Going to Walt Disney World - Any suggestions?

by kwintestal 41 Replies latest social entertainment

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  144001

  If it was up to me, we'd be going to Jamaica but my wife's parents wanted to send us.

  LOL I dread going to any theme parks. Long lines and crowds are about as enjoyable to me as a couple hours at the kingdom hall.

  Fortunately, my kids don't like theme parks. They like several of the multitude of outdoor activities available to us in Southern California, but we spend on those activities too, so it's the same financially as going to Disneyland. When the wife suggests Disneyland, I'm so happy to hear, "I don't want to go to Disneyland [whining voice]." I truly am blessed!
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  Angry_Kangaroo

  I grew up going to disney twice a year. One of the perks of living in florida.

  1. December can get slightly chilly in central florida, but more then likely it will be in the 80's. So pack shorts and t-shirts, and jeans and long sleeved shirts in case it is chilly. And do NOT forget sunscreen. The cost of it in the park is outrageous! Wear comfy shoes, and bring tylenol-your legs and feet will be very sore at the end of the day. You also might want to bring along raincoats and rainboots. It really sucks walking around disney soggy. Put them in a locker at the beginning of the day so you dont have to tote them around.

  2. You can get cups of ice water free anywear they sell fountain drinks. You will not believe how much $ this saves you on bottled water!

  3. To save $ only eat one meal at the park. And if it is a sit down place, call the DAY BEFORE to make reservations. Or you won't get in. The Crystal Palace is WONDERFUL! 20$ buys you an all you can eat buffet of prime rib, salmon, roast chicken, comfort foods, salads, fancy desserts, vegan cuisine, kiddie food(like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich station) and much more. PLUS it is a character restaraunt-Winnie the Pooh themed. They have a Pooh parade for the kids to participate in. It is worth every penny. But call the day before!

  4. You can ask to sit at the front of the monorail. Kids get a kick out of it. Great view.

  5. Take a break midday and go back to your motel room. Have an hour nap, then go back. You will be amazed how exausting Disney can be.

  Have Fun!
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  golf2

  Enjoy your trip. Protect your pockets and purse.
  
  
  Golf
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  Jourles

  I was just there back in May and did all of the parks. The cost of bottled water was quite reasonable, surprisingly. It was only $2. We thought it would be near $4 a bottle. I do have to say, almost any restaurant you visit within the parks are quite exceptional for "amusement park" food. I would suggest Epcot for most of your eating out. Pick a country and have at it. We went to the German buffet twice over the week. I forget the name of it right now, but for ~$21, I was shocked at the quality of the meal/buffet. Oh, and it only cost $10 for a liter of beer(I'm used to paying roughly $5 locally for just a pint!). The main Moroccan restaurant was also quite good(not a buffet). There's only a handful of buffets in all of the parks combined.

  The House of Terror is at MGM and is definitely worth waiting for. Always make use of the Fast Passes whenever possible. I believe just about every ride incorporates it and is worth not waiting in a huge line. Just go up to the Fastpass booth, insert your entry ticket, and it will print out a fastpass which will tell you to come back in an hour or so. There are two lines -- one for regular walkups, and the fastpass line. If the timeframe on your fastpass ticket is right now, just walk in that line and you'll almost end up right at the front of the line where you get on. USE THIS BENEFIT ALL DAY LONG. Definitely use it for 'Soaring' at Epcot. This was consistently the longest line of all the parks we went to. In May it wasn't terribly busy. Soaring was always around 60-75 minutes long. Not sure during the holiday period you'll be there - might be much worse.

  Anything else you want to know, just ask.
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  blondie

  Whatever you do, see a park one day, and rest the next, do not jam too much together. Perhaps swim in the pools or go to the Gulf and visit Captiva and Sanibel islands. Go early enough and see the birds and alligators at Ding Darling Reserve.
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  Junction-Guy

  The MGM studios
  
  Well a must see is the Tower of Terror.
  
  I dont remember many of the restaurants there, because we always ate at the german restaurant at Epcot and then hopped the monorail to MGM or the Magic Kingdom.
  
  There are several good rides there, but I tend to get them confused with Universal Studios.
  
  That was brief on MGM, because that was the park we visited the least.
  
  
  Now to the Magic Kingdom.
  
  Here are some ride suggestions:
  
  Splash Mountain
  
  Space Mountain
  
  The train ride around the park.
  
  There are several kids rides here.
  
  Also the haunted mansion.
  
  There are several sitdown burger restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, but I dont remember any buffets there, I'm sure they have some now.
  
  Tomorrowland is the section of the park where space mountain is, also there is an elevated ride that travels around tomorrowland that is sort of like a monorail, I believe it was called the tomorrowland express.
  
  There was a ride there that was very intense. It was so loud that they told people to turn off hearing aids, I believe that was called either predator or alien, it was very scary for the kids there, and alot of kids left the ride crying. so be on the lookout for that one.
  
  One thing I do remember is that we never had to wait too long for a ride, we must have just been lucky or something.
  
  They also say that during the parade times are when the lines are shortest.
  
  If I remember anymore I will tell you, but for now I will tell you a little more about Orlando in another post.
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  DJK

  This time of year many areas close earlier than in the summer season. Check for closing times before making a day plan.

  Epcot has a fireworks and laser light show I found awesome. It's held after dark, check for times for that as well.
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  katiekitten

  Take earplugs - the piped music is sickmaking, at least it was in the Paris Disneyworld.

  Thats a fantastic surprise for your kids tho!
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  Junction-Guy

  Ok, now on to Orlando.
  
  Since you have a 7 day pass, you will have plenty of time to see all the parks, plus do a little sightseeing in Orlando.
  
  First off in Orlando there is a section of town that is known as International Drive, this is a must see. It is about 3-4 miles long and is chock full of Tshirt Shops, Go carts, Waterslides, etc etc etc. Also make sure to drive it at night. At the very northern edge of international drive is the big outlet mall. Near the outlet mall is a very good chinese buffet, but I cant remember the name right now, If I remember it I will tell you. Ok Ok now i remember it, it is called "Bill Wong's"
  
  
  Also right next to Orlando is Kissimmee Florida, and they too have a big strip of tourist sites and restaurants on the main road there.
  
  One thing I will definitely suggest is to eat at Sonny's BBQ restaurant, they are all over Florida and they have delicious BBQ and they always have an All You Can Eat special.
  
  If you plan on seeing the ocean, then you can either go to New Smyrna Beach and visit the National Seashore or you can go to Cocoa Beach and see the Space Center and the beach there too.
  
  I have been to New Smyrna Beach and the seashore there is very scenic within the National Seashore. There are still some places in New Smyrna Beach that allows cars to drive on the beach--unless they outalwed it. Daytona also allows cars on the beach too.
  
  
  Well that's it for now, if I can think of anything else I will let you know.
  
  Here is one more quick tip----There are many booths throughout Orlando that sell timeshares and they will give you either free passes to other Theme Parks, Free dinners, or even cash. All you have to do is take a one hour tour of their properties. Take advantage of these, but only if you are able to tell them "NO". They use high pressure sales tactics.
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  Mary

  The Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom has really good food---and I loved the King Stefan's Restaurant at Cinderella's Castle. On Sunday morning, I highly recommend you try the breakfast buffet at the Polynesian Village----You'll have to make reservations (ask for a window seat view).

  I haven't been down there in several years but I was surprised that they haven't updated the Magic Kingdom more. I loved the Carrossel of Progress, but it hasn't changed from the very first time I saw it in 1972! I still love the Wedway People Mover and Peter Pan's Ride. And despite all the bad publicity that It's a Small World gets, it's still a great ride to take your kids through-----as long as you don't get stuck like we did one year. That damn song'll stay in your head longer than a Kingdumb Melody.

  They took out the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride years ago which is a shame-----I loved that ride. Epcot is really good----amazing fireworks at night. If you want to get a good spot for the Main Street Electrical Parade (or whatever they call it now), you'll have to mark your territory a few hours in advance.

  Take lots of pictures and post em here!!

  Have fun!