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We're in the midst of vacation planning. The original pick was Myrtle Beach, but after looking at Disney packages I'm wondering if we can do that within the confines of our budget for the year.
I've heard that it's actually cheaper to stay in a Disney resort instead of a local hotel. Is this true? We'll have our car, so transportation won't be an issue. At most we want 3 days at Disney because there are other things we want to do as well (Sea World). Any tips, hints, suggestions? Thanks!
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Not unless you find a really good deal at a relatively cheap resort. I would try to find a hotel that has decent proximity to all the attractions you plan on visiting. Remember, there's not just Disney, there's also Universal which has two parks, various waterparks, and as you mentioned Seaworld. Definitely get use all the hotel/travel sites to get a feel for what hotels offer and how much they cost compared to others.
Posts: 3446 | Registered: Jul 2002
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There is no way that staying at Disney is cheaper than staying in Kissimmee. There are hotels in Kissimmee down in the $39/night range. You may not want to stay in some of them, but honestly, most are okay. A room, clean(ish) sheets on the bed, a bathroom with shower and towels. Bring your own soap and shampoo. Voila!
But, this presupposes you have a car already and aren't contemplating a week's car rental on top of the room fees.
There are some deals if you stay on property at Disney, but none of them are going to make up that difference in nightly room rate.
Now...if you are contemplating a room in the $70/night range anyway, then you can stay at the lowest-end Disney hotels and use the bus system at the resort to get around. There are cheap ways to get from the airport to Disney, so don't rent a car and Definitely don't take a taxi.
Anyway, if you do that, you'll spend all your time at Disney, and all your money as well. Not a bad vacation, by any means, but yes, you would almost certainly miss out on the other attractions in the area.
If you can afford it, the hotels at the next level up at Disney are worth it. And on up the line to the most expensive, things just get better and better. The pools are nicer, the rooms better, the amenities, etc.
But eventually you're talking REAL money... Staying at one of the hotels that's on the monorail system is going to cost a lot of money, for example, but it is the height of coolness to go from room, to monorail, to parks. Fun!
Supposing you'd like to visit other things while in Central Florida, I can definitly recommend: 3 days (at least) at Disney. 4-5 would be better if you realize that taking a break is probably a good thing.
1 day at Sea World 1-2 days at Universal 1 day at Kennedy Space Center
That's just the major attractions.
Don't get sucked in by Splendid China (if it's still open) or the Holyland Experience (unless you are interested in hourly re-enactments of biblical stories and having your money go to Zion's Hope).
There's a lot more to do there, but that's the run of the typical tourist stuff that's really worth the money they charge.
By the way, it's EXPENSIVE!!! So try to think of ways to economize. Packing food for the parks is a good thing. If you can get a hotel room with a kitchen, you can find grocery stores pretty easily and avoid having to pay to eat out so much.
Makes it less of a vacation, of course, but you can save big time.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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I totally agree with Bob's recommendations. We have always taken our car and stayed at a cheap, clean hotel in Kissimmee when we went to Disney. We usually have spent one day at the Magic Kingdom, one day at Epcot, and one day at Universal; on one trip we also headed over to Cape Canaveral.
The only time I ever stayed at a Disney hotel was when I was at a conference and got a special conference rate. It was pretty cool, but not cheap, even at special rates.
Posts: 5771 | Registered: Nov 2000
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Jenni told me that one of the best things about stayng IN Disney is that the parks open earlier for the people staying in their hotels. So it is sometimes worth it, at least for a day or two. The park isn't as crowded early, so you see more and get into most of the more popular attractions.
Also, make sure you use the "priority line" machines...they allow you to make a reservation for attractions, one at a time...so at the time it gives you you go and get into a special priority line and take legal cuts in line. You can only have one ticket reserved at a time though.
Also, most people automatically go clockwise once in the gates....it you turn left and go counterclockwise first you cut down on the lines considerably.
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Oh man, I get the shivers whenever someone mentions vacationing at Disney. The only memories I have of that place are when my parents drove all 5 of us down in the middle of April without making hotel reservations first. In a minivan with no AC. And we happened to pick the worst possible day to visit Disney, when it was free for all Florida residents. I remember people telling us they had NEVER seen it so busy. It was absolute hell for a mom with 5 cranky kids. So, we went to Sea World for the rest of our vacation, and that was much more fun. I'd recommend at least 2 days at Sea World. And you have to feed the manta rays while you're there.
Posts: 499 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Splendid China is gone with all their stuff sold off to the highest bidders. One guy one a section of the Great Wall. He might end up with the rest for an even lower price because no one else even bid on it. I thought about it, but my HOA is pretty strict on what type of fence you can use.
I've lived in this area most of my life, so I can't add much about the hotels.
SeaWorld is great, but I wouldn't spend more than a day there. If you plan well, you can see all the shows and get on some of the rides.
If you're family likes roller coasters and thrill rides, go to Universal Islands of Adventures. They also have a way to get priorty on rides, but you can only get one at a time. For a fee, you can get a pass at the beginning of the day that allows you priority throughout the day, though. I think it only works once per ride, though.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Jim and I stayed at a Disney resort for our honeymoon, and the advantages of being able to go to each and every park as often as you like, earlier, and on at least one night while we were there, much, much later, than other guests made it worthwhile for us.
It was fairly expensive, though...I think it's possible to get deals through travel agents, and through the Disney website, but it's an expensive vacation.
Have fun, though...I've wanted to go back to Disney on vacation since our honeymoon. Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Thanks guys! After some more research last night, it looks like we're planning a trip for June. I'll check hotels in the Kissimmee area; last night I found a few in the Orlando area that seemed very reasonable. My plan is to get a room with a fridge and microwave so that we can do cold sandwiches, etc. instead of eating out every meal.
I think right now the plan is to buy Disney tickets for 2 days and Sea World tickets for one day. Mr. Opera and I agreed that 3 days of theme park fun was more than enough for us. That leaves another day to drive to the coast and stay for beach time, and one day or so for the space center and misc. We're going to take 2 days to drive down and back instead of driving straight through to make an easier trip on all of us.
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That sounds like fun. Icarus will pop in eventually and he can give you the expert's guide to time at Disney.
When your at SeaWorld, make sure you ride Kraken. Not only can I say that it's the best roller coaster in the area, but I can assure you that there will be no trouble with the foundations or the tunnel walls.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I have done both the stay-at-Disney and stay-in-Kissimee thing.
I very much like the convenience of staying at Disney. It's nice to ride the bus or monorail to the parks (yes, even if you have a car, you often take the bus because it is more convenient). And it's nice to be able to go back to the hotel in the middle of the day to relax or swim. Plus there's the parks opening earlier. The drawback is the price, of course. This is a non-issue for my family now that my parents are in the Disney Vacation Club, but yeah, even the cheapest Disney hotel is more expensive than your average Kissimee hotel.
Kissimee can be cheaper, and you'll be closer to other attractions. And I have some very fond memories of staying in a Days Inn suite. Sitting on the balcony and eating pizza that we had to cut with scissors because there was no pizza cutter in the kitchen. The drawback is that it's a bit of a drive to Disney. It's not terribly long, but it can be hard on young children. I remember getting really tired by some of the drives to and from Disney during our early Florida vacations. You might also have to deal with long, long lines to get into the park.
Two days at Disney is not going to be enough to see everything, so keep that in mind. Epcot really takes two days to see because it is so big, so you might want to skip that. Definitely go to the Magic Kingdom, and then maybe choose between MGM and the Animal Kingdom. Or go to Epcot and stick to only one half of it.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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Heh. I wonder how I missed this thread. If you only plan on two days at Disney, that's fine, but be aware that you won't come close to seeing even the major stuff. Don't try to do it all. I see people try to cram everything into too little time, and they just end up fighting all the time and having a miserable time.
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When it comes to water parks, I am partial to Blizzard Beach.
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You have youngster(s), right? Most people don't think about how important naps are when they do Disney with youngsters. Especially in the heat of June. A nap in the stroller won't cut it. Even slightly older children, who won't take a nap, benefit from a break from the park. Spend time at the pool, or time watching TV, and come back when the park cools off. That gives a huge advantage to on-site resorts, where you don't have to drive 30 to 60 minutes to get back to the room, and back to the park again later. But, yeah, Disney resorts are pricey. They have different price levels, but the cheapest Disney resort is still pricey by US-192 or International Drive standards. If you tell me how much you are interested in spending per night, I might be able to suggest some types of accomodations that other people might not think of.
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I don't think I'm making an idle boast when I say that nobody anywhere will be able to give you better Disney World advice than I can, but I'll hold back until/unless I know what you want to do and what you have in mind. So if you have specific questions, let me know.
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Have you looked into ticket prices yet? Two days at Disney might not be the most affordable arrangement. A four or five day pass takes a substantial dip in the price per day, so it's more economical (though more money too). Am I making sense? If you definitely don't want to spend more than two days in Disney parks, and you think you will return some day, and you have the money, you might want to buy a ticket for more days with no expiration, and bring it back next time. Back before I had an annual pass, I used to do this all the time. I got to take advantage of the better rates, and it was even more noticeable when ticket prices increased after my visit, but my old ticket was still good.
(That was back when they hand-stamped tickets, and you often got several extra days when they stamped it too-quickly in the wrong box. Ah, those were the days! )
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Anyway, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you. If you book off property, you really ought to think about getting a local to scope out the hotel and/or look for better deals. I have some friends who never do this, like they think I'll lie for some reason. It annoys me, so I make sure to point out to them cheaper, better hotels each time.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Icky, thanks for the great advice. I was actually hoping to plan a lunch with you and your family when we come down - I think we're looking at early-mid June right now.
I noticed that you get the tickets cheaper for Disney the longer you go, but I really don't think at that point I'll be able to do more than 2 days there and 1 at Sea World. Theme parks aren't my thing normally, and by that time I'll be a lot less likely to cope with the heat and the amount of walking. The kids are old enough that they don't need naps, but I had already planned on a short resting period each day so they don't get too overwhelmed - especially my daughter.
As far as hotels, we're wanting to spend the least amount as possible. However, we are wanting a room with a kitchenette in it so that we can eat breakfast, lunch, and even dinner there if we choose. If you know of any cheap hotels you can recommend, that would be wonderful.
Basically, the trip needs to be as cheap as possible. Events in our lives will prevent us from wanting to vacation there next year, so this summer is really the time to do it. If you could also give me specifics as to what (in your opinion) are the things to see at Disney while we're there that would be great. I know we won't see everything, but I definately want to hit the best things.
Thanks again! Any advice you have will be appreciated.
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<==is very disappointed that you have chosen Disney over the much funner Islands of Adventure.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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See, Epcot for me was always the height of a good time... but that's because I don't like fast rides all that much and my family even less.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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*agrees with Zan about Islands of Adventure* I like it best of all the theme parks in Orlando.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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If you go to disney, you won't want to leave. There's jsut too much to do in three days. Even without crowds, it would take you at least five days to get the things you really want to see done. It is definetly cheaper to stay in Disney though. They have transporation provided to all of the Disney resorts (i.e. buses, monorails), but no transpotaion out of disney. you'll have to rent a car, or call a taxi for that. If you want to see Universal and seaworld, There are some very nice hotels that are in the area of both of those. They are aobut five mintutes away from eachother, where as they are aobut 20 minutes away from Disney.Once again, you could spend an entire week alone at Seaworld and Universal. Universal is two parks really. Universal Theme Park, and Universal's Islands of Adventure. To do Universal, Seworld, and Disney in one trip, and get everything that you want to do done, you'd have to be there for at least 7-9 days. Even witht hat amount of time, you'd only get to see the really important sutff(no looking at things! Gt off one ride, and walk onto another). The best way to attempt it though, is to stay in a Disney resort, and rent a car(or some other car service) to get to Universal and Seaworld. This is coming form a guy whos family takes annual trips to Disney (my cousin works there). Sorry I don't have any specific names of Hotels. I'm not sure of the prices. Only that it is cheaper in Disney because you get a lot of benefits with Transportation, and park entry.
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OK, on to the next post. My analysis of the disney parks, and what to see in them.
Fastpass - A ticket that can get you ont he ride faster during a slated time. you come back to the ride at the time it tells you, and you get on a faster line. Helps A LOT.
Epcot There are two major rides in epcot. Mission Space, and Test Track. Mission Space has been rated by rea l live astonauts as the closest experience any civilian will get to a shuttle blast off. Test Track is, in basic terms, you switch places with the crash dummies. It's a very fun ride, it has no big drops, or loops. The only thing is that it gets a little fast. It is the fastest ride in Disney. If you want tog et on either of those rides, you will have to get to the park early, and get a fastpass. Other than that, Epcot is mostly shows, and of course, the world Showcase. There are a few shows that are worths seeing, such as "Honey I Shrunk the Audience", and "Turtle Talk with Crush". "Honey I shrunk the Audience", is a show that has interactive features(i.e. wind blowing, Smells, and a little bit of water). "Turtle Talk with Crush" is a new ride that opened last year. It is by far one of the best shows in Disney world. Crush is the sea turtle fomr Finding Nemo, and you have been chosen to communicate with him, and help him learn aobut humans. This show still amazes me. He actually talks to people in the crowd. he will say things like "Hey you, with the blue shirt in the fifth row!". It's amazing. The kids wil really enjoy having a cartoon character speak to them personally. He learns names too! The World show case, is the biggest attraction in epcot. It is a walk through outdoors exhibit, in which sections are devoted to particular countires. They do an amazing job of showing people what kind of foods they eat, an what they do for fun in those countires. They have amazing restaurants, and some fo the best shows to watch out there. That pretty much does it for Epcot, as far as must sees go. Of course, the entire park is fun!
Magic Kingdom Ah, the Magic Kingdom. what is there to say about Magic Kingdom? Too much to say in one day! Among some of the must sees in MK, are The new show "Phillhar Magic", "It's a Small World", "The Snow White Ride", The Peter Pan Ride", and Winnie the Pooh of course! "Phillhar Magic" equires an explanation I think. It is the #1 best show, in the entire Disney empire. It is "4-D". The saem as "Honey I shrunk the Audience", only this is a 3-D movie to go with the interactive features. It is the story of one of Donald Ducks many adventures. This journey however takes him through a compiling of some of the most beloved musical scenes in Disney history. an absolute must see for anyone who EVER goes to Disney World. There is also, the Buzz lightyear ride, Splash Mountain, Space mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the haunted Masnion, and Tom Sawyers Island to pay visits to. Oh, and don't forget the Parades! I would say to visit all of the attractions in MK, but it is too much to do in your alloted time.
More Parks to come!!
Posts: 1401 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I like Islands of Adventure. Spiderman is one of my all time favorite rides. I like the Magic Kingdom too, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion are two of my favorites. Posts: 204 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Little Doctor, thanks for your descriptions of some of the Disney places. I'm looking forward to reading more of them.
However, I *do not* want to be at Disney for more than 2 days, no matter how many people tell me that we'll miss a lot of stuff. My family and I are really laid-back, and as I've said before, 3 days total of theme parks will be more than enough for us! So rather than focus on what we will miss, I want to focus on what we get to do. Exploring every single area of Disney isn't important to us, but beiing there for awhile and creating memories is.
We're not planning on going to Universal Studios at all. But if you have any experience with Sea World I'd love to hear that!
My father has planned a Disney vacation for Sasha since we first broached the subject of adoption. Despite his recent operation, ongoing rehabilitation, and my temporary unemployment, we are 90% likely to be down there the second or third week in June, staying at the disney campground if we can still get reservations.
I want to see the whole Orlando Clump, and having Space Opera around at that time would be a great addition.
(PS. My wife won 3 extremely discounted Disney Vacation Packages from one of the original McDonald's Monopoly Games. We used them for our honeymoon. The highlight, it included free food anywhere on the resort so we went to the top of the hotel with the monorail that runs through it for lunch one day. As we were dining on our lobster the waiter came over and informed us that the space shuttle was about to launch. If we wished, we could step out on the roof of the hotel to see it go. Of course we wished. Unfortunately the canceled the flight with 2 seconds left, but the view was fantastic anyway.)
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Dan, we're looking at the second week or third week of June! Wouldn't that be awesome if we were down there at the same time? Mr. Opera and I are supposed to be deciding this weekend; I'll let you know.
quote:I did Islands of Adventure in about four hours. Then, being bored, I left.
Next time you should try getting on the big boy rides.
I will put Spiderman and The Mummy up against anything Disney has to offer.
Let's see what I remember about SeaWorld. Obviously, you want to see the Shamu show. Do not let yourself be swayed by the fact that you're still dry by the end of the show. If you have seated yourself anywhere in the front half of the amphitheater, you will get wet when the final whale comes out. Tillicum is much larger than the other whales and splashes a lot more. That is all he does. He so big and aggressive, he's not allowed in the pool with the other whales. He's the one that chewed on somebody who jumped in his tank a few years ago.
Make sure you go and feed the seals, not just the dolphins. I believe they only feed the seals at certain times during the day, so find out the times when you get there.
And make sure you ride Kraken. It's the best coaster in Florida.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I'm not trying to get you to stay longer, SO, just to not try to cram 8 days worth of fun into two days--it doesn't work, and nobody has fun. Don't try to do a "best of" in two days either. Don't park hop--unless you want to do one park before your break and one after. But park hopping costs you more and I would say it;s not worth it in terms of your enjoyment.
There's so much more to do at Disney than standing in lines and riding rides, but that's all anybody wants to do on their first visit, so I'll just leave it at that.
I love the Disney resorts on property, and could pretty much quote you prices off of the top of my head. They are wonderful and convenient, but they are NOT more economical. Last I'll say on the subject.
The campground is awesome, Dan. Are you camping or renting a "cabin"? The cabins are Disney's undiscovered value for families. They are generally the cheapest of the "home away from home resorts." You get a separate bedroom, so parents can have some awake time after the kids go to bed, and some privacy as well. They have a kitchen so you can save a bit by cooking some of your own meals--or at least having breakfast in. And you don't share any walls, so you don't have to worry about noise from your neighbors--or any noise your own family might make.
The best way to do Central Florida is to remember that you are on vacation and relax. Don't try to maximize.
If big rides are your thing, then yeah, Universal Studios has more of them. If attention to detail, theming, kid-at-heart-forever stuff and magic are, then they have nothing at all on Disney. Kraken at SeaWorld is pretty awesome. We both found their motion simulator ride nauseating, though, because the digital special effects were so badly done.
The thing about Central Florida is that their is a lot to do besides the parks. As I said before, though, some people just don't care until they've gotten their fill of the parks. Fine, if that's the case. But if you are interested in other stuff, like nightlife, family daytime activities outside of a park, water parks, and so forth, just let me know.
We do some of our own vacationing in the summer, of course, but we would love to see both of your families. Don't waste any time with Zan, though. He's overrated. Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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The only time I ever went to Sea World I had a broken ankle, and had almost no fun at all. Maybe it's time for me to go again (especially since teachers get in for free!) Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I don't know if it's all teachers or just Florida public school teachers. Bring an ID and a paystub, if you are in the area, and give it a shot!
(Sadly, teachers' kids don't get in for free, so that takes away some of the interest for me!)
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Icky, I would *love* to know what there is to do at Disney besides the rides. I imagine my kids will be going on several and my husband a few, but that will not be all we want to do. I will not be able to ride anything at all, so I don't think our visit will be as "ride-focused" as other people's are. We were not planning on getting the park hopper pass simply because I thought that would make us try and cram too much in. Also, any other suggestions about what to do in the area would be great!
We definately want the chance to relax a bit and explore, which is why we're leaving 3 days open. We'll probably spend some time at the beach (my kids have never seen the ocean) and I think my son would really enjoy the space center. I would love to know about any family activities outside of the theme and water parks. Thanks!
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Space Opera, also coming from a non-ride centric family I can say that there are lots of slow moving 'rides' at Disney that are pretty good and plenty of places to go and things to look at that are interesting and fun without making your stomach jump up out of your mouth .
My favourite place at the Magic Kingdom is Tom Sawyer's Island, or something like that. It's got pathways and a fort and even "cave" tunnels. Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Icarus, do they have any areas geared specifically for very small children (18 months)at Disney. Before we had Ryan, I had never noticed those things before. The last time I was at Universal, we found several areas set back from the main paths that were geared exactly towards kids about 5 and under that still couldn't go on any of the rides.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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What are you describing? Playgrounds? Shady areas? Slow rides with no lines? They have all of these things.
Certainly we took the girls to Disney at 18 months.
If you just mean quiet shady areas, these are some of my favorite parts of the parks, because I go there mostly for atmosphere more than for rides. So I love the little gardens here and there and the areas most people don't find on their mad dash from Space Mountain to Big Thunder Mountain.
(Back to the What Disney Is versus What Universal Is question, I think Disney's biggest mistakes in the last few years is trying to compete with Universal on Universal's terms. I understand that this makes some short term money, but I just don't think they can win that fight. So they rip out two of the best Epcot rides to put in thrill rides that are truly thrilling, but have sorely watered down Epcot's original mission. And they have put in two attractions in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom that completely destroy the theming and turn it into Hanna-Barbera Land at Carowinds. And they put in carnival rides in Animal Kingdom which have no real relationship with Animal Kingdom's purported mission either. For that matter, how does Rockin' Roller Coaster fit in at MGM? These are all fun attractions, but they've each diluted what made Disney different from hundreds of other amusement parks. *shrug* What can you do, though?)
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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The drawback is that it's a bit of a drive to Disney. It's not terribly long, but it can be hard on young children. I remember getting really tired by some of the drives to and from Disney during our early Florida vacations. You might also have to deal with long, long lines to get into the park.![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
It annoys me, so I make sure to point out to them cheaper, better hotels each time.
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