Orlando Florida/Disneyworld (Part 2) *CLOSED*

DickyP_2

jackieblack wrote: »

As I said, each to their own.

This is a discussion that has been had several times over.

What one person enjoys, someone else may not (personally the thought of swimming in a river with a creature that eats its own faeces doesn't appeal to me at all! )

Different people like different things. Wouldn't life be boring if everything liked doing the same things :rolleyes:.

Been to the Cove twice and the wife has done the "trainer for the day" and we love the place. You could say its your day off from Florida as you just relax for the whole day, food is good and the ice cold beer always helps and its all included.

Granted its not cheap but the numbers are restricted and its a whole day activity, I mean you can always do both and I can't comment on the other as I have not taken part but may look into it.

m1ck_2

Just booked to go to Orlando the other day from end of Beginning of September for 2 weeks. We got the (direct) flights for £335 each which was excellent price I thought.

We are staying at this hoteL: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...o_Florida.html

Which is £265 for the room for 14 nights. The hotel is located near Universal Studios at the top of International Drive.

I am torn between staying for say 10 nights and then driving down to Miami to stay there for a couple of nights and then key west and back to orlando for the last couple of nights what do people think ?

Unfortunately I am 24 therefore Car hire is ridicolously expensive! (Have to pay a $25 a day premium). Usarentacar include this charge for £100 for 2 weeks or £50 for 1 week. In total it would cost us around £400 for an intermediate car for two weeks or £200 for 1 week. Therefore we are thinking of not having a car for the first week and getting an airport transfer to our hotel ($28 each). We will then hire the car for the whole of 2nd week and drop it back off at the airport. Any Advice - Is this do-able?

Where is the best place to buy park tickets? I think we'd want to go to all the Orlando Flexticket Plus parks so would get one of those. We would prefer to maybe only go to one or two WDW parks - Epcot and Magical Kingdom maybe?

Thanks for any advice given - can't wait 9 weeks on Saturday!! :T

disney_cjd

m1ck wrote: »

Just booked to go to Orlando the other day from end of Beginning of September for 2 weeks. We got the (direct) flights for £335 each which was excellent price I thought.

We are staying at this hoteL: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...o_Florida.html

Which is £265 for the room for 14 nights. The hotel is located near Universal Studios at the top of International Drive.

I am torn between staying for say 10 nights and then driving down to Miami to stay there for a couple of nights and then key west and back to orlando for the last couple of nights what do people think ?

Unfortunately I am 24 therefore Car hire is ridicolously expensive! (Have to pay a $25 a day premium). Usarentacar include this charge for £100 for 2 weeks or £50 for 1 week. In total it would cost us around £400 for an intermediate car for two weeks or £200 for 1 week. Therefore we are thinking of not having a car for the first week and getting an airport transfer to our hotel ($28 each). We will then hire the car for the whole of 2nd week and drop it back off at the airport. Any Advice - Is this do-able?

Where is the best place to buy park tickets? I think we'd want to go to all the Orlando Flexticket Plus parks so would get one of those. We would prefer to maybe only go to one or two WDW parks - Epcot and Magical Kingdom maybe?

Thanks for any advice given - can't wait 9 weeks on Saturday!! :T

Hello mate

Just a few things if they help....

Miami is a LONG drive from Orlando. Whilst is cool there and the keys awesome have you considered maybe going to Clearwater instead?

For car hire there is a new company called Car On The Drive (google them) and you will see they offer a pretty cool service. They collect you from the airport and have the car waiting at your hotel for you. Also carhirefloirda.net is one of the cheapest at the moment but your age will add cost to it I am afraid.

For tickets, well for Disney I woudl use Attraction tickets Direct and for Univerisal maybe their website.

HTH
Craig

Weggy

jackieblack wrote: »

As I said, each to their own.

This is a discussion that has been had several times over.

What one person enjoys, someone else may not (personally the thought of swimming in a river with a creature that eats its own faeces doesn't appeal to me at all! )

Different people like different things. Wouldn't life be boring if everything liked doing the same things :rolleyes:.

Dogs eat their own faeces yet they're mans best friend... not sure who that makes the more stupid, the dog or man?

Weggy

disney_cjd wrote: »

Miami is a LONG drive from Orlando. Whilst is cool there and the keys awesome have you considered maybe going to Clearwater instead?

We did Kissimmee to Miami in just over 3 hours. Fairly long but it's an easy drive. Depending on which part of the keys you're going to, you could be looking at a huge drive.

I would of looking into flying into Orlando and then out of Miami, depending on who you're flying with of course

Rowan1946

smidgey wrote: »

Hi all,

I've recently booked a two week trip to Florida with my other half for mid January 2010. I'm looking to do all the parks which I am confortable with but there are also three other activities that I really would like to do whilst there and wondering if anyone can offer any advice/tips?

2) Champagne breakfast in a hot air balloon (http://www.orangeblossomballoons.com/) - at current rates it looks to be about £103 each. Again has anyone used these?


Cheers

Chris

Hi there, last year i done this flight, very good with breakfast afterwards,,
They asked for $350, cheques, card or $300 cash in the back pocket for 2, no guesses what i paid with, had to run out to the SUV for some more cash,, good stuff

SimonVeness

1) Hang gliding (http://questairforce.com/intro.html) - at the current rates it looks to be about £140 each. Has anyone used this company?
2) Champagne breakfast in a hot air balloon (http://www.orangeblossomballoons.com/) - at current rates it looks to be about £103 each. Again has anyone used these?
3) Swimming with dolphins (http://discoverycove.com/DCO2/Purchase/Visitors.aspx) - at current rates it looks to be about £180 each.
Please feel free to advise of any better/cheaper places to do these activities or give me any tips

1 - I can honestly say I have never heard of this, and I thought I had pretty much covered everything in central Florida by now!! I know there are several specialists for this kind of thing down in Lake Wales but this is unconnected with any of them. If it's hang-gliding you're after, you might look for more testimonials on this company or try Wallaby Ranch in Haines City to the south, who I have heard good things about. If it's just a different airborne experience you'd like to try, I can definitely recommend Warbird Adventures in Kissimmee, where you get to fly a 1945 2-seater Harvard trainer AND do aerobatics (WAY cool!) or Waldo Wright's Flying Service at Fantasy of Flight in Polk County, where they have two biplane rides, one where you just sit up front (with up to 5 people) and another 2-seater where you can also take the controls. Just fab!

2 - Can definitely recommend Orange Blossom Balloons. Have flown with them several times and they are the biggest operator in Central Florida. British-owned and run, well worth trying.

3- I think Attraction Tickets Direct currently have some decent deals on Discovery Cove. In Jan 2010, the Choice of Adventure package (with dolphin swim) is showing at £124/person.

I am travelling with someone who is XXXL clothes and looking for some nice and possibly designer gear that they probably couldn't get in the UK. Can anyone please suggest some places we can try?

You should get a good choice of gear at Casual Male stores, of which there are 3 in Orlando, including one on International Drive at the junction with Kirkman Rd. However, you will probably find most of the designer stores will carry XXXL sizes, and at good prices, too. Just spend some time at either Orlando Premium Outlets or Prime Outlets International and you should be on course for some GREAT shopping!

teallach

Well, we're now one step closer to going as my husband got his Visa sorted out at the Embassy yesterday:j A few people had posted about the terrible experience it was for them (not sure if this was to with the London Embassy or not) but he got on fine. Said that the interviewer was a nice guy and didn't make him feel bad for having a record at all. He did say though, had the convictions ben recent, then he wouldn't have got the Visa but as they were 10 years plus (in a dark time of his life) then it was fine. I should point out, that this took place in Belfast as the appointments available in London were only 3 days before we fly out which is now only 3 weeks away:D

dazzer68

KarenG wrote: »

Hi Craig

Are you sure? They did used to be resort specific but in 2007 and 2008 all resorts had the same mug (nasty light blue thing ) and I believe this year they have changed the design to a red one but the design is the same for all resorts.

I also believe that when WDW changed the mug design so they were all the same they amended their policy to "OK for length of stay at any resort", as they would not know which resort you bought the mug at. Happy to be corrected though!

(I think CSR was the exception to this as they still had a different mug - no idea if that is still the same though).

Cheers (no pun intended )

having bought a resort mug (we stayed at all stars) just 4 weeks ago, i can confirm you can now use them in any other disney resort , but not any disney park.
the till cashier actually told me they can be used at any resort, and told me to make sure i take it with me! this is the new red generic mug, no other mug can be.

hairy_g

3) Swimming with dolphins ) - at current rates it looks to be about £180 each.
Please feel free to advise of any better/cheaper places to do these activities or give me any tips

we did this in jan 2007, on their coldest day for ages. we spent about 30 mins in the pool.
it's certainly worth the money as once in DC you don't need to pay for anything..... included in the price are wetsuits (highly reccomended ) lockers, snorkel gear, suntan lotion, (with snorkel gear),towels and showers plus shampoo/soap etc, also if you are there early enough you can have breakfast as well as lunch up till 3pm, plus there are a couple of snack bars for when you get out of one of the lagoon/pools where you can get hot/cold drinks, including beer and biscuits/crisps, etc... all included your admission price, also included was 7 consecutive days admission to sea world,..the daily admission price for seaworld, was at the time around $65.we took a disposable underwater camera and came back with some fantastic photos, i wish we had taken more.