A few questions about planning a trip!

[Pinocchio #1 Fan]

My wife and I have been to WDW 3 times in the past 7 or so years, but we have always gone in September and always stayed on site. Next January (2015) we are taking our niece, who will be 18 at the time of the trip. We have already reserved an off site condo for 9 days, and as we are all Disneyland Annual Passholders we are gonna upgrade our passes to the Premier passes so admission and parking will be covered. What we are looking for are hints on stuff like where to get the best deal on a rental car and other cool stuff to try and include on the trip. We are not gonna do Universal or Sea World, but we have talked about going to a gator farm. Is Gatorland the best one? I'd love to hear opinions. Also, we are considering taking a fan boat ride through the swamp. The only other thing we might want to do is roll to Tampa for a Lightning game, but I'm pretty sure I have all the info I need for that once the schedule comes out.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

 

[happymommy]

For deals on rental cars, it's good to check early and often! Go to the transportation board, and also check www.mousesavers.com.

There's so much fun stuff both at Disney and nearby - I know others will chime in here. We mostly do Disney stuff ourselves, but have done Wonderworks once (I did with my kids - they had fun but I don't know if an 18 year old would except for the ropes course). They have a dinner show that looks super, the Outta Control Dinner Show.

 

[wendybeth75]

AP gets discounts from Alamo. This is from the AP page=Rent from Alamo® Rent A Car and you can save up to 20% off your rental! For reservations, call Alamo® at 1-800-462-5266. Or, book online at Alamo.com. Be sure to request ID # 860292 when making your reservation.

That being said, I have found them to be a bit high. I have had the most luck with Budget and Dollar for car rentals. Google coupons and usually several will pop up. Good Luck and have fun!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Gatorland is a great half-day attraction (very "old Florida") and is an excellent pairing with an airboat ride to round out a full day. We loved Wild Willy's in St. Cloud. You can check out photos of both in my trip report from December 2012 (see the link in my signature). Gatorland starts on page 4, and the airboat ride follows it.

Discovery Cove is an amazing park, and would also be an amazing addition to your trip .