Orlando/Epcot help please

[cmsitaly]

Hi all! We (Josh and I) are going to Orlando on the way down to Palm Beach in Feb. Never been to Epcot, so we are going to give it a try for a day. We are thinking of staying right next to Downtown Disney so we will be close to everything (Epcot and DD) My question is, well, we are just not sure what to expect in terms of nightlife/bars/fun in this area for the other 2 days we are there. Is City Walk by Universal better? Just trying to figure out where to stay

Thank you for your expertise

[Susie Q Roo]

Rick and I didn't make it to Downtown Disney when were there... at least not to the clubs. We did, however, learn that you have to pay an entrance fee to get into the clubs and it was more than we wanted to spend for the short time we had there. They had two different options - one fee was for admission to all the clubs, and the other was just an admission to a couple, if I'm remembering correctly. The last time I went there, I gotta say, that whole place was hopping, but it didn't get started til pretty late. Good dancing music and all that but my favorite was the Explorers Club... so fun and funny! Honestly, after a full day at Epcot, though, we were too exhausted to even think about clubbing and just wanted to get back to the room and crash.

[Seakony]

I agree...who needs clubbing after a whole day at Epcot? You will look forward to just kicking back with your feet up.

[laurab]

I agree - I was at Disney last week and after 10 hours in Epcot or any other park, my very comfy bed was the only thing that mattered. I think I never made it past 11 pm . Not that my 3 year old daughter would have LET me get to a club

[cmsitaly]

Thanks for the replies. I did say we were only doing 1 day at Epcot and will have 2 others to enjoy some nightlife

[Ginger]

Chris, I think they are both comparable but Disney is bigger, more clubs for sure.

Disney's is called Pleasure Island. You pay one price and it gets you into all the clubs. There are comedy clubs, giant techno clubs, 70's/80's disco clubs (where people come dressed the part!) blues clubs, live band clubs. There's a lot of different options. It seemed a little more....upscale than Universal. CityWalk just seemed more 'juvenile' to us, but we never partied there...just walking through late when leaving the parks, so I could be wrong. Or I'm just an old coot.

John and I will do Disney's Pleasure Island next time we go to Disney. I think the kids will be old enough to leave alone in the room next time.

[Ginger]

BTW, if you are renting a car, I TOTALLY recommend you guys drive out to Cocoa Beach, out by Cape Canaveral. It is sooo beautiful and there are a lot of really fun, hip, happening looking little places along the beach there that we looked longingly at (we had kids with us ). It takes a little over an hour to get there from Disney with traffic, it's just so worth it for a day of fun on the beach in the sun.

[cmsitaly]

Thanks Ginger!! That helps a lot. We were really leaning toward staying close to Downtown Disney, now I am even more convinced. Sounds like fun!

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by cmsitaly

Thanks Ginger!! That helps a lot. We were really leaning toward staying close to Downtown Disney, now I am even more convinced. Sounds like fun!

Yah, I think you guys will really like it.

I realize now you are heading to Palm Beach anyway, so I guess Coco Beach is not such a big deal.

Epcot is my favorite park....we 'drank around the world' there.. You can get wine or beer in each pavilion that represents that country. The kids were getting on our nerves that day, so we gave them a walkie-talkie, they went on rides, we went around the world and drank, and by the time we met up with them to watch the Beatles in the UK, we were so numb we didn't feel their wrath anymore!

BTW, don't forget to get a schedule for Epcot, each pavilion also has performers at certain times. The Beatles band was great, and the Canadian band actually gets RAVE reviews!

[cmsitaly]

Originally Posted by Ginger

Yah, I think you guys will really like it.

I realize now you are heading to Palm Beach anyway, so I guess Coco Beach is not such a big deal.

Epcot is my favorite park....we 'drank around the world' there.. You can get wine or beer in each pavilion that represents that country. The kids were getting on our nerves that day, so we gave them a walkie-talkie, they went on rides, we went around the world and drank, and by the time we met up with them to watch the Beatles in the UK, we were so numb we didn't feel their wrath anymore!

BTW, don't forget to get a schedule for Epcot, each pavilion also has performers at certain times. The Beatles band was great, and the Canadian band actually gets RAVE reviews!

Awesome! I will be sure to get the schedule for entertainers. Sounds so fun! Round the world drinking and eating- I am THERE!!

Thanks again Ginger, I am glad you posted your info. I am always up for more

[Seakony]

what?????/ you aren't going to the Magic Kingdom?

[Ginger]

Here's some things I thought of:

If you like pastries, you HAVE to visit the little bakery in the France Pavillion, they sell the HUGEST cream puffs!

If you watch the movie in the Canadian Pavilion remember...we don't talk like that.

At certain times the big fountain in the middle near the entrance does a show to music, it's really cool.

DO NOT miss the fireworks (Illuminations), get a good spot! I won't give it away, but it is spectacular!!

You'll love the El Rio del Tiempo ride in the Mexico Pavillion. It's a little river ride. Funny at the end.

There is a great street comedy show in UK, they were very funny.

EDIT: There is a ride called Maelstrom in the (Norway?) pavillion....when you get off the boat you will go into a theater as others are exiting it...rush out and get out of the theatre, don't take a seat! The show is hideous! It' is about 20 minutes long and very boring...the kids went bananas.

If I think of more I"ll let you know!

[Lillibet]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but thanks so much for this info.
On our return trip to the UK in January, we're flying from Cancun to Miami, spend a couple of days doing something or driving back up towards Orlando, ready for the flight over the pond to Manchester.
To be honest we haven't really looked at what to do yet, so we're a bit green and know little about the area. So what can you suggest as the top 5 things to do given that we're there for a couple of days in January?

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by Lillibet

Sorry to hijack this thread, but thanks so much for this info.
On our return trip to the UK in January, we're flying from Cancun to Miami, spend a couple of days doing something or driving back up towards Orlando, ready for the flight over the pond to Manchester.
To be honest we haven't really looked at what to do yet, so we're a bit green and know little about the area. So what can you suggest as the top 5 things to do given that we're there for a couple of days in January?

Disney World
just do it

[JoanieBlon]

Originally Posted by Lillibet

Sorry to hijack this thread, but thanks so much for this info.
On our return trip to the UK in January, we're flying from Cancun to Miami, spend a couple of days doing something or driving back up towards Orlando, ready for the flight over the pond to Manchester.
To be honest we haven't really looked at what to do yet, so we're a bit green and know little about the area. So what can you suggest as the top 5 things to do given that we're there for a couple of days in January?

Mike and I live in Tampa, and so we go over to Orlando quite a bit, as it's only 1 hour 20 minutes away.

I would recommend getting a multi-day "Park Hopper" ticket. That way you can check out all the parks, if you wish. Honestly, I enjoy them all, and would be hard pressed to pick a "favorite." There are large shuttle buses that go between the various parks, and if I recall correctly, there's a monorail between The Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

I would recommend staying in one of the hotels adjacent to Downtown Disney. By staying in these hotels, you get free shuttle bus service to all the Disney parks, which are sort of spread out. I wouldn't recommend DRIVING to the parks, as they each charge ADDITIONAL for parking.

My PERSONAL choice of hotel would be the REGAL SUN RESORT (formerly The Grosvenor). It's not especially luxurious (decent family style accomodations), BUT ~ it's located right across the street from all the shops, restaurants and attractions at Downtown Disney ~ which includes Pleasure Island. NO driving necessary.

If you have the time and the money (all these things DO get expensive, but you have a good £ to $ exchange, so it might not seem too bad!) I would recommend:

1. Enjoying the nite life at Pleasure Island one evening.

2. Going to The House of Blues (or one of the many other restaurants) at Downtown Disney for dinner and then going to Cirque du Soleil's "LA NOUBA" show, which is in a permanent theater right next to the HOB. Mike and I have seen this specific show 3 times now, and have talked about going to see it again. We think that it's one of the best of the Cirque shows that we've seen.

3. If you have the time, buy a one day, two park ticket for Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure (the parks are adjacent to each other and also City Walk) that's combined with an "discounted" admission to THE BLUE MAN GROUP show. Highly enjoyable!

4. For something interesting, you might consider checking out GATORLAND which is in Kissimmee, not too far from all the Disney parks. In a way, it IS kind of "touristy" but does let you see alligators, and their environment, up close. I think it's an interesting and VERY FLORIDA thing to do.

5. A bit further away, but REALLY interesting IMO, is the KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. This place is fantastic! To get a few ideas of just what you might see there, use the VIEW OUR SLIDESHOWS link in my signature below.

If you plan on venturing around the Orlando area, you WILL need a car. Things are pretty spread out. Taking a taxi would get really expensive. Orlando DOES have a really good bus system, but you'd gobble up valuable time.

Have fun!