Best Tickets and other advise Please

[MICKANDDONNA]

Hello All. We are off to orlando the end of may 2004 for 14 days. we are first timers and was wondering if a few peple could give me some advise on the following

.......kids are lad 3 and a girl 5, which would be the best waterpark?

...on buying tickets for the theme parks we are intrested in the Magic kingdom, MGM and Sea-world, and a water park. we said we can see the other parks if we enjoy it and if thats the case we would go to others next time we . what would be the cheapest option for us with the kids and really we want to do something then miss a day and so on

Has anyone stopped at the
Holiday Inn Mercado
8214 Universal Blvd.
Orlando



Even thou thier is a lot of positive feedback about orlando, is thier any Donts or places to avoid?

Many Thanks

Mick and Donna, Spud and NIn :angel:

[SandraM]

Hi Mick & Donna,
Be prepared to be totally confused with all the wonderful options open to you. At least you've got a good amount of time to plan!
Parks/tickets first -
Disney has 4 theme parks and 2 water parks. The theme parks are Magic Kingdom (unmissable for everyone), EPCOT, Disney-MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom, with the water parks being Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon (both fantastic).
You can buy single day tickets, but it's probably better to buy "Hopper" passes. A 5 day Hopper Pass gives you unlimited admission for 5 days (which never expire) to the 4 parks mentioned above, and you can go from one park to the other in the same day. A 5 day Hopper Plus Pass give you the above plus 2 admissions into Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Pleasure Island or Wide World of Sports. There are also 6 and 7 day Hopper/plus passes. A 10 day Pass is available in the UK and Ireland which is valid for 21 days from first use. There are even more options but I'll leave it at that for now!
Universal (which is close to International Drive) has 2 parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, where, like Disney, you can buy single day tickets. You can also buy 2 and 3 day tickets.
Sea World is at the bottom of International Drive and you can buy a single day ticket.
One of the best value tickets (in my opinion) is the 4 park Orlando Flex Ticket which gives 14 days of unlimited admission from the first day of use, to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, and Wet'n Wild (a water park on International Drive which is fun but doesn't compare to Disney's waterparks, I think!) If you're staying on International Drive, this ticket is well worth having because it's easy to pop in and out.
I don't know the Holiday Inn Mercado - apparently it's brand new, but the location on I. Drive is perfect. There are plenty of really good restaurants very close by, and dirt cheap transport up and down I Drive in the form of the I. Ride Trolley.
You're spoiled for choice.
We went in 2001 with daughter 13 and son 11 at the time. We were there for 3 weeks and got a 5 day Hopper Plus for Disney and the 4 park Flex ticket. We also went to Kennedy Space Centre twice (the second time to see a launch, but it didn't happen). As you can imagine, we had a very busy holiday and came back exhausted!! As your kids are younger, I would personally recommend you don't try to do as much as we did.
Have a fantastic time,
Sandra
(Sorry, this got awfully long)

[mapman]

With children that age, you're going to have a blast ! Try and take a camcorder if you can - their little faces will be a picture.
With youngsters you'll find Magic Kingdom perfect. I think you would all like Animal Kingdom too.
Islands of Adventure is more for teenagers and adults but there is an area there called Seuss Landing which the kiddies will love.
Don't miss SeaWorld - it's lovely and the interaction with the rays and dolphins is one of those "life changing" moments.

You'll find that eating in the restaurants with children is brilliant - the Americans really know how to look after you and nothing seems too much trouble. Portions are huge, so a lot of the time you can share food - just ask the waiter for advice about childrens meals.

Can't think of any downside's, apart from travelling on the plane - it's a long journey for little one's

Best thing to do is keep looking at all the info on this site - there's lots of it - and do plenty of planning and ask loads of questions - you're going to have the best holiday EVER.

[Mike]

I'm quite envious of you! Wish I'd known about sites like this before our first trip! Lots of good stuff already said above.. I would add the following:

1. Simon V's book is great, but I was very impressed with the "Unofficial Guide to WDW"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764526316/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202-0106226-1036648

and also the "with kids" version, as youve got younger kids:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764537261/ref=sr_aps_books_1_2/202-0106226-1036648

2.Get up early, with a plan for the day, and get to the park of choice at least 30 mins before opening. Using these tactics we have been able to achieve virtually all our objectives for the day by lunch/early afternoon before leaving for a sleep/swim at hotel etc... you can return later for the evening shows etc if you want (and if the kids are up to it)

3. take days off... 2 or 3 consecutive days at the parks when you are learning the ropes can seem like torture in the heat, with tired kids (or adults!)

4. Don't go to MK first.. the kids may think all the parks are like this and be disappointed when they find they aren't! My own preference for the disney parks would be AK, Epcot, MGM and then MK. Fit in the waterparks as and when you fancy. (you'll see the question "which waterpark is best?" countless times on the boards.. answer: they are both superb! Just pick one! and if time permits, do the other another day (or trip!...you WILL want to come back!:wink )

5. Don't try to do EVERYTHING in one trip... it's impossible. You'll kill yourself..or your partner, or the kids!LOL! Our kids weren't much older than yours first trip and we 'only' did Disney and Seaworld until this year (no3) when we adjudged they'd grown enough to enjoy more at Universal and IOA..and we'd also freed up time as we now know what we DON'T like at Disney parks.

6.Finally.. did I mention GET UP EARLY!... some friends went this year for the first (and sadly probably the last) time.. they overdid it on first couple of days, slept late virtually every day thereafter, which feeds on itself, as they needed to spend more time at the parks each day as they were crowded after the late start...so they needed more sleep....!!! Get up early, know when to quit (as soon as any member of the troupe is not having fun any more) and go to bed early unless seeing Illuminations (Epcot evening fireworks,..unmissable!!) or similar. Take rest days.

Soak it all up, get the books, make lists, .... have fun! I love the planning almost as much as the holiday!

Mike:D