DisneyWorld/Orlando in 3 days... what to do?

you can do the disneyworld stuff in 3 days with a park-hopper pass. this allows you to jump from park to park each day. and the transportation system at disneyworld is awesome, so it's easy to do.

honestly, if you've never been to disneyworld i wouldn't trouble yourself with seaworld. you likely may have something like it in australia. disneyworld is unique.

get up early each day and be there when the park opens. you're there at a good time of year when it's not overly-crowded. my family goes a lot in October for the very same reason.

i would suggest staying at a disney-themed hotel. i saw you're spending $500 aussie at the other location, but i don't know what that amounts to in US dollars to be able to give you a comparable. but there are very affordable disney hotels that are right on the transportation lines for all the parks. makes things a lot easier, because there's no need to rent a car for those 3 days. and with disney, staying in their hotels is part of the experience.

day 1: Magic Kingdom

day 2: Epcot

day 3: MGM Studios

if you're going to miss a park, miss Animal Kingdom. it's still a work in progress in my view.

remember, once you're at a park, if you have a 3 day park-hopper, you can go from park to park however you please. epcot has some great restaurants in the part of the park called the world showcase. there are different countries represented, and most have restaurants. many of them require reservations. i'm sure you can find a list of them, but if you like Italian food, it's very hard to beat Alfredo's. the chinese restaurant is good. there's also a tempura bar in the Japan attraction that's really good, if you like tempura. i hit that place everytime i'm there, and it does NOT require reservations. but my point is, you can do the Magic Kingdom on day one...and head over to Epcot to eat and then catch their fireworks show, as long as you have a park-hopper pass.

two of the 3-day park hoppers will run you $442 US according to the DisneyWorld website.

feel free to ask whatever...my parents and my brother own a time-share deal through Disney, so we go quite often. and in my next life i'm coming back as a travel agent.

EDIT:
Also...some of the hotels have very nice restaurants. The Yachtmans' Steak House at the Yacht Club Hotel is really good. There's also a cool place on the very top of the Contemporary Hotel called The California Grill. The atmosphere is great and so is the food.

oh, yeah..if you go to MGM Studios, make reservations to eat at Mama Melrose's for lunch. great pizza.

 

I didn't find Disneyworld as intimidating the most recent time I visited(And, yeah, it was still awesome). It's huge, and you might not get to everything, but I think that's just how theme parks work, regardless of size. Three days without kids(?) is very doable.

Epcot's cool, but maybe save it for the last day? See if you want to spend more time at the other parks. Also, if you're looking to do rides and little else, you're looking at the wrong parks. The new Universal Studios(Or relatively new, I guess) has way more rides than any of the other parks. Universal also has a pretty cool strip-type thing with good restaurants(NBA Restaurant), bars, clubs, etc...You should check it out at least one night.

 

I would go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure instead of Disneyworld.

 

not me. not if you're visiting the States...not if this may be your only trip to florida ever.

 

Maybe so, but I asked local people which one was better, they all said Universal. After going to Orlando on vacation this summer, I'll go back to Universal before I visit Disneyworld again. To each his own.

 

Smeg- You can get a pass like Max said and it pretty much gives you access to all the Disney parks, probably the easiest and maybe cheaper way to go.

Check out Universal Studios if you get the chance for sure.

 

I agree - hands down Islands of Advernture is much better park. Disneyworld is overrated unless your 5.

 

One thing we will do the next time is allow enough time to see all of the Disney parks. We saw three and were tired the entire week. Do one park one day, rest on the next or see smaller attractions, another park the next day, rest on the next, so on and so forth... too much walking. Never been to MGM Studios or Downtown Disney, so I don't know how much walking there is.

Find International Drive. It has plenty of shops for you to bring back cheap Florida shirts, keychains, postcards, and shotglasses for people here. It also has, from one end to the other, a nightlife with what they claim is the largest McDonald's in the world, WonderWurks (sort of like science museum, the building is upside down), Ripley's Believe it or Not, Nascar Museum, a Splash-town like water park, and SeaWorld. It is between the turnpike (I forgot the road numbers) and Sand Lake Boulevard on 4.

Did you buy the tickets already? There are always places that will claim to have "Free Disney Tickets" if you sit there and listen to someone talk about a timeshare or a condo... if you have the time, it's worth the ticket. If you order the tickets online, you will save as well.

EDIT: I just noticed you only will have 3 days. If you're a movie buff, do MGM, if you're an animal lover, do Magic Kingdom which is sort of like a large zoo with rides and a Safari-like ride in a humvee, you also get to see the Lion King's celebration and PocaHontas' show, and meet Mickey and Minnie at their hut. The other two days are for EPCOT and MAGIC KINGDOM. When you go to Epcot, please visit the MEXICO section for a complete American rendition of what Mexico is, and about my people's past . If you have kids with you, DO NOT MISS Magic Kingdom.

 

yeah, go see MGM. use the 3/4 day for that. you'll do fine.

dont miss the muppets 3-d movie at MGM. hilarious. let me know if you need anything else.

 

I wish you asked this several months ago. Discovery Cove was the best part of our Orlando vacation by a wide margin but it gets booked way in advane especially if you do the dolphin swim.

 

hmmmm..if only 2 days, i'd say epcot and magic kingdom, i guess. they're sort of the traditional parks there.

when you say magic hours, you mean they're opening early??? or closing late? it used to mean opening early, only. one park a day would open early.

 

Magic Kingdom. Epcot.
The IRISH/MEXICAN Alliance has spoken. Please close this thread.

 

it's all about the alliance.

i got that green astros hat with the white shamrock on the back for Christmas, by the way. so if you're still shopping for it, you can stop now.

 

If you're only going to do two parks, Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. These two really do take full days to do.

I'd avoid the Magic Hour days at the parks...these tend to make the parks MUCH busier, and it's really not needed.

A couple of tips for each park:

MAGIC KINGDOM: Get there when the park opens...if it opens at 9am, be at the gate at 9am. Not in the parking lot, at the gate. You have to take the monorail or ferry from the parking lot to the gate. Each takes about the same amount of time to get to the gate. When you get inside the gates, head straight to Fantasyland. This is always the busiest part of the park, but if you do it first thing, the waits aren't long at all. If the castle is closed to walk through, take this shortcut: walk down Main Street to the castle. Make a left like you're doing toward Adventureland. Then you'll see a little path with no signage to your right, right by the castle. Take this path...it will take you alongside the castle and plop you out right in Fantasyland! Go to Peter Pan's Flight FIRST. This one has waits of over an hour throughout most of the day, but first thing there is no wait. Then head over to the Pooh ride, Snow White next and then It's a Small World. Be sure to catch Mickey's Philharmagic, too...it's a fantastic 3-D film. At the end of it, be sure to turn around and look at the back of the theatre for a little surprise! When you're done in Fantasyland, go on over to Liberty Square for the Haunted Mansion. Then go on to Frontierland for Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad and Tom Sawyer's Island (if it's open). Then head on over to Adventureland for Pirates of the Carribean (if it's open...I know they've been rehabbing it recently) and Jungle Cruise (this one is fantastically funny!) While in Adventureland, be sure to grab a Dole Whip, the stand is across from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Get the pineapple soft serve with pineapple juice...it's absolutely delightful! Go over to Tomorrowland last. It's less crowded at night. Your main attractions there are Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. If the Carousel of Progress and Timekeeper are open, don't miss these! When it comes time for the fireworks, there are three good places. 1) the railroad station at the entrance of the park, on the balcony (this is ideal for parades, too). This fills up about an hour before the parade begins, though. 2) by the Dumbo ride in Fantasyland. You'll be behind the castle here, but they're all around you. You have to turn around and look up a lot, but it's seriously like you're in the middle of the show. There aren't too many people in this spot, so it can be quite romantic. 3) The beach at the Polynesian hotel. This one is incredibly romantic. You're far away, but you can see the castle changing colors and everything very clearly. Don't have to worry about the crowds at this one, either.

EPCOT: Future World opens two hours earlier than the World Showcase. Go ahead and get there when the park opens (9am). There are two major rides in Future World that you'll want to hit: Test Track and Soarin'. Test Track is on the left side of the park, Soarin' is on the right side inside The Land. I highly recommend going to Test Track first thing because this line gets freakishly long. You may want to head over to The Land next...get a Fastpass for Soarin' and go on Living With the Land while you wait for your time. You can also grab a bite to eat at The Land...this is by far the best counter service you'll find in the parks. If you've still got a while for your Fastpass, try either The Living Seas to look at the fishies or go on over to the Imagination Pavillion. This is my favorite place...I absolutely LOVE Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment. It's kind of a dorky ride, but it's truly cool. You'll have to ride it several times to see things, especially when you go on through Figment's Open House...look at the pictures, tea kettles, rubbery duckies...everything. I highly recommend sitting in the third car on this ride...you'll get the best views of little Figment there. There's never a line for this one, so you can go over and over again...I always do! Also at the Imagination Pavillion is the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show. It's ok, but not fantastic. World Showcase opens at 11am, and it's good to start it at 11am. It's best to go left to right, starting with Mexico and on to Norway (the Maelstrom ride is one of my favorites) and so forth. The best places, IMO, for snacks here are Norway & France. Lots of yummy treats there! I usually do World Showcase from about 11am - 5pm and then head back over to Future World for a couple more rides before it closes at 7pm (Test Track and Soarin' usually stay open until 9pm). A couple more rides in Future World you may want to try are Mission:Space (it's really not scary!) and if you want to take a 45-minute, air-conditioned break, go on Ellen's Energy Adventure. That ride is actually very informative...I went to Disney World one year to go on this ride specifically, because I had a geology final. That ride helped me pass it.

DINING: To eat in any of the sit-down restaraunts in EPCOT's World Showcase, it's best if you make a reservation (that can be done now by calling 407-WDW-DINE). You can get in without one, but it's tough. Le Cellier at Canada is a very good choice. You'll also need to make a reservation to dine at any of the sit-down places in the other parks or resorts. One place I highly recommend is Boma, at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's a buffet of all sorts of food. If you go for this, be adventurous with what you try and you may just get a nice reward. The chefs walk around looking to see what people are eating, and they bring the most adventurous people treats. One time I got a plate of the most scrumptious deep-fried oreos. The chef told me if I came back the next night, he'd hook me up. I came back, and he hooked me UP! He told me to sit and wait and he'd bring me some stuff. He must have made 15 different things just for my group...that no one else in the place got...just for us!

If you have any Disney-related questions, feel free to ask. I go at least 6 times a year, so I've got a pretty good handle on the place. Just post here or e-mail me at tamufootball@hotmail.com.

 

Try to get those "come back at another time" tickets they give out that can allow you to skip a line if you come back at a certain hour. Those saved us a ton of time with my family. Also, carry plenty of WATER. I don't care if it's freezing out there, carry some water.

Try to take the hotel's SHUTTLE to the park if possible. You don't have to worry about the driving. Dang freeways in Disney are all squiggly and could get you lost. It lost ME.

 

I just got back ...

The Magic Kingdom is open between 8am and midnight. If you stay at a qualifying park resort, you can go a hour early and stay 3 hours later. There are parades at 8 and 10:30 pm (same parade) and fireworks at 9 pm. After the fireworks show there is a mass exodus. The park is not that crowded between 8-10 am and after 9:30 pm.

During our week stay, we went to the four major parks. We liked MGM the least. I am not sure how MGM compares to Universal, but most of the attractions are shows (wait in line for an hour to see a 20-30 minute show). Our three year was not impressed.

Fast Pass is the get-your-ticket-ahead-of-time deal. It is great for rides that have waits greater than say 20 minutes. Not all rides have Fast Pass. The Fast Pass ticket will tell you what time to come back for and usually you will have to wait more than 5-10 minutes to get on the ride. Your Fast Pass ticket will also tell when you can get your next Fast pass ticket, which is usually just before the ticket is good. For example. you might get a Fast Pass ticket for Thunder Mountian at 11 am good for sometime between 1:40 and 2:40 pm with 1:30 being the next time you can get another Fast Pass ticket.

Eating at nice restaurants (versus $6.99 chicken strips at a park fast food restaurant) can be quite challenging, depending on how busy the park is. We ate two dinners at sit-down-and-order-from-a-waiter restaurant. Both meals were expensive and of average quality At the end of our stay I embraced the $6.99 chicken strips as fine dining.

 

No Worries -- which of the sit-down restaurants did you eat at??