Orlando Travel Advice

Parent Cafe
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<p>Travel advice would be greatly appreciated. It’s a 5 day family vacation at Disney, though it is an adult vacation since the youngest is in her 20s. It’s loosely planned, and I think we’re all just wanting to take in the atmosphere and enjoy some time outdoors and away from work; none of us have lists of rides that we must go on. We figure we’ll do 3 days at the various parks and then maybe 1-1.5 days elsewhere like Cocoa Beach or Kennedy. Is there anything to do in the immediate Disney area that isn?t a theme park? For example, it is viable to spend a day off wandering around International Drive, downtown Disney, and maybe going to a mall or playing miniature golf or something? How about downtown Orlando – anything interesting there?</p>

<p>And the other issue – one of our travelers isn?t into eating out and would probably be happy eating just cereal, pizza, and sandwiches the whole time. Any recommendations for restaurants in the I-drive/downtown Disney area which have simple American/Italian food but that everyone else could enjoy also – nice places but not extravagant?</p>

2

<p>As far as activities, you might want to take in a minor league baseball game. The miniature golf options are fantastic. You will see them in the area. My one recommendation is to buy a mist spray with an attached fan for each person in your group. It can get so hot. Buying it in the park will be expensive. By them ahead of time and bring them along. Also bring lots of sunblock and sunglasses. There are tons of dining options everywhere in this area.</p>

3

<p>Where are you staying- on or off Disney property?
There’s tons of places to eat on I Drive. You won’t have to worry about that. Do you have a car? Where are you staying on the beach? Or are you staying overnight? Are you into baseball? golf? sea animals? beach? gambling? airboat rides? the list of stuff around here is eeeeennnnndless…</p>

4

<p>I’m from Florida originally and still have family in the area. The last six or eight times we’ve visited (we go about once a year) we’ve rented a condo instead of staying at a hotel. This option gives you a full kitchen and dining table and is great for groups of more than two, or families.</p>

<p>PM me if you want specific suggestions.</p>

5

<p>My parents live in Cocoa Beach, so we often fly into Orlando and drive out there to visit them. Along the way, there’s some kind of sport-water park where you can arrange to take lessons in water-skiing, wake boarding and such. We’ve never taken the time to arrange in advance to do that, but it could be a lot of fun. Maybe some FL posters will know what I’m referring to and can give you the name of the place. I’d also look for the nearest place to take an airboat ride; you don’t have to go all the way down to the everglades. That area has some beautiful nationally protected beaches and bird sanctuaries. Here’s a source of non-theme park, alternative fun stuff to do:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Family-Fun-Florida-Annino-Godown/dp/1560447648[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Family-Fun-Florida-Annino-Godown/dp/1560447648&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Our family outgrew Disney World years ago and we tend to visit Universal Studios if we visit a theme park at all, with the except of the water slide parks. Those are always fun.</p>

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<p>The parks are fun. Silly sometimes, but fun. Outside the major parks, but in the Disney area is Downtown Disney – restaurants, shows, shops, movies etc. Cirque Du Soliel is worth every single of the many many pennies a ticket costs. Disney’s Sports Complex is way cool if you like baseball – or have a kid playing in one of the many tournaments/camps. Check out what will be happening when you are there. The water parks are great. The Disney golf is good. Lots and lots to do … rent a boat … etc if you are <em>at</em> Disney.</p>

<p>There’s also outlet shopping in Orlando. We once went to an airplane museum that is between Orlando and Tampa. Clearwater Beach … near Tampa is the most gorgeous beach I’ve ever seen and the sunsets were spectacular.</p>

<p>I was in Orlando … and at Disney … three times last year for various reason including trade shows.</p>

7

<p>Bring a camelback with you into the park for the day. You can refill it throughout the park and drink while in lines. Much cheaper than buying bottled water!
If you are staying on-site definitely take advantage of the early/late hours for resort guests.
How about a great water park one day?
Have a great time!</p>

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<p>I’ll second the idea of staying off-site. We’ve gone to Disney a few times and did a time-share two times. Wonderful to have room to spread out and a kitchen to have breakfast in and heat up the left -overs from restaurants. I won’t say “cook”, but having a table to sit around is nice. The hardest part of doing Disney for our family was getting out early to take full advantage of the less crowded morning hours.</p>

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<p>We’re staying in a hotel in downtown Disney (got vetoed on the condo because everyone else wanted housekeeping, room service, gym etc.). On an off-day(s) from the parks, I would just like to do something that we wouldn’t do at home and something outdoors to take advantage of the FL weather – minature golf, boats, day trip to a beach, even just a pretty place to walk around would be cool. The only thing I’d avoid is something like going to the movies since we can do that in the frigid northeast. A few follow-ups:</p>

<p>(1) Minor league baseball could be good – is there a stadium nearby and could someone post a team-name so I could look up a schedule?</p>

<p>(2) Someone mentioned renting a boat at Disney. I love boats and rarely get a chance to be around them. Any idea as to where one could rent a boat?</p>

<p>(3) Also, if you were staying in downtown Disney would you drive your car to the parks or rely on the hotel shuttle? My gut instinct is to drive myself only because you can come and go as you please without waiting an extra half hour because the shuttle was late or packed or something. Plus, I think a night event at one of the parks would be cool – like fireworks – so I wouldn’t want to worry about making it to the last shuttle right after. Any thoughts about shuttle reliability?</p>

<p>The food situation sounds pretty good – should have figured since the city is used to catering to so many tourists from all over and so many kids. As for water, since we’ll have a rental car, my standard practice when I go anywhere is to go to the nearest Walgreens/grocery store and buy bottled water at more normal prices – to avoid paying the hotel rates.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the great info – please keep it coming!</p>

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<p>You need the Disney web site! Or a guidebook (which I highly recommend). </p>

<p>You can rent boats at Downtown Disney as well as at most of the resort hotels. There has to be mini-golf in the area – on International Drive if no where else.</p>

<p>Check out Disney’s Wonderful World of Sports for baseball games … it is a neat place – and close to Downtown Disney.</p>

<p>I would take the shuttle to the parks … the parking lots are H U G E and getting from car to front gate is quite time consuming. Did I mention the parking lot can be quite large??? The shuttles are great.</p>

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<p>Baseball-I think the Osceola Astros
Downtown Disney-Driving is easy, drive your car</p>

<p>Since you are onsight, take advantage of all early openings, and late closings for guests! The weather is cooler, and you can rest in the middle of day when it is boiling hot!</p>

<p>A couple of the hotels have little boat rentals. Call the Disney toll free # and they can give this info to you. </p>

<p>If you go to a water park, all members of our family agree that Typhoon Lagoon is the best one.</p>

12

<p>A tip a friend gave me that worked great was to drive to one of the hotels on the monorail ( ie, Polynesian, Contemporary) and catch the monorail there. It used to be that if you were staying on-site you could park anywhere ( check to see if that’s still true). It saved soooo much time. The lots at the hotel aren’t that big and you can walk right up to the monorail stop in the hotel. If we took the shuttle bus from our hotel it took quite a while to get to the park with all of the stops etc.</p>

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<p>PA Mom, Yes this can be done, though one is not supposed to do it. There is a guard in the front of the lots. If you let them know that you are eating in one of the restaurants at these hotels, you can get your car into those lots.</p>

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<p>Oops…I don’t remember a guard when we tried this but that was probably 8 years ago. Perhaps too many people decided this was a good idea! LOL
I am huge “honesty” nut, so I wouldn’t be able to look the guard in the eye and fib…LOL. I’d probably just eat in the restaurant on my way in so it would be true. LOL
We did splurge and stay at the Grand Floridian one time and that was right on the monorail. Very nice and very convenient.</p>

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<p>I Drive is great - there’s a wonderful miniature golf course called “Pirate’s Cove” right on I Drive. There’s also a kind of science museum that you can’t miss - the building is literally upside down - street lamps & trees hanging from the air, etc. Lots of fun. Lots of shopping and good eating on I Drive. Just off of I Drive there’s also a wonderful (but very expensive) fondue place - you cook your own meal in the various oils/broths, and then of course have a fondue dessert. It does take a lot of time, though.</p>

<p>Although I enjoy Pirate’s Cove, my absolutely favorite mini golf course of all times is one of Disney’s Fantasia courses. It’s not the one with the animals that looks like a regular mini course; it’s almost a pitch & putt type of course. (Ignore the SummerWinterLand courses; they’re just the standard mini golf.</p>

<p>Disney also has two water parks. I wouldn’t bother with Blizzard Beach; slides aren’t that great. We do love Typhoon Lagoon, though, and they just added a couple of new super-fast slides.</p>

<p>Since we’ve always stayed on site at the cheap resorts (the All-Star), I’ve never bothered with anyone else’s water parks. But I understand that Wet & Wild is also a lot of fun.</p>

<p>The only park we’ve ever taken a shuttle to is Magic Kingdom. The parking situation for that park is terrible. You have to wait for the parking lot trams, but last time we tried it, there were no markings for where the tram stopped. So we were all calmly and politely standing in line behind the poles, but the tram didn’t stop where we were standing. After moving various places, with trams stopping at random, we missed three. By then, everyone’s patience had worn thin. So I won’t do that again. Also, they’ve changed the drop off for the shuttles to MK, so that you’re right at the entrance - no more having to go on the monorail once you get there. We drive to Epcot, MGM, Animal Kingdom and Typhoon Lagoon. Any tram stops are clearly marked - no frustration. And we do it for the same reason - flexibility. Since you’re staying on site, parking is free.</p>

<p>Monorails only go to MK and Epcot, not to MGM or Animal Kingdom.</p>

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<p>We also usually stay at the All Star Resorts. The buses to the parks are very convenient from those hotels.</p>

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<p>There is really quite enough to do just at Disney for five days. If you want to rent bikes, go to the camp ground. If you want to rent boats, go to the hotels around the big lagoon (Contemporary, Polynesian, etc.). If you want to chill, hang out by your hotel pool, or you might be able to get into (sneak) into one of the Disney resort pools. Downtown Disney has a big shopping area which you can walk to from the Downtown Disney hotel area. As with everything Disney, expect to pay. To test your mettle, and whether you are truly prepared for a Disney vacation, do the following- take a $20, hold it over the toilet, drop it in and flush. If you can do this with ease, you’re ready for your vacation at Disney.</p>

<p>If you do want to take a day trip to Cocoa Beach, it’s a little over an hour drive. Go to Ron Jons and rent your beach equipment (surf and boogie boards, other stuff). If you’ve never surfed and want to try, rent the biggest aircraft carrier foam board they’ve got. If you can get everything on/in your car, drive south down to Lori Wilson Park or Murshke Park. Get a bucket of KFC and a cooler of drinks. Bring change because all beach parking is metered. Google kayaking in Cocoa Beach if you want to do that- there are several places. Also Google airboat rides in Brevard county if you’re interested in that.</p>

<p>Other than that, there really is plenty to do in your resort area. You won’t really see much of the “real” Florida, but hey, who cares? You’re on vacation- you should be allowed to live in a fantasy world for a few days! </p>

<p>If you are really interested in dropping some bucks and want a great dining experience, make reservations at Victoria and Alberts (Disney’s Grand Floridian). It’s a seven course meal. Get the wine pairings. Take the bus home, or get a designated driver. It’s expensive ($400-500 for a couple) but a real treat.</p>

<p>If you’re going to Disney in March, the Atlanta Braves do their spring training on Disney property and you can probably get tickets to a game. If not, google spring training and you’ll find teams all over Florida. It’s really fun watching the training games because it’s so up close and personal.</p>

<p>The weather doesn’t get really hot until May/June. Right now it’s beautiful.
Disney has four parks. Magic Kingdom and Epcot are the largest. If you drive out I-drive, Universal has two parks- Islands of Adventure is their “roller coaster” park. Sea World is out that way too.</p>

<p>International Drive is a zoo.</p>

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<p>I am a big fan of old time Florida “tacky” attractions.</p>

<p>Whenever I am in the Orlando area, I always try to go to Gator Land. I also stop at a shell shop. This was a big part of Florida when I was a kid (1960s) and it is almost gone, replace by corporate attractions, “not that there’s anything wrong with that.”</p>

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<p>Orange Ave between Orlando and Winter Park–antique row. Winter Park-Park Ave shops, and if its the week of the Winter Park Arts Festival–even better. Winter Park boat ride through the chain of lakes (google and you’ll find it.) </p>

<p>But you’ll prob not need to leave Disney. You can rent boats ANYWHERE in Disney. You can rent at the Contemporary dock, at the Wilderness Lodge dock, at the Grand Floridian dock. You do not have to stay in a Disney Hotel to rent. You can rent a pontoon boat, a speed boat, a wave runner. I suggest you DO NOT rent a paddle boat!!! (a half hour seems like an eternity.)</p>

<p>Two nice outlet shopping centers close–one south on hwy 535 only about 2 miles from I-4/Lake Buena Vista exit, and one on Vineland Road which parellels I-4 and is in between Dixie Stampede and the Mary Queen of the Universe “church,” just east of the I-4/Lake Buena Vista exit. </p>

<p>Take an evening and go from hotel to hotel on Disney Grounds (via bus or boat shuttle.) Walk through the lobbies and the pool areas of the Beach Club resort, the Grand Floridian, the Boardwalk (the Swan and Dolphin hotels within walking distance of Boardwalk). A drive to Celebration to walk downtown and have dinner one night is also fun.</p>

<p>PS, Gatorland had a huge fire, and is recovering from this. Not a great time to stop and enjoy old Florida–wait till they have recovered. And yes, find a “shell shop” --shells, T’s, great Floridian/Hawaiin type shirts and bathing suits…</p>

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<p>We are (or were) a big Disney family while the kids were growing up. My older D even did an internship there for 4 months. We have stayed on and off the property, and prefer staying on. The parking is awful, and costs. The shuttles are frequent and get you there much faster. From some of the hotels you can even take a little boat to some of the parks (but those are more expensive hotels). We have stayed in hotels from the All-star to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which are the 2 ends of the spectrum. The All-Stars are stripped down, clean, motel-type places with unheated basic pool areas. The middle-range ones, like the Corondado Springs, are really beautiful places with themed pool areas and lots to do. The top ones are very expensive, and offer more. I would recommend the middle level with whatever discount is available. Look around the net to see what’s out there. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge when my D was interning down there because she got a 50% discount, and STILL paid almost $300 a night. We were unimpressed for that price. We love Coronado Springs, though. The last few times we went down, we spent a good deal of time at Universal, because it’s for older people. We’ve had enough of princesses. Both Universal parks are great, although crowded. If you stay at one of their hotels on property, though, you get to cut the lines. To us that was worth everything. I hate spending hours of a vacation day standing on line. After years of begging me to include Sea World on our lineup, we finally did it several years ago. What a gorgeous place! I’m glad we made that trip, even though fish leave me cold. lol! We went for broke and arranged for my Ds to have time in the main arena pool with false killer whales, a huge species of dolphin. They were wet-suited up, trained, and taken into the arena pool with several trainers all by themselves. What a great experience. I could easily have blown that money on a few dinners out, and we have great memories and a few terrific photos of the day. They also offer a penguin encounter, in which they take you into the inner workings of the penguin exhibit, and finally let you hold (or pet? I can’t quite remember) a penguin. Another great memory, and another pocket book pinch. That was not as expensive as the false killer whales, though. We’re big into the “unique experiences” thing on vacation. We paid a chunk to have both D’s hold lion cubs in Vegas, and took a terrifying but gorgeous horse-back ride up a steep mountain in Wales. Those kinds of things always stand out in our memories way past any theme park rides or pool slides.</p>