Travel Tips??? WDW and Orlando

[mcjih5]

:lol: :lol: My family are doing the Orlando thing spending at least 3 of those at WDW- what should we do to maximize our money and time-- ages are 16,14,11,5 boys and one 3 yo princess. Are the characture meals wonderful? We are going OCT 28 to Nov 5 2006--- Should we go to the Halloween party is it separate from the parks asmission---how do I plan for it. We are staying at Orange Lake resorts w/ my parents. Is the Space station too for to go for the day? How much can we really enjoy in 1 week? I'm eager for feed back---This is the trip of a life time for my family-- hubby not that wild about fast rides but I am!!!! What should we do first?? What could we really skip? Anyting overrated?? Would like info ASAP Thanks Lynn:lol:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

:wave: Welcome.

To try and answer your questions in order :-
1) Character meals are wonderful - but vary between locations, as do prices and meal selections (plus there are breakfast meals and dinners). Check here to begin your research
2) MNSSHP is seperate admission (normal Park Entry required on top). Check here for info.
3) Kennedy is not too far - about an hours drive east of WDW. However, if this is "a trip of a life time" and you're only doing a week I'd stick to WDW (with the possible exceptions of a day at Universal or SeaWorld) and skip Kennedy. While Kennedy is of interest to adults and those with a definite interest in Space - the kids may be bored.
4) In all honesty - buy a guide book (The Unofficial Guide is highly rated) and read it cover to cover. This will assist with all sorts of info on parks, rides, attractions, shows, meals, menus and prices etc, etc

 

[shmily]

I definitely have to agree about the Unofficial Guide...we picked it up for our upcoming trip and have found it very helpful. My family went to Kennedy Space Center and the guys enjoyed it but us girls were kind of bored and anxious to get back to the theme parks. We usually eat breakfast before heading to the parks so that we can get right on the rides and save some time and money. I personally would buy the park hopper pass. Since Animal Kindom closes between 5pm-6pm, that leaves you at least 3-4 hours at night to spend at another park. If you don't have any objections to it, I would split up so that the older boys can go on the thrill rides while the younger kids hit up It's A Small World, Dumbo, etc.

 

[minnie2000]

MNSSHP was good - we went last year, but our 4 and 8 year old DDs were exhausted by 9pm, and we left. The tickets were not cheap and we were not able to stay until the end. Although our girls did enjoy it, if you are thinking of taking younger children, work out if it is worth the extra expense, and if you do go, make sure they have a long nap first!

We've stayed at Orange lake twice - its good - and when you go the new river island area should be open. In fact, we may be there the same week as you, we are hoping to arrive on the 28th Oct (make use of half term!).

 

[tiggerguy2000]

MNSSHP would be very expensive for your family so I would skip it.Remember it's a seperate ticket price from your park passes so add on another $300.00 for just the MNSSHP.
Charecter meals are good and I would do Chef mickey or cyrstal palace.I would also suggest Ohana's at the Polynessian resort.
1 week then just do Disney for kennedy is a whole day trip and Disney has so much to do and see.
I quess guide books are a good suggestion for some but you could learn enough by going on websites and learning from others who have websites from experience of going to Disney.
have a great vacation from Tiggerguy:wave:

 

[BRER STITCH]

My family are doing the Orlando thing spending at least 3 of those at WDW- what should we do to maximize our money and time-- ages are 16,14,11,5 boys and one 3 yo princess?

Are the characture meals wonderful?

Should we go to the Halloween party is it separate from the parks asmission---how do I plan for it?

Is the Space station too for to go for the day?

How much can we really enjoy in 1 week?

What should we do first??
What could we really skip?
Anyting overrated??

Hmmmm...I tried to make those questions look a bit easier to respond to, so here's MY take on your trip:

YOU'VE GOT THREE DAYS AT WDW - You'll need every waking minute of it to see a good portion of the WDW parks! Be sure to get PARK HOPPER tickets so you can best plan your days around your favorite attractions in each of the parks!

CHARACTER MEALS - Are OK, but the boys will hate the princess meals, so look to Chef Mickeys for a good first morning experience. And, by all means, whenever possible, EAT BREAKFAST BEFORE THE PARKS OPEN! This will save you lots of valuable attraction time!

HALLOWEEN PARTY - If you have it in the budget, I say "GO FOR IT!" It will keep you in the Magic Kingdom for a few extra hours with special events and even trick-or-treating for the kids. Halloween night is sold out already, but you can try to get tickets for any night during your stay that hey have it.

SPACE STATION - It's an interesting way to spend a day, but I bet the klids would like Sea World or Universal Studios better and they are not as far a drive.

You can do a LOT in one week, but it may not feel like vacation if you plan too many activities. If WDW is to be ht ehighlight of the week, then you might want to spend one day at Wet and Wild Water Park or at the Beach just relaxing on one of the other days. A day at Sea World, Universal, or Busch Gardens will give you a taste of what they are like. Your family might even just want to spend a day at the Hotel pool and then take in some Mini-Golf or s miovie at night. Also, a night at Downtown Disney is almost a "must" for souvenirs and dining.

I'd recommend Breakfast at Chef Mickey's and your first day at The Magic Kingdom. What you do after that should be determined by the kids.

One thing to remember.....YOU WILL NOT SEE IT ALL IN ONE TRIP, so don;t even try. Take your time and enjoy the family without overdoing it. You'll all be a lot happier!!!

 

[luckymom]

I would do the Halloween Party. It gives you more time in the MK without as many people. Ive never been ( were going the week before you all) but from what I read even your teenagers and older kids will like it.

Also, I bought the Fodors guide book titled "Walt Disney World with Kids 2006" and it was great! I has a section for the scare factor of rides/ attractions and really breaks it down by age groups so that way you will know what to put the little ones on and what not to and also what will appeal to the teenager/older kids. Since you have a wide range of ages in your group I would suggest splitting up and definately getting some type of guidebook from your local bookstore or online. Goodluck and enjoy your trip!:wave:

 

[tizzo]

:lol: :lol: My family are doing the Orlando thing spending at least 3 of those at WDW- what should we do to maximize our money and time-- ages are 16,14,11,5 boys and one 3 yo princess. Are the characture meals wonderful? We are going OCT 28 to Nov 5 2006--- Should we go to the Halloween party is it separate from the parks asmission---how do I plan for it. We are staying at Orange Lake resorts w/ my parents. Is the Space station too for to go for the day? How much can we really enjoy in 1 week? I'm eager for feed back---This is the trip of a life time for my family-- hubby not that wild about fast rides but I am!!!! What should we do first?? What could we really skip? Anyting overrated?? Would like info ASAP Thanks Lynn:lol:

I'll answer only the things I know about directly.

Kennedy Space Center is just over an hour's drive from WDW. Last time I checked it was almost forty bucks to get in. You do get a pretty full day for that price though. Also included is admission to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, which I've never done. How enjoyable you find the space center appears to depend on who you ask, however. I love it, but my wife absolutely hates it. In your case, I think the three oldest boys would probably like it if they're into science and space, otherwise they'll be bored. I doubt the girls would like it.

Someone else suggested the beaches. People around here think it's getting a little cold for the beaches in late October. Why, some days, the temperature may not even break 80! If you MUST leave the Disney area, you might consider spending a day in Brevard county. Things to do here include:

• Beach (Cocoa Beach is a good choice.)
• Ron Jon's Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach
• There are a couple of miniature golf places on A1A north of Cocoa Beach
• Port Canaveral - There's a section here called The Cove that has a lot of good restaurants. There's also Jetty Park, which is along the inlet. Around 4PM on Saturday all of the cruise ships depart and sail down the channel right in front of you.
• Brevard Zoo - A cheap day (under $10 per adult, not sure about kids, part of the AZA so if you are a member of one of their zoos you get in free). They've got some neat stuff there, including a station where you can feed giraffes, and a free-flight aviary where you can feed birds.

However, I really think you ought to think about sticking around Disney for a number of reasons. First, as someone else said, there's just too much to see in a week, let alone three days. Second, with Disney's new ticket price structure, you pay an arm and a leg for your first two days, and then per-day prices drop off sharply as you increase the number of days. In effect, that fourth day will cost you a lot less than each of the first three.

As far as what's overrated, I'd have to say that the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway tops my list. It is extremely popular and I have no idea why. Also, while Pooh is a nice ride, it in no way justifies the typically long wait.

Try to make the best possible use of the Fast Pass system. You should ALWAYS get your next FP before you use the one you're holding. If you're not familiar with FP, some rides have a little vending machine. You insert your park ticket, and it gives you a little slip of paper with a one hour time window on it. You can return to the ride any time during that one hour window and typically wait on a much shorter line than everyone else. Most people don't seem to understand that you can get another FP for the same or a different ride in the park five minutes into your one hour window. You don't have to wait until after your ride is over.

There are a number of attractions that have FastPass even though you don't need it.

One example is Mickey's Philharmagic, which is a show (a good one, by the way, don't miss it) that runs about 12 minutes. Your wait time is how ever long it is until the show before yours is over, whether you have a FP or not. Another example is the Haunted Mansion. During peak times, it might make sense to get a FP here, but when you are there won't be one of those times.

I've never been to the Halloween Party, but it is a separate admission. You also need to know that MK closes early on those nights, so plan accordingly - IE if you're going to the Halloween Party, then do MK on that day and plan for a second day there as well. If you are not, then make sure you do MK on a day when it is not being held. Disney's web site will give you park hours.

The best advice I can give you is to spend a little time planning. Disney's web site will tell you park hours, and parade and show times for all parks on all days. If the MK closes at, for example, 6 on Monday, and is open til 10 on Tuesday, then plan to go to Epcot on Monday and go to MK on Tuesday.

Also study the guide maps (also available online I think). Pay particular attention to parade routes - think of them as impenetrable prison walls that exist from about 30 minutes before a parade starts until shortly after it is over. Try and plan your day so you don't have to cross these lines anywhere near parade times.