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Florida/disneyworld/orlando


Axl_morris

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Welcome to my thread :)

Okay so I've decided I need to go on a holiday as the last time I went was a good few years ago. Now, I have my eyes set on Florida and the whole disney thing going on there. I'll be going with my girlfriend and her 2 kids.

So, none of us have been before so where is the best place to stay? We want to do the Busch gardens, universal studios too, so where is would the ideal location. How is the public transport? How far are they away from each other, and from disney world? Recommend car hire? (don't fancy myself driving on 'the other side of the road').

I have no idea of the size of the parks, for the UK lot, I've been to thorpe park laugh.gif how much bigger are we talking? How many parks are there in disney world? Also, once my flights and hotel is sorted where is the best place to buy tickets?

We're going for 2 weeks, and I'd like to explore Florida outside of the touristy parts for the odd day or two, how easy is it to get to Miami from Orlando? Any other things worth while seeing?

Also, how popular are military discounts in America? as in the UK you get laughed at if you ask at places.

Thanks thumbsup.gif

Edited by Axl_morris
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Welcome to my thread :)

Okay so I've decided I need to go on a holiday as the last time I went was a good few years ago. Now, I have my eyes set on Florida and the whole disney thing going on there. I'll be going with my girlfriend and her 2 kids.

So, none of us have been before so where is the best place to stay? We want to do the Busch gardens, universal studios too, so where is would the ideal location. How is the public transport? How far are they away from each other, and from disney world? Recommend car hire? (don't fancy myself driving on 'the other side of the road').

I have no idea of the size of the parks, for the UK lot, I've been to thorpe park laugh.gif how much bigger are we talking? How many parks are there in disney world? Also, once my flights and hotel is sorted where is the best place to buy tickets?

We're going for 2 weeks, and I'd like to explore Florida outside of the touristy parts for the odd day or two, how easy is it to get to Miami from Orlando? Any other things worth while seeing?

Also, how popular are military discounts in America? as in the UK you get laughed at if you ask at places.

Thanks thumbsup.gif

I think of myself as at least a moderate Disney World expert, so you've asked at the right place.

I do not know your budget, so I will make a few different suggestions here based on different affordability levels.

Okay, so the Walt Disney World Resort (that means all of the Disney property) in land area is approximately the size of Boston, Massachusetts, or twice the size of Manhattan. It's big. There are four theme parks there, the Magic Kingdom (their oldest and best-known one, with Cinderella's castle), the Hollywood Studios (formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios), EPCOT (stands for Experimental, Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Walt Disney himself had been planning to build it, but what is there now is a completely bastardized version of his vision, which was a new, modernized city with special designs for maximized public transportation and such... this is just a theme park), and the Animal Kingdom. In addition to that, there are 2 waterparks called Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. There is also a big shopping, restaurant, and entertainment district called Downtown Disney. There they have Cirque du Soleil, movie megaplexes, a House of Blues (concert venue), night clubs (a way to get away from the kiddies), a big balloon you can pay to ride in, and a big ass building called Disney Quest which has simulator rides and games (like an arcade on a lot of steroids). Besides these places, Disney World also has a few golf courses, mini golf courses, another shopping, dining, and entertainment district that is smaller and attached to a resort called The Boardwalk, a sports complex called the Disney ESPN Wide World of Sports, which, depending on the time of year you go, has professional sporting events, groups come in for tournaments, and I think they have stuff for you to try out yourself, too. There is a big car racing track called the Richard Petty Driving Experience, where you can Drive a race car at high speeds, and there are dozens of resort hotels, each with a different theme and their own attractions, shows, and restaurants (and every one of them has an AMAZING swimming pool with water slides and fountains and waterfalls, plus a poolside bar).

Okay, there is an overview, I have to get some stuff done, but I promise I'll come back and start giving you specific suggestions and insights.

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Florida is a lot bigger than it looks on a map, so you're looking at a lot of driving if you want to see it all, but really outside of the everglades, Cape Canaveral, maybe key west, and the major parks there really isn't anything to see other than country homes and spring training baseball facilities. I was in Orlando earlier this year, had a great time, but the traffic was horrible compared past trips, I mean it was HORRIBLE. Car accidents everywhere, sometimes 3 on the same 2 mile stretch of road. Sirens blaring all day and night, it was pretty crazy. When I was down there a small plane even crashed into a grocery store :lol:

The local cab drivers blamed it all on European tourists "they don't know how to fucking drive in this country" so I would recommend you don't rent a car unless you have experience on US roads. No offense

Edited by sweetness
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Florida is a lot bigger than it looks on a map, so you're looking at a lot of driving if you want to see it all, but really outside of the everglades, Cape Canaveral, maybe key west, and the major parks there really isn't anything to see other than country homes and spring training baseball facilities. I was in Orlando earlier this year, had a great time, but the traffic was horrible compared past trips, I mean it was HORRIBLE. Car accidents everywhere, sometimes 3 on the same 2 mile stretch of road. Sirens blaring all day and night, it was pretty crazy. When I was down there a small plane even crashed into a grocery store :lol:

The local cab drivers blamed it all on European tourists "they don't know how to fucking drive in this country" so I would recommend you don't rent a car unless you have experience on US roads. No offense

It's not just European tourists. Virtually everyone in Orlando drives either like they are clueless or like a total tool. It's the worst place I've ever seen to drive, and it is getting worse every day. Yeah, Miami is probably and 3.5 hour drive from Orlando. Busch Gardens in Tampa is probably at least an hour and 15 minutes from Disney World, probably more.

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You'll pay a premium to stay at Disney resorts or hotels that are considered Disney affiliated resorts...right down to charging $10 a day hotel premium just for being a Disney affiliated resort.Unless Disney is offering an amazing all inclusive package,look elsewhere.

You don't need a car,if you shop around,some hotels offer airport transfers to the hotel and back,some offer it free,some for a reasonable fee.

But some do not offer it all,so be sure about that before booking.

You need to find the hotels that offer shuttles to the parks.

The downside to shuttles is you are confined to their hours of operation..example,some hotels final shuttle leaves the park before the park actually closes.So you HAVE to take that shuttle...or...you will have to take a cab when the park closes.

The key is to check the Disney website,some evenings the park will stay open until 11pm or midnight...you really get more for your money on those days.But...hotel shuttles don't run that late,so you have to plan accordingly.

Mind you,that's the upside to staying at a Disney resort,guest transport until (and after) the park closes.

I always get a package with a car,but I understand your concern about the driving...and you gotta have your shit together for Florida driving,the locals have zero patience for tourist drivers...lol.

What time of year are you thinking of going?

The Halloween special events at Disney and Universal are AMAZING!...the parks stay open till midnight and sometimes later.

They hold these events on certain evenings starting around the later part of September.

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we're looking at august time!

Save yourself the trouble of all this, then. Just lock yourself and your girlfriend and her kids in a small, cramped closet along with 8 space heaters on high, plus three humidifiers also on high. If you really want to replicate the experience, also bring in a flood light that all of you can stare into, and a boom box playing "It's a Small World After All" plus "When You Wish Upon a Star" and all the newer Disney Channel teeny bopper hits, and you can have Disney World in August in your very own home for 1% of the price!

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we're looking at august time!

Save yourself the trouble of all this, then. Just lock yourself and your girlfriend and her kids in a small, cramped closet along with 8 space heaters on high, plus three humidifiers also on high. If you really want to replicate the experience, also bring in a flood light that all of you can stare into, and a boom box playing "It's a Small World After All" plus "When You Wish Upon a Star" and all the newer Disney Channel teeny bopper hits, and you can have Disney World in August in your very own home for 1% of the price!

:lol: yeah no shit!

...that pretty much nails it!

August is beyond hot there man...it's insane.

Only made that mistake once.

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we're looking at august time!

Save yourself the trouble of all this, then. Just lock yourself and your girlfriend and her kids in a small, cramped closet along with 8 space heaters on high, plus three humidifiers also on high. If you really want to replicate the experience, also bring in a flood light that all of you can stare into, and a boom box playing "It's a Small World After All" plus "When You Wish Upon a Star" and all the newer Disney Channel teeny bopper hits, and you can have Disney World in August in your very own home for 1% of the price!

:laugh: :laugh:

Damn, I'm going in July 2013.....any cooler?:unsure:

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we're looking at august time!

Save yourself the trouble of all this, then. Just lock yourself and your girlfriend and her kids in a small, cramped closet along with 8 space heaters on high, plus three humidifiers also on high. If you really want to replicate the experience, also bring in a flood light that all of you can stare into, and a boom box playing "It's a Small World After All" plus "When You Wish Upon a Star" and all the newer Disney Channel teeny bopper hits, and you can have Disney World in August in your very own home for 1% of the price!

Ha, that's perfect. I avoid Florida in July, August and September.

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we're looking at august time!

Save yourself the trouble of all this, then. Just lock yourself and your girlfriend and her kids in a small, cramped closet along with 8 space heaters on high, plus three humidifiers also on high. If you really want to replicate the experience, also bring in a flood light that all of you can stare into, and a boom box playing "It's a Small World After All" plus "When You Wish Upon a Star" and all the newer Disney Channel teeny bopper hits, and you can have Disney World in August in your very own home for 1% of the price!

:laugh: :laugh:

Damn, I'm going in July 2013.....any cooler?:unsure:

July is pretty much when Satan starts to turn the thermostat up to roast you alive. :devil:

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My wife and I went in 2004 in may. It was hot then too.

Orlando is right in the middle of the state. west is busch gardens in tampa bay. Its like 50 or 100 miles. It is on the gulf of mexico coast. East is Cocoa Beach and the Space Center and stuff. its about the same distance. Universal studios and the universal theme park are two different parks side by side so you have to pay for both. Universal Studios was really a disappointment for the money. We like Orlando and we stayed in a hotel off the main highway there. I don't remember what it was, maybe Ramada. We didn't do the disney thing.

The thing we liked most was Cocoa Beach. It was a very quiet beach and peaceful. There weren't a lot of people there. It was a weekday if I remember right, though. Miami is a drive from there and the everglades. Not really close to Orlando.

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SOB was there last month. If Axl and Buckethead can go to Disneyland, SOB can go to Disney World. SOB went on Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom twice. SOB also loves the House of Presidents presentation. SOB suspects Disney World would be hot as hell this time of year. SOB recommends going in October. Listen to SOB.

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October is quite nice there indeed.

I make an annual trek there in October for the Halloween events.

Last year I was booked but then had the leg injury,so it was the first year I missed out in quite some time.

Was just looking at package deals for October this morning,before this thread came up.

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I'll be going with my girlfriend and her 2 kids.

How old are the kids?

where is the best place to stay?

Depends on what you are looking for in accommodations.

If you just want a decent place to sleep before venturing out the next day,anything online around a 3 star rating will suffice.

Anything around two star is buyer beware (tends to be regrettable),1 star expect a right shit hole.

4 star is a little fancier but pricier,5 star is getting towards posh and on the pricey end of things,unless you like to spend a shitload of money for a flash place to fall asleep for 8 hours,don't bother...there's better things to do with your cash there.

Kissimmee is pretty close to the Disney parks and have decent affordable places to stay,and it's out of the overly touristy shit...not completely,but it's not really overkill.

International Drive is closer to Universal,the main drag is tourist trap hell,but it can be fun if you're not too worried about it,lots to do in the evening.

We want to do the Busch gardens universal studios too, so where is would the ideal location. How is the public transport?

If you don't want to drive,locate yourself in Orlando.There's shuttles that go to different areas.

For example...and I say this to answer another question you had...get your tickets online,they are the best deals (unless a travel agent has some amazing offers up their sleeve).

If you are going for two weeks,then you have time to check out different parks,and see everything worth seeing (as far as the parks go) at least once.

If you want to see Busch Gardens,here's an option worth looking in to...

link

Buying a ticket here,gets you in to Sea World (the kids will love it),Aquatica (a VERY cool water park..gives Typhoon Lagoon a run for their money and blows Disney's Blizzard Beach out of the water) and also Busch Gardens (transportation included).Great deal for the money (considering if you walked up to the gate at Aquatica it's close to 50 bucks for one adult ticket).And some of those tickets are good for your entire 2 weeks stay,as many times as you want to go.

Universal has the same sort of online deals,you can buy combo tickets online good for both parks.I think the Universal Parks are a blast (and they've REALLY grown and expanded since 2004).If you take the kids to only one Universal park...choose the one with Harry Potter world...both parks are worthy imo....lots to do.

And if you can afford it,treat yourself to "Express Pass" at Universal...for a fee they give you a pass where you bypass the general line of people waiting for a hellish long time (sometimes a two hour wait) to get on one ride,express pass gets you an exclusive line that bypasses all that and you get in MUCH faster.

Get that at Universal,at Disney you don't need it,you just walk up to a ride and get an express pass ticket (for free) that designates a time for you to come back to a specific ride and bypass the general lines.

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I went in April 2004 and it was SCORCHING hot.

Stayed at the Polynesian Resort inside of Disney - VERY cool place. Ducks/rabbits/etc. at your door in the morning, walking past you along the trails - just plain fun.

EPCOT is very cool to see, with everything being futuristic.

When I went, there was a Virgin Megastore in Downtown Disney, and that place was insane. Rare CD's all over the place. Too bad that it closed down.

The Magic Kingdom is very cool - the castle obviously being the main selling point there.

Also, I cannot stress this enough - BRING PLENTY OF CASH. NOTHING INSIDE THE PARK IS CHEAP. NOTHING. <_<

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I go to Florida every year for a couple weeks in late February/early March, and the temp has been in the 90's and humid. I can only imagine how bad it is in July and August.

Disney Parks - Magic Kingdom is the best for the kiddies, Epcot is the best for adults, Hollywood Studios is pretty good for everyone, Animal Kingdom kinda sucks unless you love animals.

Prices are steep for just a day or two, if you can afford a 3-day or 5-day package you get a lot more for your money as the cost per day goes down considerably.

I've stayed at the Disney "value" resorts for as low as $68 per day, the themes in the resorts are actually very cool for kids and even kinda fun for adults. Then you also get the benefit of free transportation from the airport to the resort, and free shuttle rides to the various Disney parks & Downtown Disney, so you wouldn't need to worry about transportation.

At the parks, be prepared to WAIT and WAIT and WAIT to go on the rides. Even if you use the FastPass option for all the rides, you still won't be able to go on the popular rides very often because people snap up all the tickets without knowing (or caring) if they will be around at their designated time.

Needless to say, anything you buy in the parks will be expensive as hell. If you are budget conscious, bring your own food/beverages/ears.

Non-Disney hotels in the Orlando/Kissimmee area are very, very inexpensive. You can get a decent room for prices in the upper $30's (not including tax). Car rentals are also very cheap in Orlando, just keep in mind there will be a shitload of taxes & fees added to your base rate. And don't speed, there are speedtraps galore.

We usually fly into Orlando, attend the Daytona 500 (if you're in Daytona, take the tour of the International Speedway), then drive down to the Fort Myers area. I highly recommend you spend some time on Sanibel Island, Marco Island and Capri if you want to get away from the touristy attractions. They are all in the Fort Myers area, and Fort Myers beach is rather nice as well. From there I would recommend either driving through Alligator Alley and down the Keys or taking a ferry from Fort Myers to Key West. There is a LOT to see and do in Key West, it's a very unique place to say the least.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood is nice, just be prepared for horrendous traffic and face eating zombies. Check out Vizcaya and Flamingo Gardens if you can, your girlfriend will love them. The kiddos will enjoy Jungle Island. You'll like the clothing-optional South Beach, which is basically an East Coast version of Venice Beach. Celebrities galore if you're into that kind of thing. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is also a cool place to hang at night, there's always great concerts and shows going on in the area.

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its humid not hot.

orlando is not in the middle of the state

miami is about 6 hours away not 3.5

take your kids to daytona (about an hour away) for a weekend. best beach in the world.

This.

I'm from Tampa, Florida isn't THAT bad, just drink a lot of water and use a lot of sunscreen.

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I like rollercoasters and shit but you'll have to put up with a lot of whiney children at Disney.

By all means take the kids they'll like it. As for you I'd suggest bringing in a flask or two for you and the girl or else it will be hell. Also bring a lot of money because the food isn't cheap. I would also suggest renting a hotel off the amusement park for the same reason.

Don't forget to grab a few brews and hit the beach. Let the kids run around and do all the dumb shit children do while you lay on your ass, crack a beer and enjoy the sun.

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