Looking for Advice on Planning our Trip

[peteywarren0829]

It looks like we are going to try to do an Orlando trip from May 30-June 6th. During our stay we want to spend 2 days at Magic Kingdom and 1 day apiece for the other parks. We also want to spend 1 day at the Universal Studios parks: we all want to do the Harry Potter experience.

So here are my questions.

1: I contacted Dreams Unlimited, and they basically told be that they can only help me book the stay at Disney; I could contact someone else at Dreams for Universal Tickets and they could not help with a flight. That much is okay; I'll use them to book what they offer. Who would you recommend using to book our flights? I have never done this before, so I am open to all suggestions.

2: Are there enough dining options for us off-park? I have the feeling that nearly anywhere we eat in Orlando is going to be expensive, but will there be places on property to feed my family without much worry for the days I am not going into the parks?

3: How useful is Disney's Car Rental service? Since we are not really planning on visiting a lot of Orlando (we might try to fit in Sea World, but that's doubtful), I really don't see the need to rent a car with my flight for the 8 days we will be there. However, I also plan on early starts, so I don't want to spend too much time trying to get a car.

We are planning on getting Memory Maker, and are on the fence about a Dining Plan, but any extra advice is welcome. Thank you all in advance for your help!

 

[Alesia]

1. book directly through the airline. Do not book through a third party site.

2. Yes, there are plenty of restaurants in Orlando.

3. I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. Disney doesn't have a car rental service, but there are a couple of car rental agencies onsite. I'm confused by what you mean when you say, "I also plan on early starts, so I don't want to spend too much time trying to get a car."

 

[auntiemare]

1. I would book directly through an airline.

2. Yes there are plenty of places to eat in the Orlando area but Disney Dining is amazing and worth it! I am sure we can find a thread that has restaurant choices for you.

3. I don't believe Disney has a car rental service but they have buses that take you from the hotels to the parks, etc. Depending on where you stay on Disney property, there may be a ferry boat. There is a Disney service that will pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel to avoid getting a rental car. SO as long as you are ONLY doing Disney, you would have transportation the entire time you are there throughout all of Disney Property. If you were going to spend a day at Universal, then you would only need to figure out the transportation for that day. Maybe a taxi?

Hope this helps.

 

[GAN]

For universal transport:

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/universal/

I believe it is still available but I've never used it. are you staying on Disney property? If not, it probably doesn't apply.