Orlando Disney trip details

Recently DH and I made a trip to Disney Orlando and had lots of fun...But we also had to run around a lot trying to see everything as we had no idea what to see...Here are the trip details:

Park tickets:

Park tickets can be booked along with the hotel(if the option is there) else @ the entrance of the park..there are 4 parks - Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood studios..there are two options in this - base/park hopper. The base price for an adult is 90$ for each day but from fourth day onwards the price reduces for eg: 90*4 = 360, but park ticket would be around 280$. If you take it for less than 4 days and a base ticket you can only view one park at a time(it would still cost around 90*3 = 270$) and would not be able to go to all parks...In park hopper you can move from one park to other within the same day...each park closes at different times on different days...the schedule changes frequently...

In my opinion depending on which category you fall into you need to choose the number of days you want to spend in the park- single or married with no kids, married with kids(toddler to 10 yrs), married with teenage kids who can walk for a long distances, with parents or disabled..These are huge parks and hence a person needs to be physically active and fit to see everything in a day...however i do not think you need to see everything...there are some must see shows/rides/things to do there which you should not miss which i will explain in the below sections...I have seen people with infants and small kids(6 months to 2 yrs) and have no idea what they can do in these parks...most of the shows are in the dark with loud noises or rides for which they are not eligible or characters which they may not recognize..3 yrs and up is an ideal age a/c to me and 8yrs and up for rides

Sea world has a separate ticket and IMO a must see

Stay:

We stayed at the Hilton hotel...It was nothing different compared to other hotels only that we got free transportation to the parks and sea world and water parks, Magic hours(extended stay of around 2 hours after parks closes for everyone else), free DVD rental, 1$ vouchers for each person to be redeemed at the Starbucks located inside the hotel, free passes to local fun places like Disneyquest@downtown disney, water parks etc...


Transportation: So you can look for a decent hotel with better price and look for transportation options if you are not looking for staying more than 10 hrs in the park on any given day and can arrange for transportation...there are lots of buses around and i am sure it should not be a problem if booked ahead...

If you have chosen Park Hopper option, Disney provides free transport from one park to other(not to the hotel)...these buses are frequent. For Magic Kingdom you need to take a ferry or monorail to and fro from the parking lot to the park which is also free...

In the airport there is transportation available to the hotel for a price...we paid 68$ to and fro for each person(MEARS shuttles)

Food:

Food and water is allowed inside the parks...f&w inside the park is costly..water bottle of 0.6 litres is 2.50$...I am a vegetarian and there was atleast one place which will provide you with a single vegetarian dish...mostly pizza/sandwich(priced @ 9$ before tax)...Ingredients are specified for all items

In Epcot we had @Tangierine Cafe(Morocco section in World showcase) and @ Nine dragons restaurant(costly)...I liked Tangierine Cafe better
In Magic Kingdom - we had @Columbia harbour house (veg sandwich - good)
In Animal Kingdom - we had @Mr.Kamal's(very bad), Yaki&Yeti(My DH had here - was ok) but i liked it @ Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland(Veg burger with black bean patty)
In Hollywood studios - we had @ studio categring co.(sandwich again - was good)

The portion sizes are just enough for a woman of 1500kcal diet...you get a french fries/apple slices as a side with each of these dishes

We bought stuff for dinner from a local super market(its around 2 miles from hilton) and took breakfast stuff from home like home made bars etc...everything was 1.5 times the normal price but was a lot cheaper compared to having 3 meals in the park...The parks have a Disney dining plan where an adult can eat as much as they want in select restaurants for 32$(and 17$ for a kid) before tax in a day...If you can control your diet and like the food options in the few of their outlets(you can specify your specific dietary requirements in advance) go for it else shop for some local stuff and have it(look for subways near to hotel)..

Food is not allowed inside Seaworld i think...

Info on parks:

Look for maps in each park; it has routes and attractions mentioned in detail

Rides/Shows that you should not miss:

There is something called FastPass available in the 4 parks for some of the attractions(not only for thrill rides but for most of the shows too); these attractions have a stand by line(if it is for less than 15 min go and stand in the line happily) and a fast pass line; anyone can get a fastpass from the fast pass slot machines available generally in front of these attractions(look for the machines where the board says fp or fast pass; alternatively there is something called Magic band which gives access to fastpass tickets anytime and comes at an added price). For ex: if you want to go to a show which is scheduled every half hour and there is a big line in front of it already then look for the stand by time and if it says 50 min and you do not want to waste time waiting in lines get a fast pass; the pass will show a one hour time period during which you can enter the attraction without waiting in line...depending on the number of people who opt for fast pass this one hour time could be available in a few minutes to few hours. there is a limit to the number of fast passes you can take in a day(its 3;pls double check in the website) and it definitely saves a lot of time....you cannot take two fast passes at the same time...once you enter the one hour time period you can go for a second pass. now the thrills -

1) Manta and Kraken in SeaWorld- no fast pass concept in Sea World;did not go on both these roller coasters; Manta is floorless and both are out in the open rides with drops and upside downs etc. Kraken has a 144 feet drop and both look scary:shaking:. a Must for thrill seekers I went on the screamin' ride(120 feet drop) in Disney LA and it is simpler compared to these two..
2) Expedition Everest(AK;asia section) - should be 44'' or taller;2 seater in a row;goes backwards after halfway and outside ride(a Must for thrill seekers) and rock n roller coaster(HS;sunset boulevard) - 48'' or taller;2 seater in a row;three upside downs, short(1m44sec) but goes very fast @ a single pace with no breaks inside ride
3) The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror(HS) - 40'' or taller;lift goes up and down;enclosed in dark; has sudden drops and ups; good one
4)Space Mountain(MK) - 44'' or taller; has sharp turns/turns and sudden drops in complete dark;
5)Big Thunder Mountain rail road(MK) - 40'' or taller; has sharp and sudden turns out in the open;2 seater in a row
6) Splash mountain(MK) - 40'' or taller; 2 seater in a row;4 rows;has a 50 feet drop; may get wet. Look for its advanced version(higher drop) but not better(Splash mountain has things to see in between) in Sea world
7)Mission Space(Epcot)- 44'' or taller;4 seater interactive; has a milder and better version and is a must for kids/adults who are interested in space or flying etc; the advanced version has a spin which results in zero gravity feeling but also leaves you nauseous(would not recommend it to anyone who just had food or has motion sickness;i did not like it as both me and my DH had nausea feeling after it for sometime)
8) Test Track(Epcot) - 40'' or taller; fast 6 seater car has sudden turns; has a long wait line; you have to choose the car and the type of ride beforehand
9) Sum of All Thrills(Epcot) - 48'' or taller;stationery robots;2 seater;mostly for kids.includes twists,upside down etc
10) Brainstormer(MK) - 35'' or taller;2 seater in a row;junior roller coaster with sudden twists and turns; a must for kid thrill seekers
11)Soaring(Epcot) - 40'' or taller; a must for everyone; mild thrill(no upside down, sharp turns or twists) but very good
12)Star Tours(HS) - 40'' or taller;a must for star war fans - mild(has sharp turns only)
13)DINOSAUR(AK)- 40'' or taller;
14)Primeval Whirl(AK) - 48'' or taller;cannot remember these two
15) Kali River rapids(AK) - 38'' or taller; some will get fully soaked; turns;no drops;mild
16)Tomorrow land speedway(MK) - 32'' or taller with an adult or 54'' to ride alone - a ride in a car; 2 seater; a must for kids 32'' or taller kids can drive along a path to finish; has an accelerator cum brake and a wheel to turn; v.mild go at your pace thing;


If your kid is too young or not interested in the above kind of thrill rides there are still lot of simpler ones which they can go on-

mild spins/up and downs - Tricera Top Spin(AK), the magic carpets of aladdin(MK), Mad Tea party(MK), Dumbo the flying elephant(MK), Prince Charming regal carrousel(MK)

there are a lot of boat rides which include darkness, if your child is ok with it try them - some of the v.good ones are - its a small world(MK), living with the land(Epcot)

there are meet and greet the characters - wherever it says meet so and so in the map

animal shows are a must - these include all shows in Sea World(Best ones; has shows with Whales/sea lions/pets/dolphins etc) then in AK - oasis exhibits in the beginning, discovery island trails, kilimanjaro safari(v.good and a must must), pangani forest exploration trail, flights of wonder(v.good and a must must;sit in front rows); maharajah jungle trek


3D shows - Its tough to be a bug(AK), Toy story midway mania(HS;4D interactive based on games) - this had a huge line all the time(60 min waiting time always!!); fast passes for this got over within one hour of opening the park;2 seater; a must if your kid is interested in playing games; get a fast pass for this first before you go anywhere else in HS; apparently very famous among certain age kids,Mickey's philhar magic 3D show, muppet vision 3D(HS)- do not remember which of these two was good but one was;

Live shows/cast - The beauty and the beast(HS), fantasmic(HS;huge crowds; 30 min show; i did not think it was worth that much of a crowd; but if u have time go for it as it is good concept); festival of lion king(AK;circus concept;a must)
turtle talk with crush(an interactive session with a turtle;good), "Lights, motors, action!" - we missed it but it has two shows only for a day at noon and early evening; apparently very good stunt show;The seas with Nemo and friends(Epcot)

Epcot is mostly for adults and teenagers compared to the other 3 parks - they have a world showcase with 8 countries cuisine and shops available and with some shows/boat rides thrown in

Attractions you can skip-
1)Meet and greet if you are an adult w/o kids
2)Pirates of the caribbean(MK) - waste of time
3)Haunted Mansion - not at all scary; another one of too many boat rides
4) walt disney's carousel of progress(MK) - its ok but can skip if you do not have time
5)walk disney's enchanted tiki room(MK)
6) can miss indiana jones epic stunt(HS) if you kids who are not interested in stunts and you have seen "Actions, Motors"(HS) etc- both are good but the latter is a better stunt show
7)American Idol experience(HS) if you are not interested in music
8)Tomorrowland Transit Authority peopleMover(MK)

Downtown Disney:

There are only few things to do here - hot air balloon ride(300-400 ft high slow up and then down; a must for all adults if you have not been on a balloon ride before; age and height limitation present; 18$ for an adult)
Disneyquest - has a 45$ entry fee and is not worth it if you are not a video game enthusiast; waste of time too if you are not;after visiting the parks it looks too tame; we had a free pass courtesy of Hilton(valid for 7 entries) but came out in 10 mins
huge disney and lego store - costumes, soft toys, stationery, books etc; the prices are same here and inside the parks, so buy it in one place and save time for other things inside the parks as they all have almost same stuff; kids can go crazy in here hence be sure of your budget before you even enter)
small train ride for the very little ones for 2$
circus shows and an amc movie theatre also inside
Go only if you are interested in above else skip it!!

Weather:

Christmas is their most busy time; do not go during this time!!! summers are very hot so the best time is winter there you will need a light jacket in case you plan to stay till the park closing time.

Facilities:

Strollers and wheelchairs are allowed inside; very wheel chair friendly shows and some of the rides; strollers are available for rental for 15$ for single and 31$ for double per day(not sure about park hopping if you can take the stroller outside; buy them if you are going to spend more than 2 or 3 days in the disney trip as it may cost cheaper); a must if you have young kids; trust me when i say you will have to walk a lot; Rest rooms(with changing places for kids) are available plenty with automatic flushing;

Some tips:

1)Use the fast pass facility; do not wait unnecessarily
2)need identification on the first day to get a park pass
3)Bring your own food and water(lot cheaper;do not have to look for restaurants;eat at your convenience) and you can store it in the strollers; if not think twice if you can carry baggage and walk for 10 miles;luggage will be checked at the entrance;visitors w/o luggage can just walk in
4)take five minutes after you enter to mark out the ones you do not want to see and mark the must see things
5)get used to walking 5 to 10 miles at normal pace beforehand else you will get tired within a day or two
6)do not shop inside the parks;waste of time i would say as lot of them are disney theme based except for world showcase
7)Do not underestimate your food intake or overestimate the calories expended while walking!
8)choose park hopper only if you must; plan ahead the shows you want to see to avoid this extra expense;maps are available in the park websites
9)cameras are allowed inside so click away
10)Take caps with you; the sun can be piercing in the afternoon
11)most of the shows and rides are in the dark and some have loud noises; let your little one to get adjusted to it and not cry;
12)have a filling breakfast and go in early!!


Have a fun trip!!

 

Thank you Smilysmile and Nitha J for the feedback. I feel that Disney Orlando is one of those places where knowledge of the place beforehand helps a lot in saving time and money...

yes Smilysmile i think our travel forum could be expanded quite a bit as people go to vacations yearly and their experiences are valuable for the next person plg to go there.. but it is necessary to put down the details the very next day after coming back otherwise the minute details could escape us very fast....Have a good trip!!

 

Thank you racr for your appreciation. I will be happy if it helps even one person.

I did go through the thread and i like this thread as it gives a good idea about which places to pick for what reason. I did not find this thread when i searched in IL with Disney Orlando before the trip for whatever reason. I did find many seperate threads on this each giving a sneak peak addressing different things. Putting everything in one place could be an option. I am pretty sure i only addressed 20-30% of it.

 

Done Racr. I posted the link to this thread in that thread. I did find others but each has a few details(basically people were responding to specific questions regarding Disney Orlando parks).

Thank you again racr. I could have typed for 2 more pages trust me but i have also not explored alternative options for some areas like hotels, transportation etc and this is where recounts of varied experiences helps!!