First time ever! Help?

[disneydolphin2]

Hiya everyone
We are visiting Florida 10-24 May....am so excited now!
Its our first time ever so i have been busy trying to plan. We are staying onsite at Disney and doing Seaworld and IOA and Universal etc ......am finally getting to the point..bear with me!

I have read several threads stating that its best to arrive at opening, which of course makes perfect sense to me. However since Monday seems to be the preferred day to visit Uni and IOA i have a problem as we are hoping to do Seaworld then, and cocoa beach the monday after as ive also been told that weekends are awfully congested at both those places. How do you guys fit it all in!!
Anyway is it worth turning up mid-afternoon after taking advantage of the disney extra magic hour first thing?? I was thinking of after 1pm on either a wed or friday? Or late afternoon and staying til 7pm which is when they shut whilst were there?
Just how busy is a sunday? I have simon veness' book brits guide to orlando and he suggests that its really busy.......its very confusing.
Sorry about all the q's and if you can make sense of this thread...well done.

 

[Planogirl]

If there's any way possible for you to arrive at opening on any day of the week, you'd probably do better than arriving late. Many of the rides develop long lines and it could be quite hot so it's really wise to get the popular rides done early if you can.

Which days are set aside for Disney? Maybe you could visit the Universal parks sometime during the middle of the week?

By the way, be sure to build in some time for quiet periods. It sounds like you'll be busy so be careful to avoid themepark burnout. And have fun!

 

[UniversalAddict]

disneydolphin2: Whew. Slow down. Relax. Ask your questions clearly one at a time. LOL.

anyway, I'll try and answer what I can:

The days to go that these sites suggest are just guides that help you minimize the crowds and allow you to as much of the park as possible. Typically you don't want to go on the weekends because thats when locals (like me) typically go. So, if you have to pick either Sunday or Monday I would say Monday. Although Sunday shouldn't be too bad either.

Getting there early is recommended if you only have one day to see the entire park. If you had multiple days to see the parks I would say do what ever is most relaxing for you (remember your on vacation or "holiday" as you brits like to say). I have annual passes and like to get there near noon. But, that's just because I know I can come back whenever I like.

As far as Cocoa is concerned I assume you mean the beach and Ron Jons. Cocoa will definitely be less crowded during the week because a lot of locals go on the weekend. If you want quiet go during the week, If you want to people watch go on the weekend.
I live in Melbourne, which is near Cocoa, so if you have any specific questions about the area I can help.

I don't know about you but I would plan on a day or two of just relaxing by the pool all day. Going to theme parks all day is very exhausting.

Relax and Enjoy.