Orlando is one of the most visited destinations in the world partly thanks to its incredible theme parks. If you are interested in traveling to this city or you already have your tickets, here you will find essential tips that will help you plan and organize your trip. Thus, you will not face any unpleasant surprises during your visit.
Be realistic with your days available
We tend to plan our days in a timely fashion, even in a chaotic way. Upon arrival we realize that it was obvious; that flight delay could happen, long lines were very likely, we did not rent a car so commute took longer than expected, you were going to get distracted with attractions that you want to try more than once, you want to spend more time in stores or you want to take more time to eat, but sadly, you have limited time because of bad planning.
Do not do it! You are on vacation and you came to enjoy, not stressing yourself for not having time. Therefore, being realistic with the time available is essential for your trip to the destination of theme parks par excellence. My recommendation is that you ensure a minimum of one full day per park, not counting the day you land and the day you leave.
Who are you going with?
In Orlando it is certain that there is fun for everyone, but take into account that the parks, despite being great to go with family, in the end, are more directed to a certain audience. For example, if you go with children, they will thank you for taking them to LEGOLAND® Florida Resort, since it is specially designed for them; it is a world of toys. If you go as a couple and like adrenaline, Universal Orlando Resort ™ has more attractions for young people, in which they will shout with excitement more than once. And if you’re a fan of Disney movies, this park ensures those magical encounters with endearing characters.
Learn about the quick access passes and Apps
If there is one thing that I have learned in my travels, parks always have information online. There you find valuable information such as Maps, show times, parks schedules, waiting times and much more. Try to make the most of the information, whether it comes in the form of a website or a mobile App. It also allows you to buy passes to access the attractions of the parks faster. The process is different for each park. For example, in Disney your tickets already include 3 Fast Passes for each day and, after using them, in the app you can select 1 Fast Pass among the available attractions, use it and repeat the process until the park closes.
For Universal Orlando Resort ™ the process is different, since this complex sells passes that allow direct access to all attractions only once or at times unlimited. They are called Universal Express ™ Pass and Universal Express Unlimited ™ Pass respectively. My favourite is the second because it lets you go to the attractions as many times as you want.
Decide if you want to also explore the city
It is very important that you decide if you will have time and if you want to know the local life of the city. If your itinerary is very tight and you want to make the most of the parks, do it! Enjoy to the maximum and focus on the parks. But, if you have some free space, I recommend you take some time to visit attractions in the city, a shopping centre or popular restaurant. Orlando has very good stores with very competitive prices.
Think of your transport!
Depending on the days you plan to stay, be sure of your transportation in Orlando. The first thing is to move from the airport to the hotel, here there are several services that are not expensive at all.
If you want a private transportation service, you can hire a car in Orlando. This is the most recommendable option if you’re traveling with your family or if you plan to visit all the parks and explore the city.
My recommendation on transports
What I always do before traveling, is to write down how much I would spend on average if I take uber or if I rent a car. If I stay inside a complex, there is no point in renting a car. I would not rent a car if I am going to focus on the parks. On the contrary, if my flight will land in Miami, it’s a trip of almost 4h and, in that case, a car will save you valuable travel time. I have travelled by bus from Miami to Orlando and the service is good, but it is much longer than 4 hours. In addition, almost every time I arrive in Miami, I stay one or two days to shop and to see its skyline at sunset, which the car is indispensable for.
