RealGM

Whatsup everyone?

My girlfriend and I have a five day break in mid-October from school so we're going to Orlando for four days (we bought plane tickets and a hotel near Universal, but if zika moves to Orlando we might end up canceling). She's a big Harry Potter fan and I'm a huge comic fan (DC over Marvel, but love both) so we're going to Universal Studios for two days and probably one of the Disney parks for 1 day. (We're both 24, but we're also basically 5 on the inside... )

We get in at around noon and will be leaving at 1:30 for the return, so we have basically have half a day on the first day to get in some other sights and travel a bit. There's an off chance we go to a preseason game, but the distance from the hotel is pretty far so that's unlikely.

I'm just wondering what you guys think would be fun to do? I was thinking maybe go to the outlets on the day we get there for a few hours. Are there any great restaurants near the parks? Is the drive from Universal to the Amway center far (with traffic)? Is Disney not worth it for the day? Are express passes needed at the parks?

Anything you guys can add would be very helpful. Thanks in advance and good luck this season! (Magic are one of the teams I'm really interested in this year - particularly Gordon.)

Full disclosure: I work full-time in the theme park industry and have experience working for both Disney and Universal.

For Universal, if you are going during the week, you can probably do the parks without express passed. But get park hoppers. It allows you to go back and forth between the two parks. It is the only way you can ride the Hogwarts Express too, so if she's a big HP fan, you'll have to do that.

If you want to do Disney 1 day is probably enough to get through one park. I'd skip Hollywood Studios right now as a large portion is under construction and there isn't a lot to do there. Animal Kingdom is still a park you can get through in half a day. Magic Kingdom will take you a whole day and Epcot too, depending on exactly what you want to do. The tricky thing with Magic Kingdom is making sure you go on a night there isn't a Halloween party, because they close early for that. If you want to, I would just go for the Halloween Party as it is really cool and you can actually enter the park as early as 4 PM.

Be aware though that theme park tickets are VERY expensive. You're talking up over $100 for even one day usually. If you want to add Express Pass at Universal, you'll pay even more.

Universal to Amway with traffic is still only about 25 minutes or so. If you are getting your own car, you'll have to pay another $20 to park. Unless you want to find a cheaper place somewhere downtown and walk over.

The outlets are good to kill a few hours. As far as eating, there ae are a bunch of options at Universal and nearby. I-Drive has a lot of chains you might not have wherever you are coming from. And Sandlake Road, near Universal, also has a bunch of restaurants too. Tons of options around that area. And of course Disney has a million restaurants ranging from not very good to amazing.

If you want to PM more specific questions, I'm happy to help you out!

Amway is not that far from Universal.... what traffic? I have not been to universal in a couple years... id say express passes if its the weekend, not so much on week days

Hello, welcome to the Magic board. I see you as a tenured user who runs a wide and vast forum with a huge cast of characters. Good luck on your trip

If you are really close to Universal I'd recommend checking International Drive for sightseeing and events to do around as a lot of cuisine and memorable locations float about(Wonder Works, Orlando Eye, Convention Center).

I'd also point to the new King Kong attraction in Universal if you plan on doing all of Universal's Parks(Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios) as its new and just opened. Islands of Adventure would be the place to go if you're checking most of the Marvel stuff and nearly all of the Harry Potter rides to enjoy yourself(if you have passes for both IOA and US I recommend traveling via Harry Potter train). A mid-October trip probably doesn't warrant fast passes due to lack of fall holidays for students(Halloween Horror Nights will be the main draw running around about this time if you're available).

Universal to Amway should run about a good 25-35 minutes on low to moderate traffic with bad traffic depending on whether an accident or if you are traveling on general work hours. For the games we have San Antonio, Atlanta, Miami, Indiana and New Orleans around that time for any action you wish to see. Public transportation isn't something I would tout highly as other big cities so if you have an available car I would use it to get around.

For food I recommend this thread as a starting point
http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1446317

That's all I have for now as a person who lives fairly close to Universal. I believe other users can correct me or provide additional information down below

It is a little known fact that the recent news stories are really a cover up for the reality which is this place is the first location where the zombie apocalypse has arisen. The place is quarantined off and once you come, you cannot leave. Everybody is busy defending themselves against the zombies who seem to be coming from everywhere. I, personally am holed up in my house with my roommates and we are watching out on top of our roof and shooting the ones that come by, however we are running out of ammo. Our house is actually a duplex and we broke through the wall to the other side to kill our neighbors and take their food. It's every man for himself out here.

I heard Disney is relatively safe although their problems have actually been less the zombies and more so the mutated alligator-robots who stand on their hind legs and shoot rockets out of the mouths and lazers from back mounted weapons.

If you go there, I would suggest bringing a heavy arsenal yourself to help Micky, Minnie, Donald Duck, Mulan, Pochahontas and the seven dwarves defend the place from the impeding Alligator-robots, who seem intelligent and have taken over the railway system.

Best of luck to you.

Most people pick the Magic Kingdom when they only have one day to go to Disney, but if you like to eat/drink then definitely consider Epcot as the food and wine festival will be going on during that time. Obviously not as many rides at Epcot as the other Disney parks, but going around sampling all the booths they have set up all over the park during the festival might be fun for a couple. Can't recall how much drinks were, but they had a lot of options. I think each food dish (sample size) was $5-7. If budget is not an issue maybe get a hopper so you can do magic kingdom in the morning to early afternoon and then take a monorail over to epcot for the rest of the day/night to relax, eat and drink. http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-booths-menus-and-food-photos/

You get free fast passes at Disney... just use the phone app to link your ticket and select which rides you want to use them on. You get more when you finish those.

The drive from Universal to Amway is not too bad. It's all one shot and there's an exit that takes you right next to the arena. It slows down a little when you get close to the arena, but it's usually pretty brief. Maybe about 20 mins total.

Smitty731 wrote:Snip

Gonna PM you for sure - gonna see if my GF has any questions first. Thank you for the very detailed response.

Edual wrote:Amway is not that far from Universal.... what traffic? I have not been to universal in a couple years... id say express passes if its the weekend, not so much on week days

20 miles or so (?) isn't that far in a car, but we aren't sure if we're gonna get one yet I'd love to go to a game and have had Amway as one of the arenas I really wanted to check out, so it'd be convenient to go to a game when I'm there for a mini vacation. I said traffic because I live in NY and there rarely isn't traffic.

OrlandoTill wrote:Snip

Another super helpful post. Do you mind if I reach out to you as well when I have questions?

Orlwillbeback wrote:Snip

No joke, I took a class on basically what it means to be alive during undergrad and we had a mini 2 week course on zombie apocalypses I'm well equipped and can try to help out as much as I can. I can't say I support cannibalism, but if times really are as dire as you say they are...

OrlandO wrote:Most people pick the Magic Kingdom when they only have one day to go to Disney, but if you like to eat/drink then definitely consider Epcot as the food and wine festival will be going on during that time. Obviously not as many rides at Epcot as the other Disney parks, but going around sampling all the booths they have set up all over the park during the festival might be fun for a couple. Can't recall how much drinks were, but they had a lot of options. I think each food dish (sample size) was $5-7. If budget is not an issue maybe get a hopper so you can do magic kingdom in the morning to early afternoon and then take a monorail over to epcot for the rest of the day/night to relax, eat and drink. http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-booths-menus-and-food-photos/

You get free fast passes at Disney... just use the phone app to link your ticket and select which rides you want to use them on. You get more when you finish those.

The drive from Universal to Amway is not too bad. It's all one shot and there's an exit that takes you right next to the arena. It slows down a little when you get close to the arena, but it's usually pretty brief. Maybe about 20 mins total.

Budget is always an issue Haven't gone on a trip together yet so we have some money, but we're still students. I'll be working part time at a firm in the fall during school, so I'll have some extra money through that which is nice.

You would suggest the hopper and do 2 in 1? This is all tentative planning, but we're both pretty sure we wanted to do a day at Disney.

20 min drive isn't bad at all.

Thanks for the info!

If you're coming in October I would suggest doing Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. Not all the rides are open but it's definitely fun.

Both theme parks have some great dining options. Just depends on what you're looking for. I personally wouldn't spend my half day at the outlets but that's just me. Word of advice if you do want to shop there, they are open until 11 PM I believe. Do universal for the day (they close early for HHN) and go shopping after.

UCF wrote:If you're coming in October I would suggest doing Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. Not all the rides are open but it's definitely fun.

Was gonna recommend this. It will take up your night though.

There are a number of restaurants near International Drive, might get a little busy there depending on what time you go.

I live near Dr. Phillips (Restaurant Row) and there's a lot of great restaurants in that area and it's only about five-ten minutes max from Universal.

Knickstape1214 wrote:

OrlandO wrote:Most people pick the Magic Kingdom when they only have one day to go to Disney, but if you like to eat/drink then definitely consider Epcot as the food and wine festival will be going on during that time. Obviously not as many rides at Epcot as the other Disney parks, but going around sampling all the booths they have set up all over the park during the festival might be fun for a couple. Can't recall how much drinks were, but they had a lot of options. I think each food dish (sample size) was $5-7. If budget is not an issue maybe get a hopper so you can do magic kingdom in the morning to early afternoon and then take a monorail over to epcot for the rest of the day/night to relax, eat and drink. http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-booths-menus-and-food-photos/

You get free fast passes at Disney... just use the phone app to link your ticket and select which rides you want to use them on. You get more when you finish those.

The drive from Universal to Amway is not too bad. It's all one shot and there's an exit that takes you right next to the arena. It slows down a little when you get close to the arena, but it's usually pretty brief. Maybe about 20 mins total.

Budget is always an issue Haven't gone on a trip together yet so we have some money, but we're still students. I'll be working part time at a firm in the fall during school, so I'll have some extra money through that which is nice.

You would suggest the hopper and do 2 in 1? This is all tentative planning, but we're both pretty sure we wanted to do a day at Disney.

20 min drive isn't bad at all.

Thanks for the info!

I would only recommend doing 2 in 1 if: 1) you're willing to go from open to close as hopping eats up some time, 2) you and your girl are fine with not being able to do everything at MK and also want to sample food/drinks at Epcot, and 3) you don't mind paying $170 per person. Otherwise stick to 1 park. Also, like someone else mentioned plan around the halloween "party" at the Magic Kingdom if you want to be in that park at night as the halloween event runs 7pm-midnight 3 or 4 nights out of the week and they kick out people with standard park tickets on those nights. I hear ride lines are much shorter and it's less crowded in the park overall during the halloween event, so you might also want to consider using your one day at Disney on that.

UCF wrote:If you're coming in October I would suggest doing Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. Not all the rides are open but it's definitely fun.

Both theme parks have some great dining options. Just depends on what you're looking for. I personally wouldn't spend my half day at the outlets but that's just me. Word of advice if you do want to shop there, they are open until 11 PM I believe. Do universal for the day (they close early for HHN) and go shopping after.

I wouldn't want to spend all day shopping either, but I know my girlfriend will want to shop and I'm cool spending time shopping. It'll win me some boyfriend points.

OrlandO wrote:

Knickstape1214 wrote:

OrlandO wrote:Most people pick the Magic Kingdom when they only have one day to go to Disney, but if you like to eat/drink then definitely consider Epcot as the food and wine festival will be going on during that time. Obviously not as many rides at Epcot as the other Disney parks, but going around sampling all the booths they have set up all over the park during the festival might be fun for a couple. Can't recall how much drinks were, but they had a lot of options. I think each food dish (sample size) was $5-7. If budget is not an issue maybe get a hopper so you can do magic kingdom in the morning to early afternoon and then take a monorail over to epcot for the rest of the day/night to relax, eat and drink. http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-booths-menus-and-food-photos/

You get free fast passes at Disney... just use the phone app to link your ticket and select which rides you want to use them on. You get more when you finish those.

The drive from Universal to Amway is not too bad. It's all one shot and there's an exit that takes you right next to the arena. It slows down a little when you get close to the arena, but it's usually pretty brief. Maybe about 20 mins total.

Budget is always an issue Haven't gone on a trip together yet so we have some money, but we're still students. I'll be working part time at a firm in the fall during school, so I'll have some extra money through that which is nice.

You would suggest the hopper and do 2 in 1? This is all tentative planning, but we're both pretty sure we wanted to do a day at Disney.

20 min drive isn't bad at all.

Thanks for the info!

I would only recommend doing 2 in 1 if: 1) you're willing to go from open to close as hopping eats up some time, 2) you and your girl are fine with not being able to do everything at MK and also want to sample food/drinks at Epcot, and 3) you don't mind paying $170 per person. Otherwise stick to 1 park. Also, like someone else mentioned plan around the halloween "party" at the Magic Kingdom if you want to be in that park at night as the halloween event runs 7pm-midnight 3 or 4 nights out of the week and they kick out people with standard park tickets on those nights. I hear ride lines are much shorter and it's less crowded in the park overall during the halloween event, so you might also want to consider using your one day at Disney on that.

Halloween event might be something to look into further then if the lines are shorter.

Thanks again everyone for the input. I'm bookmarking this thread and will post some questions in here in the coming weeks.

If you are in town October 24th, Guavaween in Tampa is epic good times.

http://www.guavaweentampa.com/

Other than that, I like Universal because it is fun to get drunk and ride roller coasters and hit many events all nearby. That, chartering a deep sea fishing boat to catch you some big trophy fish. You can do that for anywhere from 500-1000, but it is worth it. Best to go with people to split the cost.

There are Day (5 hour) gambling cruises out of Cocoa which can be good times. If you don't care to gamble, just chill on the deck overlooking the ocean. But, you get free drinks as long as you gamble, even on the penny slots.

Oh yes, Orlando Kart Center has great Go Kart races on their Mile long track. They go 45mph unless you register for a race in which they go up to 60mph. That is epic times racing against friends or family.

I'll tell you right now, if your gf is a Harry Potter friend you don't have an option, you better do the park hopper for Universal/IOA, as the Wizarding World is spread out over both parks (unless your gf is more reasonable than my wife, lol). Universal has London & Diagon Alley, while Islands has Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Traveling between the parks on the Hogwarts Express is pretty cool. Also make sure you go to Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour near Gringotts (Universal side). We go every visit because the soft serve ice cream is fantastic (personal favorite is the butterbeer ice cream). The food at the main restaurants (i.e. Three Broomsticks) in the HP sections are decent, I'd steer clear of the restaurants in the other sections though. There's also some pretty good snacks and candy at the candy shop that are like the books (Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, etc).

If you end up having to choose one, I'd recommend Islands since you're a Marvel/DC fan and there's a section of the park dedicated to it (with a recently revamped Hulk ride). Plus it has the new Kong ride. Though I personally prefer the Universal side.

Universal has Transformers, Minions, Simpsons, Shrek, the Rock & Roll Rollercoaster (which is cool, you can choose which music you're listening to as you ride), etc.

Make sure to download an app that lets you know the wait times around the park if you don't get express passes. If you and your gf are ok doing single riders the lines are MUCH shorter for those than what is specified on the wait times (sometimes you literally just walk right up while others are waiting 40-60 minutes) so worth considering if you find yourself in a time crunch or the lines are especially long. Only downside is sometimes you're split up for the ride (i'd say it's 50/50).