Orlando

amandaf675

Thinking of going to Orlando next year.

Few questions:

1. Whens the best time to go?
2. Recommendation on places to stay
3. What parks to visit? Young couple who love amusement parks and Im a big disney fan at heart
4. Where to book? Travel agent or through ebookers etc?
5. Spending money?

naughtysmurf

amandaf675 wrote: »

Thinking of going to Orlando next year.

Few questions:

1. Whens the best time to go?
2. Recommendation on places to stay
3. What parks to visit? Young couple who love amusement parks and Im a big disney fan at heart
4. Where to book? Travel agent or through ebookers etc?
5. Spending money?

Been a couple of times in October & once in March, October is great, generally very good weather, not as busy or as hot, busy, humid & wet as June to September,

Family of four so in the past have gone for a villa, for a couple, have a look at the Downtown Disney hotels or the Rosen Inn at Point Orlando gets good reviews or stay on-site at Disney / Universal if budget allows

Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens, Disney's Hollywood studios & Discovery Cove would be my pick

We have always just booked flights & accomodation ourselves, DIY'd it

Spending money, $200 a day for four was loads but we weren't out on the beer at night

amandaf675

Is it better to buy the park tickets before you go?

And were not the type to be out on the beer every night either

angeldelight

The best deal we found for park tickets was a place on Harcourt St, can't remember the name. We booked everything ourselves - use skyscanner to find cheapest flights.

naughtysmurf

amandaf675 wrote: »

Is it better to buy the park tickets before you go?

Yes, have a look at http://www.attractionticketsdirect.ie/ you can order your tickets with a small deposit, balance due four weeks before travel, or

https://www.undercovertourist.com/ you will have to pay at the time of ordering here but both are reliable

Attraction tickets direct are promoting a Disney Ultimate ticket for €324, personally I'd just get a 5 Day Magic Your way base ticket for about €230

Their 2 park Universal bonus ticket at €142 is very good value, you will not get that ticket over there

Cirque du Soleil & Blue Man Group well worth a visit

jack presley

amandaf675 wrote: »

Thinking of going to Orlando next year.

Few questions:

1. Whens the best time to go?
2. Recommendation on places to stay
3. What parks to visit? Young couple who love amusement parks and Im a big disney fan at heart
4. Where to book? Travel agent or through ebookers etc?
5. Spending money?

1.If you've no kids but still want to go the the parks, then January is ideal. Weather is perfect (still quite warm) and the parks are very quiet. After Easter until the end of May is also great. From May till about September obviously you're into the busy season and it'll get very hot and humid and thunderstorms are common enough I'm told. October to early December is probably quiet too but can't say for sure.

2. If you can afford it, I'd recommend staying in one of the Universal hotels. It's a 5 minute walk to their parks and you don't have to deal with the hassle of driving every day etc. You also have the 'fast pass' (with 3 of their 4 hotels) which means you can skip the queues on most rides although if you're there in a quiet time this isn't essential but during busy days, it's a lifesaver. Other than that, any place on International Drive will be grand.

3. If you're a Disney fan, then obviously the Magic Kingdom's worth a visit. I've found that Disney has aged very badly though and could quite happily give it a miss. I was there in the 80's and went back this year and apart from a couple of things, it hadn't changed much. Very crowded too! I wasn't in any of the other Disney parks though. I loved the Universal parks though, much more modern and much better rides and would definitely recommend these. For waterparks, Aquatica is good and I still enjoy Wet n Wild even if that hasn't been updated since the 80's either! I wasn't there but apparently Busch Gardens in Tampa is great too if you fancy a day trip out of Orlando.

4. For booking, these days it's just as easy booking flights,hotels car hire etc. yourself and attraction tickets direct is great for the tickets although they don't do single day Disney tickets but these can be got online through Disney's website.

5. Once you're there expenses do add up. There were 4 of us in our party (2 adults, 2 kids - 14 and 11) and we spent about €2,000 in the 2 weeks. That was on food and drinks mainly but also on crap you end up buying like photos in the theme parks (rip off!), taxis, grocery store stuff etc.

naughtysmurf

jack presley wrote: »

4.attraction tickets direct is great for the tickets although they don't do single day Disney tickets but these can be got online through Disney's website.

They don't advertise them but call them and ask, we did this & got 5 day MYW tickets last year no problem

Be careful with buying from Disney direct, their advertised ticket prices don't include sales tax at 12 or 13%, undercovertourist prices include tax & shipping

jack presley

naughtysmurf wrote: »

They don't advertise them but call them and ask, we did this & got 5 day MYW tickets last year no problem

Be careful with buying from Disney direct, their advertised ticket prices don't include sales tax at 12 or 13%, undercovertourist prices include tax & shipping

I think Florida sales tax is only 6.5% but I get your point. But it's good practice to get used to prices without the taxes included for when you get there!!

The Disney tickets I bought were print at home ones so there was no issue with delivery.

naughtysmurf

jack presley wrote: »

I think Florida sales tax is only 6.5% but I get your point. But it's good practice to get used to prices without the taxes included for when you get there!!

The Disney tickets I bought were print at home ones so there was no issue with delivery.

Your right on the tax point, got confused, was thinking about tipping, I usually double the tax, that's where I was getting the 13% from & then add a few bucks to bring it up to 15% / 18%

Oafley Jones

jack presley wrote: »

1.If you've no kids but still want to go the the parks, then January is ideal. Weather is perfect (still quite warm) and the parks are very quiet. After Easter until the end of May is also great. From May till about September obviously you're into the busy season and it'll get very hot and humid and thunderstorms are common enough I'm told. October to early December is probably quiet too but can't say for sure.

Be aware that there's no real quite times in Disney anymore. There's really busy and less busy.

jack presley wrote: »

2. If you can afford it, I'd recommend staying in one of the Universal hotels. It's a 5 minute walk to their parks and you don't have to deal with the hassle of driving every day etc. You also have the 'fast pass' (with 3 of their 4 hotels) which means you can skip the queues on most rides although if you're there in a quiet time this isn't essential but during busy days, it's a lifesaver. Other than that, any place on International Drive will be grand.

Totally agree with this. If you're going at peak times, it's well worth staying in one of their hotels. The unlimited fast pass transforms the experience of universal. It makes it an incredibly stress free visit. Even if you only stay a day or two it's worth it. Its the newest hotel, Cabana Bay, doesn't have the fast pass perk.

jack presley wrote: »

3. If you're a Disney fan, then obviously the Magic Kingdom's worth a visit. I've found that Disney has aged very badly though and could quite happily give it a miss. I was there in the 80's and went back this year and apart from a couple of things, it hadn't changed much. Very crowded too! I wasn't in any of the other Disney parks though. I loved the Universal parks though, much more modern and much better rides and would definitely recommend these. For waterparks, Aquatica is good and I still enjoy Wet n Wild even if that hasn't been updated since the 80's either! I wasn't there but apparently Busch Gardens in Tampa is great too if you fancy a day trip out of Orlando.

You say the 80s but when was the last time you visited Disney. Since the summer of 89 they've added Hollywood studios, Animal kingdom,Typhoon lagoon, Blizzard Beach completely transformed what was Known as Downtown Disney and built a ton of hotels!! As for Wet n wild even the locals think that place is grubby.

I will say that if you're a Disney fan, you really have to go. I'll also say that that growth I've just mentioned pretty much stopped in the mid 90s and since then the parks have stagnated and gotten really expensive. When I first visited in 92 the place was absolutely immaculate, today there's a ton of maintenance issues and evidence of cost cutting everywhere. You'll still have a good time, but the TDO is really treating the parks in Florida poorly.

It's as if they released that they'll always have customers and decided "**** it, it's good enough". Contrast this with universal who are spending billions in building world class attractions at a very aggressive rate. I'm hoping to go to Disneyland soon as they've apparently never lost the quality control that Disney was once known for.

naughtysmurf

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Be aware that there's no real quite times in Disney anymore. There's really busy and less busy.

I'd agree with this too

Just to note, if you stay one night on-site at a Universal Delux Hotel, check in early, 7.30am, you will get early entry & unlimited express pass for two days, as previously said, early entry only at Cabana Beach but it's half the price of a delux

amandaf675

So what hotel would you recommend to stay in to get the fast pass? Are disney and universal and the busch gardens all close to each other

naughtysmurf

amandaf675 wrote: »

So what hotel would you recommend to stay in to get the fast pass? Are disney and universal and the busch gardens all close to each other

Loews Royal Pacific is usually the cheapest Delux at Universal, you will get early entry & unlimited express pass staying here, Hard Rock & Portofino Bay are the other two Delux

Busch Gardens is just outside Tampa, 1hr 20mins away

Downtown Disney is about 10 miles from Universal

I'd strongly advise a car, don't waste your time fannying around with public transport (Bus's) & taxi's otherwise stay on site, maybe a split stay, on-site Disney or Disney area & on-site at Universal, International Drive (IDrive) hotels are handier for Universal, comes down to budget in the end

What time of the year are you thinking of going?

amandaf675

Feb/March!

naughtysmurf

I have copy & pasted the following from
http://www.easywdw.com/disneybest/disney-world-calendar-of-crowds-cost-weather-events/#more-935

Best Week to Visit Disney World in February 2015: February 1st through 12th is by far the best time of the month to visit. Crowds will be the lowest and it is still Value season, the cheapest season to book a Disney resort. Crowds pick up substantially February 13th and continue to be large through the 22nd. February 23rd through the first week in March is a decent time to visit, but after that we’re getting into spring break territory and crowds that are even heavier than President’s Day, which is already well above average.

Best Week to Visit Disney World in March 2015: March 1st through March 7th will have the lowest crowds and it’s the relatively inexpensive Regular Season at the Disney resorts until the 5th. If possible, begin your trip a week earlier in February.

amandaf675

Thanks... This wil be my first time booking something like this, Only ever booked one holiday and that was only a sun holiday..
Im so confused about where to visit etc

naughtysmurf

Prices are pretty reasonable at the mo for next feb, €1114 rtn for two adults out of DUB with AL, €1088 indirect with United out of SNN, used both routes both are fine

I'm a planner for my sins & I think I know a good bit about Orlando (not everything), feel free to pm me with any questions

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/index.php

Lot of good info here

amandaf675

Thank you..

Where are you getting your prices#?

naughtysmurf

Just punched a few dates into the aer lingus & united airlines websites, flying tuesday to tuesday, have seen them cheaper but within an ass's roar of 500 rtn is good

jack presley

Oafley Jones wrote: »

You say the 80s but when was the last time you visited Disney. Since the summer of 89 they've added Hollywood studios, Animal kingdom,Typhoon lagoon, Blizzard Beach completely transformed what was Known as Downtown Disney and built a ton of hotels!! As for Wet n wild even the locals think that place is grubby.

Sorry, I meant that Magic Kingdom hasn't changed much in 30 years.

jack presley

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Loews Royal Pacific is usually the cheapest Delux at Universal, you will get early entry & unlimited express pass staying here, Hard Rock & Portofino Bay are the other two Delux

Busch Gardens is just outside Tampa, 1hr 20mins away

Downtown Disney is about 10 miles from Universal

I'd strongly advise a car, don't waste your time fannying around with public transport (Bus's) & taxi's otherwise stay on site, maybe a split stay, on-site Disney or Disney area & on-site at Universal, International Drive (IDrive) hotels are handier for Universal, comes down to budget in the end

What time of the year are you thinking of going?

It was the Royal pacific where I stayed and loved it. If it is anyway within your price range I'd go for there. It is the cheapest of the 3 hotels with the fast pass but still very nice.

The thing we enjoyed about it most was that it was only a 10 minute walk to the parks. If you're staying on Int. Drive or somewhere and go to the park, you'll want to get full value for money so get there early and stay all day and a full day at the park can be quite draining. However staying at the Universal Hotels, we found that we'd go down for a few hours in the morning when it was quiet, then go back to the hotel and relax by the pool for a couple of hours around lunchtime then head back to the parks when it cooled down and the crowds lightened in the early evening.

As for a car, it is a necessity but we only hired one for our second week when we were going to Disney and places like Aquatica and the malls as we didn't need one the first week when we were at Universal.

We use U*ndercover Tourist for our tickets every year. They send them straight to home, very handy. Sign up for mousesavers newsletter and you can avail of a (tiny)discount.
At this stage, we have been there every month in the year, but October would be my favourite. Even thought its Halloween its not as crazy as it would be before the Summer.
We have children with us, so we hire a car. Even when it was the two of us we used have car hire as the thoughts of hanging about waiting for the trolley in the heat would tip me over the edge.
I'm not sure about spends, I have a terrible shopping problem, so don't budget. I use both visa & cash, but let your bank know you are travelling in advance in case your card gets blocked for irregular activity.

Oafley Jones

jack presley wrote: »

As for a car, it is a necessity but we only hired one for our second week when we were going to Disney and places like Aquatica and the malls as we didn't need one the first week when we were at Universal.

We haven't hired a car for our last two visits. I really don't think they're necessary if you don't have kids with you.... That's provided you do a split stay. We'd spend one week at Disney and another in Universal. The time of year the OP is thinking of probably means he'd get away without the fast pass and therefore Cabana Bay might be a great option. It's getting great reviews, however the transportation situation isn't fully sorted yet, so I'm hearing some issues at the moment. We've only stayed at portofino, I can't stress how handy it is to be able to just wander in and out of the parks and into your hotel room - particularly if you get a soaking on a water ride. Again the fast pass here is fantastic but we've only gone at peak times.

We've also stayed on I-drive. Places like homewood suites are basic but decent. You'll have a full kitchen And you can pick up bit and bobs youd need in Walgreens. There also a ton of restaurants and you're within walking distance of pointe Orlando which has a great cinema with a proper 70mm IMAX screen, not the tiny ****e you get here. Many of these hotels offer free transportation to universal and sea world. You'll have to check but its usually buses on the hour during peak season. I've used the I-hop bus service once and found it grand. If we're going to an outlet we'd hire a taxi.

Don't stay in one of Disneys hotels. They're ****ing extortionate at all levels. Which is a shame as they were once decent value. The top deluxe hotels are around 400-500 dollars a night and I'd barely rate them 3.5 stars. The hotels are probably one of the biggest signs of penny pinching by the current board. The values are similarly overpriced, but I think they look rotten and are full of tour groups.. Which you'll hopefully avoid. Keep in mind that you can check into the Waldorf Astoria for cheaper than these. The perks for staying at Disney are extra park hours, which is really ****e given the cost.

It's a much better idea to stay in a Disney affiliate hotel such as holiday inn near downtown Disney. This is in walking distance of downtown Disney (which is a the huge shopping/eating area thats also a huge construction zone at the moment as its being transformed into Disney Springs. These hotels will also offer you complimentary shuttles to the parks. Once inside Disney has a decent transportation system together around on top of that. Again, if you want to go to an outlet there's two that are a short taxi trip away as well as the swanky mall at millenia.

I really don't think I missed a car the past two trips. If I'd kids with me it'd be a different story. BTW the best park in Orlando for me is Discovery Cove, it expensive but it's unlike anything else out there. There's some good websites out there for info such as dibb and wdwmagic, stay away from disboards which is full of shills and pixie dusters. Also some great YouTube videos to give you an idea of the parks check out ithemepark as an example.

The Mig

amandaf675 wrote: »

Thinking of going to Orlando next year.

Few questions:

1. Whens the best time to go?
2. Recommendation on places to stay
3. What parks to visit? Young couple who love amusement parks and Im a big disney fan at heart
4. Where to book? Travel agent or through ebookers etc?
5. Spending money?

1. I've been twice to Orlando. June and September(last year) in different years. Heading back in October this year. June was mayhem in the parks. Queues up to 2 hours for some rides and attractions. September was quieter but still busy enough.

2. Any of the Rosen Inns on International-Drive are generally fine for a couple. I'm staying in Rosen Inn international this year

3. Universal Studios,Islands of adventure, SeaWorld, Aquatica, Wet'n'Wild and Busch Gardens are covered for unlimited use for 14 days on the Orlando flex+ ticket. Ticket is about €270. The ticket also provides a free bus to and from Busch gardens which is a little over an hour away. It's well worth it and the best park there IMO.
Disney parks worth doing are Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Epcot, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon are quite poor.

4. I booked everything myself. Flights direct to Orlando with Aer Lingus from Dublin. Accom booked with Travel Republic. Park tickets booked with attractions.ie

5. Depends on the person really. Myself and the OH brought about $8,000 spending money between us last year. We put $1,000 into a kitty which covered food for 2 weeks(Lunch and dinners), tickets for the I-Trolley, drinks most nights and taxis. There is 2 premium shopping outlets on either end of International Drive which are a must if you're into your shopping. Florida Mall is only 10-15 minutes away in a taxi from International Drive. I had 2 suitcases full to the brim coming home last year and will be doing the same this year.

Winning Hand

jack presley wrote: »

Sorry, I meant that Magic Kingdom hasn't changed much in 30 years.

Except for the massive fantasyland expansion the last 5 years

jack presley

Winning Hand wrote: »

Except for the massive fantasyland expansion the last 5 years

Yeah you're right there, I'd forgotten about that. It was still under construction when I was there and the only ride that was of interest to me (runaway mine train) wasn't open and the rest of it was aimed at kids so I probably blanked that from my memory. I'm still scarred from my go on 'it's a small world' back in 1988.

They could really do with revamping the whole park to be honest.

naughtysmurf

In fairness, Disney & Universal are slightly different animals but both are excellent at extracting money from punters with entry fee, hotel costs, parking charges if staying off-site, on-site food costs, etc. Disney seem to focus on the u12's & don't really seem to want to change that, Universal focus on teens & adults

With the exception of Rock'n'Roller & Tower of Terror at HS, there aren't any what I would consider, real thrill rides there. I'd spend little time at Disney parks if I was there with my wife BUT when your are there with kids, especially young ones, the experience is a very good family one, as an adult, you do have to leave your cynicism in the car park though for best results

At certain times of the year you can get reasonable rates for Disney Moderate resorts and there are some perks to staying on-site, there actually might not be a lot of difference between them and the Downtown Disney hotels after they add on parking & resort fee charges, Universal Delux hotels are often +€230 a night + parking AFAIK but the express pass is a big bonus especially during the busy periods

Even if I was staying on-site, I'd still hire a car, prefer to be able to just get in it and go, off site restaurants, Malls, Busch, Gulf coast, air boats etc, love the freedom of it without having to work out bus routes & timetables

djayforza

I'm planning on heading to orlando and staying in the international drive area. I am getting prices of about 1350-1400 for flights and accomodation for 10 days for 2 people in 3/4 star hotels. most hotels seem to only provide room and no breakfast. Is this correct? Seems a bit cheap. Doubletree by hilton at universal is the most attractive hotel at the moment but its a little pricey.

Is this reasonable? I was also debating on a rental car but I am only 24 and would be hit with a young driver fee (upto $30 per day) aswell as the parking charges so unless its essential or there is a way around it?

We will be focusing on universal and may spend 1 day in a disney park, any suggestions on that?

naughtysmurf

djayforza wrote: »

I'm planning on heading to orlando and staying in the international drive area. I am getting prices of about 1350-1400 for flights and accomodation for 10 days for 2 people in 3/4 star hotels. most hotels seem to only provide room and no breakfast. Is this correct? Seems a bit cheap. Doubletree by hilton at universal is the most attractive hotel at the moment but its a little pricey.

Is this reasonable? I was also debating on a rental car but I am only 24 and would be hit with a young driver fee (upto $30 per day) aswell as the parking charges so unless its essential or there is a way around it?

We will be focusing on universal and may spend 1 day in a disney park, any suggestions on that?

You can get up & down International Drive on the i-ride trolley, cheap enough.

http://www.iridetrolley.com/index.html

AFAIK it will get you to within a mile or so of Universal, the Lynx bus system / taxi are your other options to get you to Universal

Loads of places on iDrive for breakfast

Maybe consider the Rosen Inn at Point Orlando, haven't stayed there but has pretty good reviews & an iTrolley stop just outside

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g34515-d85401-Reviews-Rosen_Inn_at_Pointe_Orlando-Orlando_Florida.html

10 days car rental next May with young drivers insurance package for €421, if you have a license for 12 months, covers three young drivers, don't know how that sounds to you

Oafley Jones

Winning Hand wrote: »

Except for the massive fantasyland expansion the last 5 years

Splash mountain wasn't there either. Still, if I could, I'd visit 1980s magic kingdom every time over today's.

djayforza

Thanks for the reply naughtysmurf.

I am now looking at hotels in the i-drive area, it seems many have received questionable reviews on trip advisor, doubletree hilton, ramada plaza resort and wyndham resort all getting quite mixed reviews.

I did look at the Rosen inn but it seems to booked out for my dates.

Has anyone had any great experiences in hotels on international drive area? I dont want to spend 10 days in a below par hotel when i could have spent a little extra on quality.

Thanks