My husband and I are considering a vacation in Florida (DisneyWorld mostly) this summer. The price of the hotel and the gas to get there (hubby won't fly) will be covered by my husband's business. So basically we just need to cover our food and entertainment.
If anyone has any suggestions, those that have already experienced Disneyworld, I would love to hear about it!
I have been to WDW many times and have enjoyed it every time. I have been with the kids and without.
It really depends on your interests. If you and your husband enjoy comedy, and you have the time ... go to Pleasure Island at least one night and enjoy the shows at the Adventurers Club. I always love their shows. Very interactive!
If you are the rollercoaster fanatic, make sure you leave time to ride the Rock 'n Roll Rollercoaster at MGM.
If you are staying on site at WDW, get up early hit the park that is early entry, head to the hotel at noon to sleep by the pool, then go back to a park in the evening.
Go to the library and check out The Unofficial Guide to WDW for the best hints and tips!
I lived in the Disney Area for several years. The theme parks (all of them) are great. Sea World is wonderful loved it each time we went. I will pass along some words of wisdom. Everything there is more than expensive. Example inside the parks you will find $2-$4 drinks, Hamburgers $3-$6, etc... Ticket prices are out of this world. basically go with the thought that you will spend about 1-2 months salary for hotel, parks, food and gifts. There are some very nice dinner theaters . Also when I lived there vistors would plan to go to other areas of Florida not just the Orlando area. Ft myers is nice, there are 2 islands (Sanabel and Captiva) there that are great. Another thing to remember is that is gets very hot. Would be glad to share anything else with you email me at bemaurin@alltel.net
We went last year, the one thing that we were told and helped out a great deal was to plan out the day. Whichever park you go to, get a map and plan out your day (which rides to go on and when and what shows to see, ect.) It was an excellent help to us. There are lots of great books out there that explain every ride and show so you know if it'll be worth your time.
Amanda, a friend of mine went last year and he said with a little planning they managed not to spend too much. They ate breakfast at the hotel before going to the park each day. They took a cooler of sandwiches and drinks and left it in the car. At lunchtime they went to the car and had a picnic. They ate dinner in town at a family restaurant. The money they saved on food allowed them to purchase souvenirs.
My inlaws are part of the vacation club so I have been there with and without children. One nice thing, is the Disney transportation. A little tip, if you take the boat from MGM to Broadwalk resort, you can walk down the broadwalk and past the ESPN Club into the back of Epcot's World Showcase. It can save time. Be sure to check out the transportation options. Remembering to briing a water bottle with you is helpful and can save $$. There are water fountains everywhere for free refills. Also lots of sunblock, the sun can be hot- plan reapply frequently.
If you are looking for characters, look off to the sides, sometimes the are in out of the way areas. My inlaws told us that this year at specific times in the front of world showcase a bus of characters comes out. They do have some scheduled times, but I found it more fun when we spotted them. Check with the cast members, they know where to find the characters.
We went to Disney world 4 years ago for the first time, It was a dream come true! It was also the first time any of us had flown!! If I could afford to I'd go back in a heartbest, it is so great! Afew tips, get to the parks early! If you are planning on dining at some of the better restaraunts, make reservations from your hotel before you go, we couldn't get in to some of them. If your hotel has a food court, it is reasonably priced. I don't know what time you are going, but Magic Kingdom on the 4th of July is jammed, we were there all day, left for supper and rest and came back at night, and we still didn't see alot of it! Line up early for the parades if you want a good view. Even if you are xriving, take advantage of the transpertation to and from the resorts and parks. There is a free video you can get with lots of vauable information in it. Get maps of all the parks. If you are interested in seeing the characters, look on the maps, they will give you times and locations where they will be. Some relatives went a yeazr befroe we did, and hardly saw any characters, come to find out, they just expected to see them waling around the parks, which is rare. If they still have the fantasmic show at MGM at night, it is wonderful, get there an hour or more early to get a good spot, it is worth the wait! Some of our favorite thing besides the shows were the parades, killamonjari safari, test track, and alot more. I thought seeimg the characters and stuff were for the kids, but it was exciting for us adults too and just overwhelming. Our first full day there we were sitting on the curb waiting for the magical moments parade at Magic Kingdom and they started playing When You wish upon a star and I cried it was so great to be there, someplace I wanted to go since I was achild and seeing my kids faces, they were 5 and 9 at the time it was so wonderful, Have a great time!
Thanks everyone! I will definitely plan out my trip. We found a 2 bedroom villa less than two miles from the park. It was a bout half the price of staying in the park! We will be there for a full 8 days. We are getting the 5 day park pass, which includes Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios. We can go into any of those park for five days. The package also comes with 3 additional days at any of the water parks, sport park, Disney Quest, etc, etc.
We will probably take one full day and head out to the beach. My best friend in the whole wide world lives out there, she's about an hour from Disney. She has brain cancer, but can still get around. I haven't seen her in a couple of years and she recently (6 mos ago) had a bad turn with her illness and I thought we were going to lose her! So I really want to see her agian. We'll go to see her and go to the beach, take a picnic, etc. Make it a full day.
I just know we aren't going to see everything, there's just so much to do! So hopefully with a PLAN we'll see as much as possible. This will actually be MY first trip to DisneyWorld, I've been to DisneyLand in California, but not Florida. As a matter of fact, I've never even been to Florida! So this should be loads of fun. Can't wait!
