Orlando!

Nala

Hey all
I'm off to Orlando in a couple of weeks with my family and am just wondering what it's like? I want to visit SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, are they any good? Also is the shopping any good or is stuff cheaper over here? (unlikely I know but anyway). I'll be staying in the International Drive area btw.
Cheers!

subway_ie

Definetly visit Universal Studios and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure - probably the best theme park in Florida. Unless you've got young kids, I'd avoid Disney World. Seaworld is a good day out, allthough it hasn't got as many rides as the other parks. It's more of a "zoo" than anything else. Busch Gardens sounds great, but I've never been there - you might want to visit the Kennedy Space Centre if you don't mind the few hours drive.

The shopping is great - much cheaper than here - try the outlet malls - Bells and a few others - factory outlets for all the major brands. Even the shopping on International Drive itself is pretty cheap, although it's all geared towards tourists. The food is amazingly cheap - you should go to a Ponderosa Steak House at least once.

D-Generate

Oh the Ponderosa, the mere name brigns back memories of me being so full that I was sick.

Universal Studios and Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure are in my opinion more fun than anything disney has to offer. IOA is very much roller coaster dominated and will be more enjoyable to those seeking some thrills. Universal Studios will cater for teh young'uns a tad more than IOA. It doesn't haev as many white knuckle rides, the rides are more like being in a movie set. Back to the Future is just amazing.
Disney I found a little boring, the themeing is excellent but tehre is only so much of it that impresses you. Rides were a bit lacking in excitement. As stated above it is for kids more.
Sea World is quite a lot like a zoo, there are a couple of rides and they are really good. Make sure to see some of the shows. The ones at night can be very entertaining.
If you feel like a rest day pay a visit to Wet n' Wild on International Drive. Such a great water park, best I have been to.

Busch Gardens is a long drive away from international Drive. Its well south in Tampa Bay. It is however worth the drive. It has some cracking good roller coasters and a good zoo too. Queues were pretty short here i though, during the high season I was able to hop off their main ride and hop straight back on into the front seat many times.

Outlet Malls are all over the place. There is the Florida Mall in Orlando whcih is gigantic. Many more are in Tampa.

You may be interested in a 10 day pass that grants you unlimited access to Universal Studios, Universal Studios IOA, Wet n' Wild, Sea World and Busch Gardens. IT works out to be incredibley cheaper this way and you can go to say universal studios in the morning and go to sea world at night when it has cooled off and to "sea" the shows. Okay that was a terrible pun, i apologise.

Mousie

Heading over in October, any tips?

Lex_Diamonds

As above, but watch out for the Land Sharks.

Furp

I was in Orlando in August of 2002 for my honeymoon, I have many fond memories and would love to go back when the kids are older, here are my tips.

Rent a Car You will need one, book online directly with one of the companies before you go, it works out cheaper but be aware of hidden charges, and make sure you get an international drivers license from the AA before you go they are cheap and makes things a lot easier.

Don't be afraid to rent a car with a big engine, we got a 4.7L V8 Mercury grand Marquis, and we only spent about $30 on petrol(gas) in the two weeks.

Companies I have used before are:
Enterprise Rent A Car
Budget Rent A car
AA Ireland To Get Your Int. Drivers Licence


Walt Disney World, It is great but we were a little disappointed its very big (Four Separate Parks Linked by Monorail) and there is lots to do, some great rides but don't spend too much time there, although doing a park a day is realistic.

Good attractions are the Test Drive in the Epcot centre, Extra Terrestrial, Thunder Mountain in Walt Disney world, and the Dino ride(can't remember the name) in Dino land, and of course Star Tours, which is a Star Wars ride, and the Haunted Mansion.

Use the fast pass scheme which lets you get a printed ticket at the ride with a time to come back at were you can skip the queue. Don't forget to stay late and check out one or two of the firework & laser shows.

You can book tickets online and collect also if you do not use a day your ticket never expires.
Disney World Website

Universal Studios We were not expecting it to be so good, its brilliant, much better than expected, great rides, Back to the future, Jaws, ET, Men in Black, Earthquake, King Kong(which is sadly now gone we were among the last people to ever be in this ride).

In the Islands of Adventure there is some great roller coasters, plus Spiderman 3-D and Jurassic Park river rapids. Again use the fast pass system.

In Universal there are some good street shows such as the blues Brothers who arrive in the BB's car and are the spitting image of Dan Ackroyd and James Belushi.
A Ghostbusters show which is ok, but to get to see and touch the GB's car is awesome, and a Beetlejuice show which is lots of fun.

Also you get to see the De Lorean from BTTF up really close.

You can book your universal tickets here, also universal do some good deals like buy one day and get one free, or the ticket we got was a 14 day unlimited parks access pass.
Universal Studios Website

Seaworld, we were a little disappointed but only because a few of the attractions where closed down for maintenance when we visited, and we missed the main shows so we learned a lesson check the show times before you go.

Again you can book Seaworld tickets online, although having said that it was included in our Universal tickets which also included Busch Gardens.
Seaworld website

Busch Gardens we did not get a chance to visit but next time we will be going.
Busch Gardens

Kennedy Space Centre Its a good place to go but it is a long drive, again when we where there the tour was limited ( I assume because of security) although still great to see the final assembly building for the space shuttle, the launch gantry's and the rolling launch platform.

But the museum where you see the Saturn 5 rocket is cool the rocket is support horizontally running the entire length of the museum and separated in stages. You also get to play with the Mars rovers, and a simulated launch in the old mission control room is really cool. There is also an Imax theatre and a Rock(et) Garden.

Kennedy Space Center

Hotels
If you are staying in one of the hotels in or affiliated to the parks you get a special pass or just use your hotel keycard which allows you to skip most of the queues at the rides.

Although when I was there the queues where not that long. For our second week we stayed in the Hard Rock Hotel, which was just out of this world and got a boat trip to the park everyday. As well as a CD and personalized Keycards which are kept as souvenirs.

On hotels, be aware of extras, again don't eat from the mini bar (unless $6 is a reasonable price for a bottle of water to you). don't use the phone to call home without a calling card, as this costs $$$, Also some hotels block using certain calling cards in their telephone system and even then they can charge you for making a call at all or receiving one.

On going to the Parks
Bring or buy a poncho outside/inside of the parks they are quite cheap, as when it rains without warning you will be glad even then the rain can be fun because its like god turning on a shower sunny one second than it buckets down for up to half an hour and just stops and dries up. Also some of the attractions at the park close when it rains for safety reasons, as thunder and lightning usually accompanies the rain.

If you bring a bag make sure it is easy to open and preferably waterproof as you will get wet either by rain or more likely the water attractions.

Your bag will be checked by security at the gates, (maybe this isn't so strict now but I visited less than a year after Sep 11) usually you just open the bag at a table and they look inside or you take out your camera to show them, they are very courteous and nice about it though.


Bring water/soft drinks to drink and some snacks as the prices in the parks are about 2.50 or more for a drink which is not too bad but if you stay there all day it adds up. Water can be dearer than a bottle of Coca Cola, Oh and the water is also produced by coca cola.:rolleyes:


Bring your credit cards there is lots to buy in the parks and your purchases can be sent to your room free of charge if you are staying close by.

Suncream

Dollars it might seem obvious but you will need dollar bills for tips etc. if you eat in a restaurant.

A mini-fan preferably with water spray as it gets really hot, you can buy these over there, also some of the parks have mist showers where you walk up press a button and you get covered with an ice cold mist.

Camcorder & camera, lots of film, tape, spare batteries, & memory cards.

On Eating
There are loads and loads of places to eat on International Drive and around, too many to mention but depending on what you are after food is quite reasonable.

Denny's was a great place to eat lunch etc, and there muffins are to die for.

Dunkin' Donuts if you missed them when they used to be over here.Get a box to keep in your hotel room, Boston Creams mmmmmm

Race Rock International is a themed restaurant with monster trucks outside, nascars hanging from the roof and two big semi trucks inside the foyer.

Texas Spur steakhouse: great food, great steaks

Hard Rock Cafe at Universal: try their Meatloaf on smashed potatoes

Hooters: what can I say definitely try it out if you can, the food ain't bad either.

The Palm at Hard Rock Hotel: $$$ we thought, we ordered a steak, 30+ dollars each without anything with it, so we ordered a side of baked potato, you can imagine our faces when our order arrived, the plates as big as a large pizza, and the steak hanging over the sides and about 2 inches thick, it was delicious, but man it was hard going near the end to get that last piece of cow into me and then I had a potato nearly as big as a football.

Planet Hollywood: Avoid $$$ and the food is not that great plus it does have huge queues Why???

Also as suggested have a good breakfast before you go to the parks although don't eat too much if you plan to go on the bigger roller coasters.


Shopping & International Drive:
There are loads of places to shop, I-drive has more kind of touristy shops but check out the Belz Outlet malls a few miles away definitely great bargains.
Belz Outlet Mall

If you are shopping for a camcorder PAL European version are available and are cheap but you might have to haggle, and know exactly what you want otherwise they try to sell you a lesser model.

Also you might need to pick up an extra suitcase to bring home all that stuff you have bought, We did we were way over the limit on weight but the airline never said anything which was great.

Check out FAO Schwartz Toy Store on I-Drive cool Star Wars section.
Fao Schwartz

Other Attractions on I-Drive Are
Ripleys Believe it or Not Which is good and has lots of weird things to look at.
Ripleys Believe It or Not

Titanic the Exhibition which is quite accurate has lots of things from the Titanic and give a more historical approach than the film.
You can see mocked up sections of the hull and travel through some of the corridors, its a very good attraction though.
http://www.titanicshipofdreams.com/

Another good place is wonderworks
http://www.wonderworksonline.com/

Jewelry prices are reasonable. In the downtown section of Universal there is a shop that sells replica jewelry of the stars at good prices. I am not talking cheap, but if your wife/girlfriend is looking to spend a few hundred you get much better jewelry than over here.

This Website has a list of everything on International Drive so take a look its very good.
http://www.internationaldriveorlando.com

Had to Split my Post into Two so see Below.

Lex_Diamonds

Good post, could well sticky it! Orlando seems to be a common destination that people ask about.

gary the great

If you have a car go to Busch gardens, thats was my fav day of my holiday.

Go to Sizzlers for a buffet breakfast then you will be full and ready for the day.

pay a visit to the upside down house, cant remember the name but its pretty cool.

Dont visit mc Donalds over there its a joke and nothing to even our low standards and anyways there are lots of other places to eat.

Furp

Continued from Above, thanks Lex, if Lenny could make this a sticky it would be great, and for that reason i have gone back and edited my post to give more info and links, but i had to split it into two as it was over 10000 chars.

Also gary the great that upside down house is called wonderworks.

Post continued..

Other Things to Bring

Small medical kit
Bite Spray
Passport (Bring this everywhere with you especially if you plan on buying cigarettes or drinking alcohol as they "card" you everywhere even if you are 30 or more and trying to explain an Irish driver's license to an American, well lets just say the passport is easier, although be prepared for the I have a relative in Ireland story, which is fine as everyone we met over there was friendly and service levels are a good few notches up on here.)

Again have dollar notes for tipping everywhere, be prepared to tip 10-15%

Camera
Lots and lots of film or memory cards if you are digital and spare batteries

Plug converter-if you need to charge your camera or anything else.

Maps if you need to get around although generally you can pick up free leaflets everywhere which usually have decent maps on them.

Sunglasses
Hat

Don't forget you can also book your tickets for the parks online in advance and collect at the ticket booth, Universal usually have good deals buy one and get second free while old Walt is a little less forthcoming.

There is so much more to see and do, but I had better go, watch out for the thunderstorms...If you need to know anything else I'll keep an eye on this thread.

One more thing:) I bought two books about Orlando before going its well worth it, the internet is great but having a book with you is a benefit so you can plan ahead of going. You probably won't get to see half as much as you intend to. The two books I bought are.


Frommer's Walt Disney World and Orlando
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764537237/qid=1089798493/sr=1-10/br_lfbnb_b_10/026-7217520-3378031

Despite the title this book has everything in it, and is great for marking where you want to visit both on and off the beaten track.


Orlando (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0751339040/qid=1089798493/sr=1-8/br_lfbnb_b_8/026-7217520-3378031

A nice pocket book in the Top 10 type list of things to do, very good quick reference and it has pictures which is a bonus.

Above all Have a Great Time

sikes

a lot of things said already but will through a few eating places out..it is proably cheaper to eat out than in

Bahma Breeze - Lake Buena Vista & International Drive

Ponderosa - All over

Shoneys - All over - family place

Sweet Tomatoes - International Drive near Bells well that end anyway - mainly salad buffet and italian stuff

Outback Steakhouse - Hwy 192

Bob Evans - Typical american eating place

visit the premium outlet mall in lake beuana vista far better than bellz. floida mall is class

minority

Make sure you take an airboat trip on in the everglades too.
Nothing beats looking into the water and seeing all the eyes sticking out looking at you as their lunch.
Its a fair drive but worth it.
Most people who go to Orlando miss the everglades. A big mistake IMHO.
The space center is well worth the trip

LegacyUser

Hey guys,

Im going in September and will be staying onsite in Universal Studios. Are there transport available to bring us to Busch gardens, kennedy space centre and outlet malls from Universal? We just didn't want to rent a car since we are under 25.

LegacyUser

PS: Absolutely top thread with great links and info!!! Well done!

Mousie

Dunno if i should start a new thread for this. How much does it cost in a taxi from the Airport to I-Drive and are there any transport companies at the airport that provide mini vans and the like. I've heard some bad reviews about Mears and would prob avoid but would like your opinons too please

Furp

Just to answer both Cheesedude and Mousie,

On Taxi's and transportation sorry I can't give much info as I hired a car while I was there, although from the airport Taxi's, Minivans, Buses, & Limos are available to take you close to or into your resort, some resorts also have courtesy buses.

However I am not sure on the availability of transportation to places like Kennedy Space Centre or Busch gardens, I'm sure there is but, you might have to book locally while you are there and it could work out more expensive.

As for being under 25 and renting you can do it over there depending on which agency you pick but you will be charged a daily surcharge for being under 25. I know previously I used enterprise to rent a car when I was under 25, and in the states Car is really the only way to get around, as everything is laid out in a large sprawl manner.

Unfortunately I have my guide books packed away but they had info on getting around and who to use etc. but the Car really is the best and cheaper option.

cdebru

Furp wrote:

and make sure you get an international drivers license from the AA before you go they are cheap and makes things a lot easier.

good tips but the international drivers permit is not required if you have a full irish driving license

its only really needed if you are travelling to a country that does not speak english you dont need it in florida

but you can check with whoever you are renting with

fatherdougalmag

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Discovery Cove. You can get in the water with dolphins. They arrange it in small groups of about 6 or 7 with a guide and you have all sorts of fun with a dolphin. There's also a large diving pool with lots of fish (shark, rays, etc.). It's done really well. You check in that morning and you leave whenever you want. They give you all the gear too. Another clever thing was an in-park charge thing. They give you an ID card with a strap. If you choose, you can have your credit card number burned onto the card so you don't need to carry money around with you.

That's another great thing actually, you can use your credit card anywhere and everywhere. Except for a small Pizza Hut beside a Win Dixie out in Kissimmee. That was a pain. Some places also have a touch-screen thing for signing on. Cool. I digress.

Another notable omission thus far has been the International House of Pancakces (IHOP). If you like pancakes, you'll love this place.

Regarding accommodation, we (11) rented a 7-bed villa in Crescent Lakes. Fantastic place altogether. Bit of an oxymoron but the development is built in a nature reserve. All sorts of big (feathered) birds walking around the place. There was a lake out our back too where you could watch the alligators. And now that I scan back, no mention of Gatorland. One of the oldest attractions.

I spent about 6 or 7 months reading up on http://www.orlandovillas.com and spending time in the forums. As a result we were very well prepared and that makes it better. You should set out a list of things and whether they're full-day or half-day. Give yourselves a day or two for rest or just shopping.

The only regret was that we went with our then 2 year old who didn't really aclimatise too well. We'll go back in a few years though.

Oh, and another thing about the fast-passes. They run out of them pretty quick in the morning so you've to be there early to get them.

ThreadKiller

Excellent post by furp,

Check out www.themeparks.com & www.excitement-orlando.com as well as www.mouse-info.com

There's a million fan sites out there for Disney & universal & loads have tips.

Two tips:

1. Get the whole family walking NOW ! you will easily cover about 10 miles a day on foot visiting the themeparks in Orlando, get used to walking now.

2. When queueing, hit the left queue, it moves faster for some reason.

I was there seven years ago & IOA wasn't even open yet & we only got to our pool for a couple of hours on the last day.

fatherdougalmag

Another thing Orlando-bound people might like to do is tie a holiday in with a launch from Kennedy Space Centre. You can view launch schedules here.

tinofapples

Beltz Facory Outlet was the name of the huge series of outlet stores. It was massive !! Acres of stores and parking and if I remember correctly you could catch a tram anywhere along the I-Drive that would bring you there.

Like mentioned already IOA is as the yank would say "Awesome" !!

We stayed in West Gate Lakes just off the I-Drive and it was very nice !!

I was there while Hurricane Flyodd (Spell?) pounded Florida and it was an experience I'll not forget , not that it was all that scary . The winds were unreal .

We also did Seaworld (Not overly impressed) but didn't do Disney.

loz_the_boz

I've just come back - had a great time,

We rented a place just 10 minutes from most of the parks, which i would highly recommend,

www.calabayparc.net

Mousie

I know i'll probably regret asking this but what and where is IOA?

fatherdougalmag

Islands of Adventure.

Mousie

Ah jesus yea!

daveirl

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cdebru

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

thats a good site nice looking house pity i didn't see it before i booked the house ah well maybe next time

Mousie

Just thought i'd add some sites here, might be helpful

www.destinationflorida.com
www.ksc.nasa.gov
www.silversprings.com
www.touristflorida.com
www.floridaattractions.com
www.myflorida.com
www.see-florida.com
www.stateofflorida.com
www.orlandoweekly.com
www.orlandovisitor.com
www.ripleysorlando.com
www.skyventure.com
www.titanicshipofdreams.com
www.disneyworld.com
www.universalstudios.com
www.seaworld.com

Mousie

Here's some more:
www.internationaldriveorlando.com
www.iridetrolley.com
www.knowbeforeyougo.com

kensutz

Just back from Orlando last nite and I have to say it's well worth seeing. All the theme parks we did were fantastic, especially Islands of Adventure. The Hulk would scare the sh1t out of you. We ended up going to Magic Kingdom and I'd say avoid if you don't have young kids with you. Belz and the Premium Outlet stores are well worth a visit also Wal-Mart. We were hit with Frances and lost electricity but it was an experience I won't forget.

Mousie

Just wondering which is the cheapest/easiest way to get from Orlando Airport to International Drive. Does anyone remember any prices from their trip?

cdebru

can you not rent a car
a car is really essential over there
airport is a good bit away from international drive about 30 minutes drive
i guess taxi would be your main option if you cant rent a car
i think it costs about $40
have never done it but i think i read that figure some where recently

tinofapples

I think a Taxi cost us about $40 alright from I Drive to the airport .

Flinty

Heading to Tampa/Orlando in October...got a load of stuff from this thread...thanks to all!!

Lex_Diamonds

It looks like Aer Lingus are flying to Orlando from December now. Flight offers should be forthcoming soon.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Mousie

Hi Daveirl
Can you remember the name of the bus company?

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Tippex

We are just back from orlando stayed in the same place a Loz the Boz Calabay Parc One thing we didnt have is a rental car.
If you are not staying onsite in Disney or I-Drive a rental car is a must we spent well over $1000 just on transport.

Had a wonderful time already in the process of planning the return trip next July with a few friends (who both drive).