* ~** ThemeParks megathread **~**

Markdmd

naughtysmurf wrote: »

No, nothing in the way of nightlife in the resort, you'll be heading to Disney Springs for nightlife, its a pretty big area, to be honest I can't really tell you about the late nightlife there as we've had kids in tow, certainly there are bars, restaurants, shopping, cinema complex, our favourite is the House of Blues, you can sit outside while a band play on the porch there are also other live music options, nice area to stroll around

The free Disney buses will run from resort to Disney Springs every 20mins or so, they may not start running to DS until 4pm, not sure, an Uber ride will be approx $12

I recommend you do a little planning if you haven't already done so, as you are staying onsite you can book three fastpasses per day, 60 days ahead of your visit for the length of your stay, this is important for some of the top attractions like Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom which currently has very long standby times but is a must do

You need to set up a mydisneyexperience account in order to do this, download the app to your phone, Disney has decent WiFi, I'd also book restaurants well in advance especially the popular ones, as a Disney resort guest you can reserve a table 180 days in advance of your stay

You can just go with the flow & book nothing in advance but I wouldn't advise it, here is a link to an excellent resource for all things Disney

https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/

Wow loads of great advice all much apreciated . And I have done the whole go with the flow holidays before but you never get the same out of the holiday as you would with a little planning so thanks for the advice

RocketRaccoon

I think it would be an absolute waste to go to Orlando for a week and not visit Universal. I found it to be much much better than Disney when I was there in September.

naughtysmurf

RocketRaccoon wrote: »

I think it would be an absolute waste to go to Orlando for a week and not visit Universal. I found it to be much much better than Disney when I was there in September.

While I'm a big fan of Universal, if I was only going for a week, I'd choose either Disney only or Universal, SeaWorld & Busch Gardens, for me Universal alone needs four full days with Volcano bay open now

The OP says they are mid 20's, yeah they'd have a great time at Universal, it's possibly more adult oriented but they have chosen Disney, I certainly don't think it would be a waste, assuming a first visit, they'll have a great week

RocketRaccoon

naughtysmurf wrote: »

While I'm a big fan of Universal, if I was only going for a week, I'd choose either Disney only or Universal, SeaWorld & Busch Gardens, for me Universal alone needs four full days with Volcano bay open now

The OP says they are mid 20's, yeah they'd have a great time at Universal, it's possibly more adult oriented but they have chosen Disney, I certainly don't think it would be a waste, assuming a first visit, they'll have a great week

We were there on honeymoon and tbh, I was a bit disappointed with Disney but was blown away by everything involved at Universal.

Markdmd

naughtysmurf wrote: »

While I'm a big fan of Universal, if I was only going for a week, I'd choose either Disney only or Universal, SeaWorld & Busch Gardens, for me Universal alone needs four full days with Volcano bay open now

The OP says they are mid 20's, yeah they'd have a great time at Universal, it's possibly more adult oriented but they have chosen Disney, I certainly don't think it would be a waste, assuming a first visit, they'll have a great week

Yes its a first visit it was definitely considered but with having paid for the 7 day Disney ticket already our budget for the holiday would get a little out of hand . There is always next time for universal .

westgolf

Hi all,

We are thinking of going to Disney in may or June next. Two adults n one eight year old. Have accommodation sorted with relatives who have an apartment in the area. Looking for advice and recommendations re flights n car hire etc. Where to avoid, where to prioritize etc.

Cheers

Westgolf

ShamoBuc

Markdmd wrote: »

Yes its a first visit it was definitely considered but with having paid for the 7 day Disney ticket already our budget for the holiday would get a little out of hand . There is always next time for universal .

Been to Orlando 5 times and loved it. I think you are better off trying to do Disney on your first visit, there really is a lot to see. Its a full on holiday, long days on your feet etc. A day spent shopping is also a must. We only did Universal, islands of adventure and volcano bay last october, there for a week. Chilling by the pool is not a bad way to pass away the day either.
Probably going back in October again, seaworld, aquatica and busch gardens probably for a change. Orlando really is a fantastic destination.

naughtysmurf

westgolf wrote: »

Hi all,

We are thinking of going to Disney in may or June next. Two adults n one eight year old. Have accommodation sorted with relatives who have an apartment in the area. Looking for advice and recommendations re flights n car hire etc. Where to avoid, where to prioritize etc.

Cheers

Westgolf

For flights, you've got Aer Lingus direct out of Dublin usually the most expensive, you've then got many choices with indirect flights via the likes of Newark, Philadelphia & others, we like United via Newark out of Shannon as it suits us
For car hire we use uscarhire.com & select Alamo, as there is nothing to pay on arrival except fuel, all insurance included, you can go straight to the garage & pick you car & drive out in 10 minutes & avoid all the upselling crap at the desk
Discount Florida car hire is highly recommended on The Dibb

ShamoBuc

naughtysmurf wrote: »

For flights, you've got Aer Lingus direct out of Dublin usually the most expensive, you've then got many choices with indirect flights via the likes of Newark, Philadelphia & others, we like United via Newark out of Shannon as it suits us
For car hire we use uscarhire.com & select Alamo, as there is nothing to pay on arrival except fuel, all insurance included, you can go straight to the garage & pick you car & drive out in 10 minutes & avoid all the upselling crap at the desk
Discount Florida car hire is highly recommended on The Dibb

This, for anyone thinking of Orlando, this is the site for you. I very much doubt if any question you could think of isn't already answered here.

Dodge

We used Discount Florida Car Hire last year. No deposit, pay 6 weeks before travel. All insurance included. Was slightly cheaper than booking directly with Alamo

Always book with Irish/UK sites as booking through Alamo.com (for example) won’t necessarily include insurance as standard

We went indirect with American Airlines as it saved us a good bit. For 2018 we’re going direct as we got a good price

In 2017 we did Disney and Universal. Only doing Disney in 2018. Not sure I’d do universal without express passes in the height of summer (we stayed one night in the Royal Pacific Resort to get 2 days worth of unlimited express)

The Dibb is great

naughtysmurf

Dodge wrote: »

Not sure I’d do universal without express passes in the height of summer (we stayed one night in the Royal Pacific Resort to get 2 days worth of unlimited express)

Since our first visit in 2000, we've stayed in offsite hotels, villas & onsite....they all have their pros and cons but for the the overall best experience, onsite is the way to go, we stayed two nights at Hard Rock, in hindsight should have stayed for three, the express pass is worth its weight in gold, that was in May

Five nights onsite at Disney, the perks of 60 day fastpass, free parking & access to booking popular restaurants before offsite guests is great

Onsite at a Universal delux or Disney Moderate or De-lux doesn't come cheap, that's why I'm considering one week visits in the future but delux all the way

Villa for a week, love the space & private pool but you need to have a car, which is grand as I don't mind driving over there

SachaJ

I’m thinking of booking ahead to do Lapland with the kids next December (Christmas 2018). I figure arranging it myself rather than through a agent might save a few quid. Also the fact that I’m booking nearly a year in advance.

Has anyone booked a Lapland holiday themselves? I think I just need to book flights and the stay at the Christmas village. Anything else?

ctlsleh

First time to Orlando with 16/14/12 year olds for 7 nights in May (5-12th).

Staying at the Hilton Seaworld. Will i need a car?

Any advice on what parks to visit? general advice on getting around, where to buy tickets, can i get fasttrack etc?

i think im off-season for the US at least, so hoping that the queues wont be too long?

was thiking 2 days in Disney, 1 day in Universal and Seaworld, one day shopping, 1 day by the pool....if im let!

Appreciate any advice

fabvinny

ctlsleh wrote: »

First time to Orlando with 16/14/12 year olds for 7 nights in May (5-12th).

Staying at the Hilton Seaworld. Will i need a car?

Any advice on what parks to visit? general advice on getting around, where to buy tickets, can i get fasttrack etc?

i think im off-season for the US at least, so hoping that the queues wont be too long?

was thiking 2 days in Disney, 1 day in Universal and Seaworld, one day shopping, 1 day by the pool....if im let!

Appreciate any advice

we used attractionticketsdirect.ie for our park tickets.
forget the pool!! do 2 days in universal!! trust me!! where you are staying im not sure to be honest,we rented a house in kissimmee so had to have a car.
in disney (magic kingdom) i think you can book 3 rides before you arrive at the park,then book them one by one after that.

ShamoBuc

ctlsleh wrote: »

First time to Orlando with 16/14/12 year olds for 7 nights in May (5-12th).

Staying at the Hilton Seaworld. Will i need a car?

Any advice on what parks to visit? general advice on getting around, where to buy tickets, can i get fasttrack etc?

i think im off-season for the US at least, so hoping that the queues wont be too long?

was thiking 2 days in Disney, 1 day in Universal and Seaworld, one day shopping, 1 day by the pool....if im let!

Appreciate any advice

A car would be beneficial, added cost of parking though, but a lot of hotels do shuttles to the parks. 2 days disney- your kids are older so it's quite possible to do Disney in 1 day albeit a very long day. At least 2 days in universal/islands of adventure, your kids are the perfect age for there. Citiwalk in the evening comes alive with lights, bars, shops and restaurants. Shopping 1 day or depending on when you land the first day, shop till you drop!
Sea world, half a day,maybe combine with shopping/pool. Average temp should be a nice 25 degrees. Enjoy!

Edit go to The Dibb online for all the tips you will need.

naughtysmurf

ctlsleh wrote: »

First time to Orlando with 16/14/12 year olds for 7 nights in May (5-12th).

Staying at the Hilton Seaworld. Will i need a car?

Any advice on what parks to visit? general advice on getting around, where to buy tickets, can i get fasttrack etc?

i think im off-season for the US at least, so hoping that the queues wont be too long?

was thiking 2 days in Disney, 1 day in Universal and Seaworld, one day shopping, 1 day by the pool....if im let!

Appreciate any advice

Your hotel is kind of in the middle between Universal & Disney, we've always hired a car but Uber is a very good alternative,

You won't get any discounts on Disney tickets for two days so you are looking at approximately $100 per person per day to visit Disney

Can you change your hotel? Have you booked a package holiday?

Personally I'd Uber from the airport to the cheapest onsite Universal hotel, you will all be awake very early next morning check out & check in to the cheapest Universal delux hotel at 7/7.30 am for one night, you will get unlimited express passes & early entry for two days...then I'd move to a cheaper hotel for the remaining 5 nights & do maybe Discovery Cove?? If you purchase Discovery Cove tickets it also includes unlimited access to SeaWorld & Aquatica ...that's 5 days taken care of.....skip Disney

It's possible to do one Disney park in a day, not Walt Disney world

Dodge

For where you’re staying I wouldn’t get a car and use Uber and Lyft. Get the two adults to sign up close to your dates and you’ll both get discounts etc

Parking in Disney/Universal is $20 (ish) and the Uber/Lyft will leave you closer too

As for Parks, you could spend 10 days in disney and not do everything. There’s 50 attractions in the Magic Kingdom alone. If you just want a taste of Disney, go there

Universal is great, and you may not need express passes in May but you could easily cover both parks in a day if you had them

The most expensive part of your trip will be park tickets so think about what you want to do. It might be better to concentrate on one of Disney or Universal with only a week to cover them

Oh and get your tickets before you go, it’s about $140 a person for a day ticket to the Magic Kingdom if you walk up. Universal is similar

ctlsleh

I was also thinking Uber will work best only exception is evening meals? I assume I’d be travelling for those? I guess it’s always easy to hire one there if I find that need one......

I know Disney Paris is probably only the size of one of of the Disney parks in Orlando, so having done that before, I think it probably makes sense to focus on Universal and maybe one day at one of the Disney’s.

With regards to tickets and fast passes for Universal, do I need to stay on-site to get them ...?

I’m a Hilton HGVC member so I’m swapping into an Orlando HGVC site, they have a few so I’m tied to that chain at least for this trip

Thanks for all the feedback, much appreciated.

naughtysmurf

We were there las tMay, mid month, Universal was heaving, a couple of things were happening, Volcano Bay was opening & also Pandora at Disney’s AK
The price of an unlimited express pass was $85 per person l day

You’ve two options, see what crowd levels are like on the day & decide then or book a room at a delux & everyone in your party gets an unlimited express pass
To put it in perspective, we rode Hulk three times in the space of 30 minutes or so using express pass, passing the same people in the standby line, you have to weigh this stuff up & see what your budget allows

ShamoBuc

Last year we stayed on international drive and booked into the Royal Pacific for one night. It's right alongside Universal and you can get the boat across, really nice. Arrived at 9am, booked in, left an overnight bag in luggage room, got our passes and off we went. Came back at 9pm and got our room. Checked out in the morning and another day of fast passes for every ride. This year we stayed there for the week, a very nice spot indeed, well worth spending the extra few bob for.

naughtysmurf

ctlsleh wrote: »

I was also thinking Uber will work best only exception is evening meals?

I think Uber will be your best option, you won't have any problems getting one, everywhere has WiFi. If you go on their site you can estimate fares


I think it probably makes sense to focus on Universal and maybe one day at one of the Disney’s.

Yes, considering the ages of your group, just think that one day at Disney, for what it's going to cost isn't worth it but if your happy to drop €400/€500 in one day then I'd suggest setting up a mydisneyexperience account, buy your tickets for Disney direct from them & book your 3 fastpasses for your group for the day you intend to visit 30 days in advance at 12 noon, I'd suggest picking Animal Kingdom, Flight of Passage is by far the best ride attraction in Orlando IMO, the park itself is pretty good



I’m a Hilton HGVC member so I’m swapping into an Orlando HGVC site, they have a few so I’m tied to that chain at least for this trip

Fair enough, if it's a SeaWorld partner hotel, you'll probably get their version of fastpass, can't think what it's called, SeaWorld has probably two of the best coasters in Orlando in Mako, which is an absolute hoot & Manta
Seaworld will be slot quieter than the other parks you will visit, go Monday to Wednesday
Aquatica is a good water park

ctlsleh

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Last year we stayed on international drive and booked into the Royal Pacific for one night. It's right alongside Universal and you can get the boat across, really nice. Arrived at 9am, booked in, left an overnight bag in luggage room, got our passes and off we went. Came back at 9pm and got our room. Checked out in the morning and another day of fast passes for every ride. This year we stayed there for the week, a very nice spot indeed, well worth spending the extra few bob for.

Thanks, that’s a great idea, I’ll check that out, I may be able to adjust my Hilton reservation by a day

ctlsleh

naughtysmurf wrote: »

ctlsleh wrote: »

I was also thinking Uber will work best only exception is evening meals?

I think Uber will be your best option, you won't have any problems getting one, everywhere has WiFi. If you go on their site you can estimate fares


I think it probably makes sense to focus on Universal and maybe one day at one of the Disney’s.

Yes, considering the ages of your group, just think that one day at Disney, for what it's going to cost isn't worth it but if your happy to drop €400/€500 in one day then I'd suggest setting up a mydisneyexperience account, buy your tickets for Disney direct from them & book your 3 fastpasses for your group for the day you intend to visit 30 days in advance at 12 noon, I'd suggest picking Animal Kingdom, Flight of Passage is by far the best ride attraction in Orlando IMO, the park itself is pretty good



I’m a Hilton HGVC member so I’m swapping into an Orlando HGVC site, they have a few so I’m tied to that chain at least for this trip

Fair enough, if it's a SeaWorld partner hotel, you'll probably get their version of fastpass, can't think what it's called, SeaWorld has probably two of the best coasters in Orlando in Mako, which is an absolute hoot & Manta
Seaworld will be slot quieter than the other parks you will visit, go Monday to Wednesday
Aquatica is a good water park

I guess if we’re there, we will have to try it out Disney for a day and Seaworld....ðŸ‘

Thanks for the great advice, especially on which rides to take

naughtysmurf

ctlsleh wrote: »

Thanks, that’s a great idea, I’ll check that out, I may be able to adjust my Hilton reservation by a day

A lot of people book one night to avail of the two day unlimited express passes, some don't even actually bother to physically stay there if their main stay hotel is near enough saves them even bringing a bag(s)

starface

Hey all,

I really need some help. We’re trying to book some mobile homes in Europe (somewhere warm in June) for three families in a family friendly park. The kids range from 9 months to 6 years. We’d like somewhere that has lots of activists on site (at no extra cost) and a pool suitable for kids. Any suggestions? We’d like to fly there and not be too far from the destination once we arrive.

Thank you.

Alpha Centauri

Bella Italia

30 mins from airport (verona)

Park has all you need

jordata

starface wrote: »

Hey all,

I really need some help. We’re trying to book some mobile homes in Europe (somewhere warm in June) for three families in a family friendly park. The kids range from 9 months to 6 years. We’d like somewhere that has lots of activists on site (at no extra cost) and a pool suitable for kids. Any suggestions? We’d like to fly there and not be too far from the destination once we arrive.

Thank you.

Can I recommend Union Lido? We visited last June. Flew to Venice and got a taxi to the park. We spent 7 days there and never moved outside the park. There was no need as everything was catered for. There are many different mobile homes and other types of accommodation on the site. We booked ours the September previous.

Before travelling hoe we spent 3 days in Venice so used public transport to get back to the airport. The buses are regular and easy to use also.

http://www.unionlido.com/en/

average_runner

Hi all,

We are looking at going to Lapland in 2018 as a surprise for the kids. We want to do the three night trip so we have two options:

With visitsanta.ie we can go to pyha or with Sunway we can go to yllas.

Any feed back on these tours would be great.
Thanks

BenAndJerry

Hi there.

I’m currently looking at basically the same options.

Note, visitsanta do not run trips they are a agent. They sell the Sunway trips and the Pyha trip is actually run by Canterbury. Both look really good but currently I’m leaning toward Phya as the activities seem more involved and Canterbury are doing that trip years. I’m thinking of going with the apartment accommodation as we have very young kids and the cabins are a bit of a walk in told.

All the trips are crazy money it appears!

average_runner wrote: »

Hi all,

We are looking at going to Lapland in 2018 as a surprise for the kids. We want to do the three night trip so we have two options:

With visitsanta.ie we can go to pyha or with Sunway we can go to yllas.

Any feed back on these tours would be great.
Thanks

jester1980

HI Guys

Strange one this, not the normal Orlando question, I knew there are a few theme parks in the UK and just wanted to do some as 1 day/night trips in the summer, our son is 3 so would anyone have recommendations?

I know theres a Thomas the tank engine one but not sure of many others suitable for 3 year old, prob bit young for blackpool, alton towers and Thorpe park.

Thank you