For those of you looking to visit Orlando (and living in Florida, I do this a lot), I just wanted to share some things we have learned to save yourself time and money.First of all, if you can choose your time, visit Florida in late April, early May, or mid to late October. Why? Weather is almost always decent, humidity has dropped, temperatures are great and the majority of tourists are not here, hence your wait in lines will be minimal. In addition, hotels offer great rates during this time frame.
Depending on the number of people in your party and your interests will determine where you stay. If you are going to spend all your time at the Disney Parks, stay onsight as there are a variety of price ranges to choose from. On our recent trip, we had five in our party, 3 adults, 2 children, ages 5 and almost 7. We decided to stay at Marriott's Cypress Harbour Resort as we wanted to visit more than just Disney. Our unit was 2 bedroom, 2 bath with lots of space and lots of swimming pools for the girls. It is a beautiful property and one I often stay in and recommend highly. It's very close to Seaworld and convenient to the interstate for quick access anywhere.
We took advantage of the Triple A members rates and purchased two day passes for Seaworld, which was great. We arrived in Orlando late morning, so we went to Seaworld, took in the smaller whale show (which was very elaborate with great costumes, flying birds, acrobats and more!). We didn't feel rushed in anyway. We saw the baby dolphin in the nursery, fed the rays (very unusual sensation!!!!) and had a great time. We did not try to feed and pet the dolphins this afternoon as the area is very crowded in the afternoon. This we saved for our second day when we arrived when the park opened and went directly to the dolphin feeding area. We were second in line, got food and were able to feed the dolphins without crowds crushing in. The girls loved it, as did Kelsey who is the ultimate dolphin fan!
The girls wanted to have lunch with the Princesses at Disneyworld. You need to make advance reservations for this (which in the off season can be done a day prior, but I recommend you do it as far in advance as possible). Rates were very reasonable and after experiencing the event, I cannot believe the value. Families with little girls would do well to take advantage of this option. We arrived on time and were escorted into the restaurant (this was held in Epcot's Norway area). The girls were introduced to Princess Belle who was dressed in her royal ball gown. She spent time with each of the girls and then had photo's taken with the girls. Photos were taken by family members as well as a professional photographer that was there. With all the photo's we are offered at the parks, I expected them to be offered for sale later. Imagine our pleasant surprise when they were presented to the girls as gifts from Princess Belle. The photo packet alone was worth the price of the luncheon! The Princesses (including Cinderella, Snow White, and Ariel as well as Mary Poppins) visited the girls right at their table, had their pictures taken with the girls, and spent a few minutes talking with them. Maddy and Belle were thrilled!
For those of you wanting to go to Disneyworld, take your most comfortable walking shoes and a backpack. It's the easiest way. Packs, purses or any bags will be searched prior to you entering the park, but it goes quickly, so not to worry. We packed water bottles, snacks for all (granola bars were easy and don't melt, as were goldfish crackers), sunscreen, cameras and the like. The adults in the party took turns carrying it. Saved us money and gave us a place to stash our treasures.
Plan on getting to the parks early (hours are posted on their websites). We had multi park passes, so we were able to go from one area to the next. If you are limited in time, I recommend picking out the rides/exhibits you want to experience and then work from your list. We spent two full days at the Magic Kingdom, taking in Epcot part of one day and the Wild Animal Kingdom another day. You should experience the Serengeti and the parade at the Animal Kingdom has a completely different flair. It's more primitive and a delightful difference from the glitter of the lighted parade. The "Fast Pass" really moves things along and is something everyone should use. For those of you not familiar with this concept, you can take your admission card, enter it into machines placed in front of the more popular rides and be assigned a time to return and basically "walk on" to the ride through the "Fast Pass" line. It saves a lot of time. You can in essence receive a time to get on the ride and go on to enjoy other rides in the meantime. Remember the evenings offer fireworks or the lazer light show. Both are worth the visit.
