Hello from newbies! any advice welcome!

[eastbournelads]

Hi all! well it was 2003 when we first went to florida had a villa in spring hills just before our 30ths! shared with my parents (saga louts)and my brother and his wife!! thought it would be a disaster but we loved it!!

Anyway weve had a break from holidays for 18 months, last one was seoul, japan and dubai this year we're heading back stateside!!

Just wanted some advice really!! Were spending 3 days in washington dc then 10 in orlando (Grand Hyatt Cypress)then onto new york for 4 nights in the crowne plaza times square.

I'm a huge coaster buff, my long suffering partner spent most of the japan and seoul trip 'holding coats etc' whilst i hurled myself down 300ft 90mph monsters in tokyo! Anyway! Weve tentatively booked the grand cypress hyatt as we didnt want to be too near the parks but near enough to spend 3/4 days at universal (never been to islands of adventure!) and a couple od days at Hollywood (used to be Mgm?) studios and probably a day at the animal kingdon.

Are we staying too out of the way to make it workable? And we're not sure whether to hire a car or get cabs / shuttles from hotel! Would rather get fastpassess for universal (universal in japan BTW has queue times of up to 5 hours per attraction!!) and probably just late entry tickets to disney etc

Sorry am waffling!

We're both dead excited!! We may change the hotel to a universal one for the first four days but the cost is huge!!

If anyones got any experience or can help would be really chuffed! Also if any of you are staying at the grand cypress from 26/8 till 4/9 and fancy a bevvy give us a shout!! We're both quire normal.......er....love a bevvy and laugh!!

Happy travels peeps

Chris & Ian!

 

[dougsmom98]

If this is the hotel you are staying at http://www.grandcypress.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp, it says that it is at Exit 68 off I-4. Many Disney exits are between exits 62-64 off I-4, so that is only 4-6 miles away. The Universal exit is 75A. So, I think you are pretty central to both areas. I personally would rent a car so you have more flexibility.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Jfstorm]

Grand Cypress is great for Sea World, but only so-so for Disney and Universal. Depending on when you are here (i'll assume summer for maximum effectiveness) i'd get a hotel very close to Universal for 2 nights and get in 3 days worth of Universal/IOA as a universal hotel guest. the front of line access is well worth the little bit extra the on site hotel will cost you. they have the best coasters in the one concentrated area. You might also want to take advantage of onsite for WDW also if you can get a good rate for your visit, as in summer the best ones run out of FP's very quickly; and space Mountain will be GONZO after being closed most of last year for a refurb. RRCoaster and Everest are the 2 best Disney coasters for thrill seakers though. My ratings for the area;
1. Sheikra (absolutely awesome; and worth a day trip to Busch Gardens by itself; but they have 4 really good coasters in all)
2. Hulk (uNIVERSAL)
3. the artist formerly known as Dueling Dragons (if its open)
4. The Mummy (havnt ridden HRRR; but it looks like it would be a tie w/ mummy)
5. RnR coaster (mgm)
6. Everest (ak)
7. Krakken (Sea world)
8. Space Mountain (may be better now)
9. Manta (new @ sea world)
10. Montu (Busch Gardens)

 

[eastbournelads]

we're thinking of changing to one of the universal resorts for a couple of nights!!

cant wait personally! any ideas what the queues are like in august?

cheers

cj
x

 

[Metro West]

we're thinking of changing to one of the universal resorts for a couple of nights!!

cant wait personally! any ideas what the queues are like in august?

cheers

cj
x

I think you would be wise to stay at Universal for at least one night. Being an onsite guest, you would receive unlimited Express access and with Harry Potter opening this spring, the lines will be quite long...for quite a while. Go to the Universal hotels board and ask any specific questions about the three onsite properties. AND...if you were planning on visiting Sea World, there are free shuttles to and from the Universal hotels to Sea World.

 

[kathy884]

I think you'll have a great time on this Orlando area trip. Whatever parks you choose, you'll have some fun coasters to try. There is a lot of variety, and one of the other posters gave you a great list that I pretty much agree with. I'd rank the Manta, though, the new one at Sea World quite a bit higher on the list. I thought riding on your stomach and the sensation you get at the beginning of the ride when they position you to go on a big loop backwards on your stomach was awesome.

This is probably off topic, but I'm a roller coaster enthusiast myself and couldn't resist mentioning my favorite place to go for a roller coaster fix (Cedar Point) in Sandusky, OH (http://www.cedarpoint.com/index.cfm). They have 17 coasters in all, tons of great ones there. My all time favorite two are at this park: the Top Thrill Dragster and the Millennium Force. I like these better than any of the coasters in Orlando or Tampa. I'm big on super fast and smooth (that's my favorite kind of coaster). The Shrikra at Busch in Tampa sort of fits in the fast and smooth category, and I liked that one a lot, and would rank it just below these two at Cedar Point when ranking my personal favorites. I'm just mentioning this in case you might do a future trip to this area of the US sometime. Cedar Point is a seasonal park, though. I've found early June midweek the best time to go. Sometimes people when doing a trip here (if it's more than a mini trip) will do three nights at Cedar Point (for two days at the park), three night at Niagra Falls, and maybe do a mini trip to Toronto, Canada too. And coaster enthusiasts sometimes will check out Kings Island, also in Ohio (another amusement park owned by Cedar Fair) a few hours away from Cedar Point as part of their trip. They get a Cedar Fair season pass and hit these each.

Happy travels. Post a report after your trip letting us know what coasters you did and what your favorites were.

20 Trips to the Orlando/Disney area with # 21 coming up // The boards, though, say I’m just earning my ears.
• March 1971 – KOA closest to Disney (camping)
• March 1972 – Jellystone Park (camping)
• March 1974 – Outdoor Resorts of America (camping)
• Dec. 1974 – Outdoor Resorts of American (camping)
• March 1975 – Outdoor Resorts of America (camping)
• Dec. 1975 – Fort Wilderness (camping)
• Dec. 1976 – Fort Wilderness (camping)
• Dec 1977 -- Outdoor Resorts of America (camping)
• Dec . 1986 – Marriott Royal Palms (condo by Marriott World Center)
• May 1993 – Disney Contemporary (Garden Wing) (hotel)
• Dec .1994 – Polynesian Isles (condo)
• May 1999 – Disney Contemporary (Main Building with high floor and Magic Kingdom view) (hotel)
• Dec. 2001 – Cypress Pointe (condo)
• March 2003 – Sheraton Vistana – Cascades section (condo)
• March 2004 – Sheraton Vistana – Cascades section (condo)
• Dec. 2004 -- Cypress Pointe (condo)
• June 2006 – Actually at my cousin’s condo (permanent residence) in Tampa (do day trips count?? – This was a chance to really explore Busch Gardens too.)
• June 2007 – Cypress Point Grandvillas (condo), Disney -- Port Orleans Riverside (hotel), and Sheraton Vistana – Fountains section (condo) – stayed three different places on this trip.
• Dec. 2008 – Sheraton Vistana Resort (remodeled Fountains section) (condo)
• Oct. 2009 – Hilton Garden Inn Seaworld (hotel)
(Will be going again March 2010 – staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Seaworld again)

 

[eastbournelads]

Okay so we're now! 5 nights at hard rock universal then 5 at grand hyatt cypress!! so will get some r&r!!

Cant wait!!! new york afters!!!

anyone up for a bevvy give us a shout!!! anyone up keeping me company on the coasters also gimme a nod!!

Chris!