I have a busy summer at work this year, so I wasn't sure we could get away. But now I'm thinking there is one week in July I can pull it off. As I'm only starting to plan now, NC beach houses are all booked etc... I was thinking perhaps a quick jet down for ~5 days in Orlando.

I once stayed at the Caribe Royal when I was at a conference, and I thought it was a nice place in and of itself, for a nice family chill. Pools, slides etc. I think they have shuttles to various places, and there's always Uber for access to others.

So my specific questions are:

1. Is the Caribe Royal too far from the stuff we might was to go to? Restaurants, parks, etc. I've never been to Disney, nor anything there but the convention center, so I'm not familiar with the layout.

2. Is there anything (tickets etc), that I need to lock-in now lest we regret lack of access when we get there. I think I want to see some NASA/Kennedy stuff while there (is it worth the ride over?).

3. What park should we definitely hit? What is not that great and can be avoided?

4. Is there better options for staying closer to the action in a great place with amazing pool/resort feel.

And anything else you're willing to share from your experiences, of course!

Thanks all!

How old are the kids? Are they into characters or into thrill rides?

Great hotel pools include Gaylord Palms and Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, both just off Disney property.

You definitely want to make time for Kennedy. Without spoiling anything, there’s more than a few moments that left me awe-struck. Totally worth it. We went in 2010 and again in 2018. Major upgrades and changes in that time. Kennedy is worth at least a day, all on it’s own.

When my wife and I went to the parks in 2010, Epcot was neat, but wasn’t worth a huge time budget. Animal Kingdom was great, so was Universal. I’m sure a lot has changed and improved since then.

Kennedy Space Center is a must do. It's the field trip I specifically volunteered to chaperone for when my kids' classes got to go.

If you plan to do Universal Studios and/or Islands of Adventure, staying at The Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, or Portofino gets everyone in your party the Unlimited Express Pass every day that you are there. These allows you to go in the Express Lines on most rides as many times as you want. For the five of us, the price of the passes is more than the price of the room. There are shuttle boats from these hotels to the parks. Also, staying at any of the Universal Hotels gets you in an hour early. Use this to ride Hagrid's Motorbikes.

If you stay at The Hard Rock, the walk to the park is faster than the boat ride. Even with the early hour, plan on being in line to get into the park 45 minutes early. The four time we were there this year, they opened the gates 15 minutes before the park was scheduled to open. This will put you towards the front of the pack as everyone makes their way to Hagrid's.

Staying in the WDW parks gives you early access to the park. July will be extremely hot - staying in the park gives you the ability to go to the park, take a break- return to the park. Post COVID, I believe park hopping is not allowed.

NASA/Kennedy Space center is worth the trip. It has 2 areas- the exhibit halls and the Bus tour of the launch sites/Apollo exhibits. It really is a full day.

Rental cars are a problem post COVID- it may be easier to book at a WDW resort, have them shuttle you to the resort.You will have more than enough adventure in WDW without the hassle of driving into a park.

We did Disney Magic Kingdom and Universal back in September 2019 and loved it.

If you can get into Universal and get on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, you will LOVE IT.

That ride was absolutely amazing; it's basically a rollercoaster but instead of a car you are on a motorbike:



Was the best ride I've ever been on

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Staying in the WDW parks gives you early access to the park. July will be extremely hot - staying in the park gives you the ability to go to the park, take a break- return to the park. Post COVID, I believe park hopping is not allowed.

As of right now you do not get early/late access to the parks. That’s something they suspended during covid. When it was active, it was not always early access and it was not to every park every day. Usually it would be one or two parks a day and you could either get in early or stay late, depending on the day.

However the Disney parks are opening anywhere from 30-60 minutes before posted opening to keep people from gathering at the entrances like they used to. We went last weekend and rode 3 rides at Magic Kingdom prior to the park officially opening. Not every ride is open before the park opens but a lot of them are.

Also you can park hop now, but only after a certain time and only if the park you are going to isn’t at capacity. 1, 2 or 3 pm, I can’t recall which right now.

My info on Kennedy is pre-covid so I have no idea what, if anything, has changed but it is awesome and absolutely worth the drive. And it is a full day. My recommendation is to not go nuts buying the extra packages they offer. You will have plenty to do with just the basic tickets. The add-on tours are amazing but can take up a lot of time.

If you or your kids/party enjoy Harry Potter stuff at all, then Universal is a must. All the Harry Potter stuff was very well done.

quote:

Originally posted by SBrooks:
If you or your kids/party enjoy Harry Potter stuff at all, then Universal is a must. All the Harry Potter stuff was very well done.

Yes, this is absolutely true. I am not a Harry Potter fan at all but was very impressed with the world. My only complaint is that they spread it out across both parks making it impossible to see everything unless you buy a ticket to each, and additionally the only way to ride the train is to buy their park hopper pass, which of course is even more money.

In the same vein, if your family is a fan of Star Wars then the Hollywood Studios Star Wars area is amazing. My complaint there is that two of the best attractions can be difficult to get into. If you choose to go there email me and I can give you some advice about trying to get good reservations.

Depending on age of the kids, Disney’s “best” is Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Galaxy’s edge in Hollywood studio is fun and overall Hollywood Studios is fun. Epcot was going through big remodeling over last year so check first if still ongoing - would pass if that is the case (World of Tomorrow, Space Mountain, etc.).

As mentioned, hit Kennedy - really quick trip east probably no more than 45 min. We like to stay onsite hotels at Hollywood Studio or Near Swan/Dolphin at Disney. Summer usually has good pricing and location is super convenient. Gaylord Palms is close, it is a “bio-dome” type setup that now has a waterpark inside it. Probably a 5 minute car ride into Disney from there.

One advantage we have found of using the onsite hotels is they really help us get all the discounts, etc. Have fun and bring sunscreen and hats for July.

Disney Parks now have a reservation system for each. You may find you cannot get into a park depending on the date. Check availability on their website.

Good advice given, and the question on kid ages is important when looking at lodging and park ideas. What you'd take a4-6 year old to do, is different than 14-18 year old children.

That hotel in question is very nice and centered in the tourist area, access to all parks is a short drive. If you can get shuttle access to the parks all the better, saves parking fees etc.

Try and reserve a car for the day you want to hit the Cape so you don't have to rent one for the whole time. Although having a car would make it easier for you to get around to the many restaurants, t-shirt shops, and non park attractions.

It's hot here in July, parks are usually packed in the summer due to no schools, foreign tourists, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

It's hot here in July

Rain. Afternoon downpours are a daily event that time of year due to moisture-laden air sweeping in from both the Atlantic and the Gulf, and colliding in the middle of the peninsula. The summer heat causes the air to rise, as the air rises it cools, until it cools to the dew point at which time the air can no longer contain the suspended water vapor, resulting in drenching rain. Daily event, but it usually does not last too long.

Bring lightweight ponchos.

quote:

Originally posted by FlyingScot:
Depending on age of the kids, Disney’s “best” is Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Galaxy’s edge in Hollywood studio is fun and overall Hollywood Studios is fun. Epcot was going through big remodeling over last year so check first if still ongoing - would pass if that is the case (World of Tomorrow, Space Mountain, etc.).

Excellent point.

The answer is they yes, the massive remodel upfront is still happing. While Epcot has always been my favorite park, during the remodel it no longer is. The countries are fun if the kids are old enough and there are still good rides upfront but there is a lot missing still.

Animal Kingdom is another one I usually love but since the shows are either not happening or very limited, the things to do there is also limited. The safari is still very awesome and the Yeti rollercoaster is fantastic. The Flight of Passage is cool but not worth the long wait IMO, and I did not like the Avatar River ride. My kids are too older to enjoy the Dino land and the best ride there is shut down anyway.

You might look at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel/Conf center.
I had a company event there in 2019 and it was quite nice.

Nicely manicured large facility, golf, lots of restaurants onsite and two large pools.

If you can get away Randall Knife is in Orlando. You can drop in and visit their museum and place an order for 5 yrs from now.

HK Ag

Don't forget Medieval Times.

Disney is requiring reservation as well as buying tickets.

I was at Disney this week at Epcot and the
Animal Kingdom.

The Avatar Pandora ride was the most Amazing ride of Virtual Reality I have ever seen.

The wait was only an hour instead of 3 due to reservations having the park not full.

I don't think that Universal Studios is requiring reservations anymore, but you should check before buying tickets.

Buy hopper tickets, they split the new good stuff across the different parks to get you to pay extra.

Universal has Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Disney has the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, The Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Have your family look over the Disney stuff to see what parks/rides you want to see.

Hopping is now limited to after 2:00 PM. So you pick you primary park and then you can hop to the next park after 2:00. At least for now.

Mask were required indoors and in lines at Disney but hardly anyone was wearing them outside. I did not see anyone breaking the mask rules.

Cameras are everywhere, no one want to get tossed and lose their money over wearing a mask.

Both have water parks if you are into them.
For an additional charge of course.

Things are in transition and just opening up.

If you can wait until everything is open and the mask rules are gone, it would be more fun. But that is just me.

There are tons of other things in the Orlando, depending on your tastes.

There is also Sea World, they are now making the Orca show educational, not sure what that means and starting it up again.

Here is a link for Orlando stuff in general.

https://www.visitorlando.com/things-to-do/

I know you are a watch person from your posts in the "A revival of the Watch thread". So just to let you know if you were unaware, DavidSW has a new store not to far from the Disney/Universal area.
If you have a car and the time it is always a fun stop to look around.
My wife and I live about 45 minutes from his new store but have not been there yet however we had been to his old store several times.
Every one else has mentioned all the other fun stuff to do around central Florida so far.

As someone who grew up in Orlando, and has lived here my whole life, my suggestion to you would be to not come here in July. The theme parks will be absolutely miserable in the heat and humidity, as will virtually everywhere else you go. Fall or Spring are the best times to come to Florida for a visit, assuming Fall and Spring result in lower temps than Summer.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
As someone who grew up in Orlando, and has lived here my whole life, my suggestion to you would be to not come here in July. The theme parks will be absolutely miserable in the heat and humidity, as will virtually everywhere else you go. Fall or Spring are the best times to come to Florida for a visit, assuming Fall and Spring result in lower temps than Summer.