Ha I remember that as well. Got quite bad cramp and struggled to swim, thinking I was going to drown but fortunately enough of me flailed to get to safety
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Florida - USA - First Time
- Thread starter ShadowMan
- Start date
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We went to Florida in 2022 and spent a couple of days at the parks. We managed to do both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios in one day by purchasing a fast pass. It was ludicrously expensive at $110 /each (probably more now) but totally worth it as it cut queuing time by 75% or so. Without it you would need 2-3 days to cover both parks.
We also visited Hollywood Studios which was awesome. There was no fast pass you could purchase but there are videos on YouTube outlining the best strategy for maximising your time in the park. From memory of you are stating in a Disney hotel that gets you some queue skipping benefits and early park access.
Food was a lot of fun and surprisingly good. I have fond memories of butter beer and blue milk. Restaurants get booked up very early and you may have already missed the boat on the Disney ones as bookings open 60 days in advance.
We also did the Kennedy Space Centre which was underwhelming and a big come down after having spent 2 days at the parks pumped full of adrenaline. Maybe do that first.
Hiring a car in the US is a no brainier. It's pretty cheap and such a nice place to drive.
If you have time, we also enjoyed Miami, the Everglades and the Keys.
We also visited Hollywood Studios which was awesome. There was no fast pass you could purchase but there are videos on YouTube outlining the best strategy for maximising your time in the park. From memory of you are stating in a Disney hotel that gets you some queue skipping benefits and early park access.
Food was a lot of fun and surprisingly good. I have fond memories of butter beer and blue milk. Restaurants get booked up very early and you may have already missed the boat on the Disney ones as bookings open 60 days in advance.
We also did the Kennedy Space Centre which was underwhelming and a big come down after having spent 2 days at the parks pumped full of adrenaline. Maybe do that first.
Hiring a car in the US is a no brainier. It's pretty cheap and such a nice place to drive.
If you have time, we also enjoyed Miami, the Everglades and the Keys.
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Jul 2003
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- Westergate
Make sure you check out Mannys Chop House. The space centre is great also look at a private air boat tour on the Everglades.
Deleted member 280263
Deleted member 280263
Go for half the time and buy a 5090
Thanks for all the replies. I have been reading but its been a bit of a wild few days/weeks at home.
Now pretty much prepped for everything and have lots of notes. Have stuck to the itinerary and will be putting in some rest days. Spoke to the kids about going to Magic Kingdom but neither are bothered by it so its just the 1 day in Hollywood Studios for now. Have pre-booked and paid for Savi's workshop and will be booking spots on Rise of the Resistance on the single ride pass. The full day unlimited fast passes just seem ridiculously expensive but may do the smaller 3 ride lightning pass depending on our plans. Can't book them until the 28th July thought so will have to see.
I have bought my cash and have it ready for tipping and non-card payments. New suitcases arrived and ordering the various clothes and items needed. Not something I ever had to organise before when married but finding it fun sorting solo and picking the bits with the kids to get what they want. Also paid for flight upgrades yesterday for a little nicer experience on the long flight and to ensure we get at least 1 window seat. Couldn't justify Premium but the Economy Delight with Virgin wasn't bad for £50 each per flight.
All in I am really looking forward to it. Still staying away from a car but Avis do have a booth in hotel so I could get a day/short term for a few days at short notice if needed. As someone else mentioned, there is shuttle busses and Uber to get me around and avoiding parking fees and being dropped off closer to gates makes it a little nicer.
Had a couple of PM's asking about costs and so far have been avoiding it but I can say that so far for 3 people I have spent over £10k and not left the UK yet. I genuinely don't know how families afford this regularly but I am in a fortunate position and whilst lots of comments about food being expensive etc are valid, I am not bothered. This holiday is about a fresh start for me and my boys and they will get to do what they want and eat what they want. I decided spending money on the kids was the best investment I could make this year and for the first time in my life I will not be watching the balance as we enjoy ourselves. Next year will be a much different experience however with lots of beans on toast.
One thing I have noted though, we seem to be packing light. I have a feeling I'll be taking empty suitcases with me at this rate but always a chance to fill them with stuff out there! Trying to convince my 16 year old that jeans are not what he will want to be wearing daily in Florida at end of July!
Now pretty much prepped for everything and have lots of notes. Have stuck to the itinerary and will be putting in some rest days. Spoke to the kids about going to Magic Kingdom but neither are bothered by it so its just the 1 day in Hollywood Studios for now. Have pre-booked and paid for Savi's workshop and will be booking spots on Rise of the Resistance on the single ride pass. The full day unlimited fast passes just seem ridiculously expensive but may do the smaller 3 ride lightning pass depending on our plans. Can't book them until the 28th July thought so will have to see.
I have bought my cash and have it ready for tipping and non-card payments. New suitcases arrived and ordering the various clothes and items needed. Not something I ever had to organise before when married but finding it fun sorting solo and picking the bits with the kids to get what they want. Also paid for flight upgrades yesterday for a little nicer experience on the long flight and to ensure we get at least 1 window seat. Couldn't justify Premium but the Economy Delight with Virgin wasn't bad for £50 each per flight.
All in I am really looking forward to it. Still staying away from a car but Avis do have a booth in hotel so I could get a day/short term for a few days at short notice if needed. As someone else mentioned, there is shuttle busses and Uber to get me around and avoiding parking fees and being dropped off closer to gates makes it a little nicer.
Had a couple of PM's asking about costs and so far have been avoiding it but I can say that so far for 3 people I have spent over £10k and not left the UK yet. I genuinely don't know how families afford this regularly but I am in a fortunate position and whilst lots of comments about food being expensive etc are valid, I am not bothered. This holiday is about a fresh start for me and my boys and they will get to do what they want and eat what they want. I decided spending money on the kids was the best investment I could make this year and for the first time in my life I will not be watching the balance as we enjoy ourselves. Next year will be a much different experience however with lots of beans on toast.
One thing I have noted though, we seem to be packing light. I have a feeling I'll be taking empty suitcases with me at this rate but always a chance to fill them with stuff out there! Trying to convince my 16 year old that jeans are not what he will want to be wearing daily in Florida at end of July!
Orlando can be incredibly hectic, Its your first time and probably think you have to stay in the parks all day. You dont! especially with you staying in a universal hotel, I much prefer to get in early and get back to the hotel for 2-3pm and chill by the pool, this stops me crashing early in the night and I tend to feel more refreshed the following day.
Imo a car is an absolute must in florida it just gives you so much more freedom.
if you plan to go down to busch gardens, maybe get a night over near clearwater beach or Anna maria island and chill out for a day, the beaches are great!
in terms of food while im in florida we rarely go for a lavish meal, its usually places like Longhorns and millers ale house on international drive.
But one of my absolute favourites is a tiny little place called 'Flippers pizza' in old town (we usually go there when the American car show is on) Their pizzas and cheese bread are incredible!
To save a little bit of money we usually do a couple of trips to Walmart/Publix (publix is more of an upmarket store) but I understand kids wanting to go to walmart, my youngest was the same.
Disney springs has a cool vibe to it id definitely recommend a trip down there.
(This isnt a recommendation) But if you want a laugh, go to Golden coral for food its weird and wild and reminds me of 90's florida.
its a hectic holiday but honestly one of my favourite places, take some chill days because you'll come home needing another holiday!
Enjoy! im Jealous!
Edit: I see your last post mentioning people asking about costs.
Last time i went in 2022, 2 weeks for 4 people it cost me just under £12k without disney tickets!
And i saved £3k on flights by flying into Miami and having 2 nights on south beach. This was summer holidays though which can be crazy expensive.
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So thank you all for the tips. We landed Tuesday morning and had a great time. We did have too much to do and tbh I way overbooked on activities. Lots of wasted money on tickets but we had options every day.
We managed to hit the key points. At last 5 days in Universal including our day in Epic (not worth it tbh) and 1 day in Volcano bay. We did our Dolphin swim in Discovery Cove but barely managed 3 hours in the main SeaWorld itself and didn't touch Aquatica which was included in the ticket so an expensive purchase but worth it overall.
We did not make it to Busch Gardens as the I4 was awful with construction and the locals said whilst the park was good it was a hell of a slog depending on times.
Got our day in Kennedy and saw the Atlantis shuttle exhibit, Saturn V and the new LC39 area. Good day for eldest and myself but he youngest was pretty bored. Did our airboat ride at 9:30am on the way there too and saw a few gators before the heat of the day kicked in.
Hollywood Studio day turned into 5 hours in Galaxies edge and we hit all 3 Star Wars rides. Didn't make it to Tower of Terror or anything else there though. Just lots of shopping.
Each day we did about 5 or 6 hours in a park and then left to head back early. Did Universal Citywalk or Disney Springs for dinner most nights (or an Uber Eats in the hotel). We did manage 1 Walmart trip for $150 of sugar and snacks which lasted about 3 days. Also got in a few hours at The Mall at Millenia for some new clothes and shoes (youngest wanted hi-top Jordans).
I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to go but honestly nothing was cheap. Everything had a cost and I just had to go with a F it attitude and do everything despite the cost.
The queues for rides were ridiculous and put us off some days and we maybe did 2 or 3 rides at most each day. Epic had queues of 250 mins for Mario Kart and 200+ for Donkey Kong. It feels like they are soft launching the park and it needs work and more to do. I nearly bought the Express Passes for the day but the guy mentioned as I went to pay that they wouldn't work on 3 of the biggest rides anyway so saved my $319 per person. Super Mario Land was an experience but the heat took a lot of getting used to and we burned up and hid in shops to get AC on us. The Universal refillable drinks were a life saver and thankfully there were sugar and caffeine free options. Longest we queued was 140 mins or Ministry Of Magic which included a 30 min breakdown on a new ride and then 85 mins on Rise of the Resistance. The rest we kept to 45 or under by watching queues on the app and using weekdays etc. Couldn't get near Hagrid Magical Creature ride as queue was always over 180 mins and with an ADHD riddled 8 year old and a 16 year old teen it just wouldn't work. Top coaster was the Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure. Great queue experience with animatronics and the coaster itself was brutal. Not what we expected at all and I would advise anyone going to queue the extra bit at the end for the front of train experience. We didn't but I could imagine how much better it would be.
Overall loads of fun had. Hundreds of photos taken and memories made for life. After a crappy 18 months it was needed and delivered but probably needed another week there to do the rest and finish it off.
Gatorland was a cheap star btw and kids loved it. Fishing for gators with fish on a stick will stay with me forever.
Overall costs for 3 people for 2 weeks was £14700 after I counted all spending money and food staying in a lower end Universal hotel with Economy Delight flights. The Ubers were cheaper than expected and certainly less than renting a car. Universal charging $30 per day parking would have spiked the rental costs and we never waited more than 5 mins for a ride.
We managed to hit the key points. At last 5 days in Universal including our day in Epic (not worth it tbh) and 1 day in Volcano bay. We did our Dolphin swim in Discovery Cove but barely managed 3 hours in the main SeaWorld itself and didn't touch Aquatica which was included in the ticket so an expensive purchase but worth it overall.
We did not make it to Busch Gardens as the I4 was awful with construction and the locals said whilst the park was good it was a hell of a slog depending on times.
Got our day in Kennedy and saw the Atlantis shuttle exhibit, Saturn V and the new LC39 area. Good day for eldest and myself but he youngest was pretty bored. Did our airboat ride at 9:30am on the way there too and saw a few gators before the heat of the day kicked in.
Hollywood Studio day turned into 5 hours in Galaxies edge and we hit all 3 Star Wars rides. Didn't make it to Tower of Terror or anything else there though. Just lots of shopping.
Each day we did about 5 or 6 hours in a park and then left to head back early. Did Universal Citywalk or Disney Springs for dinner most nights (or an Uber Eats in the hotel). We did manage 1 Walmart trip for $150 of sugar and snacks which lasted about 3 days. Also got in a few hours at The Mall at Millenia for some new clothes and shoes (youngest wanted hi-top Jordans).
I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to go but honestly nothing was cheap. Everything had a cost and I just had to go with a F it attitude and do everything despite the cost.
The queues for rides were ridiculous and put us off some days and we maybe did 2 or 3 rides at most each day. Epic had queues of 250 mins for Mario Kart and 200+ for Donkey Kong. It feels like they are soft launching the park and it needs work and more to do. I nearly bought the Express Passes for the day but the guy mentioned as I went to pay that they wouldn't work on 3 of the biggest rides anyway so saved my $319 per person. Super Mario Land was an experience but the heat took a lot of getting used to and we burned up and hid in shops to get AC on us. The Universal refillable drinks were a life saver and thankfully there were sugar and caffeine free options. Longest we queued was 140 mins or Ministry Of Magic which included a 30 min breakdown on a new ride and then 85 mins on Rise of the Resistance. The rest we kept to 45 or under by watching queues on the app and using weekdays etc. Couldn't get near Hagrid Magical Creature ride as queue was always over 180 mins and with an ADHD riddled 8 year old and a 16 year old teen it just wouldn't work. Top coaster was the Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure. Great queue experience with animatronics and the coaster itself was brutal. Not what we expected at all and I would advise anyone going to queue the extra bit at the end for the front of train experience. We didn't but I could imagine how much better it would be.
Overall loads of fun had. Hundreds of photos taken and memories made for life. After a crappy 18 months it was needed and delivered but probably needed another week there to do the rest and finish it off.
Gatorland was a cheap star btw and kids loved it. Fishing for gators with fish on a stick will stay with me forever.
Overall costs for 3 people for 2 weeks was £14700 after I counted all spending money and food staying in a lower end Universal hotel with Economy Delight flights. The Ubers were cheaper than expected and certainly less than renting a car. Universal charging $30 per day parking would have spiked the rental costs and we never waited more than 5 mins for a ride.
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