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The Following article is a summery of the ten day trip to Orlando my wife and I adventured into on our first anniversary. We took the trip during the first two weeks of June 2009. Below you will find reviews for each park, our hotel, our transportation, the books we read, websites we used to plan etc.
I hope the information on this page will help others in their planning to the area and give some insight and tips for the first time visitors to the Orlando / Kissimmee area. Please leave comments below if there is something we left off that you feel we should add and we will! Thanks for reading.
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PARK REVIEWS
Here is a quick reference to the parks we have reviewed on our blog. Remember you can always use the links to the left to find the parks of your choice to read our current entries on them. I have them under various categories such as theme parks, state parks, zoos, etc.
THE PARKS WE VISITED
MAGIC KINGDOM (part one)
MAGIC KINGDOM (part two)
EPCOT WORLD SHOWCASE
EPCOT FUTURE WORLD
DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM
UNIVERSAL’S ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA
SEA WORLD ORLANDO
OLD TOWN
REED BINGHAM STATE PARK (ADEL GA.)
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THE HOTEL
We Stayed Off site. Here is our reasoning. Even the Value Resorts at Disney are pretty Expensive. We usually camp wherever we go so we are used to paying something like 20 bucks a night NOT 74 bucks being a discount rate! Also after long discussion my wife and I thought if we had Disney 24 seven we might go crazy, also we wanted to go to other parks and be near real stores like Wal-Mart, this way I don't have to pay 10 bucks for a 2 dollar pack of cigars (yes they are 2 bucks usually). Our choice was located on the bus line on 192.
HOWARD JOHNSON TROPICAL PALMS
Address:
4311 W. Highway 192/W. Vine St./W. Hwy. 192
Kissimmee, FL 34746Maps & Directions
Phone:407-396-7100
Fax:407-358-5140
E-Mail: hojoexpin@aol.com
WebsiteCLICK HERE
RATING: 8 out of 10 stars
We chose this Hotel because it is walking distance to the Wal-mart, a nearby Mall, bus stops and a Flea Market is right next door that offers great souvenirs for very cheap!
We used multiple discounts for our room first AAA and then Wyndham Rewards which is free to sign up for online and really helps save. we saved 8 bucks a night, this equals 80 for for entire stay plus wasn't charged any resort fees etc. our total per night was 21 bucks! We loved the price but were scared of the room. We brought our own sheets pillows etc but never had a need to use them.
The room was surprisingly clean. In fact our room was cleaned everyday and smelled cleaner than our apartment back home. The room is not decorated very fancy but it is definitely not trashy or old and worn in any way. This was a great little room next to the pool.
There were pluses and minus's about this place but overall it saved us money and was not bad at all.
First the pluses - Free Internet in the lobby - Nice large pool with kiddy pool. designated smoking area for those staying with non-smokers so you can sit on a bench and enjoy it without bothering others. The clerks were all very nice and recommended things for us to do. The place was very convenient as far as location. The front desk even recommended his favourite pizza place to us and we loved it. There's a lunch and breakfast room on site.
Now the minus's - The pool area is loud at night so if you want to sleep before the 10pm closing of the pool I suggest asking for a room on the front side. The time share people up front in the lobby are persistent, make it a point to make sure that your not interested as soon as you arrive. Our biggest problem was that I got my wife and I a non-smoking room. I didn't want her smelling smoke left over in the room because she has allergies etc. She is OK with my cigar smoke but cigarette smoke bugs her. I chose to smoke outside in the smoking area. One night when we came back from a park we were locked out of our room. The guy up front said the housekeeper thought we were smoking because she saw my cigars. There was no smoke in the room and no ashes, I smoked outside the whole time. I explained all this to the guy at the desk and he let us back in pronto. Nothing else really happened to us. This is a good place to stay to save money. You get more than you pay for here. 8 out of 10 stars.
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LYNX BUSES
Address: 455 N. Garland Ave.Orlando, FL 32801
Website:http://www.golynx.com/
RATING: 9 out of 10
We hate driving on vacation. Before we left we heard many bad things about the Lynx buses but nothing anyone said was true. If you time out the routes and figure out when the buses leave arrive etc. from the schedule you'll be on time every time and get where your going without having to pay for parking or getting frustrated in Orlando's heavy traffic.
We got two 7 day passes each for 16.00 each. Added up this is much cheaper than driving for parking fees alone not to mention gas and frustration. You can purchase passes here http://www.golynx.com/?fuse=shop&app=store the Fixed Route 7-day Standard Pass is the way to go and will get you to and from all the parks.
If you are staying on 192 in Kissimmee you can get to Disney on the #56 with a straight shot to the Disney TTC where you can ride the monorail to Magic
Kingdom and Epcot or get on a Disney bus to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Same thing if you are at Disney want want to go to Old Town or somewhere on 192 just take the #56
To get to Sea world just ride the #56 to the TTC (transportation and ticking center) as if going to Disney and from there get on the #50. You will get off at Sea Harbour Drive. Ask the driver for the best spot to get off and they will tell you. You will have to walk across the parking lot but its not too far of a walk. This is a cheaper option for those staying at Disney as well. I saw people paying 30 bucks to cabs to go the short distance to Sea World when all you have to do is pay a couple of bucks and your there! Just go the the TTC and hop on bus #50 its that easy!
To get to Universal from 192 is a little trickier. NOTE THIS IS FORM 192 so from TTC you will need to ask a bus driver or use the Lynx trip planner here http://trip1.golynx.com/
The way we did it was to walk to the Osceola Square Mall and hop on the #4 (this is a long route) take the #4 to Florida mall and then from the Florida mall take the #37.
One thing I really should stress is to always know where the bus is heading. Ask the driver if he is going where your going even if you have the correct # of bus because we got on the right number but ended up on the other side of the route. ASK ASK ASK! You cant go wrong if you ask!
Address: 455 N. Garland Ave.Orlando, FL 32801
Website:http://www.golynx.com/
RATING: 9 out of 10
We hate driving on vacation. Before we left we heard many bad things about the Lynx buses but nothing anyone said was true. If you time out the routes and figure out when the buses leave arrive etc. from the schedule you'll be on time every time and get where your going without having to pay for parking or getting frustrated in Orlando's heavy traffic.We got two 7 day passes each for 16.00 each. Added up this is much cheaper than driving for parking fees alone not to mention gas and frustration. You can purchase passes here http://www.golynx.com/?fuse=shop&app=store the Fixed Route 7-day Standard Pass is the way to go and will get you to and from all the parks.
If you are staying on 192 in Kissimmee you can get to Disney on the #56 with a straight shot to the Disney TTC where you can ride the monorail to Magic
Kingdom and Epcot or get on a Disney bus to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Same thing if you are at Disney want want to go to Old Town or somewhere on 192 just take the #56To get to Sea world just ride the #56 to the TTC (transportation and ticking center) as if going to Disney and from there get on the #50. You will get off at Sea Harbour Drive. Ask the driver for the best spot to get off and they will tell you. You will have to walk across the parking lot but its not too far of a walk. This is a cheaper option for those staying at Disney as well. I saw people paying 30 bucks to cabs to go the short distance to Sea World when all you have to do is pay a couple of bucks and your there! Just go the the TTC and hop on bus #50 its that easy!
To get to Universal from 192 is a little trickier. NOTE THIS IS FORM 192 so from TTC you will need to ask a bus driver or use the Lynx trip planner here http://trip1.golynx.com/
The way we did it was to walk to the Osceola Square Mall and hop on the #4 (this is a long route) take the #4 to Florida mall and then from the Florida mall take the #37.
One thing I really should stress is to always know where the bus is heading. Ask the driver if he is going where your going even if you have the correct # of bus because we got on the right number but ended up on the other side of the route. ASK ASK ASK! You cant go wrong if you ask!
The Lynx Buses can add time to your trip but its worth it not having to drive. The longest hardest route we did was to Universal. Sea World and TTC are easy! Also get to know the routes here http://www.golynx.com/?fuse=cstm&app=route before you go!
The Buses are convenient and on schedule 99 percent of the time. 9 out of 10 stars. I don't see why others don't do it, it beats driving and paying 30 bucks or more for a cab or shuttle service.
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THE BOOKS WE READ
In getting ready for our trip we read two books.
Hassle Free Walt Disney World Vacation 2009
by Steven M. Barrett
This book tries hard to give good advice and tips for your trip.
It fails hard. Most of this book includes things you can easy find online for free and what it should talk about it doesn't. I do not recommend this book for anyone other than a child. There are better books and this just isn't one of them. 3 out of 10 stars for being empty of real tips and suggestions.
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
This is the book you want. Here id the official website http://www.touringplans.com/
This book has everything, Tips, readers comments, detailed descriptions of attractions and the best part is you get free use of their crowd calender on their official site. You can get dates up to 30 days without the book but if you have the book you can get crowd rankings way ahead of time. Here's the crowd calender http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=14 .
Another great thing about this book are the touring plans. We used them but as the book said you can easily mold them to what you want to do and we did. These plans worked almost 100 percent accurate only Disaster at Universal was lost in our plans! That's a 99% accuracy level! Even if you don't want to do the plans in the book or even look at the crowd calender this book is priceless for info. Its published by Wiley who also publishes college text books so you know its full of analytical input and fact instead of just opinion. I recommend this book for anyone going to Disney, even the pros who have never read it really need to. 10 out of 10 stars because this is the BEST travel book i have ever read and the most useful as well.
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WEBSITES
The following are the websites we used and we recommend all of them. Instead of rating them I will just list them because in my book they are all 10's!
Planning
http://www.touringplans.com/
http://www.disboards.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com
News
http://www.screamscape.com
Tickets
http://www.undercovertourist.com/
Hotels / Discount club - free
http://www.wyndhamrewards.com/
Buses
http://www.golynx.com/
Getting in the mood
http://www.mouseworldradio.com/
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TIPS
The following are tips that we used ourselves. I would never ever give advice I hadn’t used myself. For tips for specific rides and parks check the reviews of each park.
- Get there early. I keep saying it but its true. We got most of each park done before the crowds started coming in just because we were there when the park opened. Now if you taking the lynx this means waking up at 5am every morning but its worth it!
- Have a plan. Seriously, if you go in a park without a plan thinking you’ll be spontaneous and do a lot that day you are kidding yourself. If only 25 % of the people in the park have a plan that means hundreds of people have an advantage over you! They will see all the shows ride all the rides and eat at the good places while you are spontaneously missing shows, not riding rides because you don’t even know they are in front of you etc. Make a plan, make reservations for food and stick to it.
- Study the maps. Its good to memorize the park layout the best you can so you don’t find yourself lost or backtracking unnecessarily.
-Ask Questions. before you leave go to the forums such as disboards.com and ask questions, when you get there don’t be afraid to ask CM'S questions. In fact I found myself asking regular people questions and surprisingly i got all my questions answered some better than the CM'S answers!
-Horde Food. Get a hotel with a small fridge and microwave. Eat dinner at the hotel to save money. We spent 40 bucks a day minus one day we spent 60 and another day we spent 90 at World Showcase on food and beer! You can have pretty expensive lunches if you eat dinner at your hotel or if you want an expensive dinner take a bag with sandwiches for lunch and then eat a good dinner. You save a ton!
-Go to Flea Markets. There are several Flea Markets on 192 that are great for souvenirs. The prices here are better than even Wal Mart. We were able to get souvenirs for all our friends and family for less than 30 bucks total! Disney price we estimate about 150 bucks we would have spent!
-Ask for discounts. If you have AAA or any other discount type of card ask if it is accepted EVERYWHERE you go! We were surprised at the places that took AAA. We even got discounts on food at Universal with our AAA card!
-USE LYNX. Its cheaper though not as fast as driving. You will waste maybe 15 minutes longer than driving but 15 minutes is better than 11 bucks a day for parking, gas wasted and stress in traffic. Don’t even think about spending 30 bucks for a cab, that’s almost what we spent at a park for a whole day!-Stop at the Visitor Center. The Florida Visitor center has TONS of brochures with discounts etc. They will be able to help you with any questions you have and they have FREE orange juice!
-Check the brochure racks at your hotel. One benefit of staying off site is the fact they have these brochure racks with attractions and such. If you look hard enough you’ll find coupons. Not just any coupons but good ones. We found a coupon for a free CeCe's pizza Buffet when one is purchased for 4.99. We ate there twice for a total of 10 bucks for two meals!
-Eat Flippers! Flippers Pizza at Old town is the best pizza this side of Spain! They Deliver.
-Share the Love. Keep the Karma ball rolling. When we were given a fast pass from a nice lady and her daughter we vowed to do somthing nice for somone before we left. We ended up giving our lynx passes that had 4 days left to a very poor couple on the bus!
-Have Fun. If you can't do this dont even bother going.
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If you have anything else you want reviewed that wasn't just ask below in the comments field and I will add it!
Thanks for reading this. I hope you enjoyed reading all this as much as I did writing it.
--------------------
THE BOOKS WE READ
In getting ready for our trip we read two books.
Hassle Free Walt Disney World Vacation 2009
by Steven M. Barrett
This book tries hard to give good advice and tips for your trip.
It fails hard. Most of this book includes things you can easy find online for free and what it should talk about it doesn't. I do not recommend this book for anyone other than a child. There are better books and this just isn't one of them. 3 out of 10 stars for being empty of real tips and suggestions.
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
This is the book you want. Here id the official website http://www.touringplans.com/
This book has everything, Tips, readers comments, detailed descriptions of attractions and the best part is you get free use of their crowd calender on their official site. You can get dates up to 30 days without the book but if you have the book you can get crowd rankings way ahead of time. Here's the crowd calender http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=14 .
Another great thing about this book are the touring plans. We used them but as the book said you can easily mold them to what you want to do and we did. These plans worked almost 100 percent accurate only Disaster at Universal was lost in our plans! That's a 99% accuracy level! Even if you don't want to do the plans in the book or even look at the crowd calender this book is priceless for info. Its published by Wiley who also publishes college text books so you know its full of analytical input and fact instead of just opinion. I recommend this book for anyone going to Disney, even the pros who have never read it really need to. 10 out of 10 stars because this is the BEST travel book i have ever read and the most useful as well.
---------------------------------
WEBSITES
The following are the websites we used and we recommend all of them. Instead of rating them I will just list them because in my book they are all 10's!
Planning
http://www.touringplans.com/
http://www.disboards.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com
News
http://www.screamscape.com
Tickets
http://www.undercovertourist.com/
Hotels / Discount club - free
http://www.wyndhamrewards.com/
Buses
http://www.golynx.com/
Getting in the mood
http://www.mouseworldradio.com/
-------------
TIPS
The following are tips that we used ourselves. I would never ever give advice I hadn’t used myself. For tips for specific rides and parks check the reviews of each park.
- Get there early. I keep saying it but its true. We got most of each park done before the crowds started coming in just because we were there when the park opened. Now if you taking the lynx this means waking up at 5am every morning but its worth it!
- Have a plan. Seriously, if you go in a park without a plan thinking you’ll be spontaneous and do a lot that day you are kidding yourself. If only 25 % of the people in the park have a plan that means hundreds of people have an advantage over you! They will see all the shows ride all the rides and eat at the good places while you are spontaneously missing shows, not riding rides because you don’t even know they are in front of you etc. Make a plan, make reservations for food and stick to it.
- Study the maps. Its good to memorize the park layout the best you can so you don’t find yourself lost or backtracking unnecessarily.
-Ask Questions. before you leave go to the forums such as disboards.com and ask questions, when you get there don’t be afraid to ask CM'S questions. In fact I found myself asking regular people questions and surprisingly i got all my questions answered some better than the CM'S answers!
-Horde Food. Get a hotel with a small fridge and microwave. Eat dinner at the hotel to save money. We spent 40 bucks a day minus one day we spent 60 and another day we spent 90 at World Showcase on food and beer! You can have pretty expensive lunches if you eat dinner at your hotel or if you want an expensive dinner take a bag with sandwiches for lunch and then eat a good dinner. You save a ton!
-Go to Flea Markets. There are several Flea Markets on 192 that are great for souvenirs. The prices here are better than even Wal Mart. We were able to get souvenirs for all our friends and family for less than 30 bucks total! Disney price we estimate about 150 bucks we would have spent!
-Ask for discounts. If you have AAA or any other discount type of card ask if it is accepted EVERYWHERE you go! We were surprised at the places that took AAA. We even got discounts on food at Universal with our AAA card!
-USE LYNX. Its cheaper though not as fast as driving. You will waste maybe 15 minutes longer than driving but 15 minutes is better than 11 bucks a day for parking, gas wasted and stress in traffic. Don’t even think about spending 30 bucks for a cab, that’s almost what we spent at a park for a whole day!-Stop at the Visitor Center. The Florida Visitor center has TONS of brochures with discounts etc. They will be able to help you with any questions you have and they have FREE orange juice!
-Check the brochure racks at your hotel. One benefit of staying off site is the fact they have these brochure racks with attractions and such. If you look hard enough you’ll find coupons. Not just any coupons but good ones. We found a coupon for a free CeCe's pizza Buffet when one is purchased for 4.99. We ate there twice for a total of 10 bucks for two meals!
-Eat Flippers! Flippers Pizza at Old town is the best pizza this side of Spain! They Deliver.
-Share the Love. Keep the Karma ball rolling. When we were given a fast pass from a nice lady and her daughter we vowed to do somthing nice for somone before we left. We ended up giving our lynx passes that had 4 days left to a very poor couple on the bus!
-Have Fun. If you can't do this dont even bother going.
-------------------
If you have anything else you want reviewed that wasn't just ask below in the comments field and I will add it!
Thanks for reading this. I hope you enjoyed reading all this as much as I did writing it.
