Message: please can anyone help us with tips , we are going to orlando/int drv area in may this year and do not really know what to expect as this is our 1st time please can anyone give tips on where to go, things to do ,eating out etc.. we have three kids 12,11 and 3 and want to make it as enjoyable as poss thanks in advance

Buy the most recent copy of the book "Disney with Kids". It was a huge help for us.

If you are staying on Int'l drive buy a trolley pass - you can take the trolly all up and down the drive and save lots of time & money on driving. Have fun.

Oh my... where to start? My family have been doing this trip each year for 5 years so far (sad). - Well, obviously Disney. Its soooo vast (larger than San Francisco I'm told), you'll need a day for each park. Do Animal Kingdom early in your stay ... we do 1st day.. Its the earliest park to open (8am-ish) and as you'll be jet-lagged anyway 8am will seem EASY. - Watch out for days when the fireworks are on and plan those as your LATE days.
Sea world is a must.
Perkins Family restaurant is excellent for inexpensive food and nice friendly service. - Its a chain, so there's more than one. Typhoon Lagoon is EXCELLENT if you get a warm day. - It will suit your children's ages better than Blizzard Beach, or other non-disney water parks. Downtown Disney is FUN.. we usually check into hotel then if there's time wander over there and pick up park tickets and have an ice-cream Ghiradelle's WOW...and soak up a bit of disney without paying out. The Italien restaurant near the steamboat restaurant in this area is excellent. If the weather is warn take a swimming cossie and a small towel inot the disney parks... they all have spry areas where yur 3 year old will spend ages running in and out of the water.
Have a wonderful time

Hi Derek...I always suggest that people take advantage of the many buffet restaurants in the area...Shoney's (for breakfast)offers a very reasonably priced buffet with hot and cold food selections that please everyone...it will carry you through most of the day...for lunch and or dinner there's a restaurant called Golden Corral that has a huge selection also at a very reasonable price...you can order just the buffet which includes a salad bar, pasta bar, baked potato bar, taco bar, pizza, chicken, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, rice, vegetables and so much more including a dessert and ice cream bar...there's shopping center across from Disney Village called Crossroads (off I-4) and in there is a Goodings Supermarket where you can buy sandwiches, snacks, juice, etc....there's also a newer Goodings closer to Universal Studios...either way, you're not far from either...the convenience stores along International Drive are overpriced...International Drive is a very busy high traffic area with many hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops...there's an outlet mall on one end and a more upscale mall on the other end...there's a hotel there called The Peabody and in the morning and late afternoon you can go there to watch them march their very pampered ducks to the indoor pond...there's a ceremony led by a tuxedoed gentlemen as they come out of the elevator in the morning and back into it to go back to their suite in the late afternoon...it's quite a sight to see and alot of fun...kids love it...my family traveled to this area twice a year for 11 years when we kept a place there and we enjoyed the parks very much...we liked to break up the day (if you have enough time) by leaving to eat outside the park or going to the pool...you have many options with the different parks and what they have to offer...there are alot of good books on the subject (Steve Birnbaum's are helpful) and you'll definitely get many great ideas from the people who post on this board...I hope you have fun and love your vacation!

What part of International Drive are you staying on? Which hotel? I live in Orlando and can give you some info, but International Drive is quite long and I want to give you information about the right section.