US/IOA, SeaWorld & KSC itinerary suggestions pls

[klam_chowder]

In what order would you see Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld (not including Discovery Cove) and the Kennedy Space Center?

How much time would you allow for each?

DH & I have never been to any of these and instead of going to WDW on our next trip to FL, we would like to see these. We will have 4 full days and a half travel days on both sides: Tues Dec 22 (half), Wed-Sat Dec 23-26 (full days), Sun Dec 27 (half). We will be driving up from Ft. Lauderdale and flying out of MCO on our travel days.

KSC is not open on Christmas. Any suggestions on which days for which park to "minimize" the crowds? I know it will be busy because of the holiday/Xmas break. Does US/IOA/SW get as crazy-busy as WDW?

Thx for any input!

cheers,

 

[Darcy03231]

Since you'll be there during peak time, all the parks with be busy. We've been during peak time in the summer, but had 16 days. We spent 2 days at Seaworld, but we could have done it in a day and a half. We saw some of the shows twice and the kids did multiple rides on Krakken and Journey to Atlantis. We also took our time over lunch and dinner. We spent 7 days between Universal and Islands of Adventure. We really took our time here and re-did a lot of stuff. Realistically, without FOTL we could have seen/done everything in 2.5-3 days. Because of the drive we only spent one day at the Kennedy Space Center. I would have liked to have had another day there, but I was outvoted (we went to the beach instead). Since you only have 4.5 days I would do one day at US, one at IOA, one at SeaWorld and one at Kennedy Space Center and then take the half day and go back to whichever one you liked the best.

 

[macraven]

are you staying on site at universal?

if not, be prepared for long waits in the park.
peak time is very crowded at all places from dec 25th to jan 1 at the darkside.

yea, it is crazy just like the motherland will be.

if you could state what type of entertainment you like best, might make it easier for us to tell you how much time to spend at each place.

you have 4 full entertainment days plus the 2 half days besides your travel.
if this is the first time for you to do sites in florida, i'm sure you would want to see the highlights of everything on your list.

if you had more time available, i would suggest 3 days for universal and include city walk with that.

 

[klam_chowder]

Thx a mint for your help with this, Darcy03231 & macraven!

Good to hear how much can be done.

Yes, we'll stay at Universal property just for the FOTL perk. Is it worth the hassle to check-in to another hotel after US/IOA?

We like thriller rides (RnR, BTMRR, SM, EE) and Muppet 3D type shows. Love Toy Story Mania. Can't ride the spinning rides like teacups. I think we'd like to see the shows at SW and ride their new Manta.

KSC is really for DH. He loves that type of stuff; I'm saying we go there cuz it makes him happy.

On our previous 2 visits to Orlando, we'd only done WDW and didn't have a rental car.

I'm thinking maybe we'll drive from Ft. Lauderdale to KSC first so that we can return the rental car before we go to US.

cheers,

 

[Metro West]

I'm thinking maybe we'll drive from Ft. Lauderdale to KSC first so that we can return the rental car before we go to US.

That sounds like a good plan...get the driving out of the way and relax the rest of the time.

 

[macraven]

That sounds like a good plan...get the driving out of the way and relax the rest of the time.

that plan will work great for you.

 

[klam_chowder]

Any thoughts on whether SW or US/IOA will be less busy - or more able to absorb the crowds - before Xmas? on Xmas Eve? Xmas Day? after Xmas?

cheers,

 

[macraven]

my suggestion would be to do Universal before christmas.

i know you said you were staying on site and can use the perk of fotl, but when a park is crowded it can be a headache.

uo will be packed from christmas time to the end of the year.

the waits you will have in line for rides and attractions will not be long compared to the regular lines. you will be using the express lines.

the problem i see if trying to get around in the park if it is packed.
just getting from one section to another will take time.

i go solo on my trips.
when i see crowds i shutter when i get hungry.
if i do a counter service, get my food, i have to wander around to find an empty spot to sit down and eat then.

since you won't be alone, you can have your better half get a table and save it while you get food for youse guys.

i don't mind standing in long lines for the restrooms but getting food and finding a place to sit in large crowds gives me

i have no idea what type of crowds you will expect at seaworld during your dates.

generally, all parks will have crowds christmas week up to new years eve.

 

[klam_chowder]

Well, I went to book our room at at US hotel and saw the prices! I guess I am naive and didn't expect it to be quite that high.
So we will have to stay off-site and re-think this.

I lurked some threads and US's website and noticed we can buy the Express Pass. We already have park passes (all parks, all week) so cannot get the VIP EP. So the only difference is that we will only be able to go to the front of the line once per attraction, right?

Since we've never been to IOA or US, I'm thinking we will get a 1 day EP for IOA, and another 1 day EP for US. I noticed these have to be bought for a specific day. Any suggestions on which day Dec 24/25/26 would be busiest for IOA and US? I'm thinking of getting the EPs for the busiest days so that we have less wait times.

BTW, I love taking solo trips! I see so much more as DH seems to constantly want an ice cream, take a break

cheers,

 

[Metro West]

Any thoughts on whether SW or US/IOA will be less busy - or more able to absorb the crowds - before Xmas? on Xmas Eve? Xmas Day? after Xmas?

cheers,

Every resort is nuts the week after Christmas so just be ready for LONG lines and wall to wall people. I don't go near the parks that week and I stay away from the tourist areas. It scares me!

 

[macraven]

not sure what to say.


ok, stay off site.
be at the parking garage if you are driving a car at least 1.25 hours prior to park opening.

check the calendar in advance to see if the parks will open early on the days you will be there. adjust your time to be at the parking garage accordingly.

judge the crowds and see if you can do most of the park you chose first before the crowds pour in around 11.
either stay in that park and buy the epp or switch to the other park and buy the epp for that one.

the epp will save you lots of time standing in lines.

if you do IOA first and hit the main attractions without long waits, you might be able to do the secondary type of rides with a minimum wait in line.
i'm guessing at 40+ minutes for that.

if the regular lines for the smaller type of rides are longer than 40 minutes, get the epp for that park if there are more thing you want to see there.

or

switch to the other park, buy the epp for it and use it for the rides and shows.

the next day, reverse your touring schedule.
and also buy the epp for the opposite park then.


that is the best i can come up with.

like metro said, that time of the year will be packed in the parks.


my suggestion might not be the best but it is all i can think of right now.


i'm not sure what the prices are for your dates.

factor in the cost for epp for 2 for 2 days.
subtract that amount from the total cost of the room and decide if the room is more reasonable then.
you would have the hotel parking charge but then you would have the garage parking charge also.

the convenience of not having to drive to the parks and the time involved would be sweet. also the opportunity of taking breaks at the hotel during the day if the parks are open late.

if you are not driving but using taxis, include that figure for the 4 trips then.

 

[klam_chowder]

Thx again, macraven, for your expertise and feedback - much appreciated!

Definitely more for me to look into and think about

cheers,

 

[klam_chowder]

Just a quick mini-report in case posters search for this info next Christmas...like I did for this year

US/IoA has fab thrill attractions -tho some of the show rides made me a bit woozie but not too bad - the rollercoasters were amazing!! Suessland,. esp at this place has special allure. US/IoA has some pretty cool non-US/IoA merchandise: belly dancing costumes, LoTR replica swords. The US/IoA merch didn't appeal to me much only picked up a shot glass (DH's thing) and a Thing One which are so cute!

Breakfast with the Grinch was wonderful. The Grinch has the perfect balance of nasty but not so nasty he's mean. Great interaction with him and very spontaneous. He said he was more of song guy than a dancer (we were talking about him dancing) and I set him up by saying, 'why don't you sing us something?' I expected him to beg out of it, but he burst into song!! Good food, fab interaction, definitely worth it and easy to get a rez!

We spent Dec 24, 25, 26 at US/IoA. Got to see a lot on the 24th, crowds weren't too bad. I had a rough touring plan but we weren't going commando. Spent time enjoying the theming, taking snack breaks, etc. This was plenty of time to see everything and do the attractions we wanted to multiple times. We were there for 'rope drop', didn't take an afternoon break, but left sometime after 6 on the first 2 days to head back to the hotel to clean up before having dinner offsite. (Texas de Brazil and Cafe Tu Tu Tango were outstanding.) By the 26th, there wasn't a lot we wanted to do as we wandered around so ended up leaving before 3pm.

Surprisingly, Christmas Day was empty, empty until lunchtime. There were parts of the park where we were the only ones around. Unbelievable as I'd experienced WDW at Christmas before. Unfortunately, my master evil plan to buy EP on this day, was a complete waste of money. The only ride we used it for that gave us an advantage was ET, where the standby queue was 15 minutes. Many of the rides that had FP entry met up with the main line as the wait was only 5 min or walk on. The one ride that would have been great to use it on would have been Rip Ride Rocket but EPs aren't valid for that ride.

I bought EP before we left for our trip, worried that it'd be sold out on Christmas Day. Glad we didn't stay onsite tho of course the level of luxury would have been much greater. This was just an add-on to the end of our cruise, not the highlight of our vacation so I'm glad I saved some and did it the way we did. I wouldn't buy EP next time. Of course, YMMV if you're travelling with ones who take an afternoon nap, etc.

We enjoyed US/IoA and am looking fwd to WWoHP for our Dec 2010 trip. Next time we'll only buy a 1 day pass and see that and do our fave coasters/rides. The rest of our stay will be days at WDW

cheers,

 

[jenseib]

Sounds like a good trip. Which offsite hotel did you stay at?

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Everybody's different but here's what we normally do:

I like a minimum of 3 days at US/IOA, a day and a half minimum at SeaWorld (we saw all the shows and rides except for the kiddie area in this amount of time) and I suppose if you really want to go, (gee can you tell I don't enjoy it?) a day at KSC.

 

[macraven]

Just a quick mini-report in case posters search for this info next Christmas...like I did for this year

US/IoA has fab thrill attractions -tho some of the show rides made me a bit woozie but not too bad - the rollercoasters were amazing!! Suessland,. esp at this place has special allure. US/IoA has some pretty cool non-US/IoA merchandise: belly dancing costumes, LoTR replica swords. The US/IoA merch didn't appeal to me much only picked up a shot glass (DH's thing) and a Thing One which are so cute!

Breakfast with the Grinch was wonderful. The Grinch has the perfect balance of nasty but not so nasty he's mean. Great interaction with him and very spontaneous. He said he was more of song guy than a dancer (we were talking about him dancing) and I set him up by saying, 'why don't you sing us something?' I expected him to beg out of it, but he burst into song!! Good food, fab interaction, definitely worth it and easy to get a rez!

We spent Dec 24, 25, 26 at US/IoA. Got to see a lot on the 24th, crowds weren't too bad. I had a rough touring plan but we weren't going commando. Spent time enjoying the theming, taking snack breaks, etc. This was plenty of time to see everything and do the attractions we wanted to multiple times. We were there for 'rope drop', didn't take an afternoon break, but left sometime after 6 on the first 2 days to head back to the hotel to clean up before having dinner offsite. (Texas de Brazil and Cafe Tu Tu Tango were outstanding.) By the 26th, there wasn't a lot we wanted to do as we wandered around so ended up leaving before 3pm.

Surprisingly, Christmas Day was empty, empty until lunchtime. There were parts of the park where we were the only ones around. Unbelievable as I'd experienced WDW at Christmas before. Unfortunately, my master evil plan to buy EP on this day, was a complete waste of money. The only ride we used it for that gave us an advantage was ET, where the standby queue was 15 minutes. Many of the rides that had FP entry met up with the main line as the wait was only 5 min or walk on. The one ride that would have been great to use it on would have been Rip Ride Rocket but EPs aren't valid for that ride.

I bought EP before we left for our trip, worried that it'd be sold out on Christmas Day. Glad we didn't stay onsite tho of course the level of luxury would have been much greater. This was just an add-on to the end of our cruise, not the highlight of our vacation so I'm glad I saved some and did it the way we did. I wouldn't buy EP next time. Of course, YMMV if you're travelling with ones who take an afternoon nap, etc.

We enjoyed US/IoA and am looking fwd to WWoHP for our Dec 2010 trip. Next time we'll only buy a 1 day pass and see that and do our fave coasters/rides. The rest of our stay will be days at WDW

cheers,

thank you for coming back and telling us about your trip to the darkside!
sounds like you did have fun.

 

[klam_chowder]

Sounds like a good trip. Which offsite hotel did you stay at?

Rodeway Inn: less than $50/nte all-in. Obviously nothing fancy but room was large and clean and we happen to get one that looked over to US. 24hr mini-mart. Hot breakfast buffet for $4.99 including a beverage was decent. I-Trolley & Lynx bus stops right outside. Free shuttle to/from US. However, the shuttle needs to be booked in advance, the day before. First one leaves at 8:05. Comfy coach bus also stopped at Quality Inn down the street before going to US. Dropped us off in plenty of time to walk from bus dropoff, go thru security and queue for the gates to open at 9am.

On our first day, we were lucky to get shuttle tickets for that morning's first bus. After that we were always able to get tickets for the next morning no problem. The first bus usually 'sold out' on the 'day-of'. Second bus was at 10something. The people who staff the bus booking desk (which also sells tickets to all the big parks, etc.) were wonderful. It was a zoo there every morning but they were patient, kept things orderly and were friendly and throrough to everyone.

On the morning we went to the Grinch's breakfast, we had to leave eary so we asked the front desk to call us a cab after we saw none outside nor on the street. Said cab would be there in 3 minutes but it was 10 - a long time IMHO for a cab in Orlando. I asked how much approx, she said $7. Turns out she called a private luxury SUV, not a regular taxi. While we were waiting, we heard a lot of people get turned away from 8am bus. I asked a mother/daughter team who were ready to go if they wanted to share our ride and split the fare. Worked out well for all of us. The driver said it was usually $10 but honored the $7 quoted, of course we tipped. Took the return shuttle back one day too (bookings unnecessary). The other 2 days we just walked back.

Everybody's different but here's what we normally do:

I like a minimum of 3 days at US/IOA, a day and a half minimum at SeaWorld (we saw all the shows and rides except for the kiddie area in this amount of time) and I suppose if you really want to go, (gee can you tell I don't enjoy it?) a day at KSC.

DH loved KSC - he was running around like a lil boy We spent a 1.5 days there. I was just happy to see him in his element, prolly the same for him to see me when we travel to all things Mouse

thank you for coming back and telling us about your trip to the darkside!
sounds like you did have fun.

Yes, it was a good time. The relatively small crowds and short queues was a real plus Thx a mint again to y'all who post info on the darkside so us Mouselovers can venture over there too.

cheers,