Newbie here! Visiting Disneyworld this week and looking for tips!

[bloozenator]

I'm going to Orlando for a convention this week and I'm taking my wife along to visit Disneyworld and Universal. We're older adults (late 40's, early 50's) and wanted to get some suggestions as to what we would enjoy.

1. We're staying 7 days and want to visit both Disneyworld and Universal. We're staying at a WDW resort. We're arriving on Thursday around noon, and will be visiting attractions Thursday afternoon, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'll be attending the convention the following Monday-Wednesday from morning to afternoon so will not be visiting any attraction at those times but will be able to visit from evening to night. We're flying out on Thursday morning.

2. We're also Harry Potter fans and plan to visit Universal for one or two days. I'm considering booking a night at a Universal resort to get the early admission.

3. We're not that big on rides and my wife has back problems so anything like roller coasters are out. Are there any rides worth doing under these circumstances?

4. I've been to WDW 20 years ago and my wife has never been. Is it worth doing the Hopper considering I won't be able to go from Monday-Wednesday during the day?

5. Being older and not able to do some rides, should we concentrate our time on Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studio or are there attractions at Magic Kingdom still worth checking out?

6. We don't want to spend a fortune on food, we're not very picky eaters and fast food is fine. We might want to do a sit down restaurant here or there. Are there fast food places we can just pick up and go?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Southernmiss]

Since you are staying on Disney property, I would suggest Universal on Friday. With express pass at Universal and your interest in limited rides, you could see both Universal parks in one day. Because of Potter, you would want to be able to move between the 2 parks to see it all.

Are there must dos for you at Disney? This would help you plan.

I would not skip Magic Kingdom. To me Magic Kingdom makes Disneyworld, Disneyworld. I haven't arrived at Disneyworld until I've been to see the castle and soak up the atmosphere of MK.

I would look at the park hours for the time you will be there and plan parks based on the hours you could be in the parks. Maybe do Magic Kingdom or Epcot on your arrival day. These are the 2 biggest parks. For us Magic Kingdom and Epcot are all day parks. Dhs and Animal kingdom are not. Then Epcot or MK on Sunday. If you see all you want and it's still early, hop over to another park. You can buy park hoppers at the park, if you decide you need them.

We prefer park hoppers in case a park is too crowded or there are evening extra magic hours we'd like to do.

We find plenty of counterservice food to eat and are ok with that. Look at allears.com for menus and restaurants to help you.

 

[tstidm1]

I'm going to Orlando for a convention this week and I'm taking my wife along to visit Disneyworld and Universal. We're older adults (late 40's, early 50's) and wanted to get some suggestions as to what we would enjoy.

1. We're staying 7 days and want to visit both Disneyworld and Universal. We're staying at a WDW resort. We're arriving on Thursday around noon, and will be visiting attractions Thursday afternoon, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'll be attending the convention the following Monday-Wednesday from morning to afternoon so will not be visiting any attraction at those times but will be able to visit from evening to night. We're flying out on Thursday morning.

2. We're also Harry Potter fans and plan to visit Universal for one or two days. I'm considering booking a night at a Universal resort to get the early admission.

3. We're not that big on rides and my wife has back problems so anything like roller coasters are out. Are there any rides worth doing under these circumstances?

4. I've been to WDW 20 years ago and my wife has never been. Is it worth doing the Hopper considering I won't be able to go from Monday-Wednesday during the day?

5. Being older and not able to do some rides, should we concentrate our time on Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studio or are there attractions at Magic Kingdom still worth checking out?

6. We don't want to spend a fortune on food, we're not very picky eaters and fast food is fine. We might want to do a sit down restaurant here or there. Are there fast food places we can just pick up and go?

Thanks for any suggestions!

2. With being there only one or two days at Universal, I would consider doing getting a room at Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific or Hard Rock Hotels to get EP especially with it being two folks instead of Single. You won't be able to use Express Pass on the Potter rides. What it will save you time is at other rides at UOR.

3. It depends on your tastes because whether something is worth the time is subjective. What I suggest is looking at as many non-Roller Coaster descriptions in the Unofficial Guide to WDW as possible and decide for yourself.

4. With having four full days and the construction, it would be worth the time for a Park Hopper. I would use the Tuesday- Thursday timeframe to see the Night Time shows. Use Full Days for UOR and MK.

5. If time works, Do Magic Kingdom. They have a lot of non-Roller Coasters. There is about a dozen attractions/rides off the top of my head there that could suit you.

6. The Fast Food places are called Counter Service. You will find a lot of the same things there (Burgers, Fries, Pi. I suggest doing a sit down meal a day if you can. Here's the menu link: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm. Ask on the Restaurant

 

[Tomh]

I'm going to Orlando for a convention this week and I'm taking my wife along to visit Disneyworld and Universal. We're older adults (late 40's, early 50's) and wanted to get some suggestions as to what we would enjoy.

1. We're staying 7 days and want to visit both Disneyworld and Universal. We're staying at a WDW resort. We're arriving on Thursday around noon, and will be visiting attractions Thursday afternoon, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'll be attending the convention the following Monday-Wednesday from morning to afternoon so will not be visiting any attraction at those times but will be able to visit from evening to night. We're flying out on Thursday morning.

2. We're also Harry Potter fans and plan to visit Universal for one or two days. I'm considering booking a night at a Universal resort to get the early admission.

3. We're not that big on rides and my wife has back problems so anything like roller coasters are out. Are there any rides worth doing under these circumstances?

4. I've been to WDW 20 years ago and my wife has never been. Is it worth doing the Hopper considering I won't be able to go from Monday-Wednesday during the day?

5. Being older and not able to do some rides, should we concentrate our time on Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studio or are there attractions at Magic Kingdom still worth checking out?

6. We don't want to spend a fortune on food, we're not very picky eaters and fast food is fine. We might want to do a sit down restaurant here or there. Are there fast food places we can just pick up and go?

Thanks for any suggestions!

I have back problems as well, I still do some of the coasters, but I have a pretty good idea of what is safe and what is not.

In Magic Kingdom, you should have no problems with Buzz Lightyear, the Wedway Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pans Flight, Ariels Undersea Adventure, Small World, Philharmagic, Winne the Pooh has some bouncing around . . it isn't violent, and doesn't bother me, but if her back is really bad you might want to skip it. The Libery Belle riverboat is calm, Hall of Presidents and Country Bear Jamboree are shows, the Tiki Room is also a show, Jungle Cruise should be ok. Pirates of the Caribbean has one smallish drop like a log flume, rest of it is calm and smooth with the possible exception of the boats bumping into each other at the end of the ride.

In Hollywood Studios, honestly you can see the Little Mermaid show, Indiana Jones show, should be ok to ride Toy Story Mania, and the Great Movie Ride. You could also see Beauty and the Beast, and Fantasmic. I don't think there is a whole lot of anything else left in that part that wouldn't be bad on her back.

AK I would say be ware of the safari. It usually doesn't bother me, but it does bounce around, sometimes a lot. One year I could barely get up and walk at the end of it. Probably also want to avoid the river raft, Everest, Dinosaur. Flights of wonder is a great show, as is Festival of the Lion King. Honestly, I would go to Animal Kingdom just for those two shows, plus there is plenty to see walking around the park, and lots of food to try.

Epcot may well be your favorite park. Elen's Energy Adventure is fine, as is spaceship earth. Living with the land, Soarin, Journey into Imagination, The Seas with Nemo, the Three Caballeros should all be ok to ride. World showcase is full of wonderful shops, and entertainment, and food. I can easily waste several afternoons wandering there, plus Illuminations is awesome.

There are plenty of fast food places in Disney World. You can find complete menus with pricing right here on the DIS http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningmain.cfm Some of my favorite fast food places are:

MK Columbia Harbor House (mostly seafood and sandwiches) and Cosmic Rays
AK Anandapur Local Markets, and Flame Tree BBQ
Hollywood Studios ABC Commissary, and the outdoor markets near Tower of Terror
Epcot Lotus Blossom in China, Quick service in Japan (forgot the name) Yorkshire County Fish shop in UK

With many of your days being just evenings, I don't think the hopper would be a wise use of your money. I would say get your tickets now, and schedule FP+ for some of the more popular attractions like Soarin' so that you don't have to wait in long lines.

I would say AK, and HS you could probably do just in the evening. MK and Epcot I would think you would want to spend the whole day there.

I don't know a LOT about Universal, but from what I understand, it leans more toward thrill rides, so you might find that one day with a two park ticket would be enough for you there.

 

[bloozenator]

Some great advice, gonna take me a bit of time to read up on the attractions suggested but this points me in the right direction! Thank you!