What Would You Not Miss??

[Frances999]

Personally we love the Universal theming and actually Twister is a ride I like a lot, and I said earlier personally for 3D/4D Shrek is superior (in my opinion) to anything Disney can offer and Spiderman is just my favourite of all.
I also think the Citywalk restaurant and shopping area is brilliant and is a great link between the 2 parks, although we do spend probably too much time buying clothes
The fact that you can easily walk from US to IOA (or vice versa) is a great plus point too.

I think there are things Disney could improve on , as I am sure you do, the car parking facilities at WDW theme parks are poor and outdated, they should take a leaf out of Universal and build multi-storey (at least they keep your car cool) - having said that we have a disabled badge for Joshua so we are okay I guess.....
I am not critical of Disney in any way, if it wasn't for WDW we would never have been to Florida. So for me it's not a competitive thing, we like them both.

Haven't been to Sea World for a couple of years so we are looking forward to going back there next August too.

We love our yearly visits but for us it's a Florida holiday - not a WDW one - seeing Joshua play in the pool at our rented villa or walking hand in hand with us on the beach gives us as much pleasure as any theme park attraction.

I totally agree. It's not a competitive thing for us either, but a trip to Orlando would not be complete for us without a stay at Universal Orlando.

Personally, I think the theming at Islands of Adventure is truly incredible. Each area is incredibly intricately designed to its exact theme. Port of Entry is a beautiful entrance way to the park. It also offers great shopping and good dining (Mythos is incredible). Out of every park in Florida, I actually think IoA is one of my favourites - certainly for the theming aspect. Spiderman is also one of the best rides I have experienced - incredible!

Universal Studios is (in my opinion) starting to look a little dated now. We enjoy the Shrek 4D and Mummy Ride but rides like BTTF and ET could do with serious renovation. I wish they did not close Kongfrontation as well - a nice update and that could have been a great attraction (especially with the new movie!).

One of the best things about Universal Orlando, for us, is the compactness of the resort. I love being able to walk back to the hotel and citywalk with its wide range of shops and restaurants. The hotels are exceptional value-for-money (compared to WDW) and the FOTL is worth every cent of the room rates.

We love Disney too, but I like them both equally. Both offer different experiences but both add to our holiday experience.

 

[cazzie]

I can't believe I missed out Sea World as this is one of my favourite parks.

My must see here would be: Blue Horizons, Shamu and Journey to Atlantis and the Dolphins.

We are not going to go to Universal this time mainly because we both said in September when we were walking around it felt a bit flat. I loved the Shrek 4D and the donkey character is just fantastic I could have watched him for hours but then Shrek is one of my favourite movies.

Disney was a lot more enjoyable the second visit than the first because felt more confident using the transport and therefore we did a lot more.

 

[Miffy2003]

Johnny I think you make an excellent point here about Universal, thank you

Speaking personally I have not been since 1993 so that's why I did not list it, not because I don't like it there - absolutely not!

I am looking forward to 4 days there in August very very much


OP - the absolute vast majority of Brits who visit Orlando rate Universal very highly, and I expect you have been there yourself before if this is a repeat visit, and you know that is the case

 

[disneyholic family]

I think there are things Disney could improve on , as I am sure you do,

We love our yearly visits but for us it's a Florida holiday - not a WDW one - seeing Joshua play in the pool at our rented villa or walking hand in hand with us on the beach gives us as much pleasure as any theme park attraction.

there are SO MANY things that i wish WDW would do....don't get me started....but that doesn't diminish the magic of the place for me.....

as for swimming and such....we can swim every day here at home....and we're 10 minutes from the beach....and we live in a town that's as close to the garden of eden as i've ever seen anywhere in the world.....every inch covered by stunning landscaping....streets lined with flowers year-round....(there's a veritable army of landscapers who keep the town as beautiful as you could possibly imagine)...
and unlike the US, i can walk by myself in the middle of the night, anywhere, even in the darkest most deserted parking lot at 3 AM, and not worry if i'll live to tell about it....

on the other hand Florida, as you've heard me say before, is one of the ugliest states in the union....no reason for me ever to go there other than for WDW.....

 

[Miffy2003]

The question was,


what would you not miss?

Please could everyone stay on that topic.

Thank you

 

[disneyholic family]

The question was,


what would you not miss?

Please could everyone stay on that topic.

Thank you

clearly i "would not miss" Florida if WDW were suddenly plucked up and moved elsewhere....

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Guys, back after a years break, went to Orlando June 04 and had the most fantastic time.

So, booked for August 06 (last two weeks) for international drive again. What would have changed in two years? What are your "must not miss" moments?

Any new advice would be greatly appreciated.


Regards
FF

I think to sum it up FF most of theme parks will not have changed too much, it is not (unfortunatley) very often that new attractions get added, that's why we all get so excited when new things do.
Expedition Everest at AK is opening soon so that will be new to us all.

I am sure there are attractions at ALL the parks that maybe are now looking a little dated, it is only when new rides open that we see new technology appearing.
As you will have seen from your replies we all have different opinions which is what these boards are about.

We are going for 3 weeks from 8th August, and from the middle of the month onwards the parks are pretty quiet - this should give you chance to see the parks/attractions you want to..just remember to do it a leisurely pace as it will be pretty hot.

 

[floridafluff]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Its really interesting to see how people differ in their likes and dislikes.

I think the main thing for us this time, two years on, is to soak up a bit more of the atmosphere of places, instead of just rushing from ride to ride. I would also like to not totally wear myself out during the day, after getting up at the crack of dawn !!. We will probably try and work in some late mornings and then go to the parks and stay late, as opposed to early starts and being totally trashed by 5p.m.

thanks again.

FF

 

[Miffy2003]

Hi FF,

I absolutely agree with you about soaking up the atmosphere. we have been lucky enough to visit a few times in the last few years and wandering around the parks, noticing the details and simply enjoying being there is now my most favourite past time