We made this trip in the month of October. My in-laws had come from India during that time and we wanted to show them The Sunshine State.
Visitors : Me and my husband, our two kids - 4 and 2 year olds and my in-laws .. who were senior citizens.
Planning the Trip-
Oh yea...we definitely looked for the best flight,hotel and car deals on several travel / trip planning websites. But some how we ended up doing everything separately.
Booking a Flight : My husband could afford only a day's leave. Because of that constraint, we initially planned to leave Thursday night and that way we could stay in Orlando .. friday, saturday and sunday... and probably return sunday night. But then when we tried looking for a deal on few of those trip planning websites .. we found the prices to be exuberant! So after a lot of thought and juggling around ... we found a good deal - a Saturday early morning flight and a return flight on Tuesday early morning. That plan worked for us and the rates were economical too. We purchased the tickets a month ahead and it costed us .. $150 per ticket , 2-way.
We found our flight deal @ http://www.airtran.com/Home.aspx
Booking a Hotel : We googled for hotels, resorts and villas. We liked the Villa idea much better than others. The way it came equipped with a kitchen , jacuzzi and feeling of a home away from home with all those basic amenities...excited us. Plus the place where we decided to stay had a 3rd night free.. so the total cost was 80 bucks per nite, which we felt affordable.
We stayed @ http://www.mystic-dunes-resort.com/
Booking a Car : Since we are so many people, we preferred a mini van. "Enterprise" car rental rented us the van for $60 per day.
A Double stroller Rental: I now feel so glad ..we did this. Instead of carrying those bulky strollers all the way from where you live is so tiring mentally and physically.. esp when u are travelling with two small kids , so much of baggage with crowds, delays, security checks etc, this idea is so convenient.
Umbrella strollers is seriously not recommended for your Orlando trip. Especially if you are tall and the idea of bending and pushing those strollers and even the maneuvering is very very tiring and difficult! Consider a rental instead. Free delivery and pick-up to your hotel/resort. Assembling & dissembling is easy too!
Stroller rental @ http://www.abbf.com/ for 3 days costed us less than 50 bucks.
An ECV rental : Since my in-laws were both around 70 yrs old, we initially thought of a wheel chair option. But then the idea felt not very convenient. Then we came across this ECV idea, it was a instant sense of relief. The scooter operation is super simple and we rented one scooter for 3 days. My in-laws took turns riding it around the parks. Free delivery and pick-up to your hotel/resort. Assembling & dissembling is easy too!
ECV rental @ http://www.scootorlando.com/
The Trip -
TiP : Don't expect to be all warm and sunny in Florida. We had packed all sorts of shorts/capri pants and tanks for the florida weather. But we ended up wearing the fleece jackets and . pants, we traveled in. All the 3 days we stayed...was chilly :-)
On Saturday, our flight was at 7:00 AM. We left home early and everything was on time... Thank God..! We reached Orlando around 9:30 AM. We had bought a portable GPS device with us and back home .. we punched in and saved the addresses and destinations we will be visiting while in orlando. So as soon as we hopped into the van and buckled up , all we had to do is choose the destination and Voi-la!!
We first headed to our resort .. dropped the bags and refreshed. Picked our ECV and strollers. Then we went to Woodlands , a south-indian authentic cuisine which took less than 30 minutes from where we stayed.
Yummy Indian vegetarian/vegan food while in Orlando : http://www.woodlandsusa.com/
Day 1 : Saturday - EPCOT
After a sumptuous lunch buffet Saturday noon, we headed to EPCOT. It was around 12:30 PM by the time we reached the place. While purchasing the tickets, we mentioned the ECV at the counter and were given privileged parking which was so close to the parks. Even though you don't have the Handicapped parking sign on your vehicle, you will be given the privilege... all you have to do is ask for it.
After parking the van, we took out the ECV and strolled out and got in the line for the shuttle to take us from the parking lot to the EPCOT center.
TiP : All the time when you are in Orlando, keep a camera , handy cam or both handy .. you won't regret it :-)
TiP : Orlando being the tourist destination .. is always crowded, anytime of the year. Something to expect and be prepared.
The ride took us less than 10 minutes and all through the journey , an enthusiastic guide on the shuttle kept cracking jokes and told us the history of EPCOT and what to expect inside. We then waved him Bye, got down and headed towards the center.
One thing we did not do ahead of time was to purchase the park tickets. At that time we weren't sure what we were going to see and when and what day. I wish we had made up our minds and bought them online ... because I heard the park ticket prices keep changing everyday and usually we end up paying the top price , if we buy them at the entrance. and another disadvantage - waste of time !!
TiP : Decide ahead what do you want to visit and when. Purchase the park tickets ahead, online.
EPCOT center has two parts : Future World and World Showcase. We first checked out Future world which has fun and non-scary rides - fun for everyone.. all ages - indoor.
The order of attractions/rides we visited inside Future world :
1. Innoventions
2. Circle of Life
3. ImageWorks – The Kodak "What If" Labs
4. Honey , I shrunk the Audience
5. Journey Into Imagination With Figment
6. Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future ( This one .. I personally enjoyed )
7. Mission : Spaceship Pavilion ( this ride is for adults only)
There are a few more attractions which we didn't cover. Be sure to check out the website & plan accordingly. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/
TiP: Expect huge lines and crowds before each attraction. But then the good thing is 'the wait' is not too long :-)
TiP : Be sure to check out each attraction timings. Some finish up too quickly so check them out first.
TiP : Come well equipped with water and few snacks. Number-1 : these stuff are very expensive in the park and Number-2 : huge lines.
As we moved further into the park .. we saw a small lake in the center of the EPCOT center. All around the lake are spread are pavilions .. you will find the second part of EPCOT .. The World showcase . There is a boat ride every 20 minutes that takes you on back and forth. Its the easiest way to see all the pavilions if you are too tired to walk. We opted for the boat ride since it got very chilly by then. We clicked a few pictures here and there , while on boat.
Lastly, there were fireworks near the water. Since it became cold , chilly and dark .. we watched them from a distance and made our way to the shuttle.
You can't agree more with what the Shuttle guide had to say about EPCOT on the way back . EPCOT stands for Every Person Comes Out Tired ... and I can't agree more !!!! :-)
We dined @ Woodlands again and while going back to the resort, we made a quick stop at a local supermarket and bought milk , coffee powder , sugar , cereal and of course water.
TiP: If you have older people travelling with you , esp if they are from abroad and dislike the food we get outside, I highly recommend to -
#1: get a room with a microwave at least and #2: buy Food from the store which are easy to prepare and do not involve lot of ingredients and less effort. After all you are on a holiday and you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen.
[When we stopped at an Indian store in Orlando, we bought some of these - Priya's Ready-to-eat Upma mix, MTR masala rice kinda stuff (which u can either mircowave or put the pouch in hot boiling water) and from frozen section - Udipi 's Dosa and Idlli boxes. It was easy and turned out tasty too :-) ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 2 : Sunday - Universal Studios
We made some heavy breakfast comprising of some ready-to-eats and frozen stuff .. we bought a day before, and headed towards Universal Studios. Thanks to the privileged parking , we got a parking very close to the park entrance. In spite of that, we had to walk a bit. There are moving walkways all along the way. Since we had a stroller and ECV, we opted to walk instead. The walkways end near the Universal's City Walk entrance. Visitors need to move through the City Walk in order to get to Universal Studios.
It was a little chilly and windy that day, so we were all wrapped up. We purchased the tickets and this time we purchased Express plus passes (for moving ahead in line attractions without waiting).
TiP: Its advisable to buy Express Plus Passes. Its totally worth it .. especially while travelling with young kids / older people. You can get pass the long lines for attractions. It saves a lot of time & energy ..!! ( for more information , check out the website : http://www.universalorlando.com/Tickets/tickets_2.aspx#page=Tickets_special-offers_UniversalExpress_expresspluspasses.html&expID=13-5805&contentID=13-1152&seq=1 )
The order of attractions we visited while in Universal studios :
1. Shrek 4-D
2. Terminator 2
3. Twister
4. Men in Black
5. Jaws
6. Jimmy Neutron's Nick Jr. Blast
In between the rides, we grabbed the lunch on the go... a few sandwiches , cake and biscuits we took with us.
TiP: On and off .. visitors are visited by characters like scooby-doo, dora , simpsons etc.. and people stop to take pictures with them. But again lines. With so many attractions , rides etc .. its not possible to see everything. So if you have only one day designated to the Studios, plan ahead and decide what you want to see and skip.
TiP: The shows and attractions start at different timings. Each attraction has a walking distance of at least a mile.
TiP : The park closes on different times on different days. Make sure to check the calender on the website and plan accordingly.
The things we skipped included a The Blue Man Group show. The ticket for that show is extra. All these attractions below are the ones we decided to avoid. These are kind of thrill rides .. so there is spinning , sudden movements , roller coaster kinda fun. Watch out -
Revenge of the MummySM
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster®
The Simpsons Ride™
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
E.T. Adventure
TiP : Food and beverages are expensive. Plus long lines and wait to buy food. Time saver - get your own stuff...eat while you walk .. save time.
TiP: The Gift shops and Souvenirs are expensive too. Its too tempting to buy everything you see.. but just stick to some thing/ character you adore the most and invest in it :-)
On our way back.. stopped at a local Indian grocery store and bought some ready-to eats for the next day. Later, we grabbed some take-out dinner at a restaurant and headed back to our Villa.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 3 : Monday - Sea World
We left early finishing breakfast at the villa. We purchased our tickets and made our entrance into Sea World. After taking a few steps , we saw a scary , super fast roller coaster ride - Manta..!!! All you coaster fans... you would definitely go crazy!!
The order of shows we attended while in Sea world :
1. Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate island
2. Believe - Shamu Show
3. A'lure - Call of the ocean
4. Pets Ahoy
5. Blue Horizons
TiP: The shows have specific times, at most 3 a day. So its advisable to attend the shows first based on their timings and later go for the exhibits.
The Shark Encounter was the best of the best. Be prepared to click a lot of pictures .. the Shark tunnel has a moving walkway and before you know .. you are outside. Again, there is lot of walking inside the park.
I was keen on visiting the Sky Tower , but unfortunately that day it was closed as it was a little windy.
We purchased a few souvenirs and headed back to our villa. On the way back, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner, went back..packed for the next day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early tuesday morning we left for the airport.
No comments:
Post a Comment