal at the Brown Derby and priority seating. You can do it without the priority seating but it makes like easier and no queueing for 45 minutes etc.

6. Our favourite rides were Toystory, Simpsons at Universal, Men in Black and Spiderman. We also like Soarin but not as much as we thought we would. MY favourites as an adrenaline junkie were Aerosmith rock and roller coaster, Kraken at seaworld and Hulk (in no particular order though the Aerosmith one might just win the day). If you want to do Toystory be prepared to get there for opening and to run to queue up or to get a fast pass. (Even on quiet days apparently).

7. We made some advance dining reservations some months ago (180 days in advance to be exact as that is when bookings open). We went to Coral reef - ok but would not go again (though the fish kept my son quiet for the duration which is handy). California Grill which was fantastic - especially some of the sushi, great service and an awesome view of the fireworks at magic kingdom. Tusker house for breakfast with Donald was not bad value but great fun if you have kids of an age who would appreciate it. Ditto Crystal Palace for lunch with Tigger, Pooh and Eyeore. Our favourite though was the Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios - food, service and wine were all more than top notch. If you can get a fantasmic dinner package here it would make a great evening out or a fantastic end to the day. Food is more expensive in the parks but having a table service reservation means you get a proper rest rather than queing for 30 minutes for a hotdog - though some of the counterservice places are really good too (particularly epcot).

8. Build some rest time in - dont do 7 parks in 7 days.

9. Publix supermarkets are great - pretty high quality and a good choice of ready prepared food. The taster samples off the deli counter are very generous. (fantastic pastrami if that is your thing)

10. Dont worry about petrol costs. $1.55 a gallon. Dont know exactly what that equates to in £ but around 27p a litre I suppose. So dont worry too much about getting a gas guzzler - you might need the extra boot space.

11. TJ Maxx is a good place to buy suitcases - top of idrive just before prime outlets. There are still bargains to be had even with the lousy exchange rate. My OH bought a fantastic Tommy Hillfiger coat for $35.

12. Have a good time - which is made easier by the superb service culture that exists out there. (with the exception of the BB King place on Idrive - though the music is good).

Off to try to get to sleep now before the jetlag kicks in too much.

kezza12

well it's a done deal i've booked to go to Florida next October, going on my birthday and i'm going to try booking dinner at cinderellas castle on the night we arrive (will probably be very tired but i don't care it will be my birthday:j. we will be stopping in the lake bv village resort and spa, it looks lovely i've had my eye on it for months now and i don't think i've read a bad review. i've never been in october before always in april/may but i hear that the weather is pretty similar :cool: anybody out there got any tips on if the dollar pound exchange rate is going to change and if so will it be favourable for us brits? i so wish i'd gotten my dollars last year:rolleyes: