In Orlando, we decided to stay within the Disney Resorts for the first time. I found this to be much more useful because the buses would pick you up from your resort and takes you to whichever park you desired. The problem that I found, though.. is that there are so many parks you'd have to stay for two weeks to get your use out of them. I didn't like how chopped up they were, and found this frustrating when your bus would come late, especially at the end of the day. We stayed at the Disney Yacht Club resort, which turned out to be quite neat and have AMAZING food, but we found it too hot to walk around on much especially with the sun beaming on the unshaded boardwalk that almost reflected the rays. Then again, we went to Florida in August so what can you really expect..
I have been to Disneyland, California a good 7-8 times. We generally stay at the Camelot Inn, or the Fairfield Inn which are five minute walks to the park. It is a very beneficial place to stay because then you don't have to worry about how to get there in the morning and take all that time just to arrive in the parks. I have made a list on youtube of my top twenty favourite rides in Disneyland, California and I will put the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz2SK_VBRZE
OH, and little hint.. if you are into Vanilla/Raspberry/Cherry coke there is a little store at the end of the main street on the left that sells that and jalapeno cheese filled pretzels which are to die for.. it's in small print, but if you ask for it they will give it to you!
Here's some tips to get around the park that we have found useful:
2. DON'T GO ON HOLIDAYS! Go on vacation.. yes, but don't go in the Christmas season or at a time when all the kids are off school and want to go to Disneyland for the week. I suggest you go at a quieter time of the year for a more enjoyable and thorough trip. I have gone a few times during the Christmas season and you are lucky if you get on 3 rides. The crowds are impossible to get through and they end up herding you like cattle. They don't set a limit to the park, and legitimately sell the tickets until they're have no more.
3. If you are able and willing, GO WHEN IT RAINS, OR JUST THERE AFTER. People ALWAYS leave when it is raining, and sometimes for good reason due to lightning where they will close down the park, but most of the time it just clears out and you get to go on rides over and over without line up. This happened to my family and I in the summer and we literally got on the Tower of Terror a good 7 times. You'd literally have no wait which hardly EVER happens in Disneyland.
4. Get Fast Passes! You've probably heard of them before, but it is a really handy way to budge the lines if you know how to use them right. I suggest going in early to get them (can be found at the specific rides). The times will get later and later the busier the park gets. I also suggest getting them for the bigger rides such as Space Mountain or Indiana Jones, as these lines tend to be the most tedious and long. Once you have them, go to a ride close by and ride it while you wait for your time to arrive. Then, you get to walk past all the people with a smug grin on your face! (It really sucks to be on the waiting side)
5. Make sure you get lots of sleep the night before and have a good breakfast because it's just fact that you will have to be patient throughout the day. There's really no point in going and then frustrating yourself and not enjoying your time. Understand that there will be wait times, and roll with it. You kind of have to have the mindset that you'll get to your destination when you get there and you can't make people become less ignorant.
Those are the main ones I can think of at the moment, but I may come back and add more.
The perks of DisneyWorld, Orlando:
My brother and I sincerely enjoyed "Disney Quest" which can be found in the downtown area. It's a giant building full of different games and is a very kid friendly area. There are old school pac man games on one floor, and 3d interactive games on another. The one we really liked was the Buzz Light Year game where you would drive your car much like bumper cars and shoot balls at the other teams. The top floor, I kid you not, had the most unhealthy but DELICIOUS cupcakes in the entire world. The Downtown area is very good for the adults, with House Of Blues and many other pubs to go to. One of the neater things we found, is that Cirque De Soleil had a show here, so we definitely hit that up. Easy place to spend money though, so be careful!
It is truly one of the most wonderful places, and I think you kind of get addicted. Hopefully you are a ride person and don't get sick easily.. but I do have to say not many of these rides include much spinning or would induce that kind of feeling. There are lots of rides that are more about the presentation (such as Pirates Of The Caribbean) than the actual thrill and adrenaline. The gift shops are wonderful to look through, and they truly do an amazing job of making the park other worldly and magical.
I hope this post was helpful! I'll be sure to post some pictures down below.
RainForest Cafe
Epcot
