Orlando for a week?

Dolly Daydreams

Hi guys,

Heading to Orlando at the end of the month with my 9 year old girl. Won't have a lot of spending money (1k euro-will that be enough) but I do have all the park tickets bar Disney already bought.

I've been there a long long time ago and without a child so just looking for any tips and any experience going this time of year (weather etc?)

I want to get as much done as poss but obviously hard to squeeze in orlando in 7 days, any tips on what parks can be done in a day and which ones can be split. Only going to bother with magic kingdom & hollywood in Disney, does anyone reckon these can be both done in a day without having to purchase a two day ticket?

Thanks in advance, any help greatly appreciated

naughtysmurf

Dolly Daydreams wrote: »

Hi guys,

Heading to Orlando at the end of the month with my 9 year old girl. Won't have a lot of spending money (1k euro-will that be enough) but I do have all the park tickets bar Disney already bought.

I've been there a long long time ago and without a child so just looking for any tips and any experience going this time of year (weather etc?)

I want to get as much done as poss but obviously hard to squeeze in orlando in 7 days, any tips on what parks can be done in a day and which ones can be split. Only going to bother with magic kingdom & hollywood in Disney, does anyone reckon these can be both done in a day without having to purchase a two day ticket?

Thanks in advance, any help greatly appreciated

1K should be enough for the two of you for a week, end of September weather will still be very warm / hot with a good chance of short daily afternoon / evening downpours (don't worry about that)

What tickets do you already have?

Magic Kingdom is pretty much a full day with a 9yr old, Hollywood Studios is a small park, personally I'd pick Animal Kingdom over it

As you only have seven nights / six full days, due to jet lag, you will be awake very early first day, I'd hit MK as early as poss but little one may tire towards evening

If you do 6 full on park days you will be tired by the end of the week, unless you are doing Seaworld / Waterpark / Discovery Cove, they are much slower relaxing type days

Sometimes less is more, don't try to squeeze too much in, go for quality days rather than quantity

You could consider Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP), tickets are about €50 each, that will get you into MK at 4pm, stay until close

Dolly Daydreams

Hi Smurf,

Thanks for the reply. I have a 6-park ticket which includes universal,wet n wild, busch gardens seaworld.

I was thinking that Magic Kingdom would be the one we'd spend the most time in, I went as an adult and didn't have much interest in it. Definitely will only do 2 disney parks as they're around 99 dollars each per person :O

I think you're right, our first full day will be a Friday, and better to head there that day and avoid it over the weekend as it'll be busier..

That's a good idea about the halloween thing, I'll have a butchers at that online. I'm also supposed to go to Old Town to do the skycoaster (daughter really looking forward to doing it) think i've over exerted myself already..

Thanks very much for your reply

naughtysmurf

Dolly Daydreams wrote: »

Hi Smurf,

Thanks for the reply. I have a 6-park ticket which includes universal,wet n wild, busch gardens seaworld.

No probs, Busch Gdns is a full day as it's in Tampa, Uni & IOA are 2 days at least, you could do Seaworld in the morning & wet & wild in the afternoon, that's four days, leaving you two for Disney

That's probably how I'd do it, you may have to bite the bullet with a two day Disney ticket though for best quality days, two one day Disney tickets + two MNSSHP tickets will be approx €90 cheaper than two 2 day Disney tickets, having been to MNSSHP, I'd prefer to go for the 2 day Disney tickets myself.

Enjoy

ProudDUB

Take a day off in the middle of the week, to just have a chill out day at the pool. As you are going that far, I totally understand why you would want to pack as much into your trip as possible, but if you do a park 6 straight days, you'll be totally knackered. It will still be quite hot in September & the heat and humidity will be quite draining, especially if you are going to be out doors so much.

Hit up a supermarket and stock up snacks & drinks to bring with you. Buying food in the theme parks can be quite expensive. Don't buy any souvenirs or gifts in the parks themselves. You can find branded merchandise all over the city, for half the price.

Palmy

Def hit the parks as early as possible.
September is one of the wettest months in Florida,but you tend to get rain late in the afternoon early evening.If there is thunder and lightening they will close rides down.Your spending money should be ok,go to Publix or Walmart and buy food and water (you can get 24 bottles of water for $4) and take it with you and some snacks with you,when you go to the parks.The food in the parks is a rip off.

owenc

Dolly Daydreams wrote: »

Hi guys,

Heading to Orlando at the end of the month with my 9 year old girl. Won't have a lot of spending money (1k euro-will that be enough) but I do have all the park tickets bar Disney already bought.

I've been there a long long time ago and without a child so just looking for any tips and any experience going this time of year (weather etc?)

I want to get as much done as poss but obviously hard to squeeze in orlando in 7 days, any tips on what parks can be done in a day and which ones can be split. Only going to bother with magic kingdom & hollywood in Disney, does anyone reckon these can be both done in a day without having to purchase a two day ticket?

Thanks in advance, any help greatly appreciated

Hi i'm just back from there. I don't think thats long enough. I was there for five weeks and it wasn't my cup of tea although it would be good for wanes.I went to the parks and tbh they nearly had made in a bed, they are massive and there is just TOO much walking. So um I would go every second day.. Premium outlets are a must.. I liked the Mall of Milenia but its not cheap there.

You really need a car there.. Traffic jams are bad. It was kind of like a sauna heat like 93 degrees everyday but you get used to it. Its full of Brazilians.. Ewgh... Shouting.

By all means try out the cinema but its really nothing special. I think our cinemas are better, they don't have any of our sweets as a choice and they are super expensive. I spent $15 on flipping coke and popcorn and churros. (Btw coke slushie is rotten crap). The food in the parks is so expensive aswell but the chicken is nice.

Don't goto Walmart for shopping it is a dump and full of big massive cartons of stuff - goto Publix. Their donuts are fantastic! For god sake don't buy a lottery ticket out of the vending machines or they'll be asking you if you are 18. Yawn. The weather there is really really crap right now, as it constantly rains it was not uncommon for it to rain all day when we were there.

Below is a picture of the traffic and it isn't even bad. It took us two hours to drive 20 miles at 9pm. Watch out, the drivers there are so impatient and will change lanes at no notice without intercating!!

owenc

naughtysmurf wrote: »

1K should be enough for the two of you for a week, end of September weather will still be very warm / hot with a good chance of short daily afternoon / evening downpours (don't worry about that)

What tickets do you already have?

Magic Kingdom is pretty much a full day with a 9yr old, Hollywood Studios is a small park, personally I'd pick Animal Kingdom over it

As you only have seven nights / six full days, due to jet lag, you will be awake very early first day, I'd hit MK as early as poss but little one may tire towards evening

If you do 6 full on park days you will be tired by the end of the week, unless you are doing Seaworld / Waterpark / Discovery Cove, they are much slower relaxing type days

Sometimes less is more, don't try to squeeze too much in, go for quality days rather than quantity

You could consider Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP), tickets are about €50 each, that will get you into MK at 4pm, stay until close

You won't be awake early if you goto bed at 12.

owenc

Dolly Daydreams wrote: »

Hi Smurf,

Thanks for the reply. I have a 6-park ticket which includes universal,wet n wild, busch gardens seaworld.

I was thinking that Magic Kingdom would be the one we'd spend the most time in, I went as an adult and didn't have much interest in it. Definitely will only do 2 disney parks as they're around 99 dollars each per person :O

I think you're right, our first full day will be a Friday, and better to head there that day and avoid it over the weekend as it'll be busier..

That's a good idea about the halloween thing, I'll have a butchers at that online. I'm also supposed to go to Old Town to do the skycoaster (daughter really looking forward to doing it) think i've over exerted myself already..

Thanks very much for your reply

Universal is so amazing!! It is full of animated rides that would be good for people scared of rollercoasters. Don't bother going to Wet n Wild, it is such a run down hell hole, we went at 9 and were out by 11:30, trust me you are missing NOTHING in that place.

I recommend you try out the outback and also the Longhorn stakehouse.

naughtysmurf

owenc wrote: »

Traffic jams are bad. Its full of Brazilians.. Ewgh... Shouting.

It took us two hours to drive 20 miles at 9pm.

If you are just back owenc, you were there in High season, the OP is going at the end of September, one of the slowest times of the year, they will have a totally different experience as regards traffic & crowd levels, most of the South American tour groups will have gone home. I been in March & October & never been stuck in traffic except maybe for a few mins leaving a park at closing time but I stay in LBV or Kissimmee

I do agree that a week isn't long enough to do everything, neither is two really but the OP has a week so he/she should plan & prioritise to get the best out of it.

With one adult & a 9yr old for a week, I'd advise early starts & early enough nights to get the most out of the days of a one week trip. Because of the time difference they will be up at stupid o clock on day one at least

owenc

Really? Well the traffic was a nightmare as it was basically 24/7 we thought it would die down at night but no at 11pm it was still chock a block.. dunno where the cars were going tbh.

I wouldn't even make a big effort adjusting to the time difference because its such a pain in the ass when you come back.

Palmy

Yeah you will be ok in September.I personally wouldn't bother going to the parks in high season (June-August )it's way too hot to be standing inline for rides.
Walmart is great for canned food and meat,Publix is better for fruit and veg as well as cold cut meats and bread.
Never really been stuck in traffic at all when I have been in Orlando and I am there every few months or so.

jack presley

If it was my first time in Orlando and had one week I'd spend my 6 full days as follows:

2 days each in Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios
1 day in Magic Kingdom
1 day in Aquatica

I'd get the Flex Ticket and buy a one day pass for Disney.

kristian12

We've been a few times in September and the crowds are quite low, having also done july and August I'd say only going for a week you've picked a good time.

Firstly 1k is plenty if you've already got your tickets so don't be worrying about that.

Where are you staying? If possible try and get to the parks for rope drop to make the most of your time. What time do you land and leave as you might be able to do something on those days.

Personally if I was only going for a wk I'd skip busch gardens. I'd make US and IOA a day each, MK a day and half day at AK with the later part of the day at Aquatica. Seaworld is a very relaxing day and can be used as a rest day. That still leaves you a day to play with.

Have a good time :-)

Dolly Daydreams

First of all thanks so much for the replies, it's flying in now 10 days to go eeekk..

Thanks Kristian12, luckily I went with pre buying the park tickets (except for Disney) so hopefully that 1k will stretch, and as other posters have said, i'll stock up on water and snacks and bring in a rucksack to the parks..

I was thinking of doing MK for nearly a day and then trotting over to hollywood studios for the last part, my little one wants to get on the twilight zone ride and the aerosmith one, would it still be 99$ each to go in for the last few hours?

I was hoping to head to Oldtown as well for the skycoaster, but I'll see how we go..

Landing at 3pm their time so by the time immigration and collecting bags and that probably won't get to the hotel until 6, going to sleuths for the first night as have tickets and up early then every morning, good thing we're landing home friday really early as we'll need the weekend to sleep

staying in the Ramada Suites 6500. I heard the shuttle bus for disney doesn't go until 11am does anyone know an alternative route with Lynx?

kristian12

Dolly Daydreams wrote: »

First of all thanks so much for the replies, it's flying in now 10 days to go eeekk..

Thanks Kristian12, luckily I went with pre buying the park tickets (except for Disney) so hopefully that 1k will stretch, and as other posters have said, i'll stock up on water and snacks and bring in a rucksack to the parks..

I was thinking of doing MK for nearly a day and then trotting over to hollywood studios for the last part, my little one wants to get on the twilight zone ride and the aerosmith one, would it still be 99$ each to go in for the last few hours?

I was hoping to head to Oldtown as well for the skycoaster, but I'll see how we go..

Landing at 3pm their time so by the time immigration and collecting bags and that probably won't get to the hotel until 6, going to sleuths for the first night as have tickets and up early then every morning, good thing we're landing home friday really early as we'll need the weekend to sleep

staying in the Ramada Suites 6500. I heard the shuttle bus for disney doesn't go until 11am does anyone know an alternative route with Lynx?

I'll try and do this in order lol.

All the parks will give you iced water free at any of the drink stall and restaurants, its perfectly safe to drink but some people don't like the taste so just in case buy the little Robinson's squash things and take them with you. It saves a fortune on drinks.

Yes its the same price going in later and unless you buy disney park hopper tickets doing 2 parks on one day means paying twice. Also because of the way the fast pass system now works there's no guarantee you'd get on both ToT or RR without a long wait.

Yes you can get there earlier by getting bus to Seaworld and then transferring to another bus. I want to say its the 8 and the 50 but I'm not sure. You can get the lynx timetable online. I would be very surprised though if 11am was the first hotel shuttle as most do one at around 8.30am. A taxi is also an option.

Hope that's helpful :-)

Dolly Daydreams

Thanks Kristian,

That's all very helpful, I had a quick look before and the 8 rings a bell on the lynx, i'll double check if it's 50 from seaworld

I can't seem to find prices online for paying at the door at WD i'll have another look. going to sit down now and try to work out the days and what we're doing as it's getting closer, so best to do a checklist as well or it'll be panic stations when we get there..

Hopefully there's not much wait on them this time of year. I'm thinking of leaving universal & WD until during the week and doing sea world and that at the weekend, as you say that's a bit more mellow as well..

Thanks a mill for your help, much appreciated. x

naughtysmurf

A one day Disney ticket for one adult & a 9yr old with park hopper option will cost $279.03

Magic Kingdom only, for one adult & a 9yr old will cost $203.52 approx

Dolly Daydreams

sweet mary jane and the orphans :O

numbernine

naughtysmurf wrote: »

A one day Disney ticket for one adult & a 9yr old with park hopper option will cost $279.03

Magic Kingdom only, for one adult & a 9yr old will cost $203.52 approx

Hi sorry for hijacking, but did you find these prices online?? The disney world website keeps redirecting me to disneyholidays.co.uk and only giving 7/14day tickets in sterling. Tried on other browsers and same problem.

naughtysmurf

Got the prices on the Disney site originally, can be a bit iffy ok. Disney tickets are expensive for one or two days, $90 - $100 per person, the value gets better when you start to buy 4 day tickets & upwards, for example, a 5 day Magic your way ticket (non Hopper) is $309.99 Adult, $289.00 3-9yrs which works out at $62.00 Adult a day

https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/walt-disney-world-resort/

f2

Hi all, could anyone tell me the best parks to visit, we are booking a 2 week stay, 2 adults, 3 kids, thinking last week june, first week july 2018, flights accomadation coming to 5.5k, any advice appreciated!!

naughtysmurf

f2 wrote: »

Hi all, could anyone tell me the best parks to visit, we are booking a 2 week stay, 2 adults, 3 kids, thinking last week june, first week july 2018, flights accomadation coming to 5.5k, any advice appreciated!!

How old are the kids, what are you/they interested in? There is something for everyone in all the parks

Just to add some general stuff, the likes of the Disney parks are of most interest to the under tens, Universal & Islands of Adventure eight years & upwards, SeaWorld may appeal to the whole family, they have a few great coasters there now, Busch Gardens will really speak to the thrill seekers

We were there last two weeks of May, the Disney & Universal parks were very busy, expect them to be even busier in June & July

There is a distinct advantage to staying onsite at both Universal delux hotels & Disney hotels, staying at a Universal delux like Hard Rock or Royal Pacific all your group will get unlimited express pass so little or no standing in line

Staying at Disney, you will be able to book 3 fastpasses 60 days in advance, if staying offsite you will only be able to do this 30 days in advance so you will be limited to what you can book & the times available, I doubt if you will get a fastpass for Flight of Passage which is by far the best ride at Disney

We've been numerous times now, staying at offsite hotels, villas & onsite properties, tbh for the best overall experience, onsite is the way to go but it can come at a cost depending on what hotel comfort level you want, if not too fussy & want the onsite perks at Disney look at their Value Resorts, a step up are their Moderate resorts, after that their Delux Resorts

At Universal look at the two hotels I mentioned

You are picking a very hot, crowded & potentially wet time to go, it all comes down to budget but maybe consider 3-5days at Disney, 2-3 at Universal, then a villa or hotel for the remainder

f2

thanks for advice, kids are 10, 12, 14 and into Harry Potter,Star Wars not big into roller coasters etc, love to wander and see things. Budget is 10k for the holiday o hoping its enough, Fligthts and accomadation <off site International Avenue, talking 5.5k cheapest we could find at the moment> once again thanks

naughtysmurf

Have you tried booking it all yourself rather than going through a TA, 10k is a decent budget, you will spend all of it I'd imagine

There isn't a huge amount of Star Wars stuff going on as the Star Wars area is still under construction at Disney Hollywood Studios

Make sure you have park to park tickets for Universal to enjoy both Harry Potter areas

Stay onsite at Universal for at least one night if at all possible, its expensive BUT you can arrive early, 7am, check in get your express passes, early entry to parks, you'll all have express passes for check in & check out days, the HP attractions now have express pass

If doing Disney, go to the Disney site & set up a mydisneyexperience accout, use this to book Disney fast passes & dining if you wish

James74

Sorry to hijack the thread. We're ready to book for end of May / start of June 2018. Any knowledgeable folk know if we should book the flights now or are they likely to get any cheaper.

tbh, the good lady has an itchy trigger finger and an impatient temperament so unless there is likely to be a considerable saving I'd say we'll just book. It's two adults & two children, we're planning probably + two weeks but no more than three weeks.

The United flights out of Dublin with a connection through Newark seem to be the cheapest and most suitable time wise. I know it's not the best thought of airline at the minute, but would there be much of a difference between them and other flights.

It going to be a theme park holiday so advice on park tickets as well would be appreciated. We're looking at the Orlando Freedom Tickets through American Tickets direct or orlandoattractiontoickets.co.uk, so any feedback on those sites or any alternatives?

Thanks all, I hope the OP doesn't mind me sticking relevant questions in here as they come up.

jack presley

We did that exact flight last April with United and they're fine. The crap was hitting the fan over the way they dragged that bloke off the flight just before we flew but they were fine. As good as any transatlantic carrier I've flown on.

The wait in Newark on the way over was only an hour so fine but it was 2.5 hours on the way back which was a pain after a 10 day holiday when you just want to get home but it might not be the same for your flight.

One bad thing about United is that you have to pay for the inflight entertainment on the internal legs and Newark to Orlando is a long enough flight when you've no films or TV shows to watch. I don't know if that's standard but it was this way on our flights to/from Orlando from Newark.

Attraction Tickets Direct are great for theme park tickets I found.

naughtysmurf

Our last two trips SNN-EWR-MCO with United were fine, they have good seat back entertainment, for last May we paid just under €1900 for 3 adults & a child, you won't have to change terminals at EWR & get into MCO at 3.30 which is great, we've no complaints with them

As regards tickets, you have to figure out which parks you want to visit & how often, you won't go to a park everyday, then shop around, many tickets expire 14 days after first use, so factor that into your plan if going for three weeks, as regards Disney, if not staying onsite & booking tickets directly with them, make sure you have physical tickets in your hand 30 days in advance so you can pre book fastpasses through the mydisneyexperience app

Our first trip in the 90's you didn't really have to plan but really there are no quiet times anymore so imo a plan is needed to get the best out of it, many of the wait times without fastpass for popular rides were +90 minutes

undercovertourist, attractionticketsdirect are a couple of reputable ticket outlets, there are others

James74

Thanks for the feedback folks. Think we'll probably do United, they're quite a bit cheaper at the minute and the flight times suit. Yes Jack, I think that the exact flights I have lined up.

Yep, the Orlando Freedom ticket has separate physical tickets per company (Disney, Universal, Seaworld / Busch) and each one has a separate 14 expiry so we plan to stagger the parks over the holidays. The wains will be 13 & 10 so we plan to start with the Disney tickets, take it handy with Seaworld and a run over to Busch Gardens in the middle and use the Universal last. We're a family of nerds, so we're think that the Universal parks will probably be the highlight.

We've already booked a night in Universal Loews Pacific (I think that's what it is called) so we're getting two days of Fastpass tickets with that.

We're getting lucky with accommodation, we're getting the use of a class looking three bedroom villa in Davenport. It's a bit far out I think, but we couldn't pass it up and I don't mind driving.

I'd imagine we'll also try to include runs over to Clearwater or Cocoa Beach for a few chill out days. There's also the possibility of a couple of rocket launches during the time we're there, so that might be another diversion.

Anything else I should be looking at? Thanks again.

naughtysmurf

Check in to the Royal Pacific by 7.30am, print off your express passes in the lobby, you can access the parks an hour earlier than regular guests, take a break in the resort pool in the afternoon, if its busy & dining at Citywalk, show your room key & you will get the next available table

For Disney, set up a mydisneyexperience account & download the app, link your tickets 30 days before visiting your first Disney park & book your fastpasses, if you can't get a fastpass for Avatar Flight of Passage at AK, get to the AK carpark for 7.30 & you should have it rode by 9.20, it's currently the best attraction even better than anything Universal has imo

If you want to eat at the more popular Disney restaurants, they often book out quickly, you can reserve a table 180 days in advance through the app

SeaWorld & Busch tend to be quieter Monday to Wednesday

jack presley

Universal's Royal Pacific is a fantastic hotel. That's where we stayed on our recent visit and we've stayed there 3 times now. If you have any questions about there, fire away.