BigDan

Hello friends,

Me and my poor wife and three friends are doing a road trip down to Orlando to visit the Mouse. They put me in charge of the fun so here is my plan so far. Let me know what you think and if you got better notions.

In Orlando, we staying at the Quality Inn Maingate West for $41. Supposedly, they have a free continental breakfast and shuttle to the various parks. I'm just worried about the pick-up times and the frequency of the shuttles. Anyone know? Any better hotels in the area for a group of five adults for around the same price? What about La Quinta Inn Lakeside (now Best Western?) or Clarion Maingate or Sleep Inn Maingate?

I'm thinking Epcot one day, Magic Kingdom the next, and Sea World the third. Most of us have been to the Magic Kingdom as kids, but supposedly they got new stuff to look at. Most of us have been to Universal studios so we'll skip that. How about Animal Kingdom? Any good? How about MGM-Studios? Don't sound too fun, but I've never been so I don't know. We're not big roller coast folk so we taking a pass on Islands of Adventure.

I'm thinking Sleuth's Mystery Dinner for $36 (plus $3 for prime rib) instead of Arabian Nights or Dolly Parton or Pirates or the Luau at Sea World. Am I making a mistake? I'm thinking Daytona Beach for a rest day. Any better beaches within an hour or two? Is it really crowded? How about New Smyrna beach as an alternate? For dinner, so far I only have Bubaloo's BBQ. Any other cheap and good restaurants in the tourist area? Any other ideas?

Thanks boss,
IamDan

GoTravel

BigDan, I don't know if they'll let you do this or not staying off property but instead of getting single day tickets, get park hoppers. That way you don't have to stick to one park each day.

Since there are five of you, you may want to split up.

Check out Mousesavers.com to see if there are any specials on the Pop Century Resort or the All Stars. They can be had for $49 per night and is still a better deal than staying offsite. Disney has fantastic free transportation.

Get to the parks early, leave by noon and come back late afternoon. Disney is really hot during the day and it will wear you out.

Get a good place to watch the fireworks at night.

If you get the park hopper pass with an option, you can spend the day at one of Disney's amazing water parks.

I am a huge fan of New Smyrna Beach. I give that idea a thumbs up but not sure how far it is from Disney.

bennnie

BigDan - also check out the free dining plan that's available if you stay on-site at WDW if you happen to be traveling Aug 21 through Oct 4. Mousesavers.com will give you the details. Its a good deal if you have the right dates. Also the new ticketing scheme at WDW seems to make it very expensive to visit one park for one day. Multi-day tickets become less expensive on a per day basis.

klw25

For five adults who aren't big roller coaster fans, I'd skip the day at Magic Kingdom and replace it with a day at Animal Kingdom. It's the favorite Disney park of most of the adults I know. MK has the big thrills rides (Space and Splash Mts.) and a lot of rides geared towards kids. Animal Kingdom has the Kilimanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapids (fairly tame but you get soaked), Dinosaur, and some great shows. If you walk the trails early or late in the day, you'll see many of the animals at their most active.

joesorce

Here's a vote for La Quinta Inn Lakeside Best Western if you can get it for about the same price as the Quality Inn. Fun hotel with great shuttle service (hopefully still there since Best Western took over).

BigDan

Hey gang,

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try bidding on Priceline for La Quinta again. They rejected me at $25 USD a night.

ddubya

Personally, I would avoid Sea World because it's a zoo for marine life, and it's more readily available for me to visit at any other, less congested time. That basically gives you

You might also consider planning to eat dinner somewhere in Epcot and watching the fireworks they put on.

frenchtoile

Animal Kingdom is a must! Great for any age.

Get there early. Go straight to the safari ride. Otherwise you will have to wait forever. From there go and do the boat ride. That will get you covered.

The dinosaur exhibit is great if it is still there. Even the ride is fun.

Skip anything there is at DW just to do Animal Kingdom. Its a must. If your kids are in history classes this year or next that deal with India it will be interesting to them.