Our Plan - Comments Please!!

[4stokes]

Hello All,

We are first-timers going in May, me, DH, DS1 (12), DS2 (10 whilst we are away). Are looking pn this as our one and only trip (has taken me 2 years to persuade DH to go at all!!) so have a lot to pack in during our 14 days. Have 10 day World Pass for Disney, 7 days for 2 for US/IOA and adventure passport for SW & BG (cost less than day tickets). DH says he wants to do some other things, not just go to parks (although I am hoping to change his view of the parks once we get there!!) Staying off-site in I Drive.


Here is what I have come up with so far:

FRI Day 1 - Arrive around 5pm (Any suggestions for 1st evening?)
SAT Day 2 - Animal Kingdom (PS already arranged for Bomas)
SUN Day 3 - Epcot (possible 1st visit to MK in evening)
MON Day 4 - Shopping/ Waterpark Eve - Downtown Disney inc Disneyquest
TUES Day 5 - BG
WEDS Day 6 - Kennedy (eve - Wonderworks, Titanic possibly?)
THURS Day 7 - MGM (taking free character breakfast at H & V) & waterpark PM (eve - back to MGM for Fantasmic?)
FRI Day 8 - US/IOA
SAT Day 9 - Silver Springs or Cypress Gardens
SUN Day 10 - MK (PS for Ohanas already booked)
MON Day 11- Trip to the beach (hoping to book tickets for Cirque in evening)
TUES Day 12 - Seaworld
WEDS Day 13 - DS2's 10th birthday - Character Breakfast at Crystal Palace then let him choose park, back to waterpark in late afternoon, Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney for birthday dinner followed by another visit to Disneyquest (?)
THURS Day 14 - IOA/US Eve - Epcot for Illuminations (PS for Rose & Crown made)
FRI Day 15 - Morning Boggy Creek Ride PM - Home!!


Can I have your honest opinions? I know we are packing a lot in but we are prepared for that. Is there anything I have left out or perhaps something that I have put in but perhaps shouldn't. All comments would be greatly appreciated.

Caroline

 

[Janice]

Hi Caroline

I think your itinerary looks great - almost exactly like ours did the first time we went

A couple of comments :

You have BG one day, and Kennedy the next. Both of these parks involve a fairly long drive, would you perhaps want to do this on consecutive days? And you have a day set aside for the beach the following week.

I am a No. 1 fan of Kennedy Space Centre and have been there on almost every trip, but the last I heard was that a lot of the centre had been off limits since the Sept 11th incident. Some reports have been that it is now a much shorter day there, so maybe you could go to the Space Centre in the morning (it opens at 9am - check here for some further info: KSC Visitors Info - and you can also buy your entrance tickets online now before you go which saves some time) and then perhaps to the beach in the afternoon.

Also - and this is just my own observations, but I wonder if your boys would enjoy Cypress Gardens? My DH and I went there on our own last March, and whilst we had a great time and I found it really lovely, I am certain that my son and daughter at your boys ages would have been a bit bored. The only thing I recall that they might have enjoyed was the Water Ski show - and they have something similar at SeaWorld. This is just my opinion though - obviously I dont know your lads at all, but I thought it worth mentioning. Have you checked out Cypress Gardens website for a look at what is there? Check here Cypress Gardens

Have you thought about taking your DH and sons to the Classic Car Cavalcade in Old Town Kissimmee? This is on Fridays and Saturday evenings and lots of the Old Classic American cars are in town for competitions and they all drive round - then park up for you to have a look at them all. We have seen this and it was interesting and different. Here is a link for it:Classic Car Cruise

Also how about a Rodeo? There is one again in Kissimmee Old Town. I have not been to this actual one, but we did go to a Rodeo when we stayed in Naples and it was really different entertainment. I really felt like I have visited America after being here - it was the Cowboys that did it! LOL. Here is a link: Kissimmee Rodeo

I hope this is helpful - as I say, I think your plan looks great and I hope you and your family have the most wonderful time. I envy you - there is nothing like the first time

 

[UKDEB]

Hi Caroline!

What I would say is that you simply can not prepare yourself for what Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, Florida have to offer. The sheer scale of WDW is incomprehensible - it is the size of a small city with 6 lane highways (i.e. like our motorways!) running through it and 3/4 of it is undeveloped. Its theme parks are not comparable with Alton Towers or Thorpe Park. The trouble is, to a first-timer none of that really means anything until you get there, which is why I say it's incomprehensible. I read all the stats and trivia before my first trip, but nothing prepares you for the reality. It is just awesome.

Honest opinions? OK, but with the caveat that only you can really decide what is best for you. I wouldn't bother with Busch Gardens, Silver Springs or Cypress Gardens and probably not Kennedy either. Anywhere else they would undoubtedly be major tourist attractions (and were before WDW came along), but to me they are something to be done if you do ever decide on a future trip. BG is an hour and a half drive each way. It <i>is</i> a great park, but not in the league of the Orlando parks IMHO. We haven't done Wonderworks, but I've read that it's a bit disappointing and as you're doing DisneyQuest, will probably be even more so. It is a sight to behold from outside, though. We have booked our seventh trip and we are gradually including things other than the parks, but we still haven't got around to Silver Springs or Cypress Gardens! What I am trying to say is, once you've experienced the Disney and Universal parks, don't be surprised if you find yourselves wanting to go back to them rather than fit in the minor attractions.

You will be very tired when you arrive at your hotel - by the time you've cleared customs and immigration and found your way there, it is probably going to be around midnight to your body clock. I would be inclined to check out the hotel and the immediate vicinity on I-Drive. Where are you staying?

As you probably know, the jet-lag will have you awake at the crack of dawn on day one (4 or 5am is not unusual). AK is a great choice for your first day - go straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris to catch the animals at their most alert. I'm assuming your PS for Boma is for dinner rather than breakfast, which means 7pm at the earliest. You will be tired again, so you might want to go back to your hotel mid-afternoon for a bit of pool therapy and freshen yourselves up before your dinner at Boma.

Everything else is perfect! We did the Crystal Palace character breakfast for younger dd's 11th birthday. Your son will love it.

All this sounds a bit heavy, but I think the most important thing is that you are happy with what you have planned. Yes, you do seem to have a lot packed in, but as long as you accept that you just <i>might</i> find you don't have the stamina for it all and you <i>might</i> change your minds, you'll be fine.

Whatever you decide, the best advice I can give you is take your time to enjoy it. It is a very hectic holiday and it's easy to blitz it all and to find that it all goes by in a blur. Savour every moment.

 

[vernon]

While I think the KSC is a must to visit, do check to see just how much is open at the moment. Even with the parts that are off limits at the moment, due to the drive there and back , I think you'll be too tired in the evening to take anything else in. Given the pace of the rest of your scedule , I'd opt for an early night that day LOL.

I would also leave brackets around Silver Springs/Cyprus gardens as a possible visit. You have a few days that I think you'll find it hard to get in two or three things all done in that day. To make the most of the water parks I really think that one needs a minimum of 5 hours there, to combine shopping in with that is a bit hopeful ( unless you really are POWER shoppers LOL). I find that it really needs a minimum of a whole afternoon to get a decent run at the shopping for a family group.

Again, because of the travelling, to do a trip to the beach ( 3 hours driving) and then fit cirque in the evening may need a rethink. After a day at the beach there is a fair chance everyone's going to be a little tender from the sun, I always feel tired after being in the sun and 90 minutes back isn't going to help. Cirque is a fairly expensive evening, a long day infront of it means 1) you might be late and2) you may not enjoy it fully if everyones a bit tired.

I would keep BG in the itinery, particularly if the boys enjoy the thrill rides at IOA, BG has some great coasters.

Only other thing , is your last day. Boggy Creek is something I REALLY want to do next trip BUT I'm not sure it's a good thing to do on your last day. If it turns out a bit dirty/smelly/sweaty will you have access to somewhere to shower before you fly? and do you want to root around in you luggage taking out clean and finding a place for potentially dirty clothes? I think I'd fit it into an earlier day and have the last day as "clean" activities only LOL .

 

[S'mE]

Looks good to me, although I think your itinerary will change drastically after your sons visit IOA & Universal for the first time. Men in Black and 10-12 yr old boys is a multi-ride event, in our experience!! Don't forget the single rider entrance if they get hooked as you can almost ride continually, at certain times!!

I agree that Cypress Gardens and Silver Springs are not essential in the itinerary, but would encourage a Busch Gardens visit, considering the ages of your children. We go there every visit, a great park in our opinion.

AK, great choice first day, but consider a Typhoon Lagoon visit just for an hour, on your way home, to relax and take a float down their lazy river...........if that doesn't convince you that this is NOT only a once in a lifetime experience, then I'll be amazed!!

 

[WDWfan uk]

..... to be honest, I think you may be trying to do too much in one day e.g. visiting Epcot and then following it with your very first visit to MK is probably too much. Debbie is right about the size of those parks!

Also, it is going to be hot and you'll need to pace yourselves - a visit to a water park does take up most of the day and enjoying the water rides in the hot sun is draining, you'll need to relax too

I also agree with Janice that you have some long drives in there that might need spacing out ( BTW, Silver Springs is also quite a drive)

May I ask where you are staying?

 

[4stokes]

Thanks for all your suggestions - it was really good to get the comments of those who are in the know!!

I was pleased to hear I was on the right lines but on reflection, agree with the comments made about doing BG and Kennedy on consecutive days. Also the comments about doing the beach and Cirque on the same day are very valid. Having already booked the tickets, I don't want to risk being late due to a delay coming back from the beach!

I appreciate what people have said about Silver Springs and Cypress Gardens but including this was really to appease my other half who is adamant he wants to do more than the Parks! As I have said however, I'm hoping he will change his mind once we get there! Vernon's point about Boggy Creek was also a very good one that I hadn't thought of

Incidentally Shirley, we are staying at Wyndham Orlando.

Thanks again everyone!! I'm becoming seriously addicted to these Boards and keep learning something new everyday!

Caroline