Florida Disney World

Dear Anukvs,
We had gone to florida recently.
The hotels within disney resorts r quite expensive,so it depends on ur budgets.
We stayed at a place in Kissimmiee,we had rented a car,the disney world is v close to that hotel.Just abt 2 exits and less than 15 min drive.
Then it was even at a convenient distance to sea world and universal orlando too.
If u want further info abt the hotel and the car we booked pls feel free to pm me.
Have a happy trip,Disney is like a magic place on earth.
Suji

 

Hi Everyone,

Just got back from Orlando last week. So I will share my experiences with you:

Travel : FLight tickets and stuff: Better to plan well in advance to get the best flight deals. Some plan as much as a year in advance. We booked about 4 months prior. It makes sense to do this if you are going in the peak seasons. Check out the travel sites like Expedia and also the individual airlines website for good deals.

Accommodations: Disney World has resorts in each of its parks. The rates range from the affordable to the premium/luxury category. You might want to check out their website which gives every detail.
The other option is to stay outside the Disney resort. There are a whole bunch of hotels. As Suji mentions above, Kissimmee is a small town very close to Disney world. The hotels should be close to Route 192/Mile marker 7. ( This is about 1 exit from the World drive that takes you to the parks). The other popular area seems to be International Drive( Not sure about this).
One more option is to check out Vacation Rentals. There are a whole bunch of single family homes that are rented out. We were a big family and this option worked out for us. We rented a 4 bedroom/3 bath house for one week at 1200 bucks. It came fully equipped with kitchen/ washer/drier etc.... So it was perfect for us. And also we are family which cannot do without our rasam rice atleast once a day!! We stayed in Kissimmee, and very close to the parks( just 10 mins).


Car Rental: Orlando Airport has the whole bunch of National car rental agencies. Please go online and find good rates. Also if you are member of AAA or Costco or Sams club, Please check with them, they usually have big discounts on rentals.


Ok That covers the basis of getting there, staying and getting around. Next post I will cover the parks.

Also Please go to this following thread, there is more information about the Disney parks there: Disney Trip

 

Ok here is Part two: Plan your trip to disney world. it is huge huge.....

Go to their website and order the free Vacation Planning DVD.Do this well in advance as it takes about 2 to 3 weeks for this dvd to arrive. It was very helpful, as they cover all the 4 parks and the most popular rides/attractions in each park. The dvd helped us a lot as we made a list of things we wanted to cover for sure. Also the website has a lot of information on each individual ride, the height requirements, fast pass etc... So spend time on their website and research well before you go.The website pretty much covers everything., only i was not too happy with their Maps online.

Tickets: Disney has a Magic your Way ticket. The tickets are basically sold for 1 through 7 days. The more number of days you buy, the more you save. They have a park hopper option which we did not get ( since we planned to spend one day in each of the parks). I do encourage you to buy your tickets online. We bought the 5 day pass. The cost for a 5 day ticket( adult ) is around 210 dollars. The tickets allow you into any one of the 4 parks on a given day.
The other thread already mentions the various parks in Disney World Resort. We chose to cover only the 3 parks namely magic kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios. If you would like to cover the parks thoroughly, then you must give 2 days for Magic Kingdom, 2 days for Epcot, and 1 day for MGM. Not sure about Animal kingdom since we skipped it.
All the parks are well equipped for every thing you can think of. Strollers are available in all parks for 10 bucks a day.

A few more pointers:
For Vegetarians, the food choices are not great in Disney world.( all the parks we visited). But luckily , they do allow outside food in the parks. So it makes sense to pack a few sandwiches, or chapati rolls or for the die hard rice fans some mixed rice... etc... We did take curd rice into the park for my little ones all the days and it was no problem. The kids meals have more offer like mac and cheese, pan pizza, PBJ Sandwiches etc.. along with 2 sides and a drink all for 5 to 6 bucks.

For those going with little ones: Please make sure to use the fast pass along with the family switch option for the popular rides. The family switch is very nice. Those with kids( under 40" or the minimum height rqmt) , go in the fast pass lines, at the entrance to the actual ride, one adult waits with the small kid, while the other adult rides. then when the ride is over, the other adult takes over the kid and the second one is allowed on the ride immediately. No need to wait in line all over again. Please ask the helpers who are at the entrance to each ride if this option is allowed for that particular ride.

And now the Magic Starts:........

 

O wow Vandhana....You seem to be the dream planner! Good for you. When going to humongous attractions like the Disney world, it is a Must to plan, otherwise, one will sure miss out on something or get hassled.
Your account took me be back a few years.
I enjoyed the Disney world and land immensely! They bring out the kid in you. For the little ones, it is advisable to wait till they are a little older - my personal thought. They can then savor the fun a lot more.
A very nice and instructive write up.

L, Kamla

 

Dear Kamla,

Nice that i brought back memories for you. Yes I agree with you, I think children need to be atleast 4 plus when going. This way, they get to enjoy all the shows and stuff, and also not miss out on most rides because of the height requirements. My 4 yrear old was able to go on most rides barring a few.

Will post the next part about rides and must see attractions and shows in a little while.

Vandhana

 

vandhana,
Can you give me the link for free DVD?

 

Never Mind vandhana...I just hit it...

Your info is really gr8...lotsa help especially reg food for I'm also a vegetarian...

Though I'm deviating from the topic how abt some info on Niagara....accomodations...attractions and dining...