honeymoon Orlando and NewYork

arrianalexander

hiya
any help or guidance would be appreciated

for Honeymoon next year we want to go to Orlando and New York

the plan is for it to be 2 1/2 to 3 weeks

First to fly to Orlando and the back to New York


Main thing for Orlando would be Universal Studios in particular Harry Potter
and the Disneyland

Then back to New York for sight seeing and shopping etc


At moment I'm planning on booking everything myself rather then doing a package deal, but someone may advise a package deal might be a better option ?

also would 8 days in Orlando be enough or what would yer opinion be on it

We will be flying from Shannon

coylemj

What time of year are we talking about? Orlando is pretty nice all year round but there's a huge variation in the weather in NYC from January (bitterly cold) to July (hot and humid)

arrianalexander

it will be roughly first week in july , so orland will be hot and new york hot and sticky

Marcusm

arrianalexander wrote: »

it will be roughly first week in july , so orland will be hot and new york hot and sticky

If you really love Harry Potter and, given that you are going in schools holiday time, you really should consider on the Universal hotels such as the Hard Rock. Not only will you get the cut the line passes included but you get entry to the park 1 hour ahead of non residents meaning you can head straight up to Harry Potter world and get on those rides for which the cut the line passes don't work.

arrianalexander

Marcusm wrote: »

If you really love Harry Potter and, given that you are going in schools holiday time, you really should consider on the Universal hotels such as the Hard Rock. Not only will you get the cut the line passes included but you get entry to the park 1 hour ahead of non residents meaning you can head straight up to Harry Potter world and get on those rides for which the cut the line passes don't work.

Funnily enough that was hotel I picked to get rough price for accommodation etc

OH is a huge harry potter fan

I'm thinking 3 days for universal

And 4 days for Disney world

Does that seem like enough time ?

cruizer101

Was just looking into similar trip myself, one thing you might consider is pre-buying your park tickets, something like this, tickets for disney, universal, seaworld etc
http://www.attractionticketsdirect.ie/orlando-attraction-tickets/orlando-combination-ticket-packages/orlando-freedom-ticket?ref=d-tab2

I was looking into a package myself, now I was looking for september and only 3 star hotel, but was coming in around the 1400 mark for 2 for flights and 3 nights in new york, 7 in orlando. Be worth your while checking with agent see what you can get.

arrianalexander

cruizer101 wrote: »

Was just looking into similar trip myself, one thing you might consider is pre-buying your park tickets, something like this, tickets for disney, universal, seaworld etc
http://www.attractionticketsdirect.ie/orlando-attraction-tickets/orlando-combination-ticket-packages/orlando-freedom-ticket?ref=d-tab2

I was looking into a package myself, now I was looking for september and only 3 star hotel, but was coming in around the 1400 mark for 2 for flights and 3 nights in new york, 7 in orlando. Be worth your while checking with agent see what you can get.

thanks thats a fantastic site seems cheaper then trying to pay for tickets separately

sweetie

Plus one on Attraction tickets direct. Having just returned from Orlando and done Disney and Universal I would say 5 days in disney (4 parks and 2 waterparks) and 3 days universal. We stayed in Lowes pacific which included the express pass but the morning I went to Harry Potter I did single rider and it was fine (express doesn't apply to Harry Potter rides at all) I wouldn't bother getting express again (stay in cheaper hotel on i-drive and uber to park) and would visit parks in mornings and evenings especially considering how hot and humid it gets during the day.

I would say as an adult I found universal rides way better and they have better versions (mostly) of many of the best disney rides.
Eg. Bruto's raft v kali river rapids, harry potter, the mummy and rip rockit rollercoasters were better than any in disney imo. Disney is probably better if you had kids with you but very insular too. I would say only Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are essential. Epcot is mainly food and some sciencey stuff and Hollywood studios is half a building site at the moment.

All just my opinion of course.

stargazer 68

I would have to agree with Sweetie re the parks. Universal and Islands of Adventure our definitely our favourites now that our kids are older. Didnt bother with Epcot the last time. Definitely do single rider especially in July when the most popular rides can have a 4 hr wait! :0 We usually go off season and still do single rider - sometimes you can end up sitting with your family anyway.

We use attraction tickets too.

arrianalexander

Dovies wrote: »

I would have to agree with Sweetie re the parks. Universal and Islands of Adventure our definitely our favourites now that our kids are older. Didnt bother with Epcot the last time. Definitely do single rider especially in July when the most popular rides can have a 4 hr wait! :0 We usually go off season and still do single rider - sometimes you can end up sitting with your family anyway.

We use attraction tickets too.

Sorry probably a stupid question.. what is single rider ?

It will be just the two of us , and neither us have any interest in water parks ,

arrianalexander

arrianalexander wrote: »

Sorry probably a stupid question.. what is single rider ?

It will be just the two of us , and neither us have any interest in water parks ,

Sorry ignore single rider I figured it ,

fatherted1969

Only back myself and if you can then try take in Gatorland and the Rodeo in Kissimmee. Both great entertainment also

Atomic Pineapple

Depending on what you expect to get out of the parks 4/5 days might not be enough for the Disney Parks, you will have to sacrifice plenty of the top attractions and shows but like I said depending on your needs that might be fine. For adults with no kids the Magic Kingdom is probably the least interesting park with Hollywood studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot offering much more for adults. Enjoying the food and drink at Epcot and then watching illuminations is certainly something I would have top of my list if I was honeymooning to Orlando.

3 days is perfect for Universal.

Going in July is a bad time to go, the weather in unbearably hot and humid making walking around anywhere pretty hard. In addition to this the parks will be jammed, make sure to check out the park attendance index charts and try to work around the days with 9/10 on the index and visit a 7/8 park on that day.

Unless you plan on staying in a Universal hotel for a few days and then a Disney hotel for a few days then renting a car is a must, it's good value to rent a car anyway and something I would definitely recommend.

In July I'd recommend getting an express pass for one of the days in Universal and trying to hit as much of the attractions in both parks as possible, you'll be wrecked but its worth it, you get an express pass free if you stay in certain Universal hotels but can buy them in the park on the day too, the cost depends on how busy the park is.

As others have said buying your tickets as early as possible on Attraction Tickets Direct is a must, this will also allow you to start booking your Fast passes for attractions in Disney ahead of time, if you are staying on site with Disney then you can book up to 6 months in advance, I think it's 3 months otherwise and in July pre planning your visits and fast passes is again a must.

For a honeymoon I'd look into going to Discovery Cove, it's expensive but is all inclusive and I've never had anyone say anything negative about it. Its supposed to be a great experience.

arrianalexander

we want the main focus to be universal

we are both in our 30's, I have been to Disneyland Paris twice and my OH has been 4 times. We understand that Orlando Disney is on a much larger scale. Bizarrely enough OH doesn't like any high speed rides and I wouldn't go in a q for hours on end to leave her by herself. We loved Disneyland , we did go on some rides but not a lot but we just loved the experience of walking around and trying the odd ride rather then pressure of having to do everything.

We have looked at the Universal hotels and although expensive the luxury of been able to walk in at 4 or 5 in evening appeals to us , with the added thing of been able to laze in the pool before or after. Plus been close to the shows in Universal is also something that appeals to us.

Atomic Pineapple

Universal is certainly the best pick for "big kids" - Disney World is much much different in Orlando though when compared to Disneyland, I'd really encourage you to check it out, some of the night time shows are unmissable in Disney.

If you plan on staying in Universal I would recommend renting a car and driving to Disney, it will be a 20 - 30 min drive depending on the park. It costs 17 dollars (could be more like 20 now) a day to drive onto Disney property but you can park in any of the parks and hop between them during the day.

Seaworld and Discovery Cove would be only 10 minutes from Universal also.

If you're only going to stick to Universal then I reckon 5 days would be plenty even if you plan on relaxing 2 days, you might stretch it if you want to try a few of the different places in Universal City Walk for food and/or nightlife.

The Olando Eye, Wax museum and Sea life aquarium are also just a 5 minute drive from Universal and good for a couple of hours away from the parks.

arrianalexander

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

Universal is certainly the best pick for "big kids" - Disney World is much much different in Orlando though when compared to Disneyland, I'd really encourage you to check it out, some of the night time shows are unmissable in Disney.

If you plan on staying in Universal I would recommend renting a car and driving to Disney, it will be a 20 - 30 min drive depending on the park. It costs 17 dollars (could be more like 20 now) a day to drive onto Disney property but you can park in any of the parks and hop between them during the day.

Seaworld and Discovery Cove would be only 10 minutes from Universal also.

If you're only going to stick to Universal then I reckon 5 days would be plenty even if you plan on relaxing 2 days, you might stretch it if you want to try a few of the different places in Universal City Walk for food and/or nightlife.

The Olando Eye, Wax museum and Sea life aquarium are also just a 5 minute drive from Universal and good for a couple of hours away from the parks.

The magic kingdom and the animal kingdom are the two we would go to in Disney world , the others don't appeal to us much , we be thinking 3 days would be max we would need for those 3

Hadn't really thought about a car to be honest but looking at transport to Disney been limited it does seem a car would be the best option , i guess depends on cost and ease of driving there etc also thinking how I'd be fit for driving after 12 hour flight

Really appreciate your responses , thank you

sweetie

We got an uber xl between Disney Beach club (beside Epcot/Hollywood) to Lowes Pacific (beside both universal parks) 25 dollars approximately. No messing around with hiring a car, parking etc.

arrianalexander

sweetie wrote: »

We got an uber xl between Disney Beach club (beside Epcot/Hollywood) to Lowes Pacific (beside both universal parks) 25 dollars approximately. No messing around with hiring a car, parking etc.

Ya i must look into uber , its not something I'm familiar with just yet

The Lowes Pacific is one of the places we are considering

sweetie

arrianalexander wrote: »

Ya i must look into uber , its not something I'm familiar with just yet

The Lowes Pacific is one of the places we are considering

It was fine but if I were going again I'd maybe try the Hard rock or even go offsite. It was about 15 min walk from our room to park entrance, I think the Hard rock is closer.

arrianalexander

sweetie wrote: »

It was fine but if I were going again I'd maybe try the Hard rock or even go offsite. It was about 15 min walk from our room to park entrance, I think the Hard rock is closer.

O really, did you have issues with it ?

sweetie

arrianalexander wrote: »

O really, did you have issues with it ?

No, nothing wrong, it just didn't have the wow factor for me compared to the similar priced disney hotel we went to. I rode most of rides as single rider so express pass was a bit wasted. Would have like it to be a bit closer too.

Marcusm

Haven't been in the Loews but the Hard Rock is certainly closer. A short walk or very short river boat ride into the park.