Things to do in Orlando: travel tips
The city has many places and attractions to enjoy. What to do in Orlando and how to save on tickets, accommodation and more.
When organizing the trip to Orlando, Florida it is key to take into account different issues. Planning ahead allows you to get better prices and enjoy twice as much every day. Here you will find tips to solve everything from booking air tickets to scheduling tours of the parks so you don't miss a thing. We tell you what to do in Orlando and how to put together a perfect plan at Disney and Universal Studios.
What to do in Orlando: tips to organize the trip
Many agencies offer packages to go to Orlando that include tickets, hotel, tickets and even car and/or meal packages, and that can make it easier to organize the trip to Orlando if you don't have experience and the situation stresses you out.
You also have options combining Orlando with a cruise or with other destinations, such as Miami, Bahamas, New York or a Caribbean beach. If you can stretch out the trip for a few days, taking advantage of the ticket and getting to know some other place can be fantastic.
On the other hand, if you dare to organize everything on your own, the ideal is to find out everything, read about it and go to official or prestigious places. In this note, we put together some tips to give you a hand to embark on this beautiful adventure.
When to go to Disney: the best dates
Considering the number of people who visit Orlando, this first point is important. On vacation it is not pleasant to be in line for everything.
The same goes for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Coinciding with the holidays for South America, January and February (except for some weekends that coincide with holidays in the US) are low season months for land services, but not for air tickets.
In "our" summer there are fewer people in the parks but air tickets will have to be purchased in advance.
Airfare
What we suggest is to book the air tickets as soon as possible, as soon as you decide that you want to make the trip. Prices usually change from one day to the next and, if you don't have flexible dates, the sooner the better.
Keep in mind that the high season dates for the Argentine market require more advance booking or purchase, both for those who intend to use miles and for those who are not willing to pay a fortune.
You can look for tickets in travel agencies or directly on the sites of the airlines or in search engines. Testing several dates is important to access different prices.
Documentation to travel with children
Among the key issues to organize everything in advance, it is essential to review the travel documents: valid passport and visa to enter the United States
In general, it is convenient to choose the company in which one is a frequent traveler to be able to accumulate miles or use them.
How many days to go to Orlando
The advice is that the minimum is five days, but you will run like crazy. The ideal is between 8 and 10 days, but it all depends on the plans you have for your stay and the money you can spend.
Keep in mind that each day in a park is exhausting, you walk many kilometers and there is a lot of anxiety, so it is best to intersperse a few days of rest or quieter activities.
Do not underestimate the weather in Orlando Florida because if you go in the summer, the heat can be very oppressive.
Accommodation in Orlando
There are many accommodation options in Orlando and Kissimmee, including hotels, apartments and rental houses. But the first thing you should decide is if you want to stay inside the parks or outside, in a hotel or villa in the surroundings.
Both Disney and Universal Studios have their own hotels and important advantages if you stay in them, such as transfers to and from the airport and to and from the parks, free parking or extra hours in the parks (before the opening of the park or after closing). , discounts and some other benefits according to the time of year.
It is also important that you know that there are also "partner hotels" that have some benefits. It is important to take into account some services when choosing a hotel, since they can impact your travel expenses:
Parking in the parks.
Location.
Free Wi-Fi (it is usually included and there is a free connection in the parks).
Transportation to parks or shopping malls.Breakfast. In general it is not included, but there are exceptions.
Purchase reception service (in case we do shopping online before the trip and we want to send it to the hotel).
Rent car? Shuttle? How to get around in Orlando
Car rental depends on the tastes and possibilities of each one, but remember that Orlando is big, the distances are enormous, and it can be crucial if you are in a hotel that does not have transportation to the parks because going by taxi can be very expensive .
The key is to think about what to do every day. If you stay at the Walt Disney World Resort and plan to go five days to the parks and one day to a shopping center, there is no point in renting a car. Remember that the hotel offers free transportation and you can go to the mall by taxi.
Foods
Only those who stay at a Disney hotel will be able to access the dining plan for their entire stay: there are times when this plan is free with the hotel reservation, other times it has discounts of 50%.
Remember that at Disney you can bring your own food and have a picnic inside the park without any problem. There are places for it.
Orlando parks
Tickets to the Disney parks in Orlando is quite a subject. There are different ticket options and it is an important cost within the trip.
Basically, one can buy the entrance to each park separately, although both Disney and Universal have tickets that allow you to enter several parks on the same day.
Keep in mind that the more days you go, the cheaper the cost of entry per day.
That is to say: the pass for several days in the parks makes the individual ticket cheaper. Tickets are valid for several days from the first day you enter a park.
fast passes
The issue of the rows must be taken into account because it can be very frustrating. There are so many people who visit the parks all year round that it is no longer just a matter of buying tickets but also understanding that there are certain attractions that are usually in high demand and that you can spend an hour or more in line.
The Disney Fast Pass
At Disney there is a fast pass, a free system that allows, if you bought tickets in advance, to reserve a specific day and time to enter a game.
The system offers the possibility of reserving up to 3 games and, once used, one more can be reserved, in the same park, in machines arranged for this.
In the case of Universal, the fast pass is purchased separately, but there are attractions, such as some games linked to the world of Harry Potter, for which these passes cannot be used.
Where to find out
Walt Disney World Resort: disneyworld.disney.go.com/es/
Universal Orlando Resort: www.universalorlando.com
Orlando: www.visitorlando.com.
Florida: www.visitflorida.org
