First time in Florida

[ClaireStan]

I am planning trip to orlando in 2009, this is the first time to the USA. Any tips greatly received: I amm planning to go for 14 days

Thinking about going in May or October (need weather to be not too hot)

what parks are the best, thinking of magic kingdom, animal kingdom, waterpark, discovery cove, space centre

accommodation: room only/B&B or self catering.
Thanks Claire

[munchie63]

I'd go for may rather than oct.

staying on International drives fine - loads of places to eat, disneys a 15min drive, seaworld 5mins, universal 10mins.

nasa is a great day out - look out for the 'lunch with an astronaut' option - prob only an extra $20/30 dollars each, and a really good experience.

Best advice I can give is to try and plan your days out in advance. We did 2 days of parks, then had a rest-day, then 2 days of parks, and a water-park etc.
meant we had 10 days out, without being whacked-out by all the walking etc.
There's a brillinat book available called 'Brits guide to Orlando', and it's the best �10 you could spend.
great tips on places to eat, best days to visit the parks, maps etc. Really useful.

[Hymie]

Eating out is cheap, but remember that if a cover charge is not listed on the menu; for tax purposes your server will be deemed to have received a tip for serving you the meal.

If you don�t tip them, you have cost them money. Reckon on giving 15%, a simple way to calculate this is to work out what 10% is, then add � again. e.g. on a $40 check, 15% is $4 + $2 = $6.

If you do not tip your waiter/waitress � do not return to the restaurant for another meal.

[vehelpfulguy]

There are far too many things to list here so I would do as munchie63 says, buy a couple of books about the area and do your research before you go.

These books often have hints and tips about best times to go, best parks to visit for different age groups, places to eat, things to do, tips on car hire etc.

Be prepared for a holiday there to cost a LOT of money.

People say it is "cheap" in the USA, but by the time you have paid for flights, accomodation, car hire, meals out, theme park tickets, other entrance tickets, snacks and drinks at the theme parks etc, it gets very expensive.

Not saying dont go, just be prepared for it costing you a few thousand pounds.

[vehelpfulguy]

Few suggestions:

I think you will need to hire a car. The parks are scattered over a wide area (the Disney site alone is the size of Manchester) and while you can get around by public transport a car is so much easier.

Somebody mentioned "International Drive" and if anywhere is the "centre" of the theme park district this is it. (International drive is a long road but there are many hotels congregated in one particular area)

There are loads of hotels and places to eat in this one part of Intenational Drive and if you stay there you can get to everything fairly easily.

As someone has said, plan your days so you alternate a theme park day with a quieter day (maybe a water park or sea world).

That way you can have a frenetic day in a theme park with a quieter day in a zoo or water park.

[dimligump]

Before you do anything else, get yourself a copy of 'A Brit's Guide to Orlando' by Simon Veness.

We have a house in Florida and this book is our bible! Its packed with great ideas and tons of tips on how to save money and (sometimes more important in Florida) time.
I can't recommend this book highly enough!

[pinkbunny]

My mum has just come back from Florida with my 7 year old daughter and they went to discovery cove for the day and swam with dolphins and all sorts of fish. My daughter loved that day out and is now obsessed with dolphins it really was a fantastic experience for her and its something that took up the whole day.
If you are going as adults or with older children (I think the minimum age is 4 or 5 as you need to be able to follow basic training instructions) then I would reccomend that!
I have some beautiful photos of my daughter riding the dolphin and kissing them and all sorts she honestly describes it as the best day of her life. Have a great time though Florida is amazing x x

[vehelpfulguy]

Here is a map that may help you to orient yourself

http://www.windsorhillsvilla.co.uk/assets/imag es/orlando_disneyworld.gif

Over on the right is Orlando airport where you will probably fly in.

Over on the left (the huge pink area) is the Walt Disney complex with their various parks, hotels, and other entertainment areas.

Near the top (a smaller pink area) is the Universal Studios park (2 of them) - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Just under Universal Studios is Wet and Wild, a water based park.

And just under Wet and Wild is Sea World, a "zoo" for water based animals with some theme park rides.

The winding orange road than runs between Sea World and Wet and Wild is International drive.

Most of the hotels and restaurants are situated near the Wet and Wild park end of International drive and that is a good place to stay.

You could probably get away without having a car if you stayed there (there are buses to get you to the parks and some hotels lay of free coaches).

The area in the south east, the yellow area called Kissimee, is where a lot of visitors stay, but it is quite a drive to Walt Disney world and Universal Studios so you would almost certainly need a car.

Having an idea of the layout of the area will help you decide where to stay and help you plan your days.

[vehelpfulguy]

It may help you to understand there are 2 main companies competing for your "theme park" money in Orlando.

One of course is Disney, and they have a full range of parks including Magic Kingdom, Disney/MGM studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, plus 2 water parks - Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, and their entertainment area.

The other company is Universal Studios who have 2 theme parks themselves (Universal Studios and Island of Adventure) plus their entertainment area, but have a deal with Wet and Wild and Sea World so a combined ticket gets you into all their parks.

It is VERY expensive to get in a Disney and Universal park for a single day so they both offer deals for buying multi day multi park tickets.

So you can buy 7 day tickets or 14 day tickets, and these work out much more economical in the long run.

Overall Universal multi day tickets are cheaper than Disney tickets, as Disney tend to charge a premium for just being Disney.

Try to plan ahead at what parks you want to visit and that may help you decide what type of multi day tickets to buy.

For example you could buy a 7 day Disney ticket for the first week, and a 7 day Universal ticket for the second week.

[whiskeryron]

Buy all of your tickets before you go (Disney,Universal,Seaworld etc)it works out cheaper.If youintend to go fly/drive,fine,however,we stayed at Quality Inn Plaza on International drive & not only was it a fab Hotel we discovered that a bus service called regularly at the hotel & went to all the theme parks,we didn't bother with the car at all (in fact if you book your hol with Virgin Atlantic there are benefits to not hiring a car).Ron.

[munchie63]

as I said earlier, the Brits Guide books brilliant.
We used the advice in the book to choose which days were best to go to which park - could have been just luck, but we went in April, and had 5min waits for Everest Ride and the safari ride.

One thing I'd recommend for everyone is the disney photographers.
If the y take your pic with a character, or round the parks, they'll give you a small card (as a kind of receipt ticket) so you can view and buy your pic later. KEEP the card - every time you get a pic taken after that, in ANY disney park, give the card to the photographer. He'll scan it, and all your pics will be stored together.
This is perfect for the water parks, where they'll take pics for you, so you don't have to risk your camera getting wet.

You can view your pics in the park photo shops, but better still, you can view them back in the UK.
By going onto the disney site (the web address is on the card) you can view all your pics at your leisure.
You then have 30 days to choose any you want. Postage to UK is around $10
I had an album of pics made up, (inc some I took myself at Universal) and sent to me. Total cost was $60 and it was worth every penny

[BertiWooster]

Here is a few tips if you are going to avail yourself of a hire car over there -

1. Remember they drive on the right hand side

2. At intersections , you can turn right even if the traffic lights are on red PROVIDED THE WAY IS CLEAR OF TRAFFIC FROM THE LEFT .

3. The drink driving laws are very strict .

4. when you pick up the hire car - familiarise youself with the controls ( usually automatic gear box ) before you set off - an attendant is usually around if you need assistance .




And a few more tips for the parks - ( particularly Disney parks )

1. Get there early

2. Most people , once through the entrance ,start at the front of the parks and work their way to the back . However it is less crowded if you start at the back and work your way to the front .

3. Some attractions/ rides etc have a system where you can take a ticket and return at a specific time , later - which allows you to go straight through , without having to wait in long queues

[vehelpfulguy]

As well as people going from the front of the park to the back most people also go rounf clockwise (turn left as they enter the park)

If you get there early turn right (anti clockwise) and you will have that area of the park to yourself for the first hour.