Must do list in Orlando (Page 2)

Yup - resurrecting an old thread.

We are thinking about taking my 2 boys to Disney Nov 2010. They will be 7.5 and 5.5 at the time. It looks like Universal might be a little old for them, and Epcot might be a little on the boring side (they really don't like to try anything new). But it sounds like the Kingdom and the animal deal will keep us busy for 3 days. We are thinking about spending 5 days there - perhaps a trip to the beach and/or Cape Canaveral are good options as well.

My question is about lodging. Obviously, staying at the park is more convenient if you need access to your room (naps) and dining. However, it looks like staying outside of the park is a solid option that is far more reasonably priced. My kids are early risers, and we won't be participating in evening activities, I expect. What do the experienced Disney folks think?

Depends on how organized you can be.  Staying on Disney property is very convenient for access like you stated and it's hard to beat their dining plans for costs of eating in the parks and with early risers you can get into specific parks 2 hours early each day (the available parks for early entrance are on a rotating schedule that you can look up prior to arriving).

however, you may be able to save enough by staying off property to offset the dining plan.  be on the lookout for next year since this year they actually offered free dining plans for stays of 7 days.  also we used a travel agent smallworldvacations.com and our agent watched the rates every week and was able to upgrade us to the deluxe hotels (Yacht/Beach Club) for barely more than the cost of the budget (All Stars)

Bring your bike. Drive up to Clermont and ride the Great Floridian course. Make sure you have your climbing gears for sugarloaf...

No kidding...where'd you go to HS?

Our Family are big Seaworld fans. It's the one park we go to every time we are in Orlando.

They have alot of deals, check online. I know they give you a second day free if you buy a 1 day ticket. Also they have multi park/ multi day tickets that include Universal Studios and Bush Gardens.

I would say stay at Disney!  With littler kids it is a huge help to be able to quickly get back to the hotel for a rest in the afternoon.  You can stay at one of the All Star resorts or pop Century if you want to save money.  Check the Disboards to see if any codes have come out for that time of year yet - if it is a little off season you can usually get a room there for under $100 a night.

If you decide to spend more check out the Wilderness Lodge.  We all loved it and even my daughter who said she wanted to try every hotel said she never wanted to stay anywhere else after we stayed there.  And it is super close to Magic Kingdom so that was a big plus for us.

I live in Orlando, and would agree with a lot that's been said. Your kids are going to probably like Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom best. Epcot has the passport thing (where they get stamps at each country and have a little activity), and the new Kim Possible (basically a scavenger hunt) but the actual areas don't impress my 7 yr old or his friends much. They do have great fireworks. Magic Kingdom could def. be a 2 day thing, but Animal Kingdom is mostly a one day deal. Get there early before the animals get too sleepy!

For date night, I'd prefer the California Grill (I think that's it's name) on top of the Contemporary resort - plan to be there when the fireworks go off....then, PIZZA TIME! Vic. & Alberts is the best Orlando has to offer, tho', if you are really into food.

One little known thing - at Ft. Wilderness they have Chip and Dale's campfire every night, with s'mores, stories, characters and a movie. It's FREE and you don't have to be staying there to go. (you do have to buy the snacks).

Also, we never pay to park - there are lots of ways around it. I usually go to either the Polynesian or the Boardwalk hotel lots and tell them I am shopping or meeting friends for lunch. Then you can take a boat, bus or monorail to the park of your choice. Contemporary and Grand Floridian I think you have to know someone staying there or have a reservation. The tea at the Grand Floridian is a nice girlie thing to do.

Downtown Disney can keep little ones entertained for free, too. Lego store has a big play area, they have a stage with performers, a splash fountain thing, and some small kiddie rides that are fairly cheap.

For all meals, plan ahead and make reservations WAY ahead, especially that time of year. If you can keep your schedule shifted a bit from the regular meal times, you will enjoy it more.

There are some great restaurants for date night in the Sand Lake area, just up I4 to Sand Lake/International drive area. I recommend Seasons 52.

And for YOU - DEFINITELY swim at Lucky's Lake Swim!! Lucky is a friend of mine, and the lake is gorgeous and the swim is a blast. It's probably 20 minutes from the Disney area. Saturday has the most people, but during the week the swim is peaceful and gorgeous and the core crowd very cool. Some folks bring bikes or shoes and get a run/ride in afterwards. You can shower there as well, outdoor showers by the pool and you're set for the day.

For non-theme stuff, check out Tibet-Butler Preserve, very close to Disney. Several miles of trails on a gorgeous lake, and educational center, and often guided hikes and such. Kissimmee has some cool stuff - a friend just did the new zip-line attraction and LOVED it. Younger kids LOVE Green Meadows Farm, where you get to pet all sorts of farm animals, hold baby chicks, and ride ponies, a hay wagon and train. www.greenmeadowsfarm.com

If you're a serious biker, the Windermere Roadies, http://www.windermereroadies.com,have group rides to challenge you, and if you prefer less hard-core, their forum, (http://www.windermereroadies.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=44) at least has routes that are all close to Disney.

+1000

Edit #1: Oh yeah, I want to add that I did Lucky's Lake Swim this weekend and there were about 100 people.  There are no lifeguards so you are swimming at your own risk.  Lucky also said if you weren't comfortable in the lake, you could swim laps in his lap pool.  When I came in, people were in the other pool playing volleyball.  If you do it, make sure you go sign the wall afterwards.  He's running out of room on the wall and said he thinks he may be going for the ceiling next...  Also, his neighbor was out there doing a pancake breakfast for anyone that wanted some...very cool people!

eDIT #2 - They had 2 courses set up this weekend.  The 1K and then a 1.2 mile swim.



Edited by DolphinGirlMB 2009-08-17 9:52 AM

X2. Also, go left.

What time are you thinking of going in November?  If it's Thanksgiving week there will probably be no discounts.  But right now (for 2009) they are doing a room discount for most of November that would make the value resorts start at $79/night and the moderates start at $109/night. 

They are also doing a promotion this year (they do it every year but this year they are extending it through December) for free dining.  I haven't taken advantage of this yet since we usually only go for a weekend, but I believe if you book a room at the regular price for at least 3 nights (may be 4 nights) you get their dining plan for free.  the dining plan gives you points that you can use throughout your stay and it usually equals out to something like 1 sit down restaurant, 1 counter service restaurant and 1 snack per day per person - a pretty good deal!  But, they don't announce this for 2010 until the date gets much closer, so you would have to book a room and then keep an eye on it and apply the free dining when they announce it.

Can you tell I HATE staying off site?