• Orlando / WDW

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 3:54 pm**

Just over 3 weeks till we go to Orlando. Visiting Disney and Universal Studios.

Does anyone have any tips

Thanks in advance

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 4:08 pm**

ayrshireclaret83 wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 3:54 pm
Just over 3 weeks till we go to Orlando. Visiting Disney and Universal Studios.

Does anyone have any tips

Thanks in advance

Where are you staying and have you pre bought park tickets ? Are there any children ( ages) in your party.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 4:23 pm**

Definitely hire a car at the airport. All the big agencies have cars at the airport and it's easy to get to. That way you won't have any transfer charges to get to your accommodation. Also there are lots of attractions off the beaten track such as "Boggy Creek" air boat tours which is great fun. With a car all of these attractions are easily accessible along with shopping malls, restaurants and of course the parks.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 4:24 pm**

Went last year - take lots of money! As well as very comfy trainers - oh and be prepared to queue.

Amazing place I'm sure you'll have a blast, whereabouts are you staying?

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 4:28 pm**

What specifically do you want to know?

I know more about Disney world than Walt himself so ask away. Universal I've not been to for a long time.

Also if youre after restaurant advice, let us know where you're staying.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 4:54 pm**

Take yourself some insulated water bottles. You can get free iced water from any Disney drinks station.

Boring tip, but will save you a fortune in the parks.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 4:57 pm**

ayrshireclaret83 wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 3:54 pm
Just over 3 weeks till we go to Orlando. Visiting Disney and Universal Studios.

Does anyone have any tips

Thanks in advance

Update as some questions

5 Adults no kids
Park tickets all pre booked
Staying in villa near Disney
Car hire sorted

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 5:07 pm**

Mannys Chophouse at Haines City is worth a visit. Booking is advisable

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 5:16 pm**

ayrshireclaret83 wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 4:57 pm
Update as some questions

5 Adults no kids
Park tickets all pre booked
Staying in villa near Disney
Car hire sorted

You sound to be well prepared. It is already hot here and will only get hotter and more humid so be sure to drink as much water as possible. Tap water is good. Sunscreen 30 essential. Don’t eat at the parks Prices are crazy. When driving remember you can turn right on red at traffic lights. Supermarkets are expensive but we have Aldi which is cheapest and Trader Joe’s which is best. Publix will be close by wherever you are staying but is expensive. Highly recommend going to the gulf coast rather than the Atlantic. Beaches on the Gulf are some of the best in the world. Lots of local breweries ( Crooked Can in Winter Garden is great ) Some top class restaurants in Disney Springs but expensive. The new Epic park ( Universal) is getting good reviews. Avoid the I4 especially at rush hours. I live close to Disney so happy to answer any specific questions. Enjoy the trip

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 5:22 pm**

You’ll have a mega time over there enjoy every minute, we’ve been going since 1993 first with our kids now our grandkids, our 50th + trip coming up in September, we love the place ,the parks the whole sunshine state

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 5:27 pm**

If you have some spare time try one of the waterparks and also drive down to Tampa to Busch Gardens.

Busch Gardens is much quieter with great rollercoasters and shorter queues.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 5:43 pm**

Claret Till I Die wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 5:07 pm
Mannys Chophouse at Haines City is worth a visit. Booking is advisable

Agree Manny’s good , but definitely try “ Texas Roadhouse “
Fab

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 5:55 pm**

Our favourite place for breakfast/brunch is Perkins

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 5:59 pm**

Could talk forever about Orlando, my favourite place. We go back in August. You’ll have an amazing time. I’d recommend doing a search for ‘Florida’ or similar in the search function on here, there’s been really good threads full of tips a few times. I would feel redundant repeating a lot of what I’ve said before because I’ve rambled on extensively on this before!

One thing I don’t think I have mentioned before that I’ll throw out as an off the wall tip. If you fancy something different one night, get yourself over to Disneys Port Orleans Riverside resort any night Weds-Sunday at around 8pm. They have a bar there called River Roost Lounge where a comedian/pianist called Yeehaw Bob performs, and it is an absolute riot. One of the ‘if you know, you know’ type things at Disney World that you cannot help but love. He does a two hour set and the entire bar cannot help itself getting roped into singing along, dancing, making themselves look silly. A great night.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 6:02 pm**

Brilliant place. We are going back in August.

There are thousands of tips but one I’m going to try this year is you can get in a queue for rides right up until closing time. For example, if Islands of Adventure closes at 9 you can get in the queue for Velocicoaster or Hagrid’s at 8.59pm and still ride. The wait times at this point can be quite elevated to put people off getting in the queue but in a lot of cases are the exact opposite. You then also have the added bonus of an empty park to walk through once you’ve ridden and the transport links, Ubers and car park situations are much quieter.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 6:04 pm**

jedi_master wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 5:59 pm
Could talk forever about Orlando, my favourite place. We go back in August. You’ll have an amazing time. I’d recommend doing a search for ‘Florida’ or similar in the search function on here, there’s been really good threads full of tips a few times. I would feel redundant repeating a lot of what I’ve said before because I’ve rambled on extensively on this before!

One thing I don’t think I have mentioned before that I’ll throw out as an off the wall tip. If you fancy something different one night, get yourself over to Disneys Port Orleans Riverside resort any night Weds-Sunday at around 8pm. They have a bar there called River Roost Lounge where a comedian/pianist called Yeehaw Bob performs, and it is an absolute riot. One of the ‘if you know, you know’ type things at Disney World that you cannot help but love. He does a two hour set and the entire bar cannot help itself getting roped into singing along, dancing, making themselves look silly. A great night.

We are staying at its sister resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, so will give that a try seeing as we didn’t when we stayed at Riverside.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 6:22 pm**

burnmark wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 6:02 pm
Brilliant place. We are going back in August.

There are thousands of tips but one I’m going to try this year is you can get in a queue for rides right up until closing time. For example, if Islands of Adventure closes at 9 you can get in the queue for Velocicoaster or Hagrid’s at 8.59pm and still ride. The wait times at this point can be quite elevated to put people off getting in the queue but in a lot of cases are the exact opposite. You then also have the added bonus of an empty park to walk through once you’ve ridden and the transport links, Ubers and car park situations are much quieter.

We did that on the Hulk ride last time we were there. Front row seats in the dark were amazing

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 6:26 pm**

If you go to the Disney water parks, book a beachcomber shack. Keeps the riff raff away. Worth every penny.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 7:05 pm**

There’s also a little village called Celebration nearby, well worth checking out if you want to get away from the madness of parks for a few hours.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 7:34 pm**

burnmark wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 6:04 pm
We are staying at its sister resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, so will give that a try seeing as we didn’t when we stayed at Riverside.

You’ll love it! I’d get there for around 7:45-ish, tends to get full just after 8, he starts at 8:30.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 7:52 pm**

Jambounchained wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 7:05 pm
There’s also a little village called Celebration nearby, well worth checking out if you want to get away from the madness of parks for a few hours.

We were introduced to Celebration by some friends on a previous visit. Great place and we’ll be visiting the Tavern for tea again this time.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 7:59 pm**

burnmark wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 7:52 pm
We were introduced to Celebration by some friends on a previous visit. Great place and we’ll be visiting the Tavern for tea again this time.

Love the tavern and the ice cream shop

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 8:23 pm**

Universal Epic opens tomorrow, looks , well, epic .

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 8:37 pm**

See you there

We fly out on the 14th for 2 weeks.

Rope drop the parks.
Drink plenty of water.
Don’t leave anything til next time.
Create a list of your ‘must do’s’ and stick to it.
Don’t stress about queue times. The rides are worth the wait.
Enjoy every minute.

I’ve been fortunate to visit Orlando many times, some great memories made and still plenty more to create.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 9:49 pm**

Don't waste your money going to Orlando to put up with the crazy long queues and exorbitant prices at Disney etc. Go to Blackpool

It's a few years since I did the Orlando gig and I didn't see a laughing clown..........priceless

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDocdOCdNTY

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 10:05 pm**

Casper2 wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 8:23 pm
Universal Epic opens tomorrow, looks , well, epic .

It does look good and I’ve been watching the preview days with great interest over the last months. We aren’t bothering with it this year though - I just think it’ll be too busy and with only 11 rides in the whole park I can see it being more of a stressful day than an enjoyable one.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 10:07 pm**

jedi_master wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 5:59 pm
One thing I don’t think I have mentioned before that I’ll throw out as an off the wall tip. If you fancy something different one night, get yourself over to Disneys Port Orleans Riverside resort any night Weds-Sunday at around 8pm. They have a bar there called River Roost Lounge where a comedian/pianist called Yeehaw Bob performs, and it is an absolute riot. One of the ‘if you know, you know’ type things at Disney World that you cannot help but love. He does a two hour set and the entire bar cannot help itself getting roped into singing along, dancing, making themselves look silly. A great night.

We’re heading over in July and this sounds like our kinda thing.

Can you get in to the resort easily or do you have to prove you’re a resident?

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 10:27 pm**

Absolutely love it. We’re going in December this year for 3 weeks. So much to see and do. Parks are great, you don’t need to be into all the Disney still or films at universal to enjoy them.

Tips from me would be:
1) good shoes is a must. You’ll do 1000’s of steps a day and you will feel it.
2) have days or at least half days where you can just recover a bit as you’ll potentially just burnout.
3) consider getting kids meals for yourself in the parks (they are that big)
4) look at crowd calendars to plan what days you go to each park so you make the most out of them.
5) absolutely make sure you ride guardians of the galaxy. I’ve never seen the film but the ride is incredible.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 10:33 pm**

ayrshireclaret83 wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 3:54 pm
Just over 3 weeks till we go to Orlando. Visiting Disney and Universal Studios.

Does anyone have any tips

Thanks in advance

You'll be there when i am

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 10:35 pm**

burnmark wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 7:52 pm
We were introduced to Celebration by some friends on a previous visit. Great place and we’ll be visiting the Tavern for tea again this time.

Top place to go for a breakfast and walk round the lake - watch out for the crocs though, there are plenty in there

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 10:41 pm**

Darthlaw wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 10:07 pm
We’re heading over in July and this sounds like our kinda thing.

Can you get in to the resort easily or do you have to prove you’re a resident?

Typically you are supposed to have a dining reservation to be allowed to get an Uber to a Disney resort that you’re not staying at - however - best alternative is just get one of the resort buses (or boats) from Disney Springs or one of the Disney parks to Port Orleans Riverside.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 10:50 pm**

Heading over on 17th June
Staying close to Haines City - in a villa complex called Balmoral (Stayed there before, and didnt want to leave - it's been done up again since, and looks unreal). Not too far from the parks if you set of early enough (half hour or so)
Pick up car from airport - easy enough to drive around Florida. easier than driving over here
Taking in Universal only this time, mainly for EPIC -along with the SeaWorld, Busch Garden passes - Going to do some waterpark days and beach days this year
Been lucky enough to go nearly 10 times in the last 15 years or so - Decided against Disney this time, as their parks take up most of your hol if you've not been before, and we've done them to death

Taking in some footie too - the world club cup championship is on in Florida (Benfica v Aukland)
Also booked for Orlando V Cincinatti - Went to the stadium last year and it's a very smart place
Day out in orlando city
Days out at the beaches on either coast - easy enough to drive to
Tampa for busch gardens

Tips - Ice water in the parks is free as people have said. i also take a frozen bottle in my bag, and drink as it melts
Money - some people have said take plenty of money. if you do it right, you dont need tons of money for florida at all. More money gets spent on **** if out, such as merchandise/photos etc
Food - 1 big meal with snacks does the trick
Rides - if ther's one you want to get on, and it has a large queue - try and buy the ride pass for the day early doors, as soon as you get to the park
Did this for the star wars ride and got straight on, when queues were showing as 5 hours

If its your first time to disney/universal - you wont get round the parks in one day (you will need to visit multiple times, especially disney)

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 11:04 pm**

If you have UBER app. It's a great way to get around. Just change your payment from £ to USD $ in the Uber app.. works all over the US.

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2025 11:26 pm**

ayrshireclaret83 wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 3:54 pm
Just over 3 weeks till we go to Orlando. Visiting Disney and Universal Studios.

Does anyone have any tips

Thanks in advance

my advice is go early in the morning to the places your visiting before it gets hot and have a break in the afternoon...

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2025 12:14 am**

Based on a recent visit I wish I'd spent more time in advance, researching the popular rides and coming up with a plan for them.

I bought the fast pass for Universal Studios but didn't know Hagrid's coaster is excluded from the fast pass. If I'd understood all the complexity and issues with getting on Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot, I'd have saved several hours of hanging around. That kind of thing.

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2025 7:59 am**

burnmark wrote: ↑
Wed May 21, 2025 7:52 pm
We were introduced to Celebration by some friends on a previous visit. Great place and we’ll be visiting the Tavern for tea again this time.

Yeah we were taken there by some friends, lovely little place. Getting up close to the small alligators in the big pond was very cool.

Had a really good meal at meal at the Tavern as well, throughly recommend it!

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2025 3:15 pm**

Use Lyft as well as Uber

Check the price of journeys on both apps before ordering. 'm sure they play off each other and Lyft ends up being upto 50% cheaper in a lot of cases

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2025 7:32 pm**

Another vote for going to the footy at Orlando City. It’s a nice stadium and although it lacks in the oomph of an English game it’s a good way to get some footy action whilst on holiday.

I got a re-sale ticket last night for their safe standing section on the US Ticketmaster site for a game on the 16th August for just over a tenner.

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2025 7:44 pm**

Do they still give away free Disney tickets if you put yourself through a condo sales promotion tour?

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2025 8:14 pm**

exilecanada wrote: ↑
Thu May 22, 2025 7:44 pm
Do they still give away free Disney tickets if you put yourself through a condo sales promotion tour?

Hah. Tickets? Are you MAD!?

You get 3 fast passes last I saw... Bet it's not even that now!

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2025 8:51 pm**

tarkys_ears wrote: ↑
Thu May 22, 2025 8:14 pm
Hah. Tickets? Are you MAD!?

You get 3 fast passes last I saw... Bet it's not even that now!

Thought not

It's a while since I crossed the border, nothing there for me, nasty country.

Orlando / WDW

Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW

Re: Orlando / WDW