First Timer

[burt]

hi guys, Im new to this board but reading it all with interest. We have just booked for next April our 1st time at DW. Im sure there are a million questions i need to ask, but heres one for starters - How many days do you all spend at each park when you visit ie is Animal Kingdom a 1 day job or would we need to allow 2 days to see it all, Apart from the 4 main parks we think we want to do Universal studios, IOA, and definatley sea world. Any advice much appreciated, also what passes do you recommend at the moment we are thinking 14 day ultimate pass - about £160 but allows us to park hop and basically do the 4 main parks as often as we want to in our 14 day holiday. and then maybe pay as we go with the other parks

Thanks in advance Burt

 

[angel659]

Hiya

If its your first time to disney then I would buy the 14 days ticket. There is so much to see and do. AK is a day and a half. MGM is 2 days. MK is 3 days. Epcot is 2 days plus if you want to go back to any park and see anything again. Also you have the two water parks which are fantastic. You can use these for a day each or half day.

It really pends what you want to see. You may find the 4 park flex ticket or the 5 park flex ticket better value if you intend on visiting IOA, Universal, Seaworld etc.. it can also work out cheaper if you decide to book a 2 day park ticket for IOA and Universal and a day ticket to Seaworld. From what I have heard IOA is a 2 day. I am not sure if you are interested in seeing Kennedy Space Ctr, but this is a day as well. I would find out what exactly you want to do see and do and then work out how much the tickets are and which ones you may need.

Try these places for tickets as well.

www.themepark-tickets.com
www.orlando-ticket-deals.co.uk

Hope this helps

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Burt - and welcome!

You have come to the right place there are loads of very friendly people here to help and advise. Lots of memories to share too.

When it comes down to the theme parks it all comes down to a matter of personal preference, we all have our favourite parks and you will too.
You will see different opinions too, we all do things different ways, my ideas are not necessarily the same as everyone's.

As a first timer it can be a bit bewildering with all the Disney/Universal attractions. The first piece of advice would be not to try and cram too much in, if you rush around and try and see everything not only will you be exhausted but also it will not be nearly as much fun.
So pace yourself, do your research and have a great time.

Have you any children Burt? You will find that in a way you tailor your holiday to a child's needs, we certainly do these days and often end up just going on all the kiddie rides with our son.

As far as tickets go, it depends , the chances are you will become hooked and may visit Orlando again - we have been 13 times now - so the tickets you buy may be affected by this.

For Universal/Sea World I would suggest the 4 park Universal Flex ticket is a sound choice and gives you access to all parks for the duration of your stay, plus a water park too - WetnWild.
Disney is more complex with numerous types of ticket available, as with the Flex you can buy in the UK, however, if you are planning on going back in later years or just want a more comprehensive list of options the Disney 'MagicYourWay' is a good bet, with tickets that mean you can visit more than 1 park in a day and that never expire too.
see www.mapleleaftickets.com as an example (where we buy our tickets).

Some theme parks are not as popular as others, Animal Kingdom for example will for many of us not merit a full day, whereas Magic Kingdom is one you may visits several times during your holiday - its is just a matter of how you enjoy each park.
I think generally MK is at the top of most people's list and I guess then it varies really - we have always liked Universal Studios, so apart from MK that is our favourite.
They are all totally different.

One of the main things to consider is the weather and crowds, whilst not wishing to make it sound like an assault course it can be difficult touring when the heat and crowds are at their highest - normally in the summer months.
Weatherwise April will be just about perfect, although if you are going at Easter time it is very busy then.
Either way , many people us including would always advise to plan plenty of rest time within your holiday, all part of the trying to take it all at a decent pace routine.
Anyway thats enough for now, could talk all day really.

Some useful links though:
www.attractionticketsdirect.co.uk
www.wdwinfo.com
www.disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index
http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/website/index.php
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index

 

[Netty]

Hi
welcome to the boards, just fire away with any questions!
how long are you going for? when we 1st went it was for two weeks and we just used the old style disney 5 day hopper pass. as there was also seaworld to go to and universal, and you do definetly need rest days as well!ooops sorry, just read again and your there for 14 days.wdw and the other parks are so vast that it would take a day in each and some of them even more as you wont see it all in one day. have you got any kiddies?
I personally have only ever used a 5 day pass, but it just depends how much you want to cram in to your 14 days.and how much the cost of the passes are.hope this helps..

 

[KayleeUK]

Welcome to the DIS

Don't forget to join us on the UK Community Board (link in my signature)

 

[burt]

Thanks for the replys i can see your a helpful bunch , just as a bit more information we have got 3 children 12, 9 and 2 (the 2 year old girl just loves pooh bear and tigger) We are coming for 2 weeks over the easter period, we know this will be busy but unfortunatley we are restricted due to school holidays. We are staying in a Villa at hampton lakes. ok heres another couple of questions - How busy does it get over easter with regards waiting time for the rides are we talking more than an hour ( i know a bit about the fast pass system which is a really good idea). And whats it like driving in the states for the first time, this is the part thats a bit worrying although i have driven in france and spain in the past. Keep the replys coming and any information you think will be useful is much appreciated

Roll on April

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi again,
The crowds over Easter will be pretty bad and yes some rides there will be in excess of an hour wait I am afraid.
You will need to get to the parks early each day, try to arrive approx. 30 minutes prior to opening time , this way you will get on some of the rides before the parks get really busy.
The crowds do vary, Magic Kingdom being the most popular is generally always the busiest, whearas the likes of EPCOT and Sea World in particular less so.

Being restricted to school holidays is a familiar story, hence we go now in August. The problem is the holiday periods also tend to be the busier times at the parks too.
I still recommend you adopt a relaxed approach, especially with 3 children as trying to see it all will be difficult.

Driving in Orlando is much easier than in the UK, although the level of traffic keeps increasing, I am not saying it's easy but it is 'easier'.
Your car will be an automatic.
I actually think the navigation aspect is harder, I am lucky in that my wife is very good there.
You will make mistakes and take the odd wrong turning, but do not worry because on the whole I am sure you will be fine.

Please feel free to send me a personal message, always glad to help.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Burt - just responded to your PM with another lengthy reply

 

[ely3857]

Hiya

Welcome to the DIS!

I stayed in a villa at Hampton Lakes this summer. The area is very nice with a supermarket just 5 mins away.

If you need any tips re driving from & to Hampton Lakes just let me know.

Have never been at easter but I understand it gets busy, very busy.

You have done the right thing by realising you need a plan! As others have said the best thing you can do on a busy crowd day is get there early before the majority turn up aroung 10.30/11.00 and then make use of the FastPass system.

Have you bought any guide books yet? The Brit's Guide to orlando is excellent (2006 version is out 31st Oct) and will help you and your family decide on your 'must do's' so nobody misses out on their fav thing.

I would also check out the UK trip reports page. In addition to finding out what the rest of us get up to on holiday it will give you a good idea of how we all cope with crowds and the heat.

Happy Planning!



Jodie

 

[carolfoy]

Hi Burt welcome to the most fantastic chat board in the world, I won't weigh you down with more info as I'm sure you're bewildered enough already, will say tho' that your little one would love a character breakfast in the crystal palace in MK with Pooh, and also to say keep on these boards, other people will ask questions that you hadn't considered and thers ALWAYS someone with a helpful reply.

 

[mandymouse]

Hi Burt, welcome to the Disboards

 

[wicket2005]

I have to go along with the views on buying Ultimate and a Flex Pass tickets plus getting to the parks early.

Plan where you want to be each day. Look at askdaisy.net, click on The Brits Guide, look under park updates. On this page there is a table listing the quieter days to visit each park. Follow this guide, no sense in going to a park on its busiest day especially at Easter.

 

[burt]

Thanks for all the replies, what a friendly bunch you are. Ok another quick question which Water park do you prefer Typhoon or blizzard and which one is most suited to children

thanks again everyone :thewave:

 

[wicket2005]

We have preferred BB because of the family raft ride and the toboggan racers. I am not too struck on the freezing water that sprays out at you on the lazy creek especially when the kids keep you under it.

I quite fancy going back to TL next year because we have not been for a while.

 

[carolfoy]

My son and I adore TL, although we haven't been to BB so its not really a fair comparison, I'd say definately plan in a half day at both at least!! If you enjoy snorkelling then Tl has a great shark reef to snorkel in, with loads of sting rays sharks and tropical fish, also love the wave pool and the castaway creek.

 

[wicket2005]

Carol, does Castaway Creek have ice cold showers fired at you every now and then?

 

[carolfoy]

No Bev, there are a few little squirts which are cooler than the actual water that is in the creek but its not as freezing as I'm led to believe the water in BB is!

 

[wicket2005]

Thanks Carol, I am off to TL next time we go.

 

[MazdaUK]

We went at Easter this year - you can read my trip report here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=793225

We found it wasn't too busy our first week (we took the kids out of school for the last week of term ) but by Good Friday it was getting busier. I would say don't even think about parks on Easter Sunday - we resort hopped and generally nosed about! - make those the days for relaxing round the pool. Americans don't get long holidays so once the weekend is over it should calm down a bit.

We had a 10-day park hopper plus a 3-day US/IOA ticket, and ended up with at least one day each left on our tickets due to sickness. We also spent a day at kennedy Space Centre - a real boys day out!

 

[burt]

thanks for the info Mazda, we fly from heathrow 6th April just a few days before the kids break up for easter, so as you say we will probably use the easter weekend days for lazy days by the pool at the villa or maybe shopping days. We would like a day at clearwater beach, does this get busy Easter holidays as well?

will be getting the guide book when it comes out end of the month, that should be a good help also

thanks again

burt