So your going to Disney World or Universal Orlando, Now what?

So you have decided that for your vacation you are going to Disney World,  Universal Orlando, or another theme park and wonder what you should do to get ready. Should you study travel guides and books? Pull out park maps and plan your routes to the rides and attractions? Figure out what restaurants you want to eat at and when? Yes, those are good ideas and travel agents can work with you on all of the above to help with the fine details of your trip, but I have a few tips that can make your trip more enjoyable.

Tip #1) Get out and walk.

Yea! We are almost to the gates!! Only a half mile to go!
This may be your favorite ride at the end of the day

My number one suggestion to anyone going to any Central Florida theme park is to get out and walk before you leave for your trip. Why walk? Well to be honest, there are no short cuts to the front gates of the parks and once you’re in the gates, you’re going to be walking more than you might first imagine.  Let’s look at a few treks that you will have ahead of you just to get the front gate at some of the theme parks. 

To get to either  Universal Studios or to Universal Islands of Adventure, unless you’re staying at one of the on-site hotels, your journey to the front gates starts at either the valet drop off or parking ramps.  To get from the parking ramps to either park you have to walk over Major Blvd and then head into the central hub of the parking ramps, this leads to the electric walk ways that take you to CityWalk. 

                                        

Still some distance  to go! This is just the entrance to CityWalk

Almost there right? Nope! Now you have to walk through CityWalk and either take a right or left hand  turn, depending which park your going to.CityWalk is an enjoyable walk past the flashy shops and well themed restaurants, like Margaritaville, Bubba Gumps, and the Brand Spanking  Hollywood Drive-In Golf.  Now you head over the water channel that has the water taxis from the on-site hotels,then finally you have made it to the front gates!!! It’s approximately a half mile walk to the front gates; it is just slightly shorter from the valet parking area, where you can catch a cab or where the complementary transportation from local off-site hotels drop you off at.  Now that you made it, you have an entire day of walking around the parks and waiting in lines with the big anticipation of making that same trek back to your mode of transportation. Staying at the on-site hotels helps you avoid these walks along with offering other perks. 

We made it!!!!

 "Ah, this doesn’t apply to me because I am going to Disney World." WRONG!!!!!  While Disney offers complementary transportation to the front gate of each theme park, the idea of  to the front gate can be misleading.  Your distance to the front gate is going to vary on your resort and the park you are headed to.  A couple of notable distances are from the monorail station at EPCOT to the front gates,  from the bus stops to the front gates at the Magic Kingdom, and the bus stops to the front gates at the Animal Kingdom. Just getting to the bus stop at the resort your staying at can be bit a distance as well. By no means are they like the distance you have at Universal Orlando, but once again, you have an entire day of walking ahead of you.  EPCOT for example, especially around the world showcase, can be exhausting in the warm Floridian sun.The distances can be deceiving, especially with some of the force perspectives that Imagineers have tailored into the architecture.

 So to get back to my suggestion of getting out and walking before your trip, grab the family or whomever you’re going with and start walking at home.  Start out with small distances and then gradually build up to longer distances.  This a great time to break in a new pair of shoes, especially if you’re taking them with you. It really is not a good idea to break in a pair of shoes at the parks.

 Tip#2 I am not walking I have a electric scooter or wheel chair or need one.

watch your toes because I am not.

"I am not walking I am bringing my electric scooter or renting one."  Great, but are the people you’re going with used to walking with you with that electric scooter? Never hurts for you to take a ride with those that you are walking with so they know how fast that little bugger is gonna go. This will also give you and them a chance to make sure they know where to walk so you don’t run them over. Trust me it happens. Need a electric scooter while down at the parks? You can rent them at the parks, but they are in limited supply, so you might want to look at some of the companies that rent them by the week. All of the transportation at  Disney World has some type of accommodation for scooters, so you can take the scooters you rent from an outside company back to your resort to help you get around.  It’s always best to plan ahead instead of the day you arrive; most outside companies will have the electric scooter delivered to your room so you don’t need to head out and pick them up. It can easily ruin your day if you get to the a park expecting to rent an electric scooter to find out that they have all be rented for the day, plus having your own rental from an outside company makes it more convenient to park hop. Need a suggestion on whom to rent from? Let me know I will be more than happy to make a suggestion.

Tip#3  Don't pay the high prices for water or sun block on site at the resorts.

Sun Block and water are very, very, very, very, very, good things to have when you are in the Central Florida sun. With that said, if you pack sun block in your carry on or suitcase,  it maybe coming out of your bag and not traveling with you depending the TSA agent that inspects your baggage if your flying. You may simply run out or worse yet, it bursts open ruining things in your luggage. If you plan ahead you won't have to pay the high prices at the resorts or theme parks for sun bock or other products. There are personal shoppers that will deliver it to your room for a small charge. While your at it, buy a case of water, body wash,  maybe some cereal or granola bars to get you going in the morning. Personal shoppers will either drop the items off at the front desk for you or have them delivered to your room. By the end of the spring of 2012, all Disney owned Resort rooms will have a small fridge for use. Put that fridge to good use with some snacks and beverages that a personal shopper can pick up for you and save you money on.You can always bring the water into the parks with you, so if your on a dining plan, you don't have to waste a snack credit on a drink.  Need a suggestion on a Personal Shopper with reasonable rates just ask me. 

What would you suggest someone do to prepare for their trip?