* ~** ThemeParks megathread **~**

j_mo

Unicrons Dad wrote:

1. Is a top end hotel like the hard rock worth the extra few pound or should we stay in one of the inns on int drive

Unicrons Dad wrote:

Going to universal studios in april with my bro . 2 questions

Unicrons Dad wrote:

2. Got 14 day tickets priced ay 250 euro each. Is that about right or can they be got cheaper

My family (2kids and 2adults) stayed there last summer for a few nights just to get fastpasses for the parks really. Nice comfortable room, fairly small and the thinnest walls I've ever seen. You could hear absolutely everything. Hopefully, we were just given a bad room. If we didn't get fastpasses for the park's, we would never consider staying there again. €250 for two weeks each? For all the universal studios parks? Seems very good.

Unicrons Dad

https://www.touramerica.ie/attraction/universal-orlando-resort

Del007

I would def stay on international drive but it all depends on what you're after. I'd recommend it for a few drinks and a bite to eat after the parks. An uber to universal studios is about 10 dollars from Int drive.

Unicrons Dad

are the fast passes worth it? I'm going last week april

DaveyDave

Unicrons Dad wrote: »

are the fast passes worth it? I'm going last week april

Personally I wouldn't bother, I've been to Orlando twice in the end of April, 2015 and 2017. Never needed to wait more than 5-10 minutes for most rides. Went with the GF in 2017 so done literally everything, across 3 days. I went with family in 2015 with 2 young nephew's so missed out on some things. Harry Potter train was the only thing we really had to wait for, we just wanted do both parks on our last day and wasted about 45 minutes in it. Would have been quicker to just walk out of the park and back in the other.

Only other times I had to wait was on the Hulk in 2015 but I was waiting in a rather slow moving front row queue, in 2017 Transformers was maybe 30 minutes but felt like forever though as it was hot and at the end of the day. Simpsons Ride was maybe 20 minutes the second time.

Even King Kong was maybe 15 minutes. For example, got there at rope drop. Right onto the Hulk, no queue for Spiderman, Ripsaw Falls, King Kong maybe 15 minutes, Harry potter coaster no wait, Jurassic Park 5 minutes etc. No wait on The Mummy both days. Single rider for Rip Ride Rockit both years I went.

On our third day we done Universal first then over to Islands of Adventure and there was big queue for Kong, Spider-Man etc. Got on Popeye's no problem though. Universal studios has longer wait times I think just due to the nature of the themed 3d rides.

Unicrons Dad

DaveyDave wrote: »

Personally I wouldn't bother, I've been to Orlando twice in the end of April, 2015 and 2017. Never needed to wait more than 5-10 minutes for most rides. Went with the GF in 2017 so done literally everything, across 3 days. I went with family in 2015 with 2 young nephew's so missed out on some things. Harry Potter train was the only thing we actually had to wait for, we just wanted do both parks on our last day and wasted about 45 minutes in it. Would have been quicker to just walk out of the park and back in the other.

Only other times I had to wait was on the Hulk in 2015 but I was waiting in a rather slow moving front row queue and in 2017 Transformers was maybe 30 minutes. Felt forever though as it was hot and at the end of the day.

Even King Kong was maybe 15 minutes. For example, got there at rope drop. Right onto the Hulk, no queue for Spiderman, Ripsaw Falls, King Kong maybe 15 minutes, Jurassic Park 5 minutes etc. No wait on The Mummy both days. Single rider for Rip Ride Rockit both years I went.

On our third day we done Universal first then over to Islands of Adventure and there was big queue for Kong, Spider-Man etc. Got on Popeye's no problem though. Universal studios has longer wait times I think just due to the nature of the themed 3d rides.

What hotel did you stay in , torn between sapphire falls and the hard rock

DaveyDave

Unicrons Dad wrote: »

What hotel did you stay in , torn between sapphire falls and the hard rock

Didn't stay onsite, stayed in an apartment near Disney Springs as we had a car, Blue Heron Beach Resort which is only a 15 minute drive from Universal, Uber taxis are quite cheap from what I hear. I've heard Sapphire Falls is good though, it's pretty new so from what I've seen I'd probably go there if I was staying on-site.

I'm sure wherever you stay should be grand though, I just opted for an apartment due to driving to Walmart for food and drinks for breakfast and stuff. To be honest parks are hard work and the weather has you knackered so I'm sure you'd sleep well in either!

Unicrons Dad

DaveyDave wrote: »

Didn't stay onsite, stayed in an apartment near Disney Springs as we had a car, Blue Heron Beach Resort which to be fair is only a 15 minute drive from Universal, Uber taxis are quite cheap from what I hear. I've heard Sapphire Falls is good though. I'm sure wherever you stay should be grand though, I just opted for an apartment due to driving to Walmart for food and drinks for breakfast and stuff. To be honest parks are hard work and the weather has you knackered so I'm sure you'd sleep well in either!

sapphire falls is 123 and hard rock is 199 a night, the only attraction for hard rock over sapphire is that you have the express for every day of the trip which works out cheaper then buying it separately but if as you said earlier I wont need it then I might just go with sapphire

DaveyDave

Unicrons Dad wrote: »

sapphire falls is 123 and hard rock is 199 a night, the only attraction for hard rock over sapphire is that you have the express for every day of the trip which works out cheaper then buying it separately but if as you said earlier I wont need it then I might just go with sapphire

I'd lean towards Sapphire Falls just to save a few quid. I'm sure there's days that will be busy, it's partly down to luck but at the end of April Easter and Mardi Gras are both over so most of the school crowds should be gone.

Check out https://www.undercovertourist.com and go to their park calendar, it will show you the best days of the month to head to each park for smaller crowds, if you haven't seen it already

naughtysmurf

If there is just the two of you traveling & bugdet is a concern, maybe stay at a cheaper offsite hotel, get to the park early, see what the crowds are like & make a decision then on buying the express passes

We stayed at the Hard Rock for two nights in mid May, parks were very busy so the express passes were worth their weight in gold, in hindsight should have stayed three nights, unlimited express pass were $85 + tax in mid may if purchasing seperately, the price changes with demand.

The Royal Pacific is usually the cheapest Universal Delux that includes the unlimited express pass, you only get the unlimited express pass with HRH, RPR & Portofino Bay hotels

Besides the unlimited express pass, it's great to be able to nip back to the hotel to chill & swim in the middle of the day knowing that you can be back in the parks within a few minutes & not have to stand in line no matter how busy the parks are but the dollar value of staying in a delux really comes into its own when you have four to a room

rossie1977

The advantage of hard rock is that's its on-site and steps from the park. Universal/IOA even on the busiest days (and I have been a couple of times during Easter) doesn't get really crazy until after 11am so you really don't need the express passes if you arrive at the gate at 8.30am. You can easily get all the big rides done more than once by the time the big queues start forming, then do same thing the next day for the other park. If the weather is overcast and not as warm there will be no queues at all for the water rides.

Its up to you but for $199 you can probably get a decent hotel on i-Drive for 4 nights like Rosen and uber it to parks in the morning for like $5.

Personally if I was spending extra money on an on-site hotel I would spend it on one of the Disney ones like animal kingdom lodge which are incredibly themed and an experience in themselves.

stuba

Hi all

We have booked a trip to Paris and we are going to go to Disneyland one of the days. Can anyone recommend the best/cheapest place to book tickets for it?

Caranica

stuba wrote: »

Hi all

We have booked a trip to Paris and we are going to go to Disneyland one of the days. Can anyone recommend the best/cheapest place to book tickets for it?

Book direct for security. They generally don't discount park only tickets in Disneyland Paris

Geuze

We bought from Travel Republic a few weeks ago.

2 days / 2 parks.

List price = 150, we paid approx 123.

Geuze

Also try .co.uk versions of websites for better prices.

piplip87

Book them direct if possible. Would reccomend looking into staying in one of the Disneyland hotels. Kids will be wreaked tired after it and a bus or train ride back to the city could be a nightmare.

Stay until the closing show, its absolutely fantastic this year

lemmno

I've booked legoland Windsor midweek for the start of July when the UK schools are still open, wondering will I need a QBot for those days? It's been expensive enough and I don't want to buy something if it won't be needed!

ctlsleh

Any advise on where to buy tickets for Orlando, Universal, Disney etc?
Going in May 5th-12th, hoping it will not be too busy then

naughtysmurf

ctlsleh wrote: »

Any advise on where to buy tickets for Orlando, Universal, Disney etc?
Going in May 5th-12th, hoping it will not be too busy then

Set up a mydisneyexperience account, download the app, buy your Disney tickets direct from Disney, you'll then be able to book fastpasses 30 days in advance if staying offsite

Attractionticketsdirect for the rest, you'll probably find that 14 day universal tickets cheaper than a 2/3 day ticket from Universal direct, you can get the Disney tickets here too but you'll need to have the physical tickets in your hand to link them to your mydisneyexperience account before booking your fastpasses, direct with Disney is easier

Dodge

Go with one of the Uk ticket sellers. A fair bit cheaper than ATD here.

I’ve bought from http://www.orlandoattractions.com/ this year. Saved a few quid. Post to Ireland was quick

Unicrons Dad

Should I have a cab prebooked or just grab a cab once im in the airport? My flight arrives 7.30pm on a Monday . How long does it take to get through the airport once you land

Unicrons Dad

Im wondering if theres a need to bring much physical cash with me or will the card do on its own

j_mo

We landed at the same time also and when we went outside, there was plenty of taxis waiting outside the terminal. We brought most of our money on cards but it's always handy to have money for incidentals like tipping, which you definitely need to.

If you're coming over directly from Dublin then you will be able to pretty much go straight for your luggage after you land. No having to go through security.

naughtysmurf

Assuming that you have done pre-clearance, 35/40 minutes should get you through the airport, off plane, on mono rail, collect luggage, done

Don't know about taxi's but assume they are readily available, Uber is very popular & the cheapest option

https://www.uber.com/cities/orlando/vehicle-options/airport/

https://www.uber.com/en-IE/fare-estimate/

A few hundred in cash will be okay

kelbal

Hi guys,
We're looking into going to Disneyland Paris, and the tickets seem to notably cheaper with Travelrepublic.ie compared with the actual disneyland website. Are they fully legit tickets, nothing to be concerned about?

thanks

ShamoBuc

When we went to Disneyland Paris, we 'upgraded ' our tickets to Annual passes, worked out a little cheaper in fact than a 5 day pass for the 5 of us, but did take 2 or 3 hours of queuing, form filling etc but we are going again for free! I don't know if there was a sale in of what but when we inquired we were delighted.

Unicrons Dad

Dodge wrote: »

Go with one of the Uk ticket sellers. A fair bit cheaper than ATD here.

I’ve bought from http://www.orlandoattractions.com/ this year. Saved a few quid. Post to Ireland was quick

why did they post them instead of just emailing to you

naughtysmurf

Unicrons Dad wrote: »

why did they post them instead of just emailing to you

Probably because they will be actual park entry ready tickets rather than taking an email voucher to a will call kiosk where you exchange for actual tickets , saves time

fennor72

Dodge wrote:

Go with one of the Uk ticket sellers. A fair bit cheaper than ATD here.

Just checked a 6 park flexi ticket for Orlando next year and it's 140 euro cheaper than ATD. Can you remember is delivery to Ireland expensive. We used ATD last year for Orlando and couldn't fault them but that's a great saving.

webpal

fennor72 wrote: »

Just checked a 6 park flexi ticket for Orlando next year and it's 140 euro cheaper than ATD. Can you remember is delivery to Ireland expensive. We used ATD last year for Orlando and couldn't fault them but that's a great saving.

Which site did you see that on?