Florida Holiday soon, Travel tips from locals.

[millar876]

Hi, I'm going to Florida on my Holidays soon (for 2 weeks at the beginning of march), I'll be staying in Kissimmee and doing the disney and universal thing.

Any locals / people who have had a similar holiday(vacation) have any tips or general good advice, travel to parks, weather, shops ect.

much apreciated.

[bousozoku]

You can see what's happening here first by looking at the following websites:

http://www.wftv.com/
http://www.local6.com/
http://www.wesh.com/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/

Be careful about buying any discounts outside of the theme parks, as they're probably not authorised. Floriduh is a good place to find someone running a scam.

International Drive, near Universal, is well-known for having retail outlets next to factory discount outlets. You might end up paying way too much at one place, even though you got an amazing deal next door.

Eating outside the parks is a good idea because the food and drink are so expensive. A $1.00 Coca-Cola used to be $2.75 at Disney but prices have risen since then. Even though it's a somewhat expensive Grocery store, try the Goodings at the Lake Buena Vista exit. It's just north of I-4 in the same plaza with the McDonald's. They have some (for this area) amazing deli and baked goods. Most of the food in the area is overpriced but not as much as Disney and Universal.

There are two Apple stores within 20 minutes' drive of each other, both at nice shopping malls, though the Mall at Millenia is more upscale than Florida Mall. I can give you more specific information about these, if you'd like.

Always make sure that you keep things hidden inside the vehicle. Phones, packages, etc. will become targets in many areas. Lock the vehicle. Remember to drive on the right.

Anything more specific, just ask.

[dsnort]

Look up Cypress Gardens, Florida's oldest theme park. It isn't as glitzy as the Kingdom of the Emperor Rat, but has many carnival style rides, isn't terribly expensive, and is almost never crowded. Great Ski show too.

[millar876]

my resort offers free transfers to main disney parks, but what about transport links on i-drive to universal ect, are they good. Only asking because we ar not hiring a car from the tour operator as there is a young driver excess of about £25UK per day because im under 25. are the rental rules different when you get there. I'm 24 and have had a FULL and clean UK driving licence since april 2000. if i do hire a car it may only be a day or 2 at a time.

more info on apple stores plz, might pick up a cheap mini

[bousozoku]

I don't know of any easy way to get from Kisssimmee without a car. Public transportation here borders on non-existent.

The Apple store at Florida Mall is bigger and better than the Mall at Millenia store. The prices are the same as the online store.

[yg17]

Did you not watch last week's Top Gear? :D

[emmawu]

Remember EPCOT stands for Every Person Comes Out Tired :D

[Dont Hurt Me]

Dont forget to drive on the right hand side of the road is my best advice.:D

[atari1356]

At Universal make sure you go on the Spiderman ride. :)

Also, at Universal try to plan out your day just a little bit... at each ride they have a ticket dispenser where you take a ticket, and can then come back about an hour later... instead of waiting in the slow long line of people, you show your ticket and get into a much shorter fast line.

So, you can save time by getting a ticket, then going to have a quick lunch before coming back to the ride.

Everything Bousozoku said is good advice too (although I prefer the Apple Store in the Millenia mall - only because that mall seems less crowded than the Florida Mall.)

That's one thing that may surprise you, is the number of people and long waits in lines at the theme parks. It can be frustrating - but try to not be too bothered by it, and maybe you'll make a friend or two while in line. Luckily, you're coming at a nice time of year when it's not too hot.

Epcot feels more relaxed in this way (particulary on the world showcase side of it), because you're spending most of your time walking around looking at things rather than standing in lines.

[Jasonbot]

Got to one theme park per day, more than that is a health hazard!

And you must take the trip to the Kennedy Space Centre, it rocks!

//edit: Theres a shuttle lauch with a window beginning March 15. That could prove to be interesting.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Got to one theme park per day, more than that is a health hazard!

And you must take the trip to the Kennedy Space Centre, it rocks!

//edit: Theres a shuttle lauch with a window beginning March 15. That could prove to be interesting.

Space center is pretty cool but never plan a trip around a shuttle launch because it almost never goes up on schedule.

[bousozoku]

Space center is pretty cool but never plan a trip around a shuttle launch because it almost never goes up on schedule.

Nothing in Central Floriduh happens on schedule. Why should the launches be different?

[mike dunx]

if you want to get some good burgers/fries you should check out five guys

[AndyR]

Dont forget to drive on the right hand side of the road is my best advice.:D

:rolleyes: On my first visit in 2002 I drove out of Downtown Disney at night in the rain and went on the wrong side of the road, only realising when I say 8 sets of headlights coming towards me! Quickly turned around and sat at the junction. A taxi pulled up and opened his window and said "your british eh!" :D

You will need a car mate. I was 23 when I went and although you get the tax, the freedom you get with the car is so worth it, esp how cheap petrol is compared to the UK.

One thing worth doing if you can, Discovery Cove! Swimming with Dolphins was awesome and the whole day was worth every penny. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

If you go to the Disney water parks, buy a refillable mug, saves a ton as we just kept sharing it and filling bottles up we bought in with us.

Also, http://www.thedibb.co.uk is good place to look for UK people going to Disney.

Enjoy, its a brilliant place!

[Sdashiki]

XANADU!!!!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanadu_House)

though I think its closed now.

:(

here's a tip for Disney parking costs and problems.

goto the Boardwalk hotel, as it is a Disney Hotel it has constant and FREE disney buses to all the parks. Because boardwalk is also a shopping center, you can park there even if you arent a guest. most other disney hotels (all have guard gates) wont let you in if you dont have some sort of reservation paperwork.

i am not sure of any newer hotels (downtown disney works too) that are along the same lines as Boardwalk in terms of public parking, but the free buses cant be beat. And if you are going to Epcot, Boardwalk has free boat rides as its "next door".

dont waste your precious time and money driving to each park and paying, take a free disney bus.

also, Brits (europeans at large) are easy to spot in Disney.

Socks and sandals, bright white skin, flimsy baseball hats...on and on...

[millar876]

I'm here, very warm.
Have Disney tickets and going to Universal.
What else should I do? apart from the Apple stores. Still no rental car though

[Jasonbot]

I'm here, very warm.
Have Disney tickets and going to Universal.
What else should I do? apart from the Apple stores. Still no rental car though

Kennedy space centre

[furcalchick]

spring training games if you like baseball. disney's wide world of sports has the braves spring training and the astros are not too far down in kissimiee.

don't know too much about central florida though.

[iGav]

Still no rental car though

I'd be begging to hire a white Ferrari Testarossa. ;)

But only after I'd sourced some pastel Armani suits from some charity shops. :D

*Slips Phil's Greatest Hits into the tape deck.... 'I can feel it, coming in the air tonight....

[millar876]

iGav, it wasn't miami i was visiting. Anyhoo sitting in the hospitality lounge in sanford airport, about to go home.:( and i realy enjoyed it here. nobody told me the shamu show at sea world wasnt on though. for those who care, it was a presentation of a 1 week old babk killerwhale (about 2 weeks old by the time this post goes up) and they had it swimming arround the main tank with its mother and showed a video of the birth. Gross but cool, and i'd rather have seen that than the real show anyday. can post pics after im home if anyone is interested.

[furcalchick]

it's too bad you didn't go to any spring baseball. wish i told you earlier, but i think you were aware of that.

hope you had fun.

[millar876]

[QUOTE=Sdashiki;3360725]XANADU!!!!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanadu_House)

though I think its closed now.

:(
[QUOTE]

it is clused. The sign for it was just accross from my villa/appartment thing, on h/w 192 marker 12.

thanks for the other tips although i didnt have a car out there. that thing where you guys can turn right on a red light is just plain wrong to me (read dangerous) i can get used to cars driving on the wrong side of the road but that rule, sheesh, and the random over/undertaking on the roads is kinda scary, its like you guys have next to no rules for the road compared to us brits, and dont get me started on the loonatics with no helmets on motorcycles (let alone no protective jackets or trousers) if you come off without anything you're prety much garonteeed to come out of the crash dead or badly maimed.

in conclusion (for now at least) your USofA is a VERY strange but nice place where prety much everything is dirt (and i realy mean the dirt part) cheap with most stuff half the price it is at home in blighty, with many things are priced up with a $ sign instead of a GBP sign (darn us keyboard, cant even find the GBpound sign on the thing)(and its a DULL, oh well at least its free)