So many questions!

[Rosie]

First trip to Orlando begins 9th April 2005. Me, kids 8 and 9 and spouse staying in villa in kissimmee. What time does it get dark there? Is it really possible to visit more than one Disney park in a day? What is the best time of day to do the Dolphin swim at Discovery Cove? Are grocery stores open 24/7? Are the mosquitoes active all year round? Has anyone visited Disney wilderness preserve? Has anyone done the buggy ride at Disney wilderness preserve?
I'd really appreciate some information - I can think of nothing else at the moment and don't know anyone who has visited in the last ten years!

 

[AndRu]

Welcome to the boards - you're in the right place for information I'll start with the things I know (or found) and I'm sure others will fill in the rest.

Looking here shows us that on April the 9th 2004 the sun rose at 07:05 and set at 19:47 with high temperature of 85 degrees. Nice time to go! Of course you can't guarantee weather but the sun rise/set times should be pretty much the same year in, year out.

Discovery Cove This really is an all day thing. You have to book well in advance and its not cheap as they only allow a set number of vistors in on any given day, I think the max is around 1000. Last time we went it would've cost >£500 for a single day in DC for 6 of us and although we would have liked to have done it, we couldn't justify the cost. So if you are going to do DC you really must make a full day out of the experience!

Disney Parks, more than one in a day? Well, not really. The parks are so big, varied and spread out that you'd miss so much and that would be such a shame. Depending on the tickets you buy for Disney, either the Hopper or the new 'Own Way' versions, you can move between parks on the same day. However, to do each park justice you really have to give it a full day there, in all honesty, it would be difficult to do everything each park has to offer in two full days. Personally, what we tend to do is have a full day at a park and then use the 'hopping' facility to cross into another park for the late parades/firework shows. For example, spend all day at Animal Kingdom and then hop to one of the others for the late shows at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT or MGM. You might also be able to catch a couple of rides before the firework shows begin. Use the park hopping facility where you can but make the most of your full days at the Disney parks, you'll need them!

About the best information I could find on mosquitoes was here. (I love Google!) It doesn't tell us the season but it says their not breeding well at the moment!

Supermarkets. Last time we were there we used a couple of Publix supermarkets on the 192 and Highway 27, both of these closed (if memory serves me correctly) at 22:00. No doubt there are some 24 hour supermarkets (especially in the Kissemme area), hopefully someone who's stayed there will be able to confirm this.

I hope these replies are usefull and that others can fill in the blanks and/or correct my mistakes! I really can recommend a copy of Simon V's excellent book A Brits Guide To Orlando as this is a veritable gold mine of information to help you plan your trip.

Good luck - and have fun!

 

[Celestine]

Re: supermarkets, the walmart on 192 was 24 hour - and so big it was almost a day trip in itself! DH went at 4am (jet lag first morning) to buy 2 way radios & had no probs - even found a knowledgable shop assistant to help him choose!

I personally haven't done discovery cove, but read some where it's good to get an early dolphin swim because:
a) the dolphins aren't so bored
b) if the weather turns bad later in the day, you've had your swim
c) if the weather is bad and your swim is cancelled/postponed you have more chance of a reschedule as it's early in the day

You can't complete more than one disney park in a day (often you can't even complete one!), but you can hop between parks to make the most of park hours, special events etc., especially useful if for e.g. spectromagic is not on every night on fantasmic is cancelled because of the weather.

 

[stubb]

hi

re supermarkets at christmas we used super target very similar to our tescos and bonus being no hugh queues at the till.We found the queues very bad at walmart. We used the one at kissimmee as we own a condo there.

re 2 parks we enjoy epcot/mgm you can go on the boat just check the fire work times so that you park in the right one.This year we stpped at beaches and cream and ordered a kitchen sink a hugh bowl of various ice creams with cream and cherries.

I can assure you that you will keeping checking this site its adictive and all your questions wil be answered.

michelle

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Not sure about 24 hour Supermarkets but I know that Publix opens at 07:00
even on Sundays.

As for Disney you need at least a full day around each. However, you will change your approach the more you visit. A 'park hopper' ticket is useful because you could visit Magic Kingdom in the morning have a few hours break and then say go to MGM in the evening.

There is lots of great advice on these boards, although everyone has their own different approach - just do what suits you best.

 

[KayleeUK]

Hi Rosie and Welcome to the DIS

 

[Camac]

HI rosie,

AndRu is right - Discovery Cove is expensive and it is a full-day experience but it is well worth the money and it a wonderful break from the parks.

We arrived there at 8.30am and left at 5.30pm (so got full value for our money!). We swam at 11am which we judged to be exactly right - enough time to explore the place first, the swim etc took us to 12.00 which was just the right time to dry off and have lunch and reflect on our swim.

The afternoon we spent just watching the dolphins and other people's swims and snorkling in the reef.

Enjoy.

Camac

 

[natalielongstaff]

welcome to the dis rosie,enjoy the planning ! my dh says i am planning mad

 

[cheryl.UK]

11 am sounds about right to me also. We had the first dolphin swim of the day and I'm not sure that that was the best idea. The dolphins were a little unsure of all these people suddenly in their pool. It took them quite a while to calm down and let us touch them. Other people later in the day seemed to have longer.

 

[luvtinkerbell]

First trip to Orlando begins 9th April 2005. Me, kids 8 and 9 and spouse staying in villa in kissimmee. What time does it get dark there? Is it really possible to visit more than one Disney park in a day? What is the best time of day to do the Dolphin swim at Discovery Cove? Are grocery stores open 24/7? Are the mosquitoes active all year round? Has anyone visited Disney wilderness preserve? Has anyone done the buggy ride at Disney wilderness preserve?
I'd really appreciate some information - I can think of nothing else at the moment and don't know anyone who has visited in the last ten years!

welcome to the boards im sure you ll have a great time on your 1st of many trips once youve been youll get the bug

 

[Miffy2003]

Welcome to the boards, Rosie

 

[Rosie]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who enjoys the anticipation of new places and experiences as much as the events themselves. I have just about every guidebook going but nothing beats hearing a range of viewpoints. My kids are nowhere near as excited as I am about Orlando - travel is just so mainstream now. My spouse is too busy paying for it all and likes to take it as it comes. I can see I may be spending a lot of time doing this!