Draft Itinerary

[thehillies]

Hello All

Well, we fly six weeks yesterday, don't laugh too loudly but I don't know how to put a ticker on my profile!!! Anyway, thought it was time I posted a draft holiday plan to see what you experienced Disney people think? A couple of questions, as my two daughters are teenagers do you think we could double up and do possibly two parks in one day? If so which ones?

Also, my hubby has a hankering to go to a traditional american bar, any ideas?

And is it OK to buy things like digital cameras, Ipods, etc out there and if so where?

Here goes then arrive Saturday:

Sunday: Epcot and Illuminations
Monday: Disney MGM and Fantasmic
Tuesday: Blizzard Beach
Wednesday: MK and Wishes
Thursday: AK and Jungle Jammin Parade
Friday: Typhoon Lagoon
Saturday: Daytona Beach Biktoberfest
Sunday: Rest Day
Monday: Sea World
Tuesday: Shopping - Florida Mall/premium outlets
Wednesday: Busch Gardens - we have put this in as we are going with my brother and his family.
Thursday: IOA
Friday: US
Saturday: home

I have tried to follow the busy day park guide but do I need to in October?

We have put any ADR's or shows in because we have a limited budget. Also have not put anything in for evenings but would probably do Downtown Disney, Boardwalk, more shopping, etc.

We would be very grateful for your advice!

Thanks so much.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Strictly speaking you can combine any 2 of the disney parks in one day and the same goes for Universal.
Although if you do this it may be a rush and there is no guarantee you would see everything in doing so.

Is it your 1st visit?

We all like some parks more than others, personally I would plan an extra day at Magic Kingdom as in my opinion it's easily the best of the Disney parks.
It is very common for people to go to MK in the morning, have a break and then return to say MGM or EPCOT in the evening.

I would definitely do Universal Studios and IOA as I am sure they will suit your daughters, they also have the advantage of being walking distance apart so you could easily cover both parks in a couple of days.

Sea World is well worth a visit so agree with you there.

Also be prepared to be flexible, plans can easily be changed when you get out there.
After visiting Blizzard Beach you may decide against also going to Typhoon Lagoon for example.

October is a good time to visit, especially weather wise - I think if you plan on getting to the parks early you will find the crowd levels not too bad at all.

 

[Gaynor]

Hi,
if your daughters are anything like mine 1 shopping day will not be enough once they've discovered the Abercrombie & fitch, Hollister and American Eagle shops!
We bought a camera on our first trip no problem and made quite a saving, just had to buy an English plug adaptor.
Agree with Johnny one day a the Magic Kingdom really isn't enough and I like to do 2 days at Seaworld as well.
Other than that it looks good have a great trip.

 

[thehillies]

Oh yes, my oldest daughter is not impressed that I have only put one day in for shopping so will have to amend that!! She is even talking about looking for a Prom Dress for her end of school Prom next June!!!

Anyway I guess its best to have some flexibility and not be to rigid about plans but it does help when deciding which tickets to purchase!

Thank you once again for the advice!

 

[Wife of Fozzy Bear]

Hello there, my Daughter (17) has just read your post, and yes all teens differ but we are due to go to Orlando mid-Oct, which will be her 4th visit in last 6 years. Her comments were, "a rest day is a waste, you could probably spend half a day at each of the water parks and either rest or shop before or after. That would gain you 1 or 2 more days to revisit your favourite parks".

Also depending on when you are going to be there, parks may close earlier than in high season e.g. AK usually at 5pm, so you can always go to a Mall in the evening?

The Universal/IOA parks seem to be favourites of both my teens and we aim to have 3 days between the two parks. One day is ample in MGM and AK each, one day in Seaword is OK but again if you do it over 2 then you could combine with a water park or shopping/rest. Epcot is one very busy day, but again better spread over 2, MK is nicer over 2, but can be done in one as there are a lot of rides for younger children which your teens may choose to skip.

Disney Quest is good for any wet weather days. My teens could easily spend a day in there (me too).

The most important thing, and I can't stress this too much, is GET THERE EARLY! If you do then you can cover all the busiest rides in the first couple of hours, use the fastpass and express tickets and then when it gets warmer around midday you can afford time to chill out and eat or see some of the shows etc. We don't tend to stop to eat 'proper meals', just fill up on breakfast and aim to eat in the evening, with a snack or so in between.

I guess we probably 'pack a lot in', but we love it there so much we just don't want to waste a moment

However you plan it, I'm sure you will have an amazing time!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Rest days are just as important for us as our time around the parks, don't often get chance to relax at home so it's nice to sit by the pool sometimes whilst on holiday.
Joshua gets just as much fun playing in the pool also.

It's also nice to get out of Orlando for a day.

In addition day after day at the parks would just be too much, and too tiring, especially for a 1st time visitor.

 

[irongirlof12]

arrive early - you can then get some RnR in the afternoon at your 'home away from home' and return to the parks for evening.

you could do MGM in a morning and go to MK for afternoon/evening.

I agree that a days rest is a waste, just fit a bit of pool time in each day.

where are you staying ?

 

[candy 2]

We leave six weeks yesterday also.

 

[casinocolin]

Rest days are just as important for us as our time around the parks, don't often get chance to relax at home so it's nice to sit by the pool sometimes whilst on holiday.
Joshua gets just as much fun playing in the pool also.

It's also nice to get out of Orlando for a day.

In addition day after day at the parks would just be too much, and too tiring, especially for a 1st time visitor.

I disagree this may be your only visit you will ever have to orlando and if it is you must make the most of what orlando offers and take the rest when you get home, I am sure you can find some time to rest at home. Please dont waste time resting, make the most of it in case you are unable to return. We have been four times and have never had one rest day.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I disagree this may be your only visit you will ever have to orlando and if it is you must make the most of what orlando offers and take the rest when you get home, I am sure you can find some time to rest at home. Please dont waste time resting, make the most of it in case you are unable to return. We have been four times and have never had one rest day.

Fine, I fully understand what you mean - however, we all have different views.
Ours in many ways our unique as we have a child with autism and it's a hectic life we lead at times.
So relaxation is a bonus for us on holiday, and a nice balance between a busy day at a theme park.
In addition rest days the way I meant it could mean a day at the beach, some shopping or anything non theme park related. Not necessarily lazy days around the pool which would become quite boring after a while.

We have been 14 times and have many many 'rest days' - it suits us but may not suit everyone.

In my opinion it's not ideal for a 1st timer to rush around the parks too much and that rest days (or at least days away from the parks) are important but again that's just one way of approaching it.
Personally I would be drained visiting WDW/Universal day after day - but I accept many people would not and value every second around the attractions.
However, it's perfectly understandable like you say for anyone with just one visit to Florida to try and enjoy as many of the attractions as possible.
It doesn't take away the fact that (in my opinion) that would be hard work for someone who has never been to Orlando before.

A classic case of 'whatever suits you best in your circumstances'.

 

[scottishsue]

I tend to agree with Colin - we've been 6 times and never had a rest day yet !! We just pace it out so that we have a shopping day, or a water park day, in between park days. But everyone is different in what they like to do !!

 

[Jakey Rowling]

I disagree this may be your only visit you will ever have to orlando and if it is you must make the most of what orlando offers and take the rest when you get home, I am sure you can find some time to rest at home. Please dont waste time resting, make the most of it in case you are unable to return. We have been four times and have never had one rest day.

I disagree with your disagree, hey it's good to be different.

I'd echo the advice to get to the parks early for opening meaning you can take some time off in the afternoon to chill or shop.

A full-time itinerary could mean its hard to enjoy the experience when everyone is tired and grumpy. Maybe your kids being that bit older will help but we made the mistake of over doing it on our first trip for the first week.
Personally I think its impossible to do everything you would want to in 2 weeks, never mind going back onto the things you like best.

If your kids are into the rides, I'd have thought IOA, US and Busch gardens may be best for them.
Perhaps I'd recommend doing them sooner so you can change your plans if you find you prefer them.

I never found the deals going for cameras or Ipods attractive enough for me to bite in July.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I tend to agree with Colin - we've been 6 times and never had a rest day yet !! We just pace it out so that we have a shopping day, or a water park day, in between park days. But everyone is different in what they like to do !!

Maybe clarification on what I meant as a 'rest day' is required Sue -like my recent post says for me a rest day is purely a day away from the parks.
It could mean shopping, a trip to the coast - anything really.
Not lying in bed all day or anything like that - not that I get chance of that with Josh!

For me a 'shopping day' or 'in between park day' is a rest day.

Like you say and I have said do what suits you best - the old Trip Planning Forum saying.

 

[casinocolin]

Hey I agree with you all the best thing is to experiance it for yourself and decide whats best for you. Whatever ever you decide you will have the best time of your life thats one thing for sure.

 

[thehillies]

Yes, this will be our 1st time and you are right it could possibly be a one off visit! So we obviously want to make the most of our time there .

We are staying in a villa approx 10 minutes from WDW main gates.

As our girls are 13 and 16 hopefully we can cover more and I also think that rest days could definately be shopping, water parks, etc.

I also think that going early, returning to the villa/pool for a bit and then returning later is a good advice.

So thank you everyone for all your advice its much appreciated.

Anyway off to make some adjustments to our plans.

The excitement is building!!

PS. Do you have pay for parking at the parks???

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hey I agree with you all the best thing is to experiance it for yourself and decide whats best for you. Whatever ever you decide you will have the best time of your life thats one thing for sure.

Well said.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Yes, this will be our 1st time and you are right it could possibly be a one off visit! So we obviously want to make the most of our time there .

We are staying in a villa approx 10 minutes from WDW main gates.

As our girls are 13 and 16 hopefully we can cover more and I also think that rest days could definately be shopping, water parks, etc.

I also think that going early, returning to the villa/pool for a bit and then returning later is a good advice.

So thank you everyone for all your advice its much appreciated.

Anyway off to make some adjustments to our plans.

The excitement is building!!

PS. Do you have pay for parking at the parks???

Yes you do have to pay - unless you hold Annual Passes (I think this applies to Disney but certainly does on our Universal APs), or are staying on-site.

Think it's $10 per day, whether price has gone up since August I am not sure.
If you do visit 2 Disney parks on the same day you only pay parking fee once, just keep the ticket in your car.

Usually stay in a villa for the majority of our stay and it does give you the freedom to relax when away from the parks.
Promise not to mention 'rest day' again on this thread.

 

[disneyholic family]

regarding where to buy an Ipod....
i bought ours at the apple store...(both the earlier version and the more recent video with 80 G version)

there is an apple store at the Florida Mall and also at the Mall at Millenia...
the prices will be the same....

when you buy any electronics in the US, keep in mind that there is an issue of 110 vs 220, and also the shape of the plug (although ipods can often just recharge from the computer).

 

[stteb1]

Yes, this will be our 1st time and you are right it could possibly be a one off visit! So we obviously want to make the most of our time there .


We went first time back in 1992, it was our once in a lifetime holiday as you can see we have been back a few times since you will end up like the rest of us, once you get there and experience all Florida (not just WDW/Orlando) has to offer you will be back, we had itineraries like yours for the first few years as we thought we would never be back, so go for it and if and when you do go back you can then have rest days like others have mentioned, shopping, pool etc