Orlando -> Clearwater Beach -> New York

frantic_mel

Hi everyone,

My partner & I are thinking of heading to America for the first time next year.

The option we were given is

Depart Shannon
Arrive Orlando
1 week in Orlando (staying on International Drive) not sure if we will stay in a hotel or apartments
Get the Bus from Orlando to Clearwater Beach
1 week in Clearwater Beach.
Depart Tampa
Arrive JFK New York
Stay 3 nights in New York
Then
Depart JFK
Arrive Back Shannon

Has anyone done the beach/theme park holiday. Were thinking of heading there in either May/June/July
Cant decide our accomodation on International Drive though. Any information regarding tips, websites, weather, and travel from between themeparks etc is very welcomed.
Lots of advice needed.

seph

if you are going to the theme parks during may to july be prepared for very long queues at all the rides, slides , etc. A queue of over an hour for say a roller coaster type ride would not be uncommon......and in the heat of summer you can imagine it is uncomfortable. So you should ensure you get to the park early and buy the special tickets ( cant recall what there called)
which print the time you can go on the particular ride, etc, ...this saves you the hassle of queuing. Be also aware that at that time of year the weather is very hot (30 - 35c norm) so high sun block is a must.
Make sure you go to Seaworld...its brill. In Tampa go to Bushy Park the kids will love it. Also if you have time drive up to Daytona Beach, about an hours drive north of Orlando. You can drive right onto the beech.
Hope you have a great holiday !

Dr. Paco

Dr. Paco suggests that International Drive is a popular location to stay with a multitude of things to do and see nearby regardless of where you may choose to stay. As for tickets at theme parks that seph mentioned, some parks call them Fast Pass while others call them Express Pass. These tickets cost extra, but allow you to scan your ticket at a special kiosk that will dispense another ticket for the ride. Typically it will give you a time range in which you are allowed to enter the ride through a special line that gets you in and out faster than others.

Weather in the months you've mentioned are good. Very warm during the day to rather hot, and somewhat cool in the evenings. Rain is possible on occasion but passes rather quickly. Sun is a definate factor so make sure to pack or purchase sunblock.

Lex_Diamonds

Your probably gonna get bored off your ass at Clearwater beach for a week. The place is dead. Chop about three days off Clearwater, one off Orlando, and pour that time into New York.

Bah

Lex_Diamonds wrote:

Your probably gonna get bored off your ass at Clearwater beach for a week. The place is dead. Chop about three days off Clearwater, one off Orlando, and pour that time into New York.

Clearwater isn't so much "dead" as "relaxing". Great place, especially if you like the beach. Have a look into St. Pete's Beach too; it's very close to clearwater and is a great place to relax for a week after Orlando. Two very different places. You'll be glad of the rest after spending a week wandering theme parks endlessly in Orlando.

Real

Hi Frantic

We did the same holiday some years back except the other way around(New York, Orlando, Clearwater)

I would suggest renting a car while in Florida as having the independence to explore and travel at your own pace is a must. We went in end of June/ early July and, be prepared, it was hot, hot ,hot. Far hotter than any other places I had been at that time of year before (Spain, Portugal etc). I like the sun but Clearwater beach and lying by the pool was just uncomfortable with that heat. I would suggest going in May if you can as it may be a little cooler.

We stayed in the Floridian Hotel just off international Drive. It was very central, clean and had all the facilities. I would highly recommend it although if you have an option for apartments I think I would rather do that for the convenience factor. International Drive is a long strip of hotels, shops, restaurants, attractions etc etc. Its almost like an attraction on its own. If you stay any where close to there you will do fine.

Many people would recommend getting to the parks as early as possible. But not me!!. I did that the first few days and found myself stuck in queues for most of the morning and into the hot midday sun. I found that heading towards the parks in the early afternoon was a better bet. That way you can have a walk around the park and familiarise yourself with where everything is. Once you have done that you will be past the midday sun. Also everyone else has been on the rides they want to go on and the queues are nowhere near as big as they are in the mornings. Remember the park is open till late so you have all day and evening to get on the rides you want!!

frantic_mel

Real wrote:

Hi Frantic

We did the same holiday some years back except the other way around(New York, Orlando, Clearwater)

I would suggest renting a car while in Florida as having the independence to explore and travel at your own pace is a must. We went in end of June/ early July and, be prepared, it was hot, hot ,hot. Far hotter than any other places I had been at that time of year before (Spain, Portugal etc). I like the sun but Clearwater beach and lying by the pool was just uncomfortable with that heat. I would suggest going in May if you can as it may be a little cooler.

We stayed in the Floridian Hotel just off international Drive. It was very central, clean and had all the facilities. I would highly recommend it although if you have an option for apartments I think I would rather do that for the convenience factor. International Drive is a long strip of hotels, shops, restaurants, attractions etc etc. Its almost like an attraction on its own. If you stay any where close to there you will do fine.

Many people would recommend getting to the parks as early as possible. But not me!!. I did that the first few days and found myself stuck in queues for most of the morning and into the hot midday sun. I found that heading towards the parks in the early afternoon was a better bet. That way you can have a walk around the park and familiarise yourself with where everything is. Once you have done that you will be past the midday sun. Also everyone else has been on the rides they want to go on and the queues are nowhere near as big as they are in the mornings. Remember the park is open till late so you have all day and evening to get on the rides you want!!

Hi Real,

Thanks for your tips. We both dont drive so we will be relying on the bus or the I-trolley. We are both 23 is it worth going to Disney or will all the other parks be enough. Which area is better Clearwater, St Petes Beach, or Sanibel or Naples etc.
Do you know where reviews have been mentioned online. What was the beach like and what did you do for the week while there. Also how long did you stay in New York.
Thanks for the tips.

masterK

Hi frantic mel,

We did exactly the same as you last year. We stayed in the Windham hotel on International drive, it was really nice and was right in the centre of I-Drive with a trolley stop just outside.

If you do not drive look for hotels that run buses to the theme parks, most have buses to Sea World and Universal (although it's only about $8 in a taxi from I-Drive), some also have transport to Disney, since disney is about 30 miles from I-Drive taxi's will be expensive.

I agree with Real about the parks, after a couple of days of long queues we went to the parks in the late afternoon, they quiten down in the evenings and with the weather a lot cooler it is much more enjoyable, not to mention that you get to see the fireworks at the end of the evening (the displays in Epcot and MGM were both must sees).

As for Clearwater, try to stay in the Sand Key end of Clearwater, it's a lot nicer than the rest of Clearwater, most hotels have their own private strip of beach. We stayed in the Sheraton Sand Key, it was a fantastic hotel, it had a nice bar, 3 restuarants, private beach and a nice pool.

Just one note, Clearwater is very quite, it's great for a week of relaxion so be sure that's what you want, the nightlife was non-existent, we were there on the 4th of July last year, the whole place was very busy all day, but come 9pm there wasn't a person in sight.

We drove along the coast to St. Pete's, it looked fairly run down to me.

Real

Hi

Clearwater beach really is beautiful. Crystal clear blue water, white sand and not very crouded. St Petes beach is much the same. I didnt go to the other beaches you mentioned. But as someone else said before there really isnt much else there particularly if you dont have your own transport. These are a few shops and bars but thats about it. Great for relaxing but we felt a bit bored coming to the end of our week there.

If I had the choice again like you have I would do the week in Orlando, week in new york and the few days in Clearwater / St Petes. Im not much older than you and think for a couple of 23 year olds a week in New York would be much better. I just got back from my 3rd trip to NY. It really is one of the worlds best cities and no need for a car.

Orlando needs at least a week to get the full value. Do not skip Disney or Universal Strudios. IMO they are the best by far of the theme parks and it will take you 4 days to cover them alone. Also you will find on International Drive a number of Ticket Tout shops. Feel free to buy from them. They are not con men and do offer some good deals regarding park entry tickets. I think we saved a total of $100.

I dont know any good internet sites to recommend to you but Im sure the more you look at the better the picture you can get of what may be best.

If it were me I would do it like this. Shannon - New York for a week - Orlando for a week - and 3/4 days relaxing on the beach before home.

One more thing. Before you go to New York get the New York Pass. You can buy it online and pick up the passes in Planet Hollywoor in Times Square. Easy. www.newyorkpass.com

We got it in January for 3 days for $79. It gets you into nearly every attraction you will want as well as discounts in top restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood etc. It also lets you skip the queue in some places. We got them in January and saved ourselves over $400 each. That is my top tip!!!

NikNik

There are some alternatives to the main theme parks....
You could take a look at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island for entertainment. They have a market place with lots of cool stuff, House of Blues, legoland, music, restaurants, cinema and Cirque du Soleil
http://www.wdwinfo.com/downtown/pi/

For a dinner tournament take a look at Medieval Times:
http://medieval-times.discount-tickets.us/medieval-times.htm

If you're going to be on International Drive, you might aswell check out Wet 'n' Wild if you like water rides
http://www.wetnwild.com/orlando/Main/Main.asp

and here's a list of other things to do on I-Drive (including the world's largest McDonald's and Wonderworks: the upside-down building)
http://www.internationaldriveorlando.com/directory/attractions.asp