We spent May 18- June 1 in Orlando and had a great family vacation. The plane ride from Hawaii was a long one but the Continental 767 really made things easier. The plane had more leg room and each seat had its own monitor on which you could view your choice of movies and also play a variety of games. Our sons really liked it!
My 18 - 25th was spent at OKW and it was great. Very relaxing, spacious and easy to get around. We got in Saturday evening and spent that day at the pool. I counted only 7 other people at the pool..I think everyone must have been at the parks. We lucked out on the weather while we were there with temps in the mid 80's and not much rain. The parks were busy but not crazy and the Fastpass is the way to go.
Our first stop was to MGM studios where we spent the whole day. We really enjoyed the Aerosmith ride, kids rode Tower of Terror once and that was enough, saw the Beauty & the Beast show which was very good.
Second day was to Animal Kingdom where we made ressies for Donalds Breakfastosaurus. Food was good and saw Goofy, Mickey and Donald. This is a great way to be in the park as soon as it opens. Went on the Safari ride and then to the Kali River rapids. Since it was still early in the morning, there was no lines for the river rapids and we stayed on for 3 rides. (ponchos came in handy) Don't miss the Tarzan Rocks show. Great place to cool off during the afternoon.
Magic Kingdom was the most crowded of all the parks and since we are so used to the Disneyland version our boys preferred the California version. Space Mountain is much faster and smoother at Disneyland and our boys miss Matterhorn.
We did all the parks and the two water parks and enjoyed them all. Our boys went on the Pirate Cruise and had a great time and we also went to Chip & Dale's campfire, roasted marshmallows and watched the Little Mermaid on the big screen outdoors.
We visited the Neverland Club at the Polynesian and during the day from noon to 4 pm you can use the facilities free as long as you stay with your children. After that visit our boys were begging us all week to visit again. We made ressies for them one night and we went to dinner at the California Grill at the Contemporary. We all had a great time that night. The Food at the California Grill was delicious and the restaurant has a great view of WDW. The kids really enjoyed the Neverland Club where they played Nintendo, video games, arts and crafts, watched Disney movies and had a kids dinner. I think this was their favorite part of the entire trip!
One night was spent at the Boardwalk and our boys had a lot of fun watching the various entertainers and riding the Surrey bikes.
Our second week was spent at Horizon's Orlando and the kids really enjoyed the pool there with the pirate ship, slides, water cannons etc. Because of the pool our boys (6 & 4) liked this resort better. This week we spent mostly at Universal/Islands of Adventure and we really enjoyed these parks. The Spiderman ride is a must, Dueling Dragons, Unicorn ride for the kids, and we really enjoyed Poseidon's Fury.
We were a bit surprised at the food prices at Publix and the price of gas. Coming from Hawaii where prices are generally high, we expected things to be less expensive in the Mainland, but the gas prices were the same as at home and the food was more!
Thanks to this board and the many great tips we had a great time in Orlando. I've already told several of my friends about this site
Much Aloha!
Jennifer
My 18 - 25th was spent at OKW and it was great. Very relaxing, spacious and easy to get around. We got in Saturday evening and spent that day at the pool. I counted only 7 other people at the pool..I think everyone must have been at the parks. We lucked out on the weather while we were there with temps in the mid 80's and not much rain. The parks were busy but not crazy and the Fastpass is the way to go.
Our first stop was to MGM studios where we spent the whole day. We really enjoyed the Aerosmith ride, kids rode Tower of Terror once and that was enough, saw the Beauty & the Beast show which was very good.
Second day was to Animal Kingdom where we made ressies for Donalds Breakfastosaurus. Food was good and saw Goofy, Mickey and Donald. This is a great way to be in the park as soon as it opens. Went on the Safari ride and then to the Kali River rapids. Since it was still early in the morning, there was no lines for the river rapids and we stayed on for 3 rides. (ponchos came in handy) Don't miss the Tarzan Rocks show. Great place to cool off during the afternoon.
Magic Kingdom was the most crowded of all the parks and since we are so used to the Disneyland version our boys preferred the California version. Space Mountain is much faster and smoother at Disneyland and our boys miss Matterhorn.
We did all the parks and the two water parks and enjoyed them all. Our boys went on the Pirate Cruise and had a great time and we also went to Chip & Dale's campfire, roasted marshmallows and watched the Little Mermaid on the big screen outdoors.
We visited the Neverland Club at the Polynesian and during the day from noon to 4 pm you can use the facilities free as long as you stay with your children. After that visit our boys were begging us all week to visit again. We made ressies for them one night and we went to dinner at the California Grill at the Contemporary. We all had a great time that night. The Food at the California Grill was delicious and the restaurant has a great view of WDW. The kids really enjoyed the Neverland Club where they played Nintendo, video games, arts and crafts, watched Disney movies and had a kids dinner. I think this was their favorite part of the entire trip!
One night was spent at the Boardwalk and our boys had a lot of fun watching the various entertainers and riding the Surrey bikes.
Our second week was spent at Horizon's Orlando and the kids really enjoyed the pool there with the pirate ship, slides, water cannons etc. Because of the pool our boys (6 & 4) liked this resort better. This week we spent mostly at Universal/Islands of Adventure and we really enjoyed these parks. The Spiderman ride is a must, Dueling Dragons, Unicorn ride for the kids, and we really enjoyed Poseidon's Fury.
We were a bit surprised at the food prices at Publix and the price of gas. Coming from Hawaii where prices are generally high, we expected things to be less expensive in the Mainland, but the gas prices were the same as at home and the food was more!
Thanks to this board and the many great tips we had a great time in Orlando. I've already told several of my friends about this site
Much Aloha!
Jennifer
