General tips and info

[Dannyh1991]

Hello, we're flying from East Midlands to Sanford airport on the Thomson Dreamliner (all inclusive drinks) to visit Orlando Sept 20th-Oct 4th 2015 me and my girlfriend (myself 24 and my girlfriend will have just turned 21) we are staying at the Avanti Resort and are wondering if anyone has any pointers or tips to give about our trip... I have previously been before with family back in May/June 2005 but it's my girlfriends first time for her 21st birthday

I know September time generally means hurricane season but this doesn't seem to stop people booking and a lot of reviews on here say it's still fine... I remember when I went in May/June 10 years ago we still had various days and moments of mid afternoon rain which doesn't last long.

On Disneys website for the park times, when I fast forward the calendar to September (avoiding the Disney halloween nights) it has no mention of the "Wishes" fireworks display, will this be updated in the future? I remember this being the best experience of Disney and it would be disappointing to miss...

How does Universal work now with Harry Potter land, it sounds like this takes up a lot of people's day and I don't quite understand how the train works? Does it just take you from the back of IoA to the back of Universal?... Is there separate harry Potter lands in Universal as IoA?.... Last time I went with family they didn't have this but we went Universal one day and then IoA on a separate day?...

Also how do you get tickets for a halloween horror night at Universal? Iv heard this is amazing and this year is the 25th anniversary....

Hoping to visit a couple night clubs while there, would anybody be able to recommend any? Iv heard downtown disney is the best place for this? Maybe more Rnb orientated maybe.

I don't have car rental so will be the iTrolly to get up and down lol but I may be looking to get a car for a couple days at some point to visit shops etc... I understand the surcharge for being under 25...
Also, in the UK we can scrap the paper part of our licence after June or July I believe? How does this affect giving licence in USA?

Where are people's favorite places to go shopping? I know tge girlfriend wants Michael Kors handbags and I want NFL jerseys lol along with designer clothes.

We are there for 14 days and have kinda condensed what we want to do, not set every day in concrete, still leaving time for variation if we change our mind while we're there, I keep joking with her that there's a hooters over the road to watch nfl the day we land and a Golds Gym around the corner aha

Water-
Disney Blizzard beach
Discovery Cove - Swim with Dolphins

Theme Parks-
Disney Magical Kingdom
Universal studios
Islands of Advententure
Disney Animal kingdom
Disney Hollywood studios (MGM)
Sea world

Other
Shooting/Gun Range
Shopping & more shopping
Halloween night @ Universal

Maybe 10 days planned there out of 14?

We have tickets for more but we're thinking it's best to just go with an open mind rather than a fully planned itinerary, look at weather reports to judge days and just relax and enjoy being there, if we squeeze more trips in then bonus

 

[scoobydooby]

I'm about to go out so can't give you a full answer but would advise you get a car if you're staying off site and also accept for a first (adult) trip you are going to have a MUCH better time of you plan, plan, plan. That doesn't mean you can't chnage it all when you get there but planning will result in a far better trip if it's all essentially new to you. Trust me I'm a addict If I was you I'd buy myself the newest version of the Unofficial Guide to WDW, settle down and read it cover to cover. It's fat so prepare for a marathon read.

Also. You need to visit Epcot

 

[Dannyh1991]

Thank you for your reply
I can remember stuff from when I went with family 10 years ago but obviously things change and getting around on transport will be different to just getting in a car that a parent is driving lol...
I plan on getting a car for some part of the holiday to explore around florida, mainly to visit shops and shooting range and whatever else around, maybe a drive out of orlando? But only problem is being under 25 and the $25 a day surcharge soon adds up lol

Some aspects are planned for example the first day landing and day after maybe do a water park (relax, get a tan and ease into everything)... Discovery cove is booked for Sept 25th but apart from that I was just going to when we're there and what weather plays into our hands lol

Do you know where I can get that book? I know it's like 6 months away but it's exciting and it's an expensive holiday to work towards lol

 

[chmurf]

First of all you hve way too much things olanned for the 10 days you've mentionned

Going from SFB to your hotel will require a shuttle or taxi. It can easily cost up to $100 or more each. SFB is something like 40 or 50 miles from the themeparks area


There is no a potterland in each park at universal
Taking the HE requires a park to park ticket. You change park with this ride and it's a different ride each way

Night clubs would be at citywalk or downtown orlando. Nightlife is rather inexistent at downtown disney (at least for the time being)


But the most important thing is that you're trying to cram too much in a short period of time, especially as you're offsite and might not have a car

 

[Dannyh1991]

We have already booked transfers with Thomson from the airport to the hotel

As the hotel is on international drive I was under the impression that most hotels run shuttle services to the parks and failing that the iTrolly runs regularly...

And although iv estimated 10 days worth potentially mentioned, we have 14 days to fit that in... Shouldn't be too bad?

 

[scoobydooby]

Hi. A good book shop will stock the Unofficial Guide, or Amazon stocks it. The thing about shuttles is they are likely to get you to the parks AFTER they open. If you want to see things with minimal lines then you want to be there before they open. This makes a huge, huge, huge difference to how much time you spend in line. My first trip was my honeymoon 17 years ago. I stayed on ID, did zero planning, arrived at the parks late and had a great time and loved it. Before I visited next I read the Unofficial Guide and planned loads. I've got to tell you the difference in my first and second experience was too huge to describe. I have now been to Orlando and the parks many, many times and I still advise planning. Have you paid for your hotel? You might find it much easier to stay on site at Disney and use their transportation and just take a few taxis for your off site days. You will love Discovery Cove. It's a beautiful park. I am happy to answer endless questions but the best advice I can give you in my opinion is to read that book. Remember as well if you are staying off site you can book fast pass plus for Disney park attractions 30 days in advance. You should do this. That means planning your park days in advance. Happy planning. Read the book

 

[chmurf]

As the hotel is on international drive I was under the impression that most hotels run shuttle services to the parks and failing that the iTrolly runs regularly...

You mentionned you stay at the Avanti
this hotel runs 3 shuttle per day to Disneyworld.
They start at 8:10 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:40 AM

The shuttle will drop you off at EPCOT's entrance. From there you will need to take a disney transportation to any of the other 3 disney main parks.
This will add something between 20 and 45 minutes to your shuttle time. Meaning that if you take the earliest shuttle for an Animal Kingdom day at 8:10 AM, you're likely not to get to the gates before 9:30 AM at best

Then you'll need to go back to EPCOT to catch the shuttle back to the hotel.
they start at 5:15 PM, 8:30 PM, 9:45 PM
this most likely means no nighttime fireworks or show, or you'll need to take a taxi back to your hotel.
Shuttles are on a first come first serve basis with limited availability. You need to book your shuttle the day before at the concierge. You'll arrive late from SFB, so you might have a hard time getting an early shuttle for your first park day.


If you're taking the I-Trolley, it will only get you as far as Seaworld, you'd then need to take Lynx 50 to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs, or TTC, and then a Disney Transportation to a Disney Hotel, and then another Disney Transportation to your park for the day. Total travel time around 90 minutes each way, every day.

Shuttles to universal run more often, but if you want to go to seaworld you need to go to universal first (might as well take the I-trolley then, granted you don't have to change buses.

The I-trolley won't take you to universal either. At best you'll have one mile to walk from the bus stop to Citywalk.

And although iv estimated 10 days worth potentially mentioned, we have 14 days to fit that in... Shouldn't be too bad?

with the new Diagon Alley and recent updates and enhancements, Universal is a 3 days resort minimum, especially if you don't have express.
you mentionned HHN so I'll add one day (with blizzard beach the next morning as a cool off day)
Discovery Cove is a full day park
Magic Kingdom should be given 2 days
Animal Kingdon, Hollywood Studios, Seaworld, 1 day each
I didn't see a mention of EPCOT, I'd definitely not skip that one, add at least 1.5 days
shopping and shooting might take another day
I'd definitely add a MNSSHP party at MK, so I'd factor in an additional day (slow day to recover)

I'm already at 13 days on a quite tight schedule. And that's a tight schedule for a rope droper, onsiter. But you won't have much park time each day. You'll spend loads of time on transportation. So I'd add at least 3 or 4 days to do what you plan to do so far (to a total of16 to 17 days), just to make up for lost time on transportation and no onsite perk

14 days is a good length of stay for 2 resorts onsite, like WDW and Universal. But when you add DC and SW + shopping + other things and staying offsite, you don't have enough time to do it all properly

but that's just my own opinion. You might do that (but you'll be running between transports, and fuming onboard those transports)

 

[MsHook]

Ok, this is going to be a long one. Apologies in advance but hopefully this should be helpful advice. I'm 26 & my bf is 27 and we've gone 3 times since 2010 from the UK. All around September - November time. I only had a car the last time we went in 2013. I waited until I turned 25. The first two trips were completely on buses. I've also been out in Orlando a few times during these years with my parents so it's safe to say I've been every year since 2010.

I know September time generally means hurricane season but this doesn't seem to stop people booking and a lot of reviews on here say it's still fine... I remember when I went in May/June 10 years ago we still had various days and moments of mid afternoon rain which doesn't last long.

September is part of hurricane season but it's completely fine. Worst thing that happened to us was that our plane had to fly around one on the way into Orlando. Not as scary as it sounds. It will rain a lot but it's pretty warm rain compared to the UK. Pretty refreshing considering it's really hot. And you're correct - it doesn't last long.

On Disneys website for the park times, when I fast forward the calendar to September (avoiding the Disney halloween nights) it has no mention of the "Wishes" fireworks display, will this be updated in the future? I remember this being the best experience of Disney and it would be disappointing to miss...

It should be updated in the future - we've always been able to see Wishes on non party nights in September when we've visited. Check closer to the time.

How does Universal work now with Harry Potter land, it sounds like this takes up a lot of people's day and I don't quite understand how the train works? Does it just take you from the back of IoA to the back of Universal?... Is there separate harry Potter lands in Universal as IoA?.... Last time I went with family they didn't have this but we went Universal one day and then IoA on a separate day?...

In IOA - Harry Potter Hogsmeade is in between Jurassic Park and the lost continent. This includes Hogwarts castle. In Universal - Harry Potter Diagon Alley & London is where Jaws used to be. Harry Potter IOA & Harry Potter Universal are only joined by the Hogwarts Express train. You queue up from either end and it transports you to the other park. You walk off the train into either side of Harry Potter world. This is a must do if you're a big HP fan. Unfortunately this means you need a park to park ticket instead of a single park ticket which is the kind of ticket it sounds like you had last time you visited. More expensive - very clever universal!

It depends on how much of a fan of HP you are when figuring out how much of the day it will suck up. Big fan? Lots of time needed as there are lots of little details everywhere.

Also how do you get tickets for a halloween horror night at Universal? Iv heard this is amazing and this year is the 25th anniversary....

HHN is awesome. We're going again this year for the third time. You get tickets through the universal website when they are released later this year. Depending on how much money you want to spend, you have a few different options. Prices are different for which night you go on. Fri & Sat are more expensive than Thurs and Sun.

If you are planning on going to only this event that day then it will cost around $100 each. That and you will have to wait outside the gates to be let in when the event begins.
But if you go to the park that day and stay for the party it is much lower cost (between $45 - $75 depending on the night). Plus you can buy it at the park the same day (as long as it doesn't sell out). This is what my boyfriend and I do. Because not only do you pay less, you get put in a holding area in the park and usually get let into the houses before the people waiting outside the park gates.

This has allowed us to not need to buy an express pass to use for the evening. We've never had any problems getting through all the houses in one night. Take a look at the link below for last years information and keep an eye out as info for this year will be released during the summer.

http://universal.wdwinfo.com/univer...orror-nights-24-event-and-ticket-information/

Hoping to visit a couple night clubs while there, would anybody be able to recommend any? Iv heard downtown disney is the best place for this? Maybe more Rnb orientated maybe.

Not sure if any clubs in Downtown disney are affected by the construction there this year but definitely research before you go. Looks like you're also near City Walk at universal so that's also an option. Can't recommend any club in particular as we don't go to any when we come. Way too tired for that!

I don't have car rental so will be the iTrolly to get up and down lol but I may be looking to get a car for a couple days at some point to visit shops etc... I understand the surcharge for being under 25...
Also, in the UK we can scrap the paper part of our licence after June or July I believe? How does this affect giving licence in USA?

Not sure about the paper bit of license - I need to look into that myself. Looks like your resort offers shuttle buses so that's good. It's a shame it only goes to Epcot at Disney but it's not the end of the world. You can get the monorail to the Ticket centre and get to other parks by resort bus.

As a backup to your shuttle, you can always take a lynx bus if you want to be more flexible with the times you leave. Remember the trolley only covers International drive. We only took Lynx buses and the trolley everywhere the first time we went as our hotel didn't have shuttles. We were fine.

Where are people's favorite places to go shopping? I know tge girlfriend wants Michael Kors handbags and I want NFL jerseys lol along with designer clothes.

We usually go to the Premium outlets - those are further north on I drive. But then I only do this on holidays with my parents.We don't normally have enough time on my bf & I's trips here.

We are there for 14 days and have kinda condensed what we want to do, not set every day in concrete, still leaving time for variation if we change our mind while we're there, I keep joking with her that there's a hooters over the road to watch nfl the day we land and a Golds Gym around the corner aha

My bf is a NFL fan too. I actually sat with him in the ESPN bar at Disney's Boardwalk (resort near Epcot) so he could watch. Good girlfriend or what?

Water-
Disney Blizzard beach
Discovery Cove - Swim with Dolphins

Theme Parks-
Disney Magical Kingdom
Universal studios
Islands of Advententure
Disney Animal kingdom
Disney Hollywood studios (MGM)
Sea world

Other
Shooting/Gun Range
Shopping & more shopping
Halloween night @ Universal

Maybe 10 days planned there out of 14?

Ok for those that are saying this is a lot - yes it is, but its completely do-able. You will be tired but you're both young! I've done it and we're still doing it. To be honest, you're doing less than what we usually do, lol! We're mental.

Btw, is there any reason you left epcot out? If you guys like other cultures then theres nothing better than having a wander around the world showcase - with a cheeky margarita from Mexico! plus the food & wine festival is on that time of the year and it's great for foodies - or drinkers.

What I would advise though is that you should at least plan vaguely where you're going each day. Don't leave it too up in the air - at least when considering the parks. This is so that you don't tire yourself out. My bf thought I was a bit of a nutter for doing this but I looked online beforehand to see when the quieter days were for each park and planned accordingly. He quickly changed his mind when we were walking straight on rides in the Magic Kingdom on our first trip. A cast member even commented that we had picked an amazing day and we never looked back.

When we go, we've got a park pretty much everyday and only leave about 3 days off not including travel days. Those are the days we swim, play mini golf, shop etc. So we plan wisely when those days off are so they are evenly spread out. We leave them open though and pick what we feel like doing that day. Just looking at what you want to do, you need to make sure your club night isn't the day before you have a big park day etc.

For example - a sample day plan (no idea about your dates so literally just an example based on your chosen activities based on 14 full days)


Day 1 Disney Magic Kingdom

Day 2 Seaworld

Day 3 Shopping & Clubbing

Day 4 Recover!

Day 5 Universal/IOA – HHN

Day 6 Recover

Day 7 Hollywood Studios

Day 8 Blizzard beach - the lazy river is awesome if you're tired.

Day 9 (Epcot)

Day 10 Shooting/gun range

Day 11 Discovery cove

Day 12 shopping

Day 13 Disney Animal kingdom

Day 14 universal/IOA

Non park days can totally be switched around on the day in terms of activities. For park days, you have to do a little bit of research to take into account things like the magic kingdom halloween parties that are going on, the other hhn nights you won't be attending etc. Otherwise you'll find yourself in MK on a party night and you have to leave at 7pm or Universal on a HHN night and you have to leave at 5pm. Not good if you've paid to enjoy that park.

Basically my advice is to plan which days you're going to which park and then let all the other activities fall around it naturally. You shouldn't be an itinerary maniac but you can't just go with the flow either on these holidays otherwise you'll miss out.

We have tickets for more but we're thinking it's best to just go with an open mind rather than a fully planned itinerary, look at weather reports to judge days and just relax and enjoy being there, if we squeeze more trips in then bonus

Lastly, if you don't know about the new Fastpass system at Disney, I suggest you look it up. I'm personally not a fan, but I just go with it.

Hope this has helped and you guys have an amazing time!

 

[canadiankim]

Search the Disboards Transportation page as you might find an American car rental agency that will not have the higher charge for under 25 driver. It would be great if you can do the car rental as it will allow you more time at the park BUT and it's a big but you will then have to pay for parking and at between $13 - $18 per day to park that soon adds up!

Remember when planning your days, use Discovery Cove more as a 'rest' day. It's a full day and you will be tired at the end but it's a 'good' tired not a totally exhausted tired.

Your young, do what you want and if you miss something - so what, it gives you an excuse to go again!