-
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by LiesaAnna
hi, we got 1 day tickets at the gate, we are not fanatical over theme parks we like them but dont like spending silly amounts of money. At Busch gardens we could buy 1day ticket get the 2nd day free, but we are talking about december, so that is 1 answer to that question, you dont have to buy 4,5 7 days but all to our own!!!!!!:)
[/quote]
We buy our tickets at the gate now we don't take the kids.......we save hundreds anyway not having them around to pay for....and it gives us the freedom to do a park or not.......:D:D
-
THIS site is the best for excellent value tickets. There are several options and the best you can do is to decide what you want to see and then use the link on this page to order tickets. Hurry though! Although November is not usually a very busy month, there may be a bigger than expected crowd this year due to hurricane postponed trips by other visitors.
I also suggest you get a good GUIDEBOOK to help you plan the trip. Simon Venness' "A Brit's Guide to Orlando & WDW" is the best, in my opinion.
MK is good even for adults and is a must see to get into the mood of things. You'll like EPCOT, MGM, Animal Kingdom, Universal & IoA, each of them needing a full day. Don't forget to take into account the REST days! I suggest one every 4 days. Visit a Water park or two - Disney's Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach are equally good. Keep a whole day at least for shopping. If you can, visit Old Town in Kissimmee on a Saturday evening for some hours and stay late.
There is plenty of Night Life. Pleasue Island at Downtown Disney and City Walk at the Universal complex. Latin Quarter at City Walk is excellent on a Friday Night, with a very good Latin restaurant that transforms into a Latin Dance club at 10pm. Good cocktails too.
There is a choice of Dinner Shows and other outings like the Cirque du Soleil at DD, Atlantic dance & Jellyrols at Disney's Boardwalk, various clubs, multiplex cinemas etc at Pointe Orlando etc.
-
My daughter is working in Miami at the moment, and we have travelled up and down to visit her from Orlando 3 times this year. It IS a long drive but the road is very good - Florida Turnpike - with excellent service areas which are not a rip-off. But I think you would need more than a day as it's at least 4 hours journey at a steady 60 each way (about 250 miles each way). The last bit, from Boca Raton, about 40 miles from Miami, gets busier too. Only drawback is the road is so straight it can be a bit soporific. Why not pop down there and book a hotel overnight?
Miami is a fascinating city, a real melting pot of cultures and lots to do, so think you would need a little more than a day to sample its delights.
Ellie
-
Wow, Thanks for all your input there are loads of ideas to play with on here, I notice alot of you talk about driving everywhere, i take it all the parks are quite spread out, we aren't sure whether to hire a car or not as our hotel is said to provide daily buses to most of the parks, we were going to hire a car just to go to Miami in, ut by the sounds of it we might need one for the entire holiday, if this is the case does anyone have a rough idea of how much a Mondeo sized car is to hire with [AC]?
-
Follow the car hire link at the top of the page and get a free instant quote Bison. In Florida a car will give you so much more freedom.[msnsmile2]
-
You will definitely need a car, or how will you take the ladies shopping?????????????
[}:)]
Use the link above to car hire and you won't do better - the rates are brilliant!
Seriously, the distances between things is so great that you don't want to waste time waiting for a shuttle, free or not, and you won't want to be tied down, so it would be well worth considering it as it will give you greater freedom and convenience. Driving is easy out there, too, so you will soon get the hang of it.
Hope this helps!:)
Ellie
-
We considered not having a car the first time we went to Florida but were advised by some friends to have one and we were really glad we did. Unless you stay on Disney property you will spend so much time waiting for shuttle buses and sitting on them while they drop other people off at their hotels (check to see if they are multiple drop shuttles)it will really eat into your park time.The only down side is that as you are under 25 you will have to pay extra for the car hire, maybe you can persuade Mum to do the driving, that's what my son does!
As far as night life is concerned both Pleasure Island and City Walk have a good selection of bars and clubs with differnet sorts of music.Don't forget though as your girlfriend is only 19 she is not allowed to drink in Florida and she will not be allowed into all the clubs as some have a strictly over 21 rule.
I would second Nostromo's recommendation of "A brits guide to Orlando and Walt Disney World" it is packed with lots of info on all the parks plus it has lots of useful tips to make your holiday more enjoyable. We have been going to Orlando for the last 11 years and we still buy a new up to date copy every other year.
-
There is no question that you get more out of your holiday with a car than without. That way, you can do mundane things like popping out to get some milk, newspaper etc without thinking twice. Such 'day to day' activities that you need even on holiday would take up too much time in a vast country like the US without a car at your disposal.
Going to the parks is also a lot lot easier with a car. Even if there are buses in theory, you have be at the right place at the right time to get one and even then, you could be wasting a precious hour or two of the day - time that you could have spent in the park.
Having a car gives you flexibility, saves time, saves money and avoids aggro; GET ONE!
-
Hi Andrew,
A couple of ideas for you to get the best out of your trip.
First off is to not plan to do something every day. There is so much to do around Orlando that if you are out every day you can easily end up absolutely shattered. We've found a ratio of 3 or 4 days out to each day spent just relaxing and doing nothing is about the max we'd want to do.
So from that you can work out a rough guide to how to attack the theme parks. Definitely get a car as it's so much more convenient for getting around.
For theme park tickets you can spend a small fortune or spend a large fortune. The links from this site are about the best value we've found, and are backed by excellent service too. In terms of which tickets; if you are planning to do Universal, IOA, Busch and Disney then the Orlando Flexticket is going to be the best value for you by far. Add onto this a Disney Parkhopper Plus (the Plus will get you into Pleasure Island for a night or two clubbing).
When you are there your plans will undoubtably change; everyone's do. Bear in mind that any unused days on your Disney passes never expire. The Orlando Flexticket is time limited to 14 days. So if you have to chose between a Disney theme park or a Flexticket theme park, go for the Flexticket park. When you go back again (which you will!!) any days left on your Disney passes will still be valid. The Flexticket ends 14 days after it's first used.
Remember to carry ID when you are out. The age for drinking in Florida is 21 so you will be asked for it. Your girlfriend isn't going to be old enough, and they are not flexible.
I'd recommend having a read at a guidebook too. I've always got on really well with 'The Unofficial Guide to Disney' series. They do one called 'Beyond Disney' which is a guide focusing specifically on Universal, IOA, Sea World and the non-Disney attractions.
Have a great one!!
-
My advice is to do as much as you possibly can, come home and then plan the next trip.
I know many people who say this will be their "once in a lifetime trip" and now visit regularly.
Disney is great, but dont miss Universal or Seaworld. You don't have to visit all 4 Disney parks.
Have a great time
