Discussion
Off to animal kingdom lodge next year anyone been?
Has florida changed much over the last 4yrs?
And as we have young kids we aren’t doing upper class but how’s premium with Virgin Atlantic?
We don’t rly want to take cards (apart from a credit card) and we won’t be taking much cash, is everywhere contactless/Apple Pay?
Hopefully car hire will get cheaper last time we went in 2018 we had a grand Cherokee for £500 fir 2 weeks same class of car is now more than double
Has florida changed much over the last 4yrs?
And as we have young kids we aren’t doing upper class but how’s premium with Virgin Atlantic?
We don’t rly want to take cards (apart from a credit card) and we won’t be taking much cash, is everywhere contactless/Apple Pay?
Hopefully car hire will get cheaper last time we went in 2018 we had a grand Cherokee for £500 fir 2 weeks same class of car is now more than double
Not loads of difference tbh, just more expensive overall but still some ok deals to be had.
I wouldn’t bank on hire prices dropping personally (not significantly at least).
Almost everywhere takes contactless / chip and pin - my last 2 trips I’ve done without any physical money at all and just using a starling card which was perfectly fine and worked great for tips etc too.
Virgin PE is ok and can be achieved at a reasonable value assuming you are in a virgin plane and not the codeshare with delta or klm as (imo) their comparative cabins are more inferior to the Virgin offering.
I wouldn’t bank on hire prices dropping personally (not significantly at least).
Almost everywhere takes contactless / chip and pin - my last 2 trips I’ve done without any physical money at all and just using a starling card which was perfectly fine and worked great for tips etc too.
Virgin PE is ok and can be achieved at a reasonable value assuming you are in a virgin plane and not the codeshare with delta or klm as (imo) their comparative cabins are more inferior to the Virgin offering.
Has much changed? Are you joking?
The Park ticketing system has had the biggest shake up in decades.
You now have to book your park attendance for the day you want. Park hopping has to be booked as well I believe.
There is the introduction of Genie and Genie plus for booking fast passes for the ride queues. expect to spend most of your park day on the Mobile App. Genie Plus is about £100 per person based on the 2 week Disney Ticket.
Try and find some time for the Kennedy Space Centre as that is a brilliant day out and much quieter compared to the other parks.
Also, bot sure I would bother with hire cars these days as well. Parking fees fare $25 per day per park. Resort parking fees are $15 per day as well. Disney transport will get you to key places, but it can be slow and Animal Kingdom is quite far out compared to others but at least the transport options are there.
I've not stayed in Animal Kingdom, but the hotel lobby looks amazing and I watch many Disney Resort videos on YouTube. Mrs BakerStreet gets quite sick of it
The Park ticketing system has had the biggest shake up in decades.
You now have to book your park attendance for the day you want. Park hopping has to be booked as well I believe.
There is the introduction of Genie and Genie plus for booking fast passes for the ride queues. expect to spend most of your park day on the Mobile App. Genie Plus is about £100 per person based on the 2 week Disney Ticket.
Try and find some time for the Kennedy Space Centre as that is a brilliant day out and much quieter compared to the other parks.
Also, bot sure I would bother with hire cars these days as well. Parking fees fare $25 per day per park. Resort parking fees are $15 per day as well. Disney transport will get you to key places, but it can be slow and Animal Kingdom is quite far out compared to others but at least the transport options are there.
I've not stayed in Animal Kingdom, but the hotel lobby looks amazing and I watch many Disney Resort videos on YouTube. Mrs BakerStreet gets quite sick of it
bakerstreet said:
Has much changed? Are you joking?
The Park ticketing system has had the biggest shake up in decades.
You now have to book your park attendance for the day you want. Park hopping has to be booked as well I believe.
There is the introduction of Genie and Genie plus for booking fast passes for the ride queues. expect to spend most of your park day on the Mobile App. Genie Plus is about £100 per person based on the 2 week Disney Ticket.
Note, thats only for Disney parks, others aren't doing the reservation system at all. Also, not sure if this has changed yet but it was being talked about a couple of weeks ago that they are looking at scrapping the reservations process after the backlash of people having dated and timelimited tickets and not being able to get a reservation for the corresponding day(s) and that you could only have a max of 5 reservations for future days at any one time.The Park ticketing system has had the biggest shake up in decades.
You now have to book your park attendance for the day you want. Park hopping has to be booked as well I believe.
There is the introduction of Genie and Genie plus for booking fast passes for the ride queues. expect to spend most of your park day on the Mobile App. Genie Plus is about £100 per person based on the 2 week Disney Ticket.
Alorotom said:
Note, thats only for Disney parks, others aren't doing the reservation system at all. Also, not sure if this has changed yet but it was being talked about a couple of weeks ago that they are looking at scrapping the reservations process after the backlash of people having dated and timelimited tickets and not being able to get a reservation for the corresponding day(s) and that you could only have a max of 5 reservations for future days at any one time.
Yes, the other parks are certainly growing in favour following Disney's approach. However, Epic Universe arrives in summer 2025 and I recon they will adopt the same ticketing system. Why would Chapek care about backlash? The Disney Parks are the busiest they have even been despite the new ticketing system.
Personally, I don't think it will be dropped at all, but be made even more expensive and restrictive. They have surge pricing for queues. IE pricing for the more popular times and rides. I recon the entire ticketing pricing will be moved to seasonal. Cheaper outside of holidays and more expensive in it. Als, you still have the 5% increase every October regardless of Pandemics
Thanks guys,
We’ve booked genie + and our 14 day disney tickets however didn’t realise you have to make a reservation to enter the park, last time we could just turn up,
Resort fees for parking are $25 a night but apparantly you get free parking then at Disney parks,
A car is a necessity as we are adventurers last time we drove to Clearwater and this time we are looking to drive either to Miami or key largo
We’ve booked genie + and our 14 day disney tickets however didn’t realise you have to make a reservation to enter the park, last time we could just turn up,
Resort fees for parking are $25 a night but apparantly you get free parking then at Disney parks,
A car is a necessity as we are adventurers last time we drove to Clearwater and this time we are looking to drive either to Miami or key largo
If you've not booked your flights have a look at Tui into Melbourne. It sounds insane, but when your the 4th international flight in a row at Orlando International it won't seem so mad!
We thought it was a lot more pricey. Some of that is the exchange rate.
Traffic seemed a lot worse.
We thought it was a lot more pricey. Some of that is the exchange rate.
Traffic seemed a lot worse.
We’ve just come back a week ago after our 14 day stay. Fourth visit- we only did the three Universal parks, we’ve never done Disney. We only went for 14 days as it was £90 more than going for 10… it meant we didn’t stress about having full days at the park and we took things easy.
Yes it has changed, massively more expensive for pretty much everything. We ended up buying cereal at Walgreens and having breakfast in our hotel room, and taking packed lunches to the parks. Doing this saved us $50 a day at least. We did eat out every evening although sometimes just McDonald’s or Cici’s Pizza. Food prices are up by around a third since we were there last in 2019.
We didn’t hire a car, £1000 for two weeks in a Kia Rio was just not going to happen. I spent £300ish on Ubers (we stayed on International Drive) In contrast pre pandemic a Mustang GT cost me £250 for 5 days use. To be honest I didn’t miss it, driving in Orlando isn’t fun. As we’ve done Kennedy Space Centre before and seen the beaches etc we weren’t to bothered about going again, so actually didn’t leave Orlando this time.
Cost wise for two of us, the holiday was £1900 including flights, the hotel (Rosen Inn International- basic but really decent and two great pools) and the Universal 14 day tickets. We took $2000 in cash and I spent £600 ish on the credit card (including the £300 Uber spend) As always we spent quite a bit at the outlets and The Florida Mall. Suitcases were bursting at the seams, but the poor currency exchange meant that it hasn’t been as ridiculously cheap as before. We came back with $200. Apart from Halifax blocking my credit card for a few hours because they couldn’t work out how I used it in London and the USA in the same day, we had no issues using the card anywhere.
There were no silly Covid-19 rules. I saw a handful of masked people, but otherwise it was like the pandemic didn’t exist and we were thankful for that. The pre flight covid testing was easy, but ultimately pointless as our documents were not checked or verified. Not once in Orlando were vaccination passports asked for or any restrictions that we noticed.
We did have a great time, saw about ten minutes of rain. But I was not sad to come home this time. The novelty of going over to America and the parks has worn off somewhat. There are a few new rides at Universal, none of them as good as the 20 year old ones. I think I need to give Orlando 5 years or so before we return. No doubt the wife will persuade me to go again though!
Yes it has changed, massively more expensive for pretty much everything. We ended up buying cereal at Walgreens and having breakfast in our hotel room, and taking packed lunches to the parks. Doing this saved us $50 a day at least. We did eat out every evening although sometimes just McDonald’s or Cici’s Pizza. Food prices are up by around a third since we were there last in 2019.
We didn’t hire a car, £1000 for two weeks in a Kia Rio was just not going to happen. I spent £300ish on Ubers (we stayed on International Drive) In contrast pre pandemic a Mustang GT cost me £250 for 5 days use. To be honest I didn’t miss it, driving in Orlando isn’t fun. As we’ve done Kennedy Space Centre before and seen the beaches etc we weren’t to bothered about going again, so actually didn’t leave Orlando this time.
Cost wise for two of us, the holiday was £1900 including flights, the hotel (Rosen Inn International- basic but really decent and two great pools) and the Universal 14 day tickets. We took $2000 in cash and I spent £600 ish on the credit card (including the £300 Uber spend) As always we spent quite a bit at the outlets and The Florida Mall. Suitcases were bursting at the seams, but the poor currency exchange meant that it hasn’t been as ridiculously cheap as before. We came back with $200. Apart from Halifax blocking my credit card for a few hours because they couldn’t work out how I used it in London and the USA in the same day, we had no issues using the card anywhere.
There were no silly Covid-19 rules. I saw a handful of masked people, but otherwise it was like the pandemic didn’t exist and we were thankful for that. The pre flight covid testing was easy, but ultimately pointless as our documents were not checked or verified. Not once in Orlando were vaccination passports asked for or any restrictions that we noticed.
We did have a great time, saw about ten minutes of rain. But I was not sad to come home this time. The novelty of going over to America and the parks has worn off somewhat. There are a few new rides at Universal, none of them as good as the 20 year old ones. I think I need to give Orlando 5 years or so before we return. No doubt the wife will persuade me to go again though!
Edited by W201_190e on Sunday 15th May 07:46
Edited by W201_190e on Sunday 15th May 07:50
We’re doing the same, not been for 10 years + 
and looking to play so thanks for the info, queue passes sound a good move forward..
We’ve booked a car from hertz fun collection but we’re also looking to book a classic 60s corvette or similar, anyone found someone offering this that’s decent to del with?
we’re going to drive down to the miami supercar show thats on each month, we’ll look at other obscure things to do to, so any ideas? looking at a baseball or american football game, maybe something going on at daytona.. ft.L etc
and looking to play so thanks for the info, queue passes sound a good move forward..We’ve booked a car from hertz fun collection but we’re also looking to book a classic 60s corvette or similar, anyone found someone offering this that’s decent to del with?
we’re going to drive down to the miami supercar show thats on each month, we’ll look at other obscure things to do to, so any ideas? looking at a baseball or american football game, maybe something going on at daytona.. ft.L etc
ghost83 said:
And as we have young kids we aren’t doing upper class but how’s premium with Virgin Atlantic?
In line with some other comments we’re not going to DisneyWorld again until it gets back to normal - if the current situation is the new normal then that’ll be never.I would assume (but don’t know for sure) that if you’re staying on site then you’d be guaranteed park entry - it’d be completely absurd if not. Although we’ve met US people who had dining plans but couldn’t get into restaurants as no-one told them the popular ones get instantly booked up 6 months out.
Re PE - we last went 2019 on a Jumbo and PE had fixed armrests which was an issue for us with little grandchildren. Might be different on the newer planes. Economy Delight, I think it was called, which is just extra legroom seats, worked fine but you lose getting the jump on everyone else when getting off.
I have been PE on a smaller Boeing but it was just wife and I and can’t recall the armrest arrangement.
surveyor said:
If you've not booked your flights have a look at Tui into Melbourne. It sounds insane, but when your the 4th international flight in a row at Orlando International it won't seem so mad!
We thought it was a lot more pricey. Some of that is the exchange rate.
Traffic seemed a lot worse.
Just looked at Melbourne flight as we want to go end of this month, what a difference!!We thought it was a lot more pricey. Some of that is the exchange rate.
Traffic seemed a lot worse.
1 hour drive, it seems like a no brainier, any reasons why not to do this way?
Always hated the huge queues at MCO.
rufmeister said:
Just looked at Melbourne flight as we want to go end of this month, what a difference!!
1 hour drive, it seems like a no brainier, any reasons why not to do this way?
Always hated the huge queues at MCO.
You lot are a bit slow in responding, so its all booked, better be alright!! Saved £1000 and got extra legroom, lets hope it works out.1 hour drive, it seems like a no brainier, any reasons why not to do this way?
Always hated the huge queues at MCO.
We went pre pandemic and had the intention of using Ubers but found Wifi and general data connectivity dreadful so rendered the Uber App useless.
In the end we gave up and used the Disney buses which were generally fine. Longest we queued was around 30 mins in the 10 days we were there. I did get in an argument though with an American chap as I offered my seat to a kid that was standing and he took it instead. Idiot!
We also booked Virgin PE and thought it was worth the additional cost (around £200 per person IIRC)
Stayed at Disney Caribbean and it was a chav invested hell-hole. One guy even had an electronic tag around his ankle in the pool.
For a holiday it was a little stressful finding places to eat, especially in the park as it was that busy. My Mrs spent 30 minutes with a poor lady who just had a meltdown on the mono-rail due to stress, two young kids and trying to fit everything in. Never seen that on holiday before.
In the end we gave up and used the Disney buses which were generally fine. Longest we queued was around 30 mins in the 10 days we were there. I did get in an argument though with an American chap as I offered my seat to a kid that was standing and he took it instead. Idiot!
We also booked Virgin PE and thought it was worth the additional cost (around £200 per person IIRC)
Stayed at Disney Caribbean and it was a chav invested hell-hole. One guy even had an electronic tag around his ankle in the pool.
For a holiday it was a little stressful finding places to eat, especially in the park as it was that busy. My Mrs spent 30 minutes with a poor lady who just had a meltdown on the mono-rail due to stress, two young kids and trying to fit everything in. Never seen that on holiday before.
rufmeister said:
rufmeister said:
Just looked at Melbourne flight as we want to go end of this month, what a difference!!
1 hour drive, it seems like a no brainier, any reasons why not to do this way?
Always hated the huge queues at MCO.
You lot are a bit slow in responding, so its all booked, better be alright!! Saved £1000 and got extra legroom, lets hope it works out.1 hour drive, it seems like a no brainier, any reasons why not to do this way?
Always hated the huge queues at MCO.
No reason at all. It's being extended but it causes no hassle. Drive is more like 90 minutes depending on where you are staying. It's quite easy though. Or just stay one night in one of the beach hotels in Melbourne and drive up in the morning.
When Premium gets off the plane first don't be irritated. They are heading to baggage claim just like you. Expect plenty of staff to greet you on the walk. Once you have your bags you will have immigration. They were friendly (unheard of), and in plenty of numbers (UK Border Control take note!). We had no delay and were in our car 20 minutes after landing.
As we leave the terminal we were greeted with goody bags with snacks and water, before collecting our car keys from the temporary (air-conditioned) marquee.
On the return flight, small terminal and not much in the way of food or duty-free options. There is a tiny duty-free pop-up shop until the extension is completed.
There was no queue for check-in and no queue for security again with friendly staff. We were given tokens for free water and a sandwich each (don't get excited!)
We also flew extra leg-room which was perfectly fine for the duration. Our outgoing airport messed up security so we had to deplane and go through again, but that's not Tui's fault.
For me it's a no-brainer - I'd do Melbourne every time.
ETA - we went back to the airport via Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. Stunning.
Edited by surveyor on Sunday 15th May 11:23
surveyor said:
Gosh. The complaints are strong
No reason at all. It's being extended but it causes no hassle.
When Premium gets off the plane first don't be irritated. They are heading to baggage claim just like you. Expect plenty of staff to greet you on the walk. Once you have your bags you will have immigration. They were friendly (unheard of), and in plenty of numbers (UK Border Control take note!). We had no delay and were in our car 20 minutes after landing.
As we leave the terminal we were greeted with goody bags with snacks and water, before collecting our car keys from the temporary (air-conditioned) marquee.
On the return flight, small terminal and not much in the way of food or duty-free options. There is a tiny duty-free pop-up shop until the extension is completed.
There was no queue for check-in and no queue for security again with friendly staff. We were given tokens for free water and a sandwhich each (don't get excited!)
We also flew extra leg-room which was perfectly fine for the duration. Our outgoing airport messed up security so we had to deplane and go through again, but that's not Tui's fault.
For me it's a no-brainer - I'd do Melbourne every time.
Magic, just watched a vlog on YouTube and they said the same, 20 mins from plane to transport.No reason at all. It's being extended but it causes no hassle.
When Premium gets off the plane first don't be irritated. They are heading to baggage claim just like you. Expect plenty of staff to greet you on the walk. Once you have your bags you will have immigration. They were friendly (unheard of), and in plenty of numbers (UK Border Control take note!). We had no delay and were in our car 20 minutes after landing.
As we leave the terminal we were greeted with goody bags with snacks and water, before collecting our car keys from the temporary (air-conditioned) marquee.
On the return flight, small terminal and not much in the way of food or duty-free options. There is a tiny duty-free pop-up shop until the extension is completed.
There was no queue for check-in and no queue for security again with friendly staff. We were given tokens for free water and a sandwhich each (don't get excited!)
We also flew extra leg-room which was perfectly fine for the duration. Our outgoing airport messed up security so we had to deplane and go through again, but that's not Tui's fault.
For me it's a no-brainer - I'd do Melbourne every time.
If it works, we will be using this route again.
Convenience after the long flight trumps all.
bad company said:
Yesterday I cancelled my Hertz car rental booked weeks ago for next month. I re-booked the same car with Hertz at $1000 less.
Interesting, i booked hertz fun collection yesterday and was surprised how cheap it was, guessing theres been a drop then.. maybe they were expecting more of a surge when the inflight masks were dropped in april? Missed the Melbourne thing
so we’re flying into orlando, not ecommony though so that should make things better i hope..SirCarsAllot said:
bad company said:
Yesterday I cancelled my Hertz car rental booked weeks ago for next month. I re-booked the same car with Hertz at $1000 less.
Interesting, i booked hertz fun collection yesterday and was surprised how cheap it was, guessing theres been a drop then.. maybe they were expecting more of a surge when the inflight masks were dropped in april? Missed the Melbourne thing
so we’re flying into orlando, not ecommony though so that should make things better i hope..bakerstreet said:
Has much changed? Are you joking?
The Park ticketing system has had the biggest shake up in decades.
You now have to book your park attendance for the day you want. Park hopping has to be booked as well I believe.
Parking Hopping doesn't need to be booked. But you have to have a reservation for another park and have scanned in to that park to hop. Park hopping is from 2pmThe Park ticketing system has had the biggest shake up in decades.
You now have to book your park attendance for the day you want. Park hopping has to be booked as well I believe.
Waterparks you dont need to reserve but if you want to visit a park after you need a reservation.
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