My family will be taking a once in a lifetime trip to Orlando this May. This will truly be the only time we will probably ever get to take this trip, so we want to do it right, but we do have a tight budget! Please help us out by sharing your best travel tip for Orlando and or Disneyworld. We have a 6 yo and a 14 yo. and will be traveling from the opposite end of the country (Oregon). Thank you so much!
Orlando - 5 Answers
People's Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Make sure that you don't spend too much time in one line. Some lines tell you how long the wait may be. If the line takes more than 45 minutes, find another ride and try to go back later unless you really want to ride it. Disney World is expensive and time is precious there. Make sure you check out what each park has to offer and decide which park(s) you are going to well in advance so you don't waste your day, your ticket money or your parking money. Parking can be $10+ per vehicle and if you switch between parks you have to pay to park again unless you use the train that takes you between the parks. Make sure that you leave the hotel early enough in the day to be able to get to the parks before it gets too hot or too crowded. When I went with my friend and her family a couple years ago, we didn't leave the hotel until 11-12am and it felt like a lot of my day was wasted.
Answer 2 :
Bring a light sweater just in case because: TRUE STORY: This month a family from the UK brought summer clothes when instead it was 32 degrees and snowing in Orlando. They spent their whole trip spending hundreds of dollars on winter clothing and didn't get a refund on their Disney tickets.
Answer 3 :
Spend a lot of time planning before you go. Have all your meals planned. You don't have to eat in one of Disney's big restaurants every meal, but if you are going to eat in one, you need to make reservations today. May is a good time to visit. For the most part crowds will be light. Make sure you are familiar with FastPass and Extra Magic Hours. Both will help you avoid lines. The best tip I can give you is to be at the parks at least 20 minutes before they open. A lot of guests arrive about 11am. You can do more in the first couple of hours than you can the rest of the day. Again, start planning today. It's fun.
Answer 4 :
Actually, I have a couple of tips for you from my trips over the years. First, stay on property at a Disney owned resort. Disney has a resort to fit any budget, plus the perks they offer their resort guests are second to none. For example, you have use of the Magical Express, which is free transportation to and from Orlando Int'l Airport, if you are flying in. Complete with luggage service. You can take advantage of Extra Magic hours, where one park is open early and one open late each day for resort guests only. You get the famous Disney service. You also get to use the transportation system. The last one doesn't seem like much, except for the fact that the off-site hotels offer limited shuttle service, and in many cases it costs extra. Staying on property also gives you the option of adding the Disney Dining Plan, a large cost savings on your biggest expense while at Disney. When you purchase your park tickets, at the very least add the park hopper option. The base Magic Your Way ticket allows you to enter one park per day. The park hopper allows you to come and go as you please. For example, if you enter the Magic Kingdom and find that it is pretty crowded after you enter, you can always leave, jump on the monorail to Epcot, and shift gears for the day. My family likes to go to one park in the morning, and then a different park in the evening depending on where we eat dinner or what night time show or parade we want to see. You can only do this if you purchase the park hopper option. It will add money to your ticket prices, but it is worth it. Make your reservations as soon as possible. The more time you take to plan, the better off you will be. That also goes for restaurant reservations. Disney takes restaurant reservations up to 180 days in advance, so if there is a place you definitely want to eat at you need to make the arrangements ASAP. If this is a once in a lifetime thing, I highly recommend Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort. It is a character meal that is an easy way to get up close and personal with the fab five (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto.) Food is good, buffet style, not really that expensive for what you get. If you want more great tips and advice check out the disboards. The disboards is a message boards type website that is all about going to Disney. You can get resort reviews, restaurant reviews, tips for avoiding crowds, advice on rides, just about any topic you can think of. I go to Disney often and I always learn something new when I visit the site, in fact I have been on it quite a bit for the trip we are taking in April. I put the link below. I hope this all helps. Have a great trip!
Answer 5 :
1. Take advantage of the Early morning & late evening park hours. It's a perk only available to guests staying at the Disney resorts. You can get the majority of your rides done in those times. 2. Plan dinner at the park you will be visiting that day. It takes too much time to leave a park early enough so you can travel to another park or resort just for dinner. 3. Make use of Single Rider lines. A few big attractions have them. All that means is that you can go through quicker, you won't sit by someone you know, but that's not really a big deal. 4.Bring along powdered drink mixes to add to water bottles. Florida water is gross, and it costs too much to keep buying bottled water. Just refill your water bottle and pour in a drink mix. Voila- you can't taste the water anymore!
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