Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Any helpful tips for Disney/Orlando trip with kids?

I know, "don't go" but I thought I would take them for my 50th. We are looking at an offsite vacation condo so the fleecing won't be quite so bad. Park recommendations? 5 days of solid Disney will kill me, we will do Seaworld and Universal Studios too. Any help appreciated. Perhaps a bass fishing day for Dad! Any hogs down there? Should I travel with a piece, a roscoe, a gat? Probably not accceptable in Disney. Thanks in advance.

Spreading it out to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Sea World and limit yourself to a day at the rat trap, will allow you to enjoy it more.

You can break it up by going to KSC or Busch Gardens to get out of Orlando for a day.

Universal and Islands of Adventure are a rip off IMO. You'll enjoy yourself more at the others I listed. Make sure to make reservations at Disney (magic kingdom) for food, such at the Liberty Inn. Disney has the worst food of all the parks listed above.

Also making reservations at one of the restaurants at Epcot in the World showcase is advised. The food is much better than the crap in the front part of the park and with reservations you won't waste time waiting.

Lines aren't usually a problem at the Busch parks, (Seaworld/Busch Gardens) but make sure and get fastpasses early for the rides you want at Disney/Animal Kingdom/Epcot.

Research what "special" is going on at the park that week. A guy at work took his family and got a good deal - got down there and it was the unoffical gay and lesbian week. He said everyone knew about it but them.

Convert all of your assets into cash.

The cash is losing value so quickly, I figured I should spend it.

You've summed things up nicely here. Unless money is no object, eat outside the Disney parks at area restaurants. You'll get much better food at much better prices.

We were there just last Feb/March. 4 adults and 2 kids had dinner @ Rainforest cafe to the tune of $175! The kids had children's meals and none of us had any alcoholic beverages.

airboat ride!

Sycamore

Bring dough

Actually that is my advice, don't go it is an over priced rip IMHO.

we went last year and stayed on site at coronado springs resort. did one park a day. the meal plan really came in handy and we could visit park after normal hours. the kids really wanted to go and had fun. i hate crowds but it wasn't too bad. we went in oct.

You may want to look on site. Some can be reasonable and the busing is free and frequent vs. having to deal with parking and such. It also allows for a quick mid-day lunch in the room and sit by the pool when things are busy and ot in the parks. Some of the park lodging also provides for after hours park access with little to no lines. Not sure how old teh kids are, but avoid the special theme meals. I paid way to damn much for those.

Not sure how old your kids are, but breakfast with the characters at Disney World was a huge hit with my daughter when we went. Make sure and make reservations if you decide to do this, as it fills up fast.

Figure on a day to 'loaf'. Sleep in, hit the pool, do something easy and quick. Recharge your batteries, by day 4 you'll need some time off from park hopping.

Have a plan of which rides/events/locations within the park(s) are important so you don't waste a lot of time backtracking or standing around saying "What next". It doesn't need to be an ironclad schedule but do some thinking ahead.

Big breakfast outside the park, midday snack inside, and big meal outside the park for supper will save you some bucks.

Cape Canaveral isn't too far if the kids are old enough and have interest.

Dale

I lived there for ten years, but it was quite some time ago. I had to "escort" so many relatives and unsuspected friends that I knew the costumed characters by their real names...

We took the granddaughter to DisneyLand (Cali) in October. Holy Hannah. The place was mobbed even on a day when it was pouring rain and 40�. Plastic ponchos were $10 each. They still made everybody stand in lines outdoors for the rides.

If you can, go in May or October. There are shorter lines then, and that means getting on maybe eight rides a day versus two. Be prepared for sticker shock. A snack meal will run you about $28 a person - and a full meal double that. Summer or during any school break will see the place so packed you will regret going. Heck, the KIDS will regret going.

We went to Disney a couple of times, Great for young kids!

If kids are 12 and older Bush Gardens has a deal set up with Sea world with anytime tickets and free shuttle. The family went there last year had an awesome time! And request to go again over Disney.... They went all week for what two days at Disney would've cost....

Either/or have a happy 50th and enjoy yourselves!

PAMac

Gatorland Jumparoo in Kissimmee, the wife can go to the Tupperware factory

I've been 11 times in my 43years and have taken my 10 year old triplets 4 times in the last 6 years..I always stay on Disney grounds and wouldn't have it any other way, we usually stay at Port Orleans even though we stayed last summer at the Swan. Personally I like Port Orleans better. Why? because you can take a bus to and from your hotel room all day with ease, between rain, the heat, water rides it makes it nice to be able to go back as needed to rest or change..Park hopper passes are also nice, you will find certain things you really like and want to go back, so you can go catch a show at one park in the morning then go see something at a different park later that same day. Book character breakfest or lunches if the kids are that age well in advance, some are booked solid almost a year in advance. At Universal if you stay in the park you can fast pass your way to the front of the line of all the rides, Disney's fast pass doesn't work as well..Most of all Have Fun....Deputy

Went down 2 years ago & stayed at Wyndham Resorts. It was actually a timeshare that my supervisor at work has but you can rent directly. It IS on the Disney property but is NOT owned by Disney (one of the only ones there that isn't.) Resort has shuttles to just about anything you want to do & has a lake on the property. Very nice & clean place. Gated & guarded so no looky-loos poking around the parking lot snooping cars. I've got a buddy that works in the park so I can't say what the cost is now but I'd imagine astronomical...... good luck.

the meal plan was money well spent on my trip last year. Food and beverage can take your money very quickly. the meal plan was a very good deal for me with my two teenagers. Have fun and enjoy.

My advice may sound a bit amateurish, but I would consider buying the "Unofficial Guide to Disney World" or looking at the related website called Touringplans.com.

The book/website gave me great advice on when to go, which park to attend on which day, which rides to hit first to avoid lines, where to eat, etc. For example, the book lists all 365 days of the prior year or two and ranks each day's crowd-level on a scale from one to ten in each of the parks. They even have a bunch of different plans that you can print out and carry along as a step-by-step planner to maximize your time in the parks. I picked a week that was one of the least crowded of the year and was glad I did (early November). Plus, the weather was perfect.

I think the website is run by the same people that write the book. Last time I used it a few years ago, a one-year subscription to the website was $7.

We ended up staying inside the park, but I had considered renting one week of a timeshare inside the park from a timeshare owner. There is actually a Disney World forum website something like 24 Hour Campfire for Disney freaks. If you look at the site, there is a forum for people who have timeshare "points" built up for certain resorts located in Disney that they sell at a discount through the forum. I haven't seen it in a few years, and so I'm not sure if it still exists.

The kids had a super time!

Here is a link to the Touringplans.com website:

(Disney) Touringplans