Woody
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Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6
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Post by Woody on Feb 27, 2006 4:08:37 GMT -5
Howdy folks! I am heading to Disneyworld at the end of March for 10 days. I am staying in Kissimmee(1.5 miles from Mickeyland). I was wondering if anyone has been and has any tips? Best places to go, best deals, places to avoid, ripoffs etc  |
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desmo2
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Post by desmo2 on Feb 27, 2006 9:14:51 GMT -5
I've never been, so I have no tips...sorry!
You do know Disneyworld is in Florida, don't you? You do know the dangers of a Canadian traveling to Florida this time of year?
You will thaw out and never want to return to the frozen north! Have a good time!
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RedRock
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Post by RedRock on Feb 27, 2006 13:42:59 GMT -5
Used to live there (Orlando) and had annual pass--will rack my brains for anything to help your visit with DismalWorld.
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popeye
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Post by popeye on Feb 27, 2006 14:07:51 GMT -5
we have a simular place here in the uk.....its called blackpool!.....just sit back and let the kids enjoy themselves.....trouble is, it always rains in b/pool.....at least you might have the sun.....enjoy yourselves....do,nt forget to take your laptop!.....pop.... : )
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Lamron
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Post by Lamron on Feb 28, 2006 3:30:31 GMT -5
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Woody
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Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6
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Post by Woody on Feb 28, 2006 12:20:49 GMT -5
Yes, the lure of warm weather, cheap booze, and sex in a Donald duck costume has won me over. Can a guy rent a few pistols and bazookas down there just in case??  Actually, my wife works for the airlines so we are finally taking advantage of almost free flights and taking the kids...I also want to have a boo at the Kennedy Space Center (always wanted to be an Astronaut until Space Shuttles started blowing up) Popeye...been to Blackpool several times believe it or not...have been there and Skeggy (sp)...and what about Euro-Disney? Does that still exist? Redrock...do they charge for parking at Disneyworld and where would be the best place to park with 3 small rugrats? |
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popeye
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think ONCE,think TWICE,think-BIKE!
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Post by popeye on Feb 28, 2006 15:33:39 GMT -5
euro disney still exists,,,,,,but its a very poor version of the main florida one!just built in wrong place..not popular..
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RedRock
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Post by RedRock on Mar 3, 2006 13:13:08 GMT -5
Actually, my wife works for the airlines so we are finally taking advantage of almost free flights and taking the kids...I also want to have a boo at the Kennedy Space Center (always wanted to be an Astronaut until Space Shuttles started blowing up) Redrock...do they charge for parking at Disneyworld and where would be the best place to park with 3 small rugrats? KSC is definitely worth a visit, but allow at least half a day--lots to walk around and see there. The way Disney does parking, and I doubt they've changed since last year, is you pay to park as you enter the main gate (annual or 4-season passholders don't pay), then you drive toward the section of your choice (MagicKingdom, Epcot, etc.) and at that section they tell you exactly where to park--they fill up the parking from closest to farthest in a first-come, first-serve fashion--you don't get to park closer unless you have a handicapped permit--and then they have shuttle trolleys that whisk you and 100 other people at the same time from the same parking area (say, Goofy 13, and don't forget where you park or you will really be late getting home that night!), and then to the main travel center where you'll buy tickets and enter the park section or get on a connecting bus or monorail to the other sections of DisneyWorld (why it's a World, not a Land), and you get to hear the most horrid puns and jokes by the trolley driver as you make the trip into (and later, out of) the park. No extra charge (in the past) for using the buses and monorails once you're in and have your tickets. Woody, try to buy your tickets before you come down, through AAA motor club (they're in Canada, too, I believe) or through your credit union or employer--you get a better rate and it makes things quicker when you get to the park. Disney also has combo packages of staying in their hotels/resorts and getting tickets with that--call Disney directly for that. More on that below. Things I found in the past, and I assume they haven't changed much, but ask ahead, that make the parking thing easier: 1) Get there early, so you can park closer. 2) Park at Epcot, not the Magic Kingdom, if you have the option, because their parking lot is smaller and closer to the entrance (in many cases, almost walking distance, not trolley distance), and most people start with the Magic Kingdom so the parking is more crowded--then you would use the monorails or buses to go over to the Magic Kingdom, and at the end of the day, back to Epcot where your car is. 3) Stay on a Disney property, not in a hotel in Kissimmee, if you can afford it. They have buses and boats and the monorail that take you from those rooms/cabins (you can even camp there in a tent! I did! Daughter #1 was probably conceived there) and easily over to the other connections or to the Park section nearest you. Nice not having to worry about a car in that situation! Other things to consider: I found it best to rent my car from one of the big renters who have their cars on-site (that is, actually at the Orlando Airport) and not 5 miles away via their shuttles--that can really take extra time and make you worry about missing your flights, sometimes. Find out from Disney what attractions/rides will be closed when you visit (it can change daily, but some are known to be "down" for weeks as renovations occur), and discuss with your kids what you want to do MOST. Pick the most important things to do and do those first in the day, especially if they're kid things, while you're still fresh and don't mind (potentially) waiting in line for up to an hour and a half for some things. Now, Disney does it right, while you wait you wind back and forth and enjoy the surrounding decorations and buildings and hoopla that goes with the attractions, it's not just waiting in line, and the little kids like that stuff almost as much as the final attractions. Anyway, if the log ride, or Space Mountain, or Peter's Pan's flight, etc. are what you all want to do most, plan to go there and do those first. Plan your trip to move across the park in a logical fashion from one attraction to the next, so you don't waste time. Keep in mind the indoor ones, to get you out of the heat or rain if you want, but beware, some of them are really loud. Food and drinks are really $$$$, but you can probably carry stuff in, quiet like, and they have lockers at the beginnings of the parks you can rent cheap to store stuff, but a lot of the food is good at Disney and should be tried. If you are interested, call in advance (or at the latest, check immediately in the morning with the hospitality center), to book lunch in Cinderella's Castle (Old English type food, and nice atmosphere), for example. We really like the restaurant at the Morocco exhibit in Epcot--get to see a bellydancer, hear the exotic music, and eat tasty cous-cous, etc. in a cool shady restaurant. We also like the Mexican restaurant inside the Mexico attraction (which has a fun gentle water ride inside), and the Chinese restaurant isn't bad, either. Don't miss out the panoramic movies in the French, Chinese, and Canadian Epcot exhibits, either--beautiful. And the Chinese exhibit usually has some sort of artisans or acrobats or musicians performing several times a day. At MagicKingdom, we like the outdoor runaway mine-car roller coaster (Thunder Mountain, I think), and the WedWay people mover (tho it looks dorky) is very pleasant. I like the peter pan ride, and the 20,000 leagues under the sea submarine (if they still have it). The haunted house ride is nice, too. Watch out for the daily parades, they can tie up your travel to the next attraction something fierce! Or sit down and wait for the parade and watch and enjoy! About 5 in the afternoon, all the little rugrats and their parents are usually bushed and start leaving the park to go to supper or back to their hotels, though many come back in for the evening, so that time of day is a great time to go to the popular attractions to do them if you've missed them or want to do it again, and many times you can do them repeatedly (just get right back in the non-existent line) within just a few minutes, then, assuming your rugrats are not some of those little ones, too. They frequently have nightly nice fireworks, so plan for that if you're interested. If your wife has special interests, be sure to check with Disney in advance--they do behind the scenes tours of their gardening, hydroponics, waterways, etc., but you have to plan for them and sign up. Nearby the park at the edge of Orlando is I-drive (International Drive) where all the tourist traps, restaurants, and hotels are, so go there only if you know what you're doing. Kissimmee has the same, but to a lesser extent. If you want to shop, the Florida Mall or the new mall in south Orlando right on the Interstate (don't recall the name) are easy to get. If you have extra time, the Kennedy space center is good, as noted above, though it will take 1.5 hrs or so driving to get there, but SeaWorld and UniversalStudios in Orlando are also nice (though, in some ways, just Disney to a smaller extent; they also have combo Hotel/Park deals--call). Disney and the adjacent areas also have water-parks, but you probably have those to some extent where you are, anyway, so why go to Disney to go water-sliding? Still, they're there if your rugrats want. Nightlife: Disney has a conglomerate of movie theaters and night clubs (forget its name, maybe Paradise Island???), but downtown Orlando has some nice attractions, too. That should be enough for you to think about. Hope it helps, and have fun! PS, the airport at Orlando used to handle about 80,000 people a day in and out of it--it's almost like a small city itself! |
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Woody
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Post by Woody on Mar 3, 2006 13:52:32 GMT -5
Wow! Thanks Redrock. I truly appreciate all the help. Will definitely use the advice. I already have a place booked in Kissimmee...staying at Disney waaaaaay to expensive and will drive to the park daily...I have printed your post to take to the "leader of the official opposition" (my wife) for her comments...
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A_ROOKIE
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Post by A_ROOKIE on Mar 3, 2006 20:40:18 GMT -5
Went there for our honeymoon, bad idea, I would not recomend Animale Kingdom lines to long and to much empty space inbetween what little there is to there. Some friends went and got their money back it was so bad, but that didn't stop us. We went and had a terrible time anyways.LOL Othere then that it was alright, not for a honeymoon,but would be great for the kids.Would love to take mine someday soon. Have fun woody and take some sunscreen.
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Woody
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Post by Woody on Mar 4, 2006 12:48:07 GMT -5
Rookie, what time of year did you go?? I have heard that it makes a big difference. And since it was your honeymoon, I am assuming that you and the wife made the "double backed beast" wearing Donald and Daisy duck costumes? |
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RedRock
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Post by RedRock on Mar 5, 2006 12:55:16 GMT -5
When it is a busy time of year, Disney opens up more waiting lines and has longer hours. When it is the off-season, they eliminate some lines and shorten hours, so in general it still feels crowded year round. The difference is the actual wait time goes from say 15 mins to 1.5 hrs on the main attractions during peak times. What is peak? You have to ask Disney, if they will give you a straight answer about numbers, but Birnbaum's guide and others' guides to Disney are better in that regard. Summer and Spring break (when kids are out of school) and major holidays (long Fridays, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) are always busy. The end of March? Pretty close to spring break! Still, you go when you can go.
Oh, and one other thing, Woody, don't know how old your rugrats are, but there are strollers on-site to rent, but you have to keep up with it (parked outside the attraction you're in). A lot of people tie a cheap bandana or T-shirt on theirs to mark it for easy retrieval, and occasionally some SOB helps himself to another person's rented stroller while it's parked, but they can be a God-send for tired mommas and daddies and little ones who need to sleep.
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Woody
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Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6
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Post by Woody on Mar 5, 2006 19:15:33 GMT -5
Interesting...thanks again Redrock. When is spring break in the U.S.? Ours here has ended by the time we leave..
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RedRock
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Post by RedRock on Mar 6, 2006 0:24:41 GMT -5
Every school is different, and commercial travel websites concerning Spring Break list 2/25 through 4/29 as the encompassing time period, that is, March and April are it, basically. My oldest's college spring break is about 3/18 through about 3/26, this year. It was hard to book her a cheap flight on 3/23 due to this.
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RedRock
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Post by RedRock on Apr 9, 2006 23:59:15 GMT -5
Alright, Woody, so how was your trip to DismalWorld and Florida???
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