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Disney world Florida
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We went this July/August for a couple of weeks; the best piece of advice is plan, plan and plan!
This book is invaluble (although there'll probably be a new version out next year)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brit-Guide-Orlando-Simon-Veness/dp/0572045476
Get your fast pass slots in early in the day so you can 'top up' later on.
Don't try and do an entire park in 1 day, you can't, not with all the evening shows/fireworks.
Are you doing just Disney or planning Universal too? Assume you're going for 2 weeks
This book is invaluble (although there'll probably be a new version out next year)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brit-Guide-Orlando-Simon-Veness/dp/0572045476
Get your fast pass slots in early in the day so you can 'top up' later on.
Don't try and do an entire park in 1 day, you can't, not with all the evening shows/fireworks.
Are you doing just Disney or planning Universal too? Assume you're going for 2 weeks
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As above really. Especially about booking fast passes in advance and if you want to eat at Disney parks, I think you have to book some of their restaurants well in advance.
Sounds OTT but we had a book with a day to page and made plans for every day, addresses etc. We had 18 nights and had tickets for every park, 15 IIRC? Also we went to Busch Gardens Tampa, its about 60 odd miles away from the main Disney area so we booked a hotel for a couple of nights and made the most of it with a trip to Clearwater, during the evening at a Clearwater we went out on a boat to the Gulf of Mexico to watch the sunset and spot the dolphins (which end up chasing the boat in the trail behind), it was great.
We're early birds so ended up getting up and to the parks as soon as they opened to make the most of the quiet(er) time. We did the same for Magic Kingdom and went back to the hotel at lunch time for an hours nap and a freshen up, then back to the park a couple of hours before closing to get on a few rides at night and to watch the fireworks. It was only us two adults so I'm guessing with kids things will take longer and you'll enjoy parks like magic kingdom more than us.
We hired a car, was worth every penny. Make. Sure you have change for some of the tolls if you hire a car. We got caught out and only had dollar notes, couldn't pay the toll so just went through without paying, ended up with a fine through the hire car company, only about £8. We were worried it was going to be expensive!
At the time I was on 3 mobile network which allowed me to use my phone as normal in USA. It was great because I used it for a satnav, much better than hiring one.
Sounds OTT but we had a book with a day to page and made plans for every day, addresses etc. We had 18 nights and had tickets for every park, 15 IIRC? Also we went to Busch Gardens Tampa, its about 60 odd miles away from the main Disney area so we booked a hotel for a couple of nights and made the most of it with a trip to Clearwater, during the evening at a Clearwater we went out on a boat to the Gulf of Mexico to watch the sunset and spot the dolphins (which end up chasing the boat in the trail behind), it was great.
We're early birds so ended up getting up and to the parks as soon as they opened to make the most of the quiet(er) time. We did the same for Magic Kingdom and went back to the hotel at lunch time for an hours nap and a freshen up, then back to the park a couple of hours before closing to get on a few rides at night and to watch the fireworks. It was only us two adults so I'm guessing with kids things will take longer and you'll enjoy parks like magic kingdom more than us.
We hired a car, was worth every penny. Make. Sure you have change for some of the tolls if you hire a car. We got caught out and only had dollar notes, couldn't pay the toll so just went through without paying, ended up with a fine through the hire car company, only about £8. We were worried it was going to be expensive!
At the time I was on 3 mobile network which allowed me to use my phone as normal in USA. It was great because I used it for a satnav, much better than hiring one.
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I've been a couple of times. Good advice given already but you don't realise how VAST the parks are till you get there. We had two days in Epcot alone and still didn't see all of it.
It can be pretty tiring walking round all day, but you can get re-entry passes so you can have a break, go back to your hotel or villa for a while, then come back in the evening for the firework shows (which are amazing and a definite must-see).
If you have to miss something out due to lack of time, we found MGM studios was the least interesting park, although if your kids are very young they might still enjoy it.
Food is very pricey in the parks. We tended to have a big breakfast at somewhere like Denny's first, just snacks in the park during the day and dinner at one of the buffet places in the evening.
Sea World was actually my favourite out there, followed by NASA at Cape Caneveral, but both my kids absolutely loved Disney. Have fun! (And if you're anything like us, you'll need another holiday when you get home.
)
It can be pretty tiring walking round all day, but you can get re-entry passes so you can have a break, go back to your hotel or villa for a while, then come back in the evening for the firework shows (which are amazing and a definite must-see).
If you have to miss something out due to lack of time, we found MGM studios was the least interesting park, although if your kids are very young they might still enjoy it.
Food is very pricey in the parks. We tended to have a big breakfast at somewhere like Denny's first, just snacks in the park during the day and dinner at one of the buffet places in the evening.
Sea World was actually my favourite out there, followed by NASA at Cape Caneveral, but both my kids absolutely loved Disney. Have fun! (And if you're anything like us, you'll need another holiday when you get home.
)
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! (And if you're anything like us, you'll need another holiday when you get home.
This.
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We did our first family trip May 2015 and back next May too, so just after you!! Tip is plan, plan and plan!
The DIBB is a great forum and I found TouringPlans worth signing up with as you out in the rides you want to go on and works out the best order.
If you want to do any character meals then you need to book 180 days otherwise the best slots will go which will be around now!
I have planned each day already... The first day or 2 you will all be up super early, so make sure you are at the parks as soon as they open, be pretty much the 1st in. Go on the popular rides 1st, we did splash mountain 3 times in a row with around 1 min queues on our 1st day. The Fastness system is good but check Touring plans to see what is worth using it on.
If you want Jedi training at Hollywood Studios then be there an hour before the park opens and in the queue to get in. Once in run to the signup tent to get a limited slot.
Where are you staying and are you on the dining plan? Memory maker is great value too. The Cheesecake Factory is a great restaurant, Bahama Breeze too in orlando.
I have researched loads, so feel free to PM with any questions or advice if needed.
The DIBB is a great forum and I found TouringPlans worth signing up with as you out in the rides you want to go on and works out the best order.
If you want to do any character meals then you need to book 180 days otherwise the best slots will go which will be around now!
I have planned each day already... The first day or 2 you will all be up super early, so make sure you are at the parks as soon as they open, be pretty much the 1st in. Go on the popular rides 1st, we did splash mountain 3 times in a row with around 1 min queues on our 1st day. The Fastness system is good but check Touring plans to see what is worth using it on.
If you want Jedi training at Hollywood Studios then be there an hour before the park opens and in the queue to get in. Once in run to the signup tent to get a limited slot.
Where are you staying and are you on the dining plan? Memory maker is great value too. The Cheesecake Factory is a great restaurant, Bahama Breeze too in orlando.
I have researched loads, so feel free to PM with any questions or advice if needed.
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Thanks everyone, I'll try and answer the above lol.
We're staying in the Disney Resort, 14 days, we have the memory maker and park tickets for 14 days, all booked through Disney.
We don't have a dining plan as my eldest is a pescetarian and can be quite fussy, my youngest will eat anything.
I've got my self an excel spreadsheet with all parks listed for each day, we've booked in a few Character dining slots and made sure they are local to the park we do that day. We have planned in a pool day on the 1st week, but we've left the second week pretty much open in terms of restaurants etc.
Value for money is a big thing so any tips on places to eat that are on the cheaper side will be great.
Our flights out are MAN-Germany Frankfurt, 2 hr wait then Frankfurt to Orlando.
We've done the ETSA, is there anything else we need to do? We fly united airlines, are they good?
Thanks again.
Matt
We're staying in the Disney Resort, 14 days, we have the memory maker and park tickets for 14 days, all booked through Disney.
We don't have a dining plan as my eldest is a pescetarian and can be quite fussy, my youngest will eat anything.
I've got my self an excel spreadsheet with all parks listed for each day, we've booked in a few Character dining slots and made sure they are local to the park we do that day. We have planned in a pool day on the 1st week, but we've left the second week pretty much open in terms of restaurants etc.
Value for money is a big thing so any tips on places to eat that are on the cheaper side will be great.
Our flights out are MAN-Germany Frankfurt, 2 hr wait then Frankfurt to Orlando.
We've done the ETSA, is there anything else we need to do? We fly united airlines, are they good?
Thanks again.
Matt
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First enjoy your time April will be nice. Not sure about how long the queues will be. So may be you will be lucky and not need fast passes. If you hire a car then don't get taken for an upgrade. The only one to get is the toll pass it's a must if you miss one it's a $100 fine on your credit card.
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Highly recommend this book too, was an invaluable read when we went last year (off site). Used the Alamo car rental discount code it included too for cheaper rental
.Fast Pass slots early is great advice too, we got lots of FP's by getting there early use our FP's then rebooking on the in park terminals. Use the Disney apps too for real time queueing info and park maps via gps which was great as well as other useful tools / info. We used some of our FP's for the street parades too which meant we got better positions (certainly in MK) but it really does pay to stake a spot out early. It could be different at that time of year though as we went July / Aug time.
Cheap might be difficult with change in $ rates but who knows by April things might be different. On site food in all the parks was reasonable prices considering but the whole "wow US portion sizes are huge" we didn't find to be true tbh. Neither in the parks or outside.
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As Simon suggested, have a good look at The Dibb http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/ Everything you want to know about Disney, Orlando and surrounding area. Loads of tips and tricks on where to eat, how to plan, must sees etc. Join the forum it is so helpful, people with vast knowledge of all it entails.
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Thanks everyone, we were supposed to get free dining but as we booked the first two weeks in April school holidays we didn't qualify.
I emailed and complained and got a $400 gift card and room upgrade
We plan to book the fast passes as soon as we are allowed, we've got the app too.
From a photography side of things, what did you all take? I'm defo packing my macro gear for the jumping spiders over there, do I need to be taking a 400mm for animal kingdom etc etc.
I know I should be enjoying the moment with my girls and wife, which I will do, but the tog in me will be constantly looking at potential photographs
I emailed and complained and got a $400 gift card and room upgrade
We plan to book the fast passes as soon as we are allowed, we've got the app too.
From a photography side of things, what did you all take? I'm defo packing my macro gear for the jumping spiders over there, do I need to be taking a 400mm for animal kingdom etc etc.
I know I should be enjoying the moment with my girls and wife, which I will do, but the tog in me will be constantly looking at potential photographs
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Thanks everyone, we were supposed to get free dining but as we booked the first two weeks in April school holidays we didn't qualify.
I emailed and complained and got a $400 gift card and room upgrade
We plan to book the fast passes as soon as we are allowed, we've got the app too.
From a photography side of things, what did you all take? I'm defo packing my macro gear for the jumping spiders over there, do I need to be taking a 400mm for animal kingdom etc etc.
I know I should be enjoying the moment with my girls and wife, which I will do, but the tog in me will be constantly looking at potential photographs[/QUOTE
For this reason alone I left mine at home
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I took my 400 around AK and i think i only used it on the safari truck ride thing. I can't say it was worth it though as it was quiet for most of the enclosures so even double that length wouldn't of helped. I mainly stuck with my 24/70 + 70/200 (yes i'm that guy) within the parks themselves and a couple of screw in ND's for when the sun was too strong to shoot wide open.
Macro is a must, it got some use within the parks but mostly back at the villa and we took in the odd nature walk or two (Shingle Creek) on chill out days.
If you haven't got one i'd recommend a Gopro too, it's was great around the parks and absolutely invaluable in both the Disney water parks (consider it a necessity tbh). No selfie sticks though, banned in Disney. I did use a gorlliapod in the main parks which the security / bag checks didn't mind once i explained what it was lol.
Macro is a must, it got some use within the parks but mostly back at the villa and we took in the odd nature walk or two (Shingle Creek) on chill out days.
If you haven't got one i'd recommend a Gopro too, it's was great around the parks and absolutely invaluable in both the Disney water parks (consider it a necessity tbh). No selfie sticks though, banned in Disney. I did use a gorlliapod in the main parks which the security / bag checks didn't mind once i explained what it was lol.
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Depending how old your kids are, the trading pins was a great idea. We didn't know about it before and I bought a load (25) on ebay out there, for $20.the boy who was 5 at the time loved changing them with cast members.
Also, if you let them know that it's your first time there, I'm sure we got a badge for the kids and he ended up with some treats when we ate in. It was a belated birthday trip for him and in the second week we mentioned it to one of the cast and they took him to a store and gave him ice cream. I'm sure April will be an early / late birthday for yours as well [emoji16]
Also, if you let them know that it's your first time there, I'm sure we got a badge for the kids and he ended up with some treats when we ate in. It was a belated birthday trip for him and in the second week we mentioned it to one of the cast and they took him to a store and gave him ice cream. I'm sure April will be an early / late birthday for yours as well [emoji16]
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Dont take too much, it is warm, you walk a lot and you really won't use much! I took a D750 and 16-35 f4 as I knew we would be up close a lot and this was great for some days, although left this in the hotel at least half the time. My 'compact' was the Fuji x100T which was excellent, had a small pouch for it (Manfrotto) on my belt and 35mm was generally a great length. Unless you want very close ups, 70-200 is too long for parades and think you would barely use it, I did take a 50mm prime too which i think i used some of the time but i think if you have 18/20 up to 70mm (on FF) you should be fine.
Go-pro was probably the best thing to buy for holiday. Great for the pool and waterparks, good for on the rides too (Universal don't allow them to be used on rides so be discreet!!). Great for character interactions too.
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We stayed at Caribbean Beach last October/November and are going back next October. It was unusually hot when we were there last year but are expecting low 80's next year.
Definitely book your fastpasses and dining as early as you can (180 days for dining and 60 for FP). You probably won't get a table at any of the Disney restaurants when you're there and they're all excellent.
I took my A6000, 16-50, 50 and 12 which covered all bases for me and is lightweight when you're carrying enough other stuff with you. As much as we all like taking our own photographs, there are a million and one shots of the castle/tree of life/Hollywood studios so I spent more time getting shots of my wife and kids enjoying themselves.
We also got the Disney Photopass which is a bargain. For $150, our whole group of 12 were linked to the same account so we all got ride shots and group shots taken by the numerous Disney photographers around the parks which meant I'm actually in photographs for a change! We came home with around 600 photographs and videos from the Photopass so well worth it.
Definitely book your fastpasses and dining as early as you can (180 days for dining and 60 for FP). You probably won't get a table at any of the Disney restaurants when you're there and they're all excellent.
I took my A6000, 16-50, 50 and 12 which covered all bases for me and is lightweight when you're carrying enough other stuff with you. As much as we all like taking our own photographs, there are a million and one shots of the castle/tree of life/Hollywood studios so I spent more time getting shots of my wife and kids enjoying themselves.
We also got the Disney Photopass which is a bargain. For $150, our whole group of 12 were linked to the same account so we all got ride shots and group shots taken by the numerous Disney photographers around the parks which meant I'm actually in photographs for a change! We came home with around 600 photographs and videos from the Photopass so well worth it.
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I've flown ex UK, and all over the contiguous US with United....never had an issue.
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Awesome place, many a breakfast on route to Disney in there. Nice big pancakes, bacon and syrupWe found cracker barrel excellent value, all home cooked food, alas no liquor license
. And the Golden Corral for buffets which are amazing and endless.
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Awesome place, many a breakfast on route to Disney in there. Nice big pancakes, bacon and syrup
Agreed their breakfasts were awesome. Their evening meals were really good too if you didn't mind not having alcohol.
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Only ever went for the breakfasts but ended up with a dancing Halloween Snoopy thing from their too!
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Lol I loved looking around that shop, I bought a scarf and a Xmas globe, some fascinating things in there.
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When we went, I went to WalMart and bought a pair of two-way radios for about $10. Very handy.
When we got into a park, the first thing I would do is nip off and get fast passes for us all for a big ride.
Then we'd meet up at a smaller ride.
Just as the time for the first fast passes were approaching, we'd then be allowed to get some more for another ride...so we'd get those, then head onto the first big ride and use our first lot.
Then we'd go on another smaller ride, waiting for the time of the second lot of fast passes.
Just before we'd go on the second big ride, we'd get another lot of fast passes for another.
That was the best way to work it for us. We didn't end up queueing much as it all worked out quite well.
The two way radios were handy for when I nipped off and so we could meet up again.
You will walk. You will walk like you've never walked before.
When we got into a park, the first thing I would do is nip off and get fast passes for us all for a big ride.
Then we'd meet up at a smaller ride.
Just as the time for the first fast passes were approaching, we'd then be allowed to get some more for another ride...so we'd get those, then head onto the first big ride and use our first lot.
Then we'd go on another smaller ride, waiting for the time of the second lot of fast passes.
Just before we'd go on the second big ride, we'd get another lot of fast passes for another.
That was the best way to work it for us. We didn't end up queueing much as it all worked out quite well.
The two way radios were handy for when I nipped off and so we could meet up again.
You will walk. You will walk like you've never walked before.
I last visited about 2 years ago
I'd recommend getting Three sim for using its allowance over there it came in very useful for data, calls and texts.
I also used the Disney apps which even though i never had a fast pass im sure it did enable me to book about 3 a day
Although the Disney park are great I'd recommend going to universal parks as well, finally for camera gear i took a Fuji X-T1 for something bit lighter than my DSLR but still very capable of decent photos..
if i could afford to go again anytime soon I'd be likely to just take the X-T1 again
I'd recommend getting Three sim for using its allowance over there it came in very useful for data, calls and texts.
I also used the Disney apps which even though i never had a fast pass im sure it did enable me to book about 3 a day
Although the Disney park are great I'd recommend going to universal parks as well, finally for camera gear i took a Fuji X-T1 for something bit lighter than my DSLR but still very capable of decent photos..
if i could afford to go again anytime soon I'd be likely to just take the X-T1 again
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Oh, my God, you're so lucky one! This place is on my bucket list after Japan
Last year I almost reached this point. I found a woman who wanted to exchange house in Florida, here: http://swap-house.com/host/usa/ Free living can make a good save! You're absolutely right that you want to save. I even booked a flight, but my trip fell through due to my work. I received an urgent project and couldn't leave. I wish you the best trip! Please share your experience after it.
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Great thread.
We go in May for 20 days, can't wait and will be taking my gx80 and go pro 4 silver with us.
It will be my firth time there and the last two occasions my go pro died, first brand new and then replacement so I don't have great footage which I want to get this time.
We are doing a night at clear water too, so will spend couple of days on the beach, the boat rides to see the Dolphins are a must.
One thing, don't stress to much about planning, it is a holiday after all however you will want to get the most out of it so being prepared on planning is advantageous however not worth stress, so find the balance.
I hire a car which gives me flexibility as we have young children too. We stay in a villa and crash out due to not being used to so much walking and the heat.
I use co pilot app on my phone, it downloads to the memory so doesn't require any data, really useful.
Think about your plug sockets and what you need to charge over there. Also if your hair straighteners for example will be powered well enoug, my mrs had issues with hers.
Err, loads to think about but as said above , the dibb is the best place to read and gain experience from other members.
We go in May for 20 days, can't wait and will be taking my gx80 and go pro 4 silver with us.
It will be my firth time there and the last two occasions my go pro died, first brand new and then replacement so I don't have great footage which I want to get this time.
We are doing a night at clear water too, so will spend couple of days on the beach, the boat rides to see the Dolphins are a must.
One thing, don't stress to much about planning, it is a holiday after all however you will want to get the most out of it so being prepared on planning is advantageous however not worth stress, so find the balance.
I hire a car which gives me flexibility as we have young children too. We stay in a villa and crash out due to not being used to so much walking and the heat.
I use co pilot app on my phone, it downloads to the memory so doesn't require any data, really useful.
Think about your plug sockets and what you need to charge over there. Also if your hair straighteners for example will be powered well enoug, my mrs had issues with hers.
Err, loads to think about but as said above , the dibb is the best place to read and gain experience from other members.