Disney World

[bjstare]

My wife and I are headed to Disney World in Feb. We have just over a week of free (non-travel) days to fill up. We want to do Disney, Universal, also possibly Kennedy space center if I can convince the wife (I've been to the Houston one already so I know how awesome they are).

I'm looking for tips on the best Disney Parks, how long we'll need to cover them (I know a week isn't enough for everything), and what passes to buy for the parks. Basically any input the local Disney experts think might be helpful. FYI her and I have both done Disneyland, but neither of us have done Disney World.

Also, we have flights and accommodation booked already (we're staying at one of the DW hotels).

Thanks in advance

[Perfect Dark]

I've been to DW and Universal a bunch, I could write an essay but I'll try and give you the Coles Notes version. Keep in mind I have children so I'm going to try make suggestions based on that you don't.

One day in each park at DW should be enough to hit all of the major attractions. Buy your tickets now though so you can book Fastpasses (head to the Disney website to get more info on those). You'll need them for some of the more popular rides unless you are okay with standing in line. You can book them 30 days in advance of your first day you use your passes and unfortunately resort guests and annual passholders get to book ahead of you so there won't be much left for availability. If you are limited to 7 days and want to consider skipping a park I would pass on Hollywood Studios as there isn't a lot to offer until the Star Wars and Pixar expansions are done (Tower of Terror and Rock N Roll Coaster are there though so if they are on your list of must rides then Animal Kingdom would be the next one to cut).

Edit - I just noticed that you're in a DW resort, make sure to take advantage of the Extra Magic hours that gets you into certain parks early and stay later! Also, the website I've mentioned further down has a crowd calendar so you can plan your park days around that.

Universal offers a 2 day + 1 day free package that you may as well get. It gives you a flex day if you really want to go back. For adults this is going to be your park(s) of choice if you are ride people...so many great attractions there! Head to the Harry Potter sections as early as possible and then again later in the evening to avoid long waits. They don't offer a free fastpass type thing like DW but you can pay for a VIP thing that skips lines. It's expensive and only really worth it in peak season.

I haven't been to Kennedy (two little girls with no interest in space stuff will do that haha) but I've heard it's amazing and a must do. It's 1.5-2 hours outside of the city so plan accordingly!

Buy your tickets online at Undercovertourist.com, I've had nothing but great service from them and haven't seen pricing lower anywhere else. You can get tickets for everything in one shot which is nice. You could also consider park hopper passes to condense multiple parks into one day which would free up some time.

Like I said I could write way more but if you have any other specific questions let me know and I'll be happy to answer them!

[xrayvsn]

We own a place near DW, so we've been to Universal and Disney a lot. So, I have some thoughts that can help you organize and consider for your trip.

Since you are staying at a DW resort, you can also take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours. Each day, one of the parks will open late or early only for guests staying at a DW resort. You can cut back on the lines that way.

Getting your DW tickets ahead of time is key, and then set up the My Disney Experience App so you can get your fast passes. They usually bundle 3 rides into the fast passes offered, and you can add more fast passes at the parks through the App as your use up the fast passes.

You can also set up dining through the app, but I find that having a sit down meal just a huge time sink if you are there for the rides.

Lots of rides to do at Universal as an adult. The new Harry Potter area - Diagon Alley just opened, so it is worth it to be able to go from one park to the other, since you can ride Hogwart's Express between the parks (if Harry Potter is your thing).

As far as Kennedy, it is one of my favorites, even though it is about 1.5 hours out of Orlando. Depending on when you are there, you can sometimes get lucky and catch a rocket launch. Next launch looks to be scheduled for Feb 3. I have watched a Shuttle launch, Orion I and a satellite launch from there. All very memorable.

https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/e...gps-2f-12.aspx

[ExtraSlow]

Drink your way around the world at epcot.

[taemo]

Back in 2013, a fellow Beyonder shared some info to me regarding DW and Universal Studio, search for old Disney world threads as they might provide useful info.

From what I recall we spent 3 days in DW, 4 would be optimal as there's 4 parts.
Stay in one of the DW hotels as it will save you lots of time, plus you can rest then go to another park easily.

2 days in Universal (Island of Adventures and Universal Studios) but pretty much you'll be spending most of the time at the Harry Potter world.

Key on the main/famous rides is to do them first thing in the morning, short/almost no line-up instead of the 2-3 hours line-up later the day.

Anyway, PM me if you want me to forward the info that was forwarded to me or when I have time, I'll try to share some here from my experience.

[bjstare]

Thanks for the responses so far, all great.

Didn't know there was a launch occurring during our trip. We'll do Kennedy that day for sure.

I also didn't know about the Disney app that you can book fast passes on, that sounds like a good plan

Sounds like we'll be doing 2 days at Universal and 5 at DW. Then a day for Kennedy and a day for shopping or relaxing.



If anyone has any more ideas, I'd be glad to hear them!

[benyl]

If you are staying at DW hotel, you get free parking at the parks. I would suggest renting a car. We never waited for the bus, but I have heard it can add hours to your day.

We also would park at the contemporary hotel when going to WDW. It is 1 stop on the monorail. This is especially important when leaving the park. You just say you have a reservation at the restaurant in the hotel and they let you in.

Parking at the regular lots adds a lot of time for transitions. It worth it once or twice as you can ride the boat across the lake or ride the monorail. We did WDW 4 out of 6 days and started parking at CH day 3 and it was much faster getting in and out of the park.

[blownz]

Sorry to jump on your thread cjblair, but I will be in Florida next month as well and was wondering if anyone can comment on any other things to do besides the usual Disney World, Universal, Sea World, Kennedy Space Center.

Deep sea fishing, Crocodile park, and air boat ride are some of the other things I want to do but I am wondering what else.

I have 3 nights at DW, 3 nights Universal, then 2 nights in Orlando and 3 nights in Palm Beach. Flying into Orlando and out of Fort Lauderdale.

Thanks!

[JordanEG6]

Last time I went was in 2006, so I'm unsure how much things have changed since then. But when I went, it was awesome!

A week is enough to cover most of the major parks in Orlando.
Universal Studios and Kennedy Space Center are a must do. I'd make room for those on the trip for sure. About a day each. I would take maybe a few days for Disneyworld. There are quite a few parks at Disneyworld that you might wanna check out:

Magic Kingdom:
Almost exactly like Disney Land CA without the California Adventures portion. So if you wanted to save time, you could skip this, but they have a new electric parade which only flows through this park I believe.

Hollywood Studios:
A must! I love this park. Houses some gems like MuppetVision, Tower of Terror, Star Wars area with some stores and rides, Rock n Roller Coaster and a Pizza Planet.

EPCOT:
Great park. More for adults. It's like an interactive social studies class where you visit various 'countries' throughout the park. Try different beers and food as per country etc.

Animal Kingdom:
Especially great for kids. Lots of interactive attractions and rides. Depending on what you want to see here, you could skip this park, as I believe some of the attractions cross over to Disney Land CA as well.

Some helpful tips:
- If you get a chance, hit up a water park at DW. Blizzard Beach was my favorite. It's trippy too, looks like a ski resort with fake snow, but only a water park.

- If you're looking for some adult/non-kids stuff, Disney's Boardwalk and Universal Studios Citywalk are pretty cool to visit in the evening.

- Get multi-day (up to 5 days) park hopper passes. FastPasses are also pretty great. You'll make the most out of your day going at a certain time than waiting forever in line.

- If one of you is in a wheelchair or scooter, you can bypass all the lines without getting a FastPass. We convinced my gramps to hop on a motorized scooter for the day and we never waited for a line. He just hopped off the scooter and took part in the attractions. And the staff would bring the scooter to him afterwards lol.

[dino_martini]

Originally posted by blownz
Sorry to jump on your thread cjblair, but I will be in Florida next month as well and was wondering if anyone can comment on any other things to do besides the usual Disney World, Universal, Sea World, Kennedy Space Center.

Deep sea fishing, Crocodile park, and air boat ride are some of the other things I want to do but I am wondering what else.

I have 3 nights at DW, 3 nights Universal, then 2 nights in Orlando and 3 nights in Palm Beach. Flying into Orlando and out of Fort Lauderdale.

Thanks!

In Orlando check out Mangos (www.mangos.com/orlando/), Tin Roof (www.tinrooforlando.com), or Cuba Libre (www.cubalibrerestaurant.com/en/orlando/). All are pretty much on International Drive. Great spots for dinner, or to relax after a long hot sticky day at the parks.

As far as parks go, I'd skip Magic Kingdom if you have been to Disneyland. Disneyland has the better versions of most attractions vs Magic Kingdom.

Epcot and Hollywood Studios is where I would concentrate my time. Hopefully you got park hopper passes. If so, spend a morning in Animal Kingdom, do Expedition Everest and the Safari deal and then head to a different park.

Epcot has two different flavors with World Showcase. Pretty neat to walk around, you can buy the legit Japanese warrior headbands at the Japan pavillion. Canada's pavilion is known for its Steak House, if you wanna go call and make a reso now because its really popular. The fireworks in Epcot are freaking wicked too.

Make sure to check out The simpsons world at Universal, they recreated Moe's Tavern with a life sized Barney statue, they serve real Duff, Krusty Burger has a location. Its wicked.

[riander5]

Harry Potter world
Islands of adventure
Blizzard Beach
Typhoon Lagoon

Go to these

[bjstare]

Thanks for all the input. It looks like we have an idea of what we want to do now.

I'm only going to rent a car for a couple of the days, we're going to do our best to take advantage of staying at the resort hotel.

Is it best to book a rental car in advance, or just grab one at the Disney centre when we arrive? In the past, I've gotten a better deal by just walking up to the counter, but was curious if anyone's tried it at the disney place - might be different?

[blownz]

I ended up booking a car rental through Costco Travel. Seemed to be the best deal I could find by far and in CDN$. About $500 for 10 days on a midsized SUV.

[Perfect Dark]

For my last trip I used Alamo. I signed up and just waited for a good price to jump on, ended up getting a Camry for 2 weeks for just under 300 CDN.

[KPHMPH]

When we booked our car we paid $450 CND for 10 days and we got a convertible mustang. We booked from Avis.

[tomt64]

Useless info:

Apparently at Epcot they have Fanta Melon Soda. Googled it and it said 'melon frosty' so not completely sure if it is the same. Every time my friends and I go to Japan we are hooked on this stuff. Give it a try!

[Perfect Dark]

Originally posted by tomt64
Useless info:

Apparently at Epcot they have Fanta Melon Soda. Googled it and it said 'melon frosty' so not completely sure if it is the same. Every time my friends and I go to Japan we are hooked on this stuff. Give it a try!

There's a Coca-Cola store there with all kinds of really strange flavours that you can sample...I wasn't a fan but I seem to remember that one being there.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by Perfect Dark
For my last trip I used Alamo. I signed up and just waited for a good price to jump on, ended up getting a Camry for 2 weeks for just under 300 CDN.

Originally posted by KPHMPH
When we booked our car we paid $450 CND for 10 days and we got a convertible mustang. We booked from Avis.

Presumably, you guys didn't rent from the actual disney car care centre then, you rented from the airport or otherwise? I would imagine this makes a decent impact on price.

edit: its possible it's cause of short notice, but I'm seeing ~$150CAD is the cheapest I can do for a fullsize for only TWO DAYS, and you guys are paying this for like a week?! haha. I need to find out how to be more thrifty. Teach me your ways. (except Costco guy, I don't have a membership there)

[xrayvsn]

I always just check online right before I rent. I can cancel without charge on Expedia if a better price comes up, or if I notice the line up is stupid long at the airport. I have done it a couple of times now where I will be in line and notice it is empty at another vendor. I have my original booking to fall back on, but will check online as I wait to see if there is something better. Sometimes there is and I save myself some money and time. Sometimes not.

There are always extra fees with the airport rental places, so if you can find a reasonable price at the hotel, and you don't need the car to transfer to and from the airport, go for it!

[bjstare]

Just an update. Ended up paying ~$450 CAD for a brand new mustang GT for the whole trip. It was a premium over the economy car, but I couldn't turn down a GT. It was one of only two GT rental cars I saw on the entire trip, the rest are the base model vert.