Where do I start?

[TJB]

Hi Guys, me again!
Flights, accommodation and car hire booked.
What now? I just dont know where to start.
Kids want to go to ALL the parks, on ALL the rides, see ALL the shows
Any advise on what not to miss.
Also my sons are 12 and 5, quite a big age gap, so some advise on how to keep them both happy at the same time would be welcome
My hubby is coming as well so there will be the chance to split up and one of us do the more adult rides while the other does something more sedate with the younger but I would rather try and stay together as much as possible.

 

[Kilted_Yank]

Where are you staying?
First time to America?
How long are you staying?


Important questions for time management in Orlando, friend.

 

[Girlsontour]

As you can see from the photo's below my daughters have a 10 year age gap. This is the first year that i am taking both of them together but i really don't think it matters how old you are in Disney - both want to do "big" rides just the same as both want to do "dumbo" ride!!

Have you bought Brits Guide to Orlando 2006? If not, you must buy it.

There is so much to see and do that you won't fit it into just one holiday - we went the first time saying "once in a lifetime etc etc" and have been back every year since!!

There is a thread further down the page that has Top 10's....perhaps have a look at that (Essential Orlando Attractions)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1034062

 

[JohnnySharp2]

In addition to the earlier questions, 'when are you going'?...and 'do you want to see Disney AND Universal?'...'have you any theme park tickets yet'?

It can be difficult if you have never been before trying to cram so much fun into a couple of weeks or so but if you do your research and planning you will have a great time - and planning is part of the fun....will try and help further once you answer the questions we have asked.

 

[Lisash]

Definately buy the 'Brits Guide' it is well worth the money and keeps you in the 'holiday mood'. I wouldn't worry about the age gap as most of the rides are for all the family and not as 'coaster' oriented as you may think. I have a 7 year age gap between my two (now 17 & 10) it's never been much of a problem and we rarely split up to do different things. If you take advantage of the fastpass system one of you can take your older son on any 'older' rides while your little one has a short rest as you are rarely in a fastpass queue more than 15 minutes or so they can easily be occupied. You'll have a fabulous time

 

[scojos]

scott my eldest was the same age when we went last and he did all the rides he could inc ToT!!
Your child might want to have a go too... wait and see dont plan everything apart, he might just enjoy that adrenanlin rush, scott can t wait to do the rides this year he was too small to do last
tracy

 

[TJB]

You can tell I'm new to this can't you
We are off on 26th April and are staying in a villa in Lindfields.
It is our first time in America (although my hubby travels around US regularly on business)
We have absolutely no tickets booked at present and the kids want to go everywhere. So some advise on tickets would be good. I would need something fairly flexible as this is our first time and we really have no idea what to expect.
Not too bothered about the water parks but again could do with some advise
Thanks

 

[bells]

Hi
We used attractions tickets direct for all our park tickets they send out the tickets through recorded delivery about one week after ordering. Im sure the kids would love the water parks they are a good laugh and relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

 

[Mumof2]

Hi

You haven't said how long you are staying so I'm guessing its for 2 weeks. You should in theory be able to see most of the big parks, Disney, Universal Sea World etc but it will be exhausting - though a lot of fun.

I used attraction tickets direct last year and they were good. A good bet for your Universal tickets would be to buy on line from the Universal site. They are doing buy one adult 2 day ticket get 3 days free AND one kids ticket free (though kids have to be 9 or younger so not sure if that applies )

If your budget can stretch you could try booking into a Universal Hotel for one night and this way you'll have front of the line access for two whole days. This can save lots of valuable time. I'm booked in a villa later this year and plan to leave it mid trip to stay in the Royal Pacific Resort. If you're a member of the AA, you'll get a discounted rate for staying on site at Universal.

Happy Planning

 

[JohnnySharp2]

You can tell I'm new to this can't you
We are off on 26th April and are staying in a villa in Lindfields.
It is our first time in America (although my hubby travels around US regularly on business)
We have absolutely no tickets booked at present and the kids want to go everywhere. So some advise on tickets would be good. I would need something fairly flexible as this is our first time and we really have no idea what to expect.
Not too bothered about the water parks but again could do with some advise
Thanks

Ok, staying in a villa is great. You really have the freedom and privacy to enjoy your holiday plus you can relax when you are not out at the parks.
I have never stayed at Lindfields but I do know the area very well and you are in a good location, with restaurants/supermarkets plus Disney and the I4 (for Universal) all within easy reach.

You have picked a great time to go, if we were not restricted by the summer holidays we would pick late April through early May as one of the best periods to visit.
A good balance of nice weather - not too hot - and crowd volumes at the parks, won't be too busy.

I would personally not recommend rushing around the parks too much, as it's your first time, there is the temptation to try and cram so much into your holiday and sometimes it can feel a bit like theme park overload.
If you take things at an easy pace, plan some rest days for shopping etc you will enjoy your days at the parks so much more.

As for tickets there are several places, we buy ours in Kissimmee from www.mapleleaftickets.com - they have discounted prices on Disney tickets, with numerous options on tickets that do not expire (many of us go year after year) and one's where you can hop (visit more than 1 park on the same day).

For Universal you have www.universalorlando.com - where they always seem to have special offers on - it may be a good idea to get something like a 2 day pass for the Universal parks perhaps?
I really don't think you will need a 14 day pass, as you have the Disney Parks to do too.

If you want to buy your tickets in the UK then www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk are very good, and again like MapleLeaf issue actual tickets and not vouchers.

You will find we all have different opinions and ways of doing things, whether it's where we stay , like you we prefer a villa, or which parks we like best and how often we visit them.

 

[disneyholic family]

there really aren't that many rides your little one won't be able to go on...
and even if he doens't want to go on Tower of Terror, he should still go through the line just to see the inside and the preshow.....then once you get up to where people are loaded in the elevator, you and he can go on the 'chicken out elevator' and wait for your older one to finish...

same is true of rock and roller coaster....the little one should at least go through the line with you to see the preshow...then he (and you i suppose) can go through the chicken out door and wait for your riders to finish..