"I'm Going to Disney World!"

[Lantyssa]

A few of my friends and I are planning a week-long trip to Orlando in early November.  It's the first serious vacation I've had in recent memory.  The problem I'm finding is that it's been so long since I've done a real vacation, I forgot how to do them!  To remedy that, I'm going to consider a primary 'attraction' each day.  Everything else will be lesser things I'm interested in but which if I don't get to, no big deal.

So my question is, if you had a chance to go to only one or two things at Disney World or around Orlando, what would be on your must-see list?

[Chimpy]

Avoid any and all things created by or beholden to "the rat" is what I would do.   

[Ghambit]

I would nix Disney and goto Universal, City Walk, and Islands of Adventure instead.  Stay in-park at the 5-diamond portofino hotel (or the hard rock if you're on a budget), use the ferryboats to get around and the city walk to get wasted and party after a long days' roller-coaster ridin; wherein you get to skip the lines since you stayed in-park.  At dinner time hit the Blue Man group show at their custom amphitheatre.

Blows away Disney if you're an adult with 2-3 days to kill.

[Pennilenko]

I would nix Disney and goto Universal, City Walk, and Islands of Adventure instead.  Stay in-park at the 5-diamond portofino hotel (or the hard rock if you're on a budget), use the ferryboats to get around and the city walk to get wasted and party after a long days' roller-coaster ridin; wherein you get to skip the lines since you stayed in-park.  At dinner time hit the Blue Man group show at their custom amphitheatre.

Blows away Disney if you're an adult with 2-3 days to kill.

From experience, this man knows what the fuck is up.

[Margalis]

Have you ever been to Disney World / Land before? Personally I can't stand Disney. It's like a dystopian nightmare world.

I would find a good strip club and ogle some ladies. Eh? Eh?

[schild]

So many white families with kids.

[Nebu]

My advice: Skip Orlando and go to the Keys.  It's the only part of Florida that interests me anymore.

[schild]

Even the keys are awful. Skip Florida and go anywhere else. Boise is nice this time of year, I hear.

[Teleku]

In case you haven't noticed, F13 is a horrible place to ask for advice.   

[Merusk]

I love how the parameters are always ignored with a great helping of "you're doing it wrong."

If you're into Potter, Lant, hit Universal up. I've heard many good things about that attraction. If you want to hit Disney I like Epcot more than most of the other parks. Magic Kingdom is only good if you have kids or want a nostalgia fix for some of the older movies.  Though they just opened a whole area modeled on the more recent fairy tale movies.

Other than that Busch gardens was good as a kid but I don't know how it's held up.  More thrill rides and alcohol than the other parks.

[KallDrexx]

Some people really get into Disney, some don't.  I'm in the latter group but I know enough people that really love it.  Honestly though, even if you love disney I would only plan on staying 1 day per park.  1 day is more than enough to get through everything in a single park and you most likely won't want to re-do a park one of those days.

Animal kingdom is pretty much regarded as the worst park of the 4.  It wasn't terrible last time I went, but there's not that much to do.  Magic Kingdom is good *if* you really like kid-type imagination stuff.  I don't mean that everything is kid oriented (I went there last Dec and there's enough adult stuff to entertain) but the whole premise is fantasy and imagination.  Epcot is fun (especially to drink around the world) and MGM (or whatever it's called now) is pretty fun too, though it's been forever since I went. 

If you stay at disney it will be trivial for you to go to downtown disney, which can be pretty fun.  They have comedy clubs, Circ de sole, Disney quest (though never been). 

I 100% agree that if you have the chance go to universal studios for the harry potter stuff.  Even me ot being a harry potter fan it's still pretty cool to see. They put a lot of money into it and did a good job.  Plus Universal Studios has fun rides if you are into that.

[Miasma]

I have a friend who lives down there and goes to disney world a lot, whenever someone asks him he writes up a very informative long post.  I think there are actually message boards devoted entirely to planning and getting the most out of disney.  The main thing he always stresses is to get there before the official opening time and to use fast pass at all the major attractions.  Both might be mildly useful options at other parks but are essential at disney.

[luckton]

So my question is, if you had a chance to go to only one or two things at Disney World or around Orlando, what would be on your must-see list?

1) DisneyQuest
2) One of the Disney waterparks.

[Father mike]

I've got a middle school kid, So, I've been to Disney a few times in the past 10 years.  Random Disney advice:

1) If you're going to do 2-3 (or more) days at Disney, stay at one of the Disney resorts ON THE MONORAIL.  Just pony up the extra cash, it makes life 1000 times easier to be able to walk out of your room, walk 50 yards, sit for 4-10 min then be in a park.  Same for leaving at night. The monorail resorts have bus service to parks not on the monorail (Animal Kingdom, Hollywood/MGM, Downtown Disney, etc).  Also, staying in one of the attached resorts gets you Extended Hours benefits; every day one park opens 2 hours early and one park closes 2-4 hours late -- only Disney Resorts guests have access during these times.  The awesome of this cannot be overstated -- absolutely no waits for anything.  Resorts on the monorail are the Contemporary, the Grand Floridian, and the ?Polynesian?

1a) Even though it's not on the monorail, you ought to stay one night at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  You can stand on one of several balconies and watch the animals with night vision goggles!  Also, the feeding areas are close to the lodge, so we woke up to seeing giraffes grazing right out our window!  The buffet in the grand dining room is exotic (to my cornbread tastes) and excellent.

2) Get the meal plan.  It feels expensive when you write the check, but it saves money in the long run.  And it really is a generous amount of food.

3) If you're going to Disney, and you want to do every little thing, do it in one trip.  Multi-day passes get cheaper with more days.  We were there a few tears ago (wife, daughter, me) and got to stay an extra day after a 5-day stay.  So I rolled up to the counter to pay for the extra day, and the woman says okay, that'll be $9.50.  Each?  No, for all three of you!  Since the one day-passes are around $80 each, that was a really pleasant surprise. 

4) Epcot is the only park where alcoholic beverages are served.

Other thoughts:

Universal was very ... teenaged.  The Harry Potter park was well done and fun, but the rest of it was loud and garish.  Food was not good.  My wife's comment was, "I've never seen 25 acres of trying too hard."  Blue Man was great, tho!

Haven't been to Busch Gardens or Seaworld in 20 years, but both were fun back in the day.

[Paelos]

If I was in Orlando, I'd see the Harry Potter stuff at Universal Studios, but I'm a geek for that stuff.

[luckton]

Father Mike has the right idea.  Also, going back to my post, I've learned that the River Country water park was shut down.  Given the choice between Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, do the Beach.

[Lantyssa]

Avoid any and all things created by or beholden to "the rat" is what I would do.   

My friends thought it would be fun.  The most go-getter already has 90% of her stay planned.  (I'll be sleeping in her room, so that's already set.)  I'd do a lot differently were it just me, but I don't get to see my friends all that often nowadays, and the roommate is a month from moving out.  I'd want to see all of them even if it was Boring-As-Hell World.

Thanks Mike.  I'll take as much of those into consideration as I can.

[Father mike]

Disney is not everyone's cup of tea.  My wife and daughter get a lot more enjoyment out of it than I do.  I get most of my fun out of watching them have a great time. 

But there's fun to be had in non-obvious places.  The Hollywood/MGM park in particular has some neat stuff in out of the way corners (history of Hollywood, Disney's role in it), and the street shows with comics and dancers have a lot of talented kids giving it their all.  Oh, and there's a fairly recent Star Wars area in MGM, too; it's fun if you're a fan.

[luckton]

If you just want to "party" and you don't have kids, Disney isn't on my top list.  Do Busch Gardens, get a few rounds at the hospitality house, and run roller coasters till you pass out.

[Ingmar]

A few of my friends and I are planning a week-long trip to Orlando in early November.  It's the first serious vacation I've had in recent memory.  The problem I'm finding is that it's been so long since I've done a real vacation, I forgot how to do them!  To remedy that, I'm going to consider a primary 'attraction' each day.  Everything else will be lesser things I'm interested in but which if I don't get to, no big deal.

So my question is, if you had a chance to go to only one or two things at Disney World or around Orlando, what would be on your must-see list?

Eat at the German restaurant in Epcot if you like tubas.

[Nevermore]

If you just want to "party" and you don't have kids, Disney isn't on my top list.  Do Busch Gardens, get a few rounds at the hospitality house, and run roller coasters till you pass out.

Busch Gardens would be pretty far out of her way unless she doesn't mind driving an hour or so there and back again (depending on traffic).  And Tampa isn't really the week long destination area that Orlando is.

[Paelos]

If you just want to "party" and you don't have kids, Disney isn't on my top list.  Do Busch Gardens, get a few rounds at the hospitality house, and run roller coasters till you pass out.

I often wonder why people would go to Orlando if they didn't have kids. But if you're going, I would get the Disney fastpass.

[01101010]

If you just want to "party" and you don't have kids, Disney isn't on my top list.  Do Busch Gardens, get a few rounds at the hospitality house, and run roller coasters till you pass out.

I often wonder why people would go to Orlando if they didn't have kids. But if you're going, I would get the Disney fastpass.

I asked my co-worker this very thing. Her and her husband go to some Disney thing (the park, cuises, etc) every year, they were even married down there. They have no kids and no plans for any. She basically told me they go because the service they get is fantastic (both are vegan and they make efforts to accommodate dietary menus) and they appreciate the theme. I guess it is as good as any excuse. Frankly, I abhor that place - it is my hell. Having a conference to go to down there, I stayed at the hotel cabana when I wasn't in discussion groups and presentations and it was the only thing that got me through. I tried walking around the area (was at the Swan and Dolphin) and kept getting bad vibes. That is to say nothing of my aversion to children.

[schild]

Does Disney still have a Brown Derby? If so, get a Cobb Salad and leave. That's the most enjoyment you can get out of Disney.

[Yegolev]

Read up on the new wrist bands and how FastPass now works.  There is a phone app for obtaining FP now rather than waiting in line for them, which has us excited (going again this October).  I haven't read the literature yet but verbal descriptions sound cool.

As for places to read, way too much info here: http://allears.net/
My wife gets info in other places as well, I think, but I don't know what they are.

There is a VZW(?) ride queue time app which can be useful if you need to plan a tight schedule.  Otherwise I can give some general guidelines on what to do if you tell me which WDW park.  No help with Islands of Adventure except that you need to bust your ass to Potter Town and ignore everything else.  I assume the same rule applies to Universal Studios, but I haven't been lately.

My personal must-do-two-things would be EPCOT and Harry Potter Town.  This is because the Harry Potter area is a superb example of theme park architecture, even on the limited footprint that it has (had?), and because I like to eat my way around World Showcase.  I never did like drinking there because my wife was always with me, but that's definitely an option.  If you want some specifics for any location in WDW, let me know.

Either Universal or WDW, you want to get in an hour early.  If you aren't staying on the property, tough, but I think you can get some priority if you are (with a?) Florida resident.  Your best bet in that case would be to buy tickets to one of the after-hours things, although Magic Kingdom really does clear out after the fireworks (9pm) no matter what.

Universal is mostly crap except for Harry Potter. They also know this since Amityville was demolished to make room for Harry Potter Land 2.  I do think some of the old shitty favorites are still there, so if you like Heathcliff and/or Lucile Ball then you won't be sad.

I forget which hotel I stayed at last time I went to Universal, but they have those annoying thermostats that shut off the cooling when there is no movement detected.  This means you start sweating after being asleep for twenty minutes.  The staff basically told me that no one else was complaining, which is pretty much the last thing you want to tell a customer that you'd like to return.  I won't be staying there again.

Does Disney still have a Brown Derby? If so, get a Cobb Salad and leave.

In whatever they call the Studios park now.  That would be an expensive salad.

Besides the expected WDW princess and pirate stuff, there is also mini-golf, tons of food, a Cirque du Soleil show, scattered rollercoasters, Star Wars bullshit, and probably something somewhere for anyone to enjoy.  Unfortunately there is also probably a bunch of shit that is unenjoyable that you need to wade through in order to get to what you want, especially if you don't have a kid mindset or are a cynical bastard or are otherwise sensitive to the man behind the curtains.  I'll be super-happy to help figure out a game plan, trouble is I don't really know what you'd like.

[01101010]

I have not heard the name Brown Derby in at least 20 years. 

[Lantyssa]

I'm not really sure what I'd like, either.

Anything with animals is good.  River rides, even if they have a campy tour gide.  Mini-golf is always welcome and will probably be my fall-back if it's convenient.  Cirque du Soleil would also be something I'd like.

Star Wars stuff and super heroes would probably keep me entertained.  Pretty sure I'll get at least a day in at Epcot (we just missed its opening, it's been that long since I was there).  I'm probably going to be following my friends to several things I don't care about (like, Harry Potter), but if it has neat architecture, landscaping, or clever design I can find a way to enjoy it.

I would really like to stay at a resort on the monorail.  We were at the Contemporary when I was a kid and I loved that place.  My friend has booked the Art of Animation though.  So it's either stay with her for cheaper boarding, or spend a lot to stay by myself.  Unfortunately I can't talk myself into spending that much for a little convenience.  Maybe my mind will change as things get closer.

[schild]

I have not heard the name Brown Derby in at least 20 years. 

Disney has done fuckall in 20 years sooooo

[Rendakor]

A couple adult friends of mine (with no kids) went to Disney a few months back, and I didn't really understand why. I went as a kid and it was okay, but half of that was a week off from school. They had a blast though, so I chalked it up to different strokes.

[Merusk]

I knew Yeg would post. He's got great advice and goes far more often than I do. 

Besides the expected WDW princess and pirate stuff, there is also mini-golf, tons of food, a Cirque du Soleil show, scattered rollercoasters, Star Wars bullshit, and probably something somewhere for anyone to enjoy.  Unfortunately there is also probably a bunch of shit that is unenjoyable that you need to wade through in order to get to what you want, especially if you don't have a kid mindset or are a cynical bastard or are otherwise sensitive to the man behind the curtains.  I'll be super-happy to help figure out a game plan, trouble is I don't really know what you'd like.

Yep, I'll offer what I can as well but as I said, Yeg is the man. He makes more than me so can go much more often.

Anything with animals is good.  River rides, even if they have a campy tour gide.  Mini-golf is always welcome and will probably be my fall-back if it's convenient.  Cirque du Soleil would also be something I'd like.

Star Wars stuff and super heroes would probably keep me entertained.  Pretty sure I'll get at least a day in at Epcot (we just missed its opening, it's been that long since I was there).  I'm probably going to be following my friends to several things I don't care about (like, Harry Potter), but if it has neat architecture, landscaping, or clever design I can find a way to enjoy it.

I would really like to stay at a resort on the monorail.  We were at the Contemporary when I was a kid and I loved that place.  My friend has booked the Art of Animation though.  So it's either stay with her for cheaper boarding, or spend a lot to stay by myself.  Unfortunately I can't talk myself into spending that much for a little convenience.  Maybe my mind will change as things get closer.

If you like animals make a point to hit Animal Kingdom then. It's a giant zoo and much better themed.  Since most folks don't like zoos I've also found it to be one of the least populated parks.  Do the safari ride. It's not on rails, they use real gas vehicles on the savannah course and the animals can freely wander.   We got stuck for 10 mins last time because a Rhino decided it was time to sit in the sun for a bit in front of our vehicle.

There's water rides in Magic Kingdom and one in Norway at Epcot. Check them out. The MK one is amusing because it has characters from Song of the South in it, but nobody under 35 knows who the fuck they are because MY GOD is that one racist cartoon.  There's also the old Jungle Cruise outside of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, which is worth a trip for old farts like us who remember that movie.

Since you said early November I'm guessing you're going one of these date rangess:
October 26, 2014 – November 1, 2014
November 9, 2014 – November 20, 2014

If so then DEFINITELY make sure you've signed up for the meal plan, even if you have to talk your friend in to switching rooms.  Art of Animation doesn't qualify for a plan but you can easily save the money by having the food already paid for, even at an additional $50 a night for one of the other hotels.

Art of Animation is $121 a night for that week, but Carribean Beach is $185, will typically have fewer kids and gets the meal plan.  You're saving a lot more than $50 a day doing it and getting a meal plan.

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-free-dining-dates/
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/free-dining-best-disney-world-hotels/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/

[Lantyssa]

No, we're going November 3-8, which is of course the off-week for the deal.

[Merusk]

Move that trip! 

[Evildrider]

I recommend doing the Epcot drinking game.

[Yegolev]

Merusk is a good person to listen to about WDW economics because I don't bother with thinking about how much money those trips cost me, or else I'd never enjoy myself.

I can point out that there is a monorail to EPCOT but there are no resorts on that loop.  The best you could do would be to stay in either the Polynesian (which I believe is being refurbished) and walk to the TTC (Ticketing & Transportation Center) or monorail from any of the MK resorts (Poly, Grand FL, Contemp).  Alternately, just take a bus from wherever you are since it's bound to beat changing conveyances.  The buses are really not bad and beat the shit out of driving yourself.

Animals will mean Animal Kingdom, especially if you mean real animals.  Not our favorite park.  Must take bus.  The AK Resort is pretty neat, although I can't recall the specifics of the restaurants there.  AK Park has a Rainforest Cafe.  You might not bother going over the bridges in AK into the "main" part of the park unless you like a petting zoo and assorted ill-conceived nonsense.  The Everest ride may be worth a hike, esp if you like rollercoasters, but it's not something to visit the park over.  DO NOT RIDE that Dinosaur! ride back in the anterior of AK, it is awful.  Meaning, it will give you a raging headache and steal your sunglasses.  Also you won't get any straws in AK Park.

The ultimate river-tour-of-fake-animals-with-cheesy-guide is Jungle Cruise, but that is in MK.  You won't get wet.  You will hear bad jokes.  There is a river ride in AK, if you mean the sort of thing where you sit in a large round thing with other people in the hope of having water dumped on your head.  Kali River Rapids, I think.  If you mean any ride in which you sit in a boat that floats in water... well, you'll be ecstatic because tons of rides do that.  Pirates of the Caribbean is a river ride, technically, and you can even get a tiny splash or two.

Star Wars is in the Studios park.  So is Tower of Terror, which I recommend.  Also Rock-n-Rollercoaster if you like those things.  The car stunt show is pretty cool if you are able to make the time.  Also there is MuppetVision 3D which I somehow don't seem to get tired of.  I just like corny jokes.

Corny is a good word to describe the Marvel parade in Islands of Adventure.  I don't think I've ever seen so many superheroes drive around on ATVs before.  The Hulk Coaster is very good, in my opinion, as is the Spiderman ride.  But that stuff is at Universal.

I personally enjoy examining the craft of the theme parks, and since you mentioned architecture, landscaping, and clever design I think you might like just observing how things are designed and executed.  I still enjoy looking at the tiny upper-story windows and the staircases to locked doors.  There is so much detail in the WDW parks that I see something new or that I had forgotten about every time I go.  Sometimes things really are new.  Disney is doing very creative things with queue lines that I haven't seen anywhere else, for example.  By the same token, that is why I'm so impressed with the Harry Potter stuff at Universal.

As for mini-golf, I have never been able to play a round at Fantasia Mini Golf.  The one time I did manage to get close, something happened and I was given a rain check.  I still have it somewhere.  It's over ten years old.  I have played at Winter Summerland several times, though, and it's really cool.  It is outside the Blizzard Beach park.

I suppose I can make the distinction between EPCOT and World Showcase.  EPCOT is sorta-lame 1980s futurism with also-lame exhibits by various vendors.  I was in Disneyland back in April and Innoventions was covered up with Xbones, and I expect the one in Florida will also be like that.  Just skip that crap.  Also don't ride Test Track, it's still either awful or mediocre depending on how easily you are impressed by cars; mostly the other people haven't figured this out or are dumb and so the line is incredible.

I do like the Living Seas as a place to hide for a while and look at ocean creatures.  There is some sort of Nemo ride in there, and a nearby restaurant which is cool as shit.  I do like Mission Space as one of the most intense rides in the entire set of parks.  My favorite is probably The Land, however, in which I like to cruise through the ride (in a boat!) and then eat in the revolving restaurant: Garden Grill, which is all-you-can-eat as well as character visits.  I can do without the character visits, really, but the turkey and mashed potatoes are super awesome.  Plus you spin around while you eat.  What's not to like?

I find Soarin' to be Boarin' but I think I'm in the minority.  It's actually a cool ride but not wait-in-line-70-minutes cool.  Fuck that, I'll ride through the vegetable garden again.

The space between EPCOT and World Showcase is a great place to look at flowers and ducks.  WS has some crap spots and some great ones.  Highlights for me are Mexico (boat ride and restaurant, cantina, and the only place you can find Donald in Mexican garb), Morocco, China (360-degree theater, acrobats), Japan (weeaboo), and the Norway ride.  If you want to eat a large meal made up entirely of various meats, try Germany.  If you want to eat something fantastic and are lucky, try to get into the restaurant in France (I've never been).  I did eat at Le Celier in Canada, and that was pretty good plus Canada has that tiny-upper-floor-window thing that I like.  Plus a waterfall.

One more thing: they brought back Captain EO in EPCOT and I figure you have to see that show at least once.  It's definitely not new and shiny, but it's worth a watch.

[Nevermore]

Although its been forever since I was last at Epcot, I still remember China as standing out as my favorite.  That 360 degree theater is great.  Also, if I remember correctly at least some of the Epcot restaurants take reservations but you'll need to make them early.  It's probably why the restaurant at France is so hard to get into.