Things to do in orlando
Discussion
In orlando With the family, here for another 10days, just wanted to know if there's any things we should defiantly do?
We are looking at doing:
Universal studios
Bush gardens
Kennedy centre
Alligator cruise
Sea world
Shame that there is thunderstorms at the moment lol, should clear up by Friday though so I can rent a Camaro or some aMerican muscle car :-D
We are looking at doing:
Universal studios
Bush gardens
Kennedy centre
Alligator cruise
Sea world
Shame that there is thunderstorms at the moment lol, should clear up by Friday though so I can rent a Camaro or some aMerican muscle car :-D
Do the two Universal Studios n different days as they are full day parks.
Do Seaworld.
Do Gatorland
Do a fan boat ride.
Definitely do Kissimmee Old Town - American classic ruise every Satursday and two fun fairs.
Of the Disney stuff, Magic Kingdom is best, EPCOT is average save the hanglider sim but it's lots of queuing and MGM Studios a bit meh save for the Aerosmith rollercoaster in the dark and Animal Kingdom a bit naff bar the Everest ride so a job lot discount is the best bet.
My personal view is avoid the expense of a Hopper and take a whole day to do a park at your leisure as sometimes queues will be long and you'll feel cheated if you don't have time to hop. You can always go on your favourite rides many times over subject to queue.
My favourites are Autozone for buying stuff you don't need and again, DEFINITELY Old Town.
Oha nd don't miss the firework display at Magic Kingdom.
Do Seaworld.
Do Gatorland
Do a fan boat ride.
Definitely do Kissimmee Old Town - American classic ruise every Satursday and two fun fairs.
Of the Disney stuff, Magic Kingdom is best, EPCOT is average save the hanglider sim but it's lots of queuing and MGM Studios a bit meh save for the Aerosmith rollercoaster in the dark and Animal Kingdom a bit naff bar the Everest ride so a job lot discount is the best bet.
My personal view is avoid the expense of a Hopper and take a whole day to do a park at your leisure as sometimes queues will be long and you'll feel cheated if you don't have time to hop. You can always go on your favourite rides many times over subject to queue.
My favourites are Autozone for buying stuff you don't need and again, DEFINITELY Old Town.
Oha nd don't miss the firework display at Magic Kingdom.
Edited by LuS1fer on Tuesday 26th June 16:50
Old hand in Florida. Mostly it depends on the age group of the party. Personally I enjoy Disney Studios especially since they have "refreshed" it. The New Star Tours is pretty good and there is more than one destination. The Stunt show is worth seeing as is the New Toy Story Midway Mania! as well as the Rock n roller caster and the Tower of Terror.
Epcot is good for about half a day to a day as an adult. My Daughter loves the GM Test Track but it's shut at the moment. Leaves the Other Rides. Soarin was shut when we went but it sounds good. The Sea's has improved with it's tie-in to Nemo and Spaceship Earth is a good place to go to chill when it's hot or you are feeling the crowds. Don't miss Maelstorm in "Norway". It's a bit like "Pirates of the Caribbean" with a tourist twist.
Magic Kingdom is a No-Brainer full day. Lots to do and see and you find yourself going round again at quieter times of year. In order to "do" Disney get the Hopper extension then you can drive or take the Monorail to the other parks. At this time of year things are busy so be patient and use the Fastpass if you can.
Animal Kingdom I like but the Dinosaur ride and the "whirl" are the best parts. Never got on the Everest roller coaster so cannot comment. The Tour of the Animal Park is Hit and miss you usually don't see enough and the queue is quite long. If you get lucky on queues you could be out in a half day and could go back to another park
Universal Islands of Adventure is a curates egg. We loved the Harry Potter bit. The ride's are good especially the main one and the Wand Show is a laugh but quite short for the queue. The Spider man ride is also a good one. The Hulk coaster is a blast if you like that type of thing and the remaining rides are either Watersplash type in the Toon area and Jurassic Park or a bit tame. I do like the Poseidon Fury and the Sinbad show though. Take a day to do it and don't get a Hopper.
Universal Studios is pretty good. MIB, Terminator and the Mummy are the Highlights along with the Disaster ride. JAWS Appears to have shut which is a shame as I liked that. The Rip Ride rocket could well mean you lose breakfast as it looks brutal for a ride in Florida. The Simpsons is a disappointment see it and leave. ET and the Woody Woodpecker coaster are worth seeing.
Of the remaining Attractions. Seaworld is a good day out but if you don't like coasters or splash rides the Whales and Dolphins are the major pull. Same really goes for Busch Gardens which is an hour away from Orlando by car but worthwhile as it has a better variety of rides and shows than Seaworld. I enjoyed it more than Seaworld.
Kennedy is a great place to visit but kids may not be as interested. Personally It's different every time you visit. Make sure you have change though or have planned a route around the Toll roads.
Gatorland I thought was a bit limited but good for a couple of hours.
Old Town in Kissimmee is brilliant. The Parade on a weekend is always packed and it has old style rides to amuse the kids. The shops are different in that they tend to be "specialist".
Epcot is good for about half a day to a day as an adult. My Daughter loves the GM Test Track but it's shut at the moment. Leaves the Other Rides. Soarin was shut when we went but it sounds good. The Sea's has improved with it's tie-in to Nemo and Spaceship Earth is a good place to go to chill when it's hot or you are feeling the crowds. Don't miss Maelstorm in "Norway". It's a bit like "Pirates of the Caribbean" with a tourist twist.
Magic Kingdom is a No-Brainer full day. Lots to do and see and you find yourself going round again at quieter times of year. In order to "do" Disney get the Hopper extension then you can drive or take the Monorail to the other parks. At this time of year things are busy so be patient and use the Fastpass if you can.
Animal Kingdom I like but the Dinosaur ride and the "whirl" are the best parts. Never got on the Everest roller coaster so cannot comment. The Tour of the Animal Park is Hit and miss you usually don't see enough and the queue is quite long. If you get lucky on queues you could be out in a half day and could go back to another park
Universal Islands of Adventure is a curates egg. We loved the Harry Potter bit. The ride's are good especially the main one and the Wand Show is a laugh but quite short for the queue. The Spider man ride is also a good one. The Hulk coaster is a blast if you like that type of thing and the remaining rides are either Watersplash type in the Toon area and Jurassic Park or a bit tame. I do like the Poseidon Fury and the Sinbad show though. Take a day to do it and don't get a Hopper.
Universal Studios is pretty good. MIB, Terminator and the Mummy are the Highlights along with the Disaster ride. JAWS Appears to have shut which is a shame as I liked that. The Rip Ride rocket could well mean you lose breakfast as it looks brutal for a ride in Florida. The Simpsons is a disappointment see it and leave. ET and the Woody Woodpecker coaster are worth seeing.
Of the remaining Attractions. Seaworld is a good day out but if you don't like coasters or splash rides the Whales and Dolphins are the major pull. Same really goes for Busch Gardens which is an hour away from Orlando by car but worthwhile as it has a better variety of rides and shows than Seaworld. I enjoyed it more than Seaworld.
Kennedy is a great place to visit but kids may not be as interested. Personally It's different every time you visit. Make sure you have change though or have planned a route around the Toll roads.
Gatorland I thought was a bit limited but good for a couple of hours.
Old Town in Kissimmee is brilliant. The Parade on a weekend is always packed and it has old style rides to amuse the kids. The shops are different in that they tend to be "specialist".
Lastly Don't miss the shopping. The Premium Outlets at the top of I-Drive drew in my 17 year old daughter like a moth. The Florida Mall is always good and the UGG boot prices cannot be beaten in the UK. Then there are the "little" malls. My Favourite is the Lake Buena Vista one. It's not as varied as it was but they have some good bargains.
Check what's on at the House of Blues. You might be there when a legend is on.
Eat here at least once: http://www.talkofthetownrestaurants.com/charleys_o...
Eat here at least once: http://www.talkofthetownrestaurants.com/charleys_o...
If your going to do Hollywood studios then toy story ride is a must its great fun. Queue is always long and fastpast tickets tend to be gone by about 10.00am for the day!!!
Hot air baloon ride is available from Championsgate. Probably dodgy at present with the winds.
All the parks go without saying its whether you like coasters or not. Splash Mountain good fun.Pick the right day for the late light parade at Magic kingdom and the fireworks. Epcot laser and fireworks worth seeing.
Hot air baloon ride is available from Championsgate. Probably dodgy at present with the winds.
All the parks go without saying its whether you like coasters or not. Splash Mountain good fun.Pick the right day for the late light parade at Magic kingdom and the fireworks. Epcot laser and fireworks worth seeing.
PaulHogan said:
Check what's on at the House of Blues. You might be there when a legend is on.
Eat here at least once: http://www.talkofthetownrestaurants.com/charleys_o...
In reality, there are way, way better restaurants than Charleys. Ruth Chris, Del Frisco and Vito's are all considerably better and not rammed with tourists. Eat here at least once: http://www.talkofthetownrestaurants.com/charleys_o...
Matt Harper said:
In reality, there are way, way better restaurants than Charleys. Ruth Chris, Del Frisco and Vito's are all considerably better and not rammed with tourists.
Your experience was clearly different to mine. I thought the place and service were fine, the food was magnificent and the 'Bang for your buck' excellent. I'm going to back up Paul, charleys food was amazing, best steak i have EVER had tbf. That good.
We have done the morton's, ruths chris, peter lugers etc, and this topped it.
Also try http://4rsmokehouse.com/ for some brisket, brilliant food and so cheap, get a dinner plate to share.
We have done the morton's, ruths chris, peter lugers etc, and this topped it.
Also try http://4rsmokehouse.com/ for some brisket, brilliant food and so cheap, get a dinner plate to share.
Charley's is well marketed.
I live in the area and have very frequently had requests from visiting clients to dine there, because they have bought into Charley's self proclaimed stature and/or seen ads on planes, in taxis or in visitor guides.
I cannot fault their self-promotion.
That said and for a 'formula' offering, they are by no means the best in town. Their OBT location is ghetto (to the extent that they have to patrol their own parking lot) and I feel that they presume that most of their guests are from out of town and will probably only dine there once.
Their service is good, verging on overly ingratiating and their meat is good only (not great). Their seafood is disappointing, in my opinion.
The best beef in town is generally regarded to be at Del Frisco on Lee Road, north of downtown Orlando, well off the average tourist's radar.
I live in the area and have very frequently had requests from visiting clients to dine there, because they have bought into Charley's self proclaimed stature and/or seen ads on planes, in taxis or in visitor guides.
I cannot fault their self-promotion.
That said and for a 'formula' offering, they are by no means the best in town. Their OBT location is ghetto (to the extent that they have to patrol their own parking lot) and I feel that they presume that most of their guests are from out of town and will probably only dine there once.
Their service is good, verging on overly ingratiating and their meat is good only (not great). Their seafood is disappointing, in my opinion.
The best beef in town is generally regarded to be at Del Frisco on Lee Road, north of downtown Orlando, well off the average tourist's radar.
Don't forget the classic car cruise in Old Town Kissimme Friday / Saturday nights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4xCsjwPU2Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4xCsjwPU2Y
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