Disney Notes for First Timers

updated 15/9/12

Brief Tips

Disney is vast and the monorail only covers two parks and a few hotels.

On your first visit to Magic Kingdom get the boat from the transport centre and get
upstairs at the front and watch as Cinderella’s castle looms up in front of you! Simply
magical!

Carry sun cream, hats and a refillable bottle of water, we bought a Disney hard plastic
bottle holds 1 litre filled it with ice from the hotel and topped it up with water, stayed cold
all morning. Every time you stop for a drink get a cup of ice to top up your water bottle
and refill it at the water fountains.

Pack as little as possible, we usually pack enough for 5 days maximum and buy T shirts
out there. Take the barest of toiletries, they sell them out there so why lug them out on
holiday.

Make full use of the fastpasses, as soon as you arrive at a park head for the fastpass
rides that you want to go on, you can get your next fastpass before the first one starts,
see the time on the fastpass this will tell you when you can get your next fastpass. Enjoy
your first fastpass ride whilst the time is ticking away for your next fastpass ride.

State tax is added on to the tag price at the till (6%).

Do not go in new shoes wear old comfy shoes, there is plenty of walking and you do not
want blisters at the end of the day. Croc, flip flops and trainers are the most popular
footwear.

Take a photo of your car park character & row number; it makes finding your much
easier at the end of the day

Welcome meetings are a waste of time, do your research online, it saves you time when
you get there.

Thinking you will be able to walk into any restaurant and get a table there and then -
Impossible!

Always make your advance dinning reservations well in advance and consider the
Disney Dinning Plan, it can save you money or even better eat offsite this will save you a
fortune.

Booking the dinner shows are a waste of time and money.

If you see something in a Disney shop and you want it, buy it...they might not have it
when you come back, as they swap lines quite quick. Some lines are in every shop, but
other items disappear if you don't get it.

Share a photopass, at about £15 and have as many professional photos and magic
photos as you like on CD.

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VISA WAIVER PROGRAM
It is recommended that you complete this at least 72 hours before you fly, suggest
a minimum of a week before departure. You are now required to complete ESTA
form otherwise you will be refused entry to the USA. ESTA is no longer free and
costs USD14 per person
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
Currently you still have to complete the green form as well, so this means 3 lots of details
provided, ESTA, green form and advance passenger information.
Do not forget to give your airline the advanced passenger information as soon as
possible, this can be given at the airport but advisable to give the details before to save
time and if there is a problem then you have more time to resolve it. The airlines still
need this information as they do not get the ESTA form.

Passports
Please make sure that you your passport is valid for duration of your trip including your
return date otherwise you may be refused entry into the USA. In case of loss photocopy
the back page of your passports and driving licences and email them to an email
address that you can access anywhere, such as a hotmail account. For Passports and
entry requirements to the USA see:-
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/passports1/entry-requirements

Booking
Make sure that when you book you give the full names as shown on the passport NOT a
shortened version, you could be charged later to amend the names. Because of the new
'Secure Flight' flight requirements they might ask for full names as appears on the
passports (including middle names), gender, dates of birth and passport number, so
have the passports handy at the time of booking. The details can be supplied to the
airline later as part of the Advanced Passenger Info (API), but the airlines now have to
have API/Secure flight info 72 hrs before departure, so I think they may be asking travel
agents’ to obtain it at booking.

Flying with children

The flight from Gatwick to Orlando is 7 hours and please remember Florida is 5 hours
behind. Although all airlines provide onboard entertainment, I often find that the
children’s film showing is for the wrong age group or it has already started. For the flight
I would recommend taking a portable DVD player, you can now get ones with long play
batteries up to 12 hours, pair of headphones and a good selection of DVD’s to watch.
Also recommend taking a puzzle book and colouring book and crayons, some
passengers have wrapped little presents up so that their child can open one an hour.
Take some sweets to suck to help with their ears with the change of air pressure.

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Taking liquids in your hand luggage

Wherever possible you should pack liquids in your hold baggage, as there are
restrictions on the amount you can take in your hand baggage.
Liquids include:
• all drinks, including water, soup and syrups
• cosmetics and toiletries, including creams, lotions, oils, perfumes, mascara and
lipsticks
• sprays, including shaving foam, hairspray and spray deodorants
• pastes, including toothpaste
• gels, including hair and shower gel
• contact lens solution
• any other solutions and items of similar consistency
If you need certain liquids during the flight, you can take them into the cabin in limited
quantities as follows:
• containers must hold no more than 100ml
• containers must be carried in a single, transparent, re-sealable plastic bag,
which holds no more than a litre and measures approximately 20cm x 20cm
• contents must fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be sealed
• the bag must not be knotted or tied at the top
• each passenger can carry only one of these bags
• the bag must be presented for examination at the airport security point
Containers larger than 100ml (excluding essential medicines) will not be allowed through
the security point even if they are only part full.
Baby food and baby milk
You are allowed to take baby food, baby milk and sterilized water in your hand baggage.
This includes:
• soya milk for babies
• sterilized water for the baby (must be in a baby bottle)
• formula, breast milk or cow milk specifically for babies
• baby food of various consistencies
You are allowed to take enough for the journey. In some cases this may be over 100ml.
The adult carrying the baby food or milk may be asked to verify it by tasting.
For further details on luggage and what is allowed:-
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Publictransport/AirtravelintheUK/DG_07
8179

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Car Hire
For anyone staying offsite where the hotel does NOT provide transport to Disney parks
or for those staying onsite and wanting to visit shopping malls, Universal Studios,
Discovery Cove, Sea World etc I would highly recommend hiring a car for the entire
time of your holiday including collecting it from the airport.

Although I have never not had a car I understand from others that going to Universal
Studios from Disney costs about USD35-50 each way by taxi, yes there are cheaper
options such as Lynx buses http://www.golynx.com/ which take about 1 ½ hours for a
journey that can be done in about half an hour
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g34515-
c117796/Orlando:Florida:Bus.Services.From.To.Walt.Disney.World.html

Mears do a shuttle bus for about USD18 return per person Mears Shuttle 407 423 5566
http://www.mearstransportation.com/
Transfers by Dreams Unlimited http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/universal/
The Disney buses from Downtown Disney do not go direct to the parks any more, as
many people were parking for free (avoiding the USD14 daily charge at the parks) and
taking the bus in. Now busses go to the various resorts and one has to change to get a
bus to the parks. For a guide on Disney transportation
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/search-
results/?searchString=transportation&ddName=navigatornextgen&ddValue=%5ETransp
ortation%24
http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/aspx/twiz.aspx

Although Disney provides a good bus service, the monorail only covers Epcot and Magic
Kingdom and only the following hotels Polynesian Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
also the Contemporary Resort. You must remember that Disney is 47 square miles, so
going by bus can involve several changes and if you miss one bus you could have up to
a 20 minute wait for the next one to your destination. From Magic Kingdom bus area to
Animal Kingdom Lodge (behind Animal Kingdom) took 45 minutes, with a change at
Animal Kingdom and no real delay, by car the journey is 20 minutes.

For those of you that have never been before, everything on Disney is VAST and that
includes the car parks. If you are staying on site at a Disney hotel, you should get a free
car pass which will also let you park for free at the Disney parks.

The biggest advantage of having a car is being able to eat offsite, saving you a fortune
and giving you a far greater choice of good food. If driving pass Down Town Disney on
your left, carry straight on for max 5 minutes and you come to a crossroads and the end
of Disney. Straight over is an area called “Crossroads”, there is a supermarket, TGI
Fridays, Taco Bell, Red Lobster, Buffalo Wings, Fuddruckers, McDonald’s, Pizza Uno,
Quizno’s, Dakshin & Perkins. Eating offsite cuts the cost of a meal by half and vastly
reduces the waiting time.

Disney/Universal Studios/Discovery Cove/Sea World/Busch Gardens

For those who have not been before, you cannot do everything in a 21 day holiday,
believe me we have tried. There is so much to see and do in Florida, not only on Disney,
but Universal Studios, Discovery Cove, Sea World, Busch Gardens and other places.
Disney is vast, 47 square miles, 4 parks + water parks. Allow 3 days to cover most of
Magic Kingdom, 1 day each to cover most of Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood
studios, this does NOT allow time more than one ride on each of the main attractions.

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Special Needs Passes
Special needs passes are available at Disney and Universal parks they give you a single
pass for use at every visit, the way Disney do. Take proof of the person's special needs,
but the chances are that they won't need to see it.

Days in parks
I would recommend carrying small bottles of sun cream buy small empty bottles from
Walmart and fill them up with your sun cream, save having to carry large bottles. For
kids I would invest in UV resistant shirts, the Florida sun can be very strong and will
penetrate a T shirt in no time. Also carry water with you, water bottles can be refilled at
fountains and at meal stops I have got a free cup of ice and tipped it into the water bottle.

Disney Magical Express

Disney Magical Express is a free coach to and from the airport to your Disney resort, as
long as you are staying the nights of arrival and departure at selected Disney resorts you
can use the Disney Magical Express. Reserve Disney's Magical Express Transportation
when you book online or by calling (407) WDW-MAGIC or (407) 939-6244 or book online
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/reservations/dme/index

Disney Park Maps & Hotel Maps

http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/index.htm

Downtown Disney
You do not need a pass for Downtown Disney and parking is free. Downtown Disney
has many restaurants and places to eat - House of Blues, Wolfgang Puck Café, Bongos
Cuban Café, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Planet Hollywood, Raglan Road, Cookies of Dublin,
Portobello, Fulton’s Crab House & T-Rex Café and a few others. There is also a good
selection of shops including the biggest Disney store in the World and Lego Imagination
Center, also there are some good entertainment places.

Disney Fast Passes

There are several rides (usually the most popular ones) in each park that have fast
passes and they work like this. BEFORE you insert your fast pass check the time for the
next fast pass ticket (it is clearly displayed), sometimes this can be a few hours time. If
you insert your fast pass card and the next ticket is in 3 hours, this will stop you going to
another fast pass ride for probably 2 hours of those 3 hours. You slot in your fast pass
card and are given a ticket to return in about an hour for a slot that lasts 1 hour, you can
also use the fast pass after the slot has finished. At the bottom of the ticket it tells you
when you can get another fast pass (most of the time it is the start of the hour slot,
sometimes it will be 10 minutes before your first one starts), dash to another fast pass
ride and get another fast pass ticket. Then go back to your first one and enjoy the ride,
meanwhile your time for the second fast pass ride is getting nearer. On the popular rides
a normal queue can be 45 minutes or more compared to 10 minutes using a fast pass.
Only one person has to go and get the fast passes, but that person will need all the
Disney tickets.

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Disney Passes

Do not be tempted to buy Disney tickets on Ebay, Craigs list or Attraction Ticket
booths in Florida, they are often selling part used or sometimes supposedly
reprogrammed tickets, besides it is illegal to sell or buy second hand or part used
tickets, they will NOT WORK as each ticket is linked to the fingerprint of the
person that first used the ticket.

These people selling these tickets are scammers, you will land up arriving at
Disney and these tickets will be rejected at the entry barriers as your fingerprint
will not be recognised by the machines. Not only will you be embarrassed but you
will have lost your money.

Unless you are on a tight budget, I would recommend that you buy your Disney passes
to cover all of the holiday, otherwise you are forced to do something because of your
restrictions on your pass. For example if you have bought a 7 consecutive day pass on
a 14 day holiday, you feel you have wasted your money unless you use that pass for all
7 days, whereas you might want to chill out by the pool on one day.
There are many different versions of the park tickets, besides paying at the gate, Disney
have tickets covering consecutive days for example 14 and 21 days, these are called
Disney Ultimate tickets and allow you unlimited access to all the parks, water parks,
Disney Quest and Disney golf course. Tickets that allow so many entries say 5 or 7 days
(not consecutive) are called Premium tickets; these tickets also allow 5 or 7 admissions
to the water parks, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island, Wide World Sports Complex and
Indoor Interactive Theme Park. Often there is very little price wise between 7 day
Premium ticket (these do not have to be consecutive days) and a 14 day Ultimate ticket.
The best value passes are the Ultimate 14 or 21 day passes, these are for 14 or 21
consecutive days and allow you to hop from one park to another all in one day.

You could have a character breakfast in one park and spend the rest of the day in
another. Annual pass may work out cheaper than a 21 day pass.

If you look at the various different tickets available for Disney, there is very little
difference in price. So on a 14 day holiday you may save a few quid but could severely
restrict your movements. The following prices were lifted from one of the advertisers and
apply in April 2009:-

5 Day Premium - £205/ad and £187/ch

7 Day Premium - £205/ad and £187/ch
14 Day Ultimate - £224/ad and £205/ch
21 Day Ultimate - £243/ad and £224/ch

So if you are on a 14 day holiday yes you could buy a 5 day premium and save £19
against the cost of a 14 day Ultimate ticket, but you only have limited access for 5 days
these do not have to be consecutive days. Personally I always buy the ticket that covers
the whole of the holiday.

I would advise purchasing your tickets before you leave the UK, as some tickets like the
14 day Ultimate ticket are not easily available out there, (some are only available in the
UK). If you are staying for a long time or likely to return within a year an annual pass

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might be worth it, you get free parking at Disney for silver and above annual passes, a
good perk if staying off site.

You cannot share Disney tickets as on the first time of use you have to use a fingerprint
machine to activate and each time you use that ticket to enter a park you have to use a
fingerprint machine.

Disney tickets are the size of a credit card and are normally added to your room key if
staying at a hotel on site (room key is like a plastic credit card), otherwise the tickets are
paper. Activating the ticket go straight to a turnstile and a member will activate the ticket
for you, it is advisable if one of the group had ID in the form of a driving licence just in
case at time of activation you are asked for proof of ID.

Disney Parking
Parking at the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios is
charged at USD 14 a day, this allows you to return and park hop without paying again
(i.e. go to more than one park in a day), however if you are staying onsite it is free.
Parking at Downtown Disney and the 2 Disney water parks are free. The Disney car
parks are vast especially Magic Kingdom, I recommend writing down (or take a photo) of
the row number and character where you have parked, it will make it easier finding your
car after a long day in the park.

Disney’s Photopass - PLEASE ALSO SEE THE LAST 2 PAGES

You can pre-order the photopass CD at a cost of USD119.95 saving USD50
http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx
Professional photographers are everywhere and they make sure that you get a good
photo, try to collect only one photopass card and pass it to the photographer every time.

Disney has introduced Photopass+, you can pre-order this at a cost of USD 169.95
http://www.disneyphotopass.com/wdwphotopassplus.aspx
However it appears that this cannot be shared as you need to bring your package
with you to redeem it for your Photopass+ card.

Photopass+ participating attractions: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Buzz

Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Expedition
Everest and Dinosaur.

Participating Character Dining locations: 1900 Park Fare, Ohana for Breakfast, Spirit of
Aloha Dinner Show, Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Tusker House for
Breakfast, Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue and Princess Storybook Dining at Arkershus
Royal Banquet Hall.

Certain photographers can do magic photos, for example you could be holding Simba or
have Tinker Bell standing on your hand, for full details have a look at
http://allears.net/tp/ppass.htm http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/
You only have 30 days from the date of the first photo to download your photos
and a further 30 days to edit them.

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Magic Kingdom:

Location Tips Special Poses Characters

Main Entrance /
Tinker Bell
Train Station
Exposition Hall: the exhibits in the back, such as the
101 Dalmatians, are available for PhotoPass.
Tinker Bell flying out of your
Town Square The square is a HUGE place for characters, from
hands
Mickey to the Princesses.... look for them around the
entire area.

Tinker Bell flies out of your

Photographers have over 8 different vantage points of hands
Main Street,
USA the Castle. Start with a classic on Main Street and let Stitch sits next to you on a
our photographer point out other perfect spots. Don't bench
forget to get photos of you and your party with the
Castle Hub Area castle lit up at night.
Tinker Bell
Locations
See Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie as well as
Captain Hook, Mr. Smee and more at a Meet & Greet
area near the shops
Captain Hook outside of Pirates
Adventureland
Disney's Photopass photographers may be near of the Caribbean
Aladdin's carpet ride with the gold Camels in the
background

Peter, Wendy, Hook, and Smee do Meet & Greets to

the side of Peter's ride. Peter can even ask you to the
Fantasyland leap in the air with him as you go off to Neverland!

Tangled Play and Greet - Rapunzel and Flynn

Frontierland
Haunted Ghost driver
Primarily Halloween party
Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts
The entrance sign usually has a photographer.
Mickey's The Judges Tent is a HUGE character greeting place, Tinker Bell Wings (Wings
Toontown Fair and so is Pixie Hollow. Remember: the wrist strap Overlay) on rare occasions
PhotoPass card is at Pixie Hollow.

Stitch sitting next to you,

wearing sunglasses, and eating
Meet Stitch, the Incredibles, and Buzz at different times
Tomorrowland an ice cream cone. On the
around Tomorrowland!
benches near Mickey's Star
Traders.

Epcot:

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 Location Tips Special Poses Characters
Tinker Bell in your hands
Start with a fun portrait with Spaceship Earth in the Stitch in his spacesuit bursts
Main Entrance
background. Then move inside the entrance for another into your picture from the sky
/ Spaceship
photo spot until you're on the opposite side of the icon for (Note: we see this in older
Earth
another photo. Again, don't forget to get night photos. PhotoPass pictures. Let us
know if you see this again!)

Mickey and the rest of the Fab Five are waiting for you in
the Character Connection in Innoventions West.
When you take a photo outside
FREE photo Disney Visa Cardholders! Just show your the building (putting you near
Character
Disney Visa and your family will be escorted into a room the fountain), Mickey, Minnie
Connection where you will meet some Disney Characters. Then stop and Goofy in hang glider like
by the Kodak store on your way out and get your free 5 x Soarin' show up in your photo!
7 photo! You can have up to 6 people in the photos, and
the hours run from 1:30 to 4:30 PM.

The Seas with

A large reef sculpture/float of Nemo and the other
Nemo and
characters is outside the pavilion for photos.
Friends
You'll find many Disney characters throughout World
Showcase: Belle and the Beast have a Meet & Greet area
inside a shop in the France Pavilion, but also do photos by
the fountain.
Mulan has a little garden in China that many people miss.
She and Mushu also do greets outside the Temple of
Heaven.

Jasmine and Aladdin take photos at the entrance to the

Morocco pavilion, with the Souk-Al-Magreb shop or the
World Gallery of Arts and History building in the background, as
Showcase well as inside. Canada: Mickey balloons
Locations
You can meet Winnie the Pooh & Friends in the United
Kingdom Pavilion, and sometimes Mary Poppins!

Donald Duck does a Meet & Greet in Mexico to go with

the updated ride.

Even when the characters aren't there, the PhotoPass

photographers can be around the Showcase taking
photos in front of the pavilions, such as at the entrance to
the Maze Garden in the UK pavilion.

Photographer may take candids by the waterfall, and have

Canada
you in the Wooden Display Carvings outside the pavilion.
MISSION:
Seasonally
Space
Currently, Test Track is the only ride whose attraction
Test Track photo is on the PhotoPass system. Just slide your card
into the slot under a photo monitor at the end of the ride.

Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Location Tips Special Poses Characters

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 Stitch shows up in 3 different ways now! The
first is him up coming up out of the
pavement, another is him sitting next to you
with an ice cream cone. The new one is him
Hollywood popping out of a hat in your hands.
Great locations up and down the street.
Boulevard
Mickey, Minnie, and Lilo will appear on
benches next to you. Note: in June 2009,
photographers weren't doing the added Lilo
pose when guests requested it.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the

Rock 'n Roller Coaster.
Stitch comes out of the pavement as he
Sunset You get your photo with you sitting on luggage
does on Hollywood Boulevard.
underneath a sign reading Route 66 outside of
Boulevard
the Villains store. Disney will put colorful Mickey balloons in
Attractions
your hand!
Photos of you with props from High School
Musical.

Say hi to Mike and Sully!

Pixar Place Meet the Toy Story characters across from
Toy Story Mania

Sorcerer
Stitch pops out of a hat in your hands.
Mickey's Hat
Magic of
Characters from the latest film do Meet and
Disney
Greets here.
Animation
Darth Vader poses for pictures, even if you
are not in the show.
Star Tours - During the Star Wars weekends, you not only
Lightsaber blades are added to your battle
Jedi get a chance for photos with more characters
with Darth Vader
Academy like Darth Vader, plus speederbike pictures,
but Disney Photopass offers special borders,
like X-Wing Pilot Mickey, for your pictures.

Streets of the Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater do

Mickey balloons
Americas appearances at their new Luigi's Garage!

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park:

Special Poses
Location Tips
Characters
Start the day just outside the Main Entrance for a picture with Baby Simba cradled
Main Entrance
the park entrance in the background. in your arms
Tree of Life Baby Simba cradled
Locations in your arms
Expedition
Everest
Lilo & Stitch do Meet & Greets at the entrance near Pizzafari.
Camp Minnie-
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto are dressed in their safari gear
Mickey
at their Meet & Greet near the Lion King Theater.

Character Boat Meet Winnie the Pooh and friends here as well as Mickey,
Landings Rafiki, and other characters. Pathway near the DinoLand

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 entrance
Conservation
Pocahontas, Rafiki, and Jiminy Cricket do Meet & Greets here.
Station
Pathway near entrance leads to the Winnie the Pooh characters
DinoLand
greet.
Have your photo taken with Baloo & King Louie near Tamu
Africa
Tamu refreshments (near land's entrance)

Make a note of the photopass card number or better still take a photo of it, if lost you can
get another photopass card and have your photos transferred over or you can download
them when you get home. Photos are viewable for 30 days and you can purchase the
pictures on CD, as many photos as you like on CD for USD149.95 plus postage (I
believe USD10).

When you are in Disney you will be given a photopass card by a photographer, you then
use this card each time you have a photo taken. When you get back from holiday, you
log onto your account and enter in the photopass card number, download the photos,
edit and then order the CD.

CD's are sent by Fedex, so they have to be signed for, so a work address for delivery is
ideal for this.

View the photos on http://www.disneyphotopass.com/ Why not share a photopass with

others travelling back at a similar date as you, this will cut the cost.

Staying on Disney
Staying at a Disney hotel on Disney has its advantages, extra hours in the parks on
certain days/nights. Your room key is the size of a credit card and if you have a Disney
pass this is normally added to your room key, also if you give the hotel your credit card
details you can then charge just about anything you buy in Disney to your room (few
exceptions petrol is one), you can then settle your bill at the hotel by travellers cheques,
cash or credit card, there is normally a credit limit set by your hotel, I believe value hotels
USD500, Moderates USD1,000 and Deluxe USD1,500, once these limits are reached
you are requested to settle your bill and then your credit limit is restored. Children’s
room keys can be setup without the charge facility. Anything you buy from a shop
anywhere on Disney can be sent back to your hotel FREE of charge, this normally takes
24 hours so is not available on the last 2 days of your holiday. This saves you having to
carry any purchases around the parks and on rides, disadvantage you will spend more
because you do not have to worry about carrying stuff around with you. If staying on site
and you have a car then you get free parking in all of the Disney parks, if you are not
staying on site then it is USD14 a day, which works out at USD 196 for a fortnight!

Disney Lockers
Lockers in the Disney 4 parks are found near the park entrance and are hired for the
entire day. The price of renting a small locker in one of the four theme parks is USD7 per
day, a large locker is USD9. Disney’s two water parks the small lockers USD8 and large
lockers USD10.

Disney Dining Plan

There are 3 levels of Disney Dining Plan:

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Quick Service Dining Plan costs about Adult £19 per day, child (3-9 years) £6 per day.
This entitles you to 2 quick service meals per day (snack meals) & soft drink.

Disney Dining Plan costs about Adult £25 per day, child (3-9 years) £9 per day. This
entitles you to 1 table service meal and 1 quick service meal per day & soft drink.

Deluxe Service Dining Plan costs about Adult £44 per day, child (3-9 years) £13 per
day. This entitles you to traditional breakfast or a Character Breakfast, lunch and dinner
at a table service meal or two quick service meals per day & soft drink.

It is recommended that if you are staying onsite without a car to buy the Disney Dining
Plan, as it will save you a fortune.

Restaurant Guide and Menus for all of Disney http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

Refillable Mugs
Most resorts on Disney sell refillable mugs, they cost about USD13 each and you can
refill them with hot and cold drinks (excluding juices) as many times as you like at your
hotel during your stay and they are a great souvenir to take home, this compares with a
charge per drink of USD2.50 if you do not use the refillable mugs. Unfortunately you
cannot refill them in the parks.

Disney Water Parks do refillable mugs with free refills. Universal Studios/Island of
Adventure also do refillable mugs that cost about USD10, refills are not free but charged
at about 75cents. The mugs are meant for the day only, but there is nothing stopping
you returning with the mug on your next visit. The choice of drinks are limited to cold
drinks excluding juices.

Character Breakfasts
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/search-
results/?searchString=booking+character+dining
Disney Dining is now bookable 180 days ahead unless you are staying on site then you
get an extra 10 days.

To book phone 001 407 939 3463, Walt Disney Travel Company 0870 242 4900, 020
8222 1000

Breakfast for 3 adults (our 12 year old was classed as an adult) normally works out about
USD70-USD80
Personally we found the following character breakfasts good:-
Lillo & Stitch Ohana Character breakfast - Polynesian Resort
Cape May Café - Beech Club Resort
Crystal palace Magic Kingdom
Chef Mickey's - Contemporary resort

Magic Kingdom is by far the largest park (by number of attractions/rides and shops),
there are 45 attractions/rides in Magic Kingdom, whereas Epcot only has 20
attractions/rides. Epcot is the largest in land size, mainly because there is a massive
lake with World Showcase all around it. If you are driving from the south area of Disney,
say Animal Kingdom Lodge, Animal Kingdom or Downtown Disney, allow 20 minutes
drive time. Once parked allow 10 minutes transfer by tram to the boat or monorail, then

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another 20 minutes either by boat or monorail to the Magic Kingdom, 50 minutes in total!
Allow 3 whole days to cover most of the rides on this park.

Magic Kingdom Night Parade

I recommend seeing the evening parade at Magic Kingdom, the Disney characters and
the floats are lit up with thousands of tiny lights, because of the safety factor this is
cancelled in event that there is likely to be rain.

I have found that one of the best places to position oneself is sitting on the curb outside
the shops on Main Street at the beginning of Magic Kingdom, the street is narrow and
one can get a good view of both the floats going to and returning from Cinderella’s magic
castle.

Animal Kingdom
Go early whilst it is still cool and you will see more of the animals, they will be hiding in
the shade when it gets hot. Also head for the Kilimanjaro Safaris early for the same
reason and it will save you queuing in the heat.

Disney Water Parks

Disney have two water parks Blizzard Beach & Typhoon Lagoon, they get full very
quickly, so at busy times of the year get there early otherwise you may not get in. Both
parks are large and I would advise buying water shoes as the sand can be hot and the
floor of the lazy river is rough. Water shoes can be purchased from Walmart, also at the
parks but they are much more expensive. Parking at the two water parks are free.

Bags in the Parks

We normally take only one small backpack in the Disney & Universal parks (more in the
water parks). I normally carry camera, ponchos, small amount of sun cream and a bottle
of water. This time I bought a hard plastic Animal Kingdom water bottle (holds nearly a
litre) filled it with ice from the hotel then topped it up with bottle water; it stayed lovely and
cold for hours. Whenever we stopped for lunch or to buy a drink I would ask for a cup of
ice to top up the water bottle.

At Universal some of the rides have lockers that you can rent, especially useful as at
some rides you literally get drenched.

Pushchairs
You can hire strollers at any of the 4 parks, these are much easier than a pushchair and
more fun for the child. Not suitable for babies.

Stroller Rental
At Disney, you can pay for multiple days rental and get it at a slightly reduced rate. This
was news to us & we have rented strollers a lot, they don't advertise it very well.

Disney Dollars
Come in various denominations and can be purchased at guest relations just inside the
parks and at some hotels. They can be used just about anywhere on Disney, however
they make a good memento of your holiday.

WiFi
Free WiFi is now available at all Disney resorts other than the campsites at Fort
Wilderness Lodge and campground where wired internet access is available.

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http://allears.net/acc/internet.htm

Disney Mail Order

001 407 363 6200
wdw.mail.order@disneyworld.com
http://www.disneystore.com/?att=MicroChrmShpTb&CMP=OTL-DcomMicro

Disney World Websites

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/?forceDomestic=true
http://wdtc.disneyinternational.com/
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

Departure Check in at Down Town Disney

We had to check out of the hotel by 11am, if your package is with Virgin Holidays you
are given a voucher (anyone only flying Virgin Atlantic can use the check in but are
charged USD10 per person), you take your cases down to the front (car park side) of
Cirque Du Soleil, here you check in your luggage and receive your boarding passes, that
is the last time you see your cases until you are in the UK. Downtown Disney check in
opens at about 8am. After you have ditched your cases you are free to go back to your
hotel or spend the day at a Disney park. Some hotels (Animal Kingdom Lodge) provide
free towels by the pool and good shower facilities, so all you need in your hand luggage
is your swimming costumes and a plastic bag for the swimming cloths on your last day +
sun cream.

Discovery Cove – http://www.discoverycove.com/

Besides swimming with dolphins there are several pools you can go swimming in
including one with fish, there is a lazy river that takes you slowly around most of the park,
sandy beaches and a very large aviary where you can feed the birds. I would
recommend getting there early say 8.30am so that you have the pick of the time to swim
with dolphins, personally I would go for mid morning to swim with the dolphins, you are
not hungry or tired and will enjoy it more because of that. Discovery Cove limit the
number of people to a 1,000 any one day. You can usually book up to 10 months ahead,
book as soon as you can so as to choose the date you want. You get a 7 day pass with
swim with dolphins this allows you to either Busch Gardens or Seaworld USD289 + tax,
14 day pass for both parks approx USD 359 tax (2009 price).
The photos of you swimming with Dolphins are expensive USD25 each or to have some
on a CD works out about USD150 (price depends on the number of photos on the CD).
Food and drink are provided within the price, towels and wetsuits are also provided free.
Telephone 001 407 370 1428
Monday-Friday 8-8, weekends 8-5 (5 hours behind)

Sea World - http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando

Is another park owned by the same group as Discovery Cove and is just around the
corner from Discovery Cove.

Busch Gardens - http://buschgardens.com/Bgt/default.aspx

Is another park owned by the same group as Discovery Cove and is about an hours
drive from Disney. Depending on what ticket you have there is a free bus from I-Drive to
Busch Gardens.
Universal Studio tickets
Universal studios in my opinion is a poor Disney in comparison considering the cost of
entry and size, but still worth a visit. Compare the cost of a 14 day Ultimate ticket in

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Disney (which includes fastpasses), to that of a 14 day pass for both Universal parks and
add in say four days of fastpasses, then Universal tickets cost you more than Disney and
Universal only have 2 parks, compared to 4 Disney parks and 2 water parks. Buy tickets
ahead as gate prices are high, there are 2 parks so make sure that your tickets cover
both. Universal Express Passes can be purchased easily in the parks, however from my
experience they are expensive waste of money. Under the terms and conditions the
Express Pass can only be used once per ride, however when the park is quiet they do
not appear to apply this rule. In 2009 we were fortunately enough to be given
complimentary fast passes, which we used, but the normal queue was not that long (as
this was just after Easter and all the parks had quietened down).
Gate price 1 day 1 park: Adult $60, Child $48 + TAX (2006 price)
I bought 14-day vouchers covering 2 parks at £79 per adult (2009 price) from
Chartertravel. Changing the vouchers to tickets was a doddle; I just went up to one of
the ticket booths, handed in the voucher and showed the driving license. I cannot
understand all the fuss about vouchers, the Disney ones were put on our room key and
were still valid for 5 days after we had left the hotel.
http://www.chartertravel.co.uk/ 01635 551011
http://www.universalstudios.com/
http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Universal-Studios/
7 day Adult $105 (2008 price)
http://www.dwtickets.com/Discount_Universal_Studios_Tickets_s/55.htm
7 day Adult $106 (2008 price)
7 day pass $95 (2008 price) - http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/universal/

The following tip is from JamboJack

If they have Universal tickets, travellers should consider booking a night at one of the
Universal hotels during their stay as it allows them access to front of the line (FOTL) and
is often cheaper than buying the express passes for each member of the party for each
day. It does mean spending two consecutive days at the Universal Parks, but in the
height of summer it would be well worth the money. We stayed at the HRH in September
and whilst the lines in the parks were not huge they did allow us to 'jump the queue' more
than once, unlike the express passes which only allow you to do this once. The front of
the line pass does not appear to be valid on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Hiring a car
Make sure that if you have paid for petrol that the tank is full, also check if the vehicle is
to be returned with a full tank. Petrol is cheap in Disney, costs about USD2.6 per US
gallon, so be careful how much you are charged for a full tank of petrol. When collecting
the car check carefully for any damage and get it noted on the hire form as well as take
photos, make sure that you have not been downgraded to a smaller car from what you
have paid for. On returning the car photograph the car on all sides and the petrol gauge,
so as to be able to dispute any additional amounts that may appear on your credit card,
also keep the petrol receipt when you have just filled up the car on the return.

It is recommended in hiring or purchasing a satnav or Tom Tom to avoid taking wrong

turns and getting lost, especially if venturing say to the coast.

Don’t forget that unless it states otherwise you can turn right on a red light, but give way
to traffic coming from your left.

Have a look at where your hotel is in relation to major roads. If you are on I-Drive for
example, we usually take note of the Exit number (e.g Exit 74A) of I-4. This is useful

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when you are returning from the parks late at night because I-4 is usually signposted
from pretty much everywhere.

Maps
For a good map covering Disney, International Drive, Universal Studios, Seaworld,
Discovery Cove, Kissimmee and Orlando Airport that shows restaurants, hotels,
Walmart, shopping malls. The map is covered in a thin film of plastic to stop it getting
wet and tearing. http://www.orlandomaps.co.uk/

Petrol Stations on Disney

The petrol stations on Disney are prepay, you first of all park at a pump, then go to the
cashier and pay for the amount of petrol that you want to put in. Return to your car and
fill up, if it will not take the full amount that you paid for, then return to the cashier who
will refund the difference. Petrol is about USD2.6 per US gallon.

Tolls
Be careful of toll booths, as a cash paying driver make sure that you are in the correct
lane usually on the right, some lanes are for e-pass only, if you use these and do not
have an e-pass you will get fined heavily usually after you have returned to the UK
through an additional charge on your credit card that you gave to the hire company.

Advisable to carry plenty of quarters and several dollar coins as there are several
unmanned toll booths that require the exact change. One such toll is off John Young
Pkwy to get on the 417 you will be immediately confronted by 2 toll booths, one - e pass
only, the other 75c exact change, not manned. The warning sign is easy to miss as you
turn that you need exact change! There are many booths like it. So carry some quarters!

Pop up boxes for toys as kindly recommended by Babybear

When staying offsite with young children recommend taking a 'pop up' fabric boxes with
a cardboard insert for the base once the box has 'popped up' it just lays flat on the base
and gives the box some added strength. We used it in our condo as we had daily maid
service and didn’t want any toys, colouring in stuff, stickers and teddies going missing
while the condo was being cleaned. This avoids teddies being bundled up with bed linen
by housekeeping, never to be seen again. Because they go flat and weigh almost
nothing they easily fit in some zip compartments, can be purchased in places like
poundstretcher.

I-Drive Accommodation
Rosen Inn
Has changed a great deal since the 1st time we visited. We stayed in the Rodeway Inn
(now Rosen Inn) on I-Drive 4 times and found it to be fairly central. It was basic but very
clean, but we spent so little time there that it didn’t matter. The facilities in the hotel were
adequate with the Shogun Japanese restaurant in the hotel being fantastic. Not just a
meal but a dining experience, they prepare your food right in front of you on a hot plate.
http://www.roseninn6327.com/

Wyndham Orlando Resort on junction of Sand Lake Road -Lovely inner areas, almost
like being on a tropical island, but it is on a very busy junction. But lovely gardens, nice
pool and Jacuzzi, nice little shop that does fab ice creams and a really good pool
bar/snack bar. Restaurant on site but we never used it as there is a golden Corral over
the road for breakfast and its walking distance to lots of great places for dinner.

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http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MCOWD/main.wnt

Hilton Garden Inn near Wet and Wild - Great location, its in a little street just off i-drive,
really quiet but still right in the heart of things. Facilities arent as good as the Wyndham
but its cheaper in a quieter location.
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=QGMBM54SZQKTW
CSGBIW2VCQ?ctyhocn=ORLSEGI

Homewood suites idrive. Lovely hotel, great location on the south end of I drive, behind
Bahama Breeze which is one of the best eateries on I drive and TGIs, by Point Orlando
which has some fab bars and by Millers ALex house (this is new). Its also on the I ride
trolley route to the outlets and Seaword and the hotel provides free breakfast, free
managers reception (snacky evening food) and free shuttles to all the parks (its one of
the only hotels that does all park shuttles).
http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/MCOCVHW-Homewood-Suites-by-
Hilton-Orlando-International-Drive-Convention-Center-Florida/index.do

Flying from Gatwick with Virgin

The minimum check in time for Virgin passengers is 3 hours at the gate or 2 hours if you
have checked in online, I would recommend allowing more for delays in checking in and
getting through security, you do not want to miss your flight! As we are not local to
Gatwick and our flight is normally in the morning, we normally stay at the Hilton Hotel,
right on Gatwick South Terminal, this is the terminal Virgin fly from.

The Hilton for 3 of us staying in a family room, dinner and 15 days parking has cost us
£175 in August 2010. Dinner was fantastic, a buffet in the Garden Room (you just help
yourself to whatever you want, starters included asparagus, salmon, prawns and salads,
main course included roast lamb, salmon in a cream sauce and a curry and deserts were
to die for.

Gatwich north terminal smaller, Sofitel Hotel 01293 567070

Gatwick south terminal larger, Hilton Hotel 01293 518080, Hilton use the onsite long
stay car park almost opposite the Hilton.
Extra days parking at both about £8.50 a day very near to terminals

ALL TWILIGHT CHECK-INS ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR PARTY MUST COME TO

THE AIRPORT FOR CHECK-IN. YOU’LL NEED ALL TICKETS, PASSPORTS AND
ALL BAGGAGE.

Virgin Twilight check in opens from 12pm (noon) to 9pm Zone A Gatwick South
Terminal. Twilight check in is where you check in your luggage and get the boarding
passes the day/evening before you fly, once you have checked in your baggage you are
left with only your hand luggage. This way you avoid the minimum 3 hour check in on
the day. Your overnight things will have to go in your hand luggage, one idea is to take
a cheap toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste and almost empty shampoo bottle,
then ditch them in the morning. In the morning you head straight for passport control.

British Airways also do a Twilight check in at Gatwick north terminal open from
16:00 to 22:00

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Thomson also do a Twilight check in at Gatwick north terminal (only available on
flight numbers starting with TOM), Zone A open from 12:00 to 22:00. This is only
available for flights with a scheduled departure time before midday. For USA flights
whilst you can check in your bags the day before, you still have to return the next
morning to the Premium queue to collect your boarding cards.
Thomson also do a Twilight check in at Manchester Terminal 2 and Birmingham.
http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/faqs/flights/checking-in.html

There are 3 Short stay car parks all in a row at Gatwick south terminal for people
staying 'offsite' and using Twilight check in with Virgin. Avoid the first one as there is a
long walk to the Virgin Desk. For the shortest walk car park number 2 red, next best is
car park number 3 orange.

For prices
http://www.gatwickairport.com/parking/short-stay/

Hilton Gatwick 01293 518080

When booking the Hilton at Gatwick there are two options on bookings; one is non-
cancellable pay now, the other is a flexible one you pay at arrival this facility is only
available when you book direct with the hotel (not through central reservations), this you
can cancel up to the date of arrival, this option is slightly more expensive. When I booked
over the phone with Hilton Gatwick (not the normal reservations, which often goes to
USA), I was advised to book the second option and if the prices came down then I could
book a new one and cancel the first one. You can also pay using Tesco Clubcard Deals
for 1 night at the Hilton at Gatwick, although you cannot use the 8 or 15 day parking
At the Hilton they let you park whilst you check in and take your cases to the room, then
if you have paid the normal 8 or 15 day parking, you move your car to the long stay car
park. Hilton do not have their own car park and use other car parks for their deals, which
as at August 2010 is the long stay car park almost opposite, which is just before you turn
into the Hilton and is on the opposite side of the road, a 5 minute walk. At this car park
you park the car yourself and keep your keys, it is possible to return to your car in the
morning to get rid of your overnight things. After that we normally go and do the twilight
check in.

If you want to stay just one night suggest you book into the long stay
http://www.gatwickairport.com/parking/long-stay/south/

On return we normally go direct to the Hilton Hotel, where I leave the family and all the
luggage, whilst I nip and get the car. Travelling light to recover the car is easy and stress
free. Then I drive back to the Hilton and load up!

You can use Tesco clubcard vouchers for a one night stay at the Hilton including buffet
breakfast, code needed online is PR20TC. Rough guide is about £40 of clubcard
vouchers for a double room or £60 for a family room, however you cannot include
parking on Tesco clubcard vouchers.

Acorn Lodge http://www.acornlodgegatwick.co.uk/ Gatwick by far the Best we have

stayed in, it is very clean, lovely brekkie included, transfers included look after your
car,plus great value,you could get a large family room with two bunk beds, then double
bed and a single bed the other side of the double,if not then get 2 rooms side by side.

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Like I said its a great place to stay and they really looked after us when we took dd aged
6 months, they warmed bottles, nothing was a problem and hasn’t been every time we
have stayed there. 10 to 15 minute transfer time.

Arora International http://www.arorainternational.com/at Crawley, a really nice ,clean

hotel, only a short minibus ride from the airport, and if you leave your car there, the car
park is under the hotel so nice and safe. 10 minute transfer time.

The Corner House http://www.thecornerhouse.co.uk/ they will run you to the airport and
pick you up after and also do car parking on site. 2 miles to south terminal and 3 miles
to north terminal

Europa Hotel http://www.europagatwickairporthotel.co.uk/ which was basic but did the

job and had a lovely little stream with fish in it in the garden of the hotel and a swimming
pool which helped to keep the kids occupied for a while in the evening!

Holiday Inn
http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/gb/en/gatwick/lgwap/hoteldetail?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/h
i/925/en/hotelsearchresults I think and although the decor was more modern etc we
preferred the Europa. 5 minute transfer time.

Little Foxes Hotel www.littlefoxeshotel.co.uk about 4-5 miles from Gatwick, but is just
down a little lane from the travellodge, but it is MUCH nicer than the travel lodge. They
do on site car parking too. We stayed there in the summer 2009, as like you I couldn’t
justify the prices for parking and hotel that were coming up. We paid £82 for a triple
room (although only asked for Twin) and 3 weeks parking, it included taxi transfers from
the hotel to the airport and then on return we called up and they came to pick us up.
Easy straightforward and great value. The was just down from Crawley leisure park, so
we went there for dinner in the evening, and its down a fairly countryish lane, but its so
close to the airport and great value. Highly recommend them for a great value service

Sofitel Hotel http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6204-sofitel-london-gatwick/index.shtml

01293 567070 this is on the north terminal (British Airways fly from this terminal). Its
great. We stayed there night before travelling last year and are doing so again next
week. The family rooms are large with real beds for the kids rather than sofas. Breakfast
is good. Its expensive compared to others but its adjoined to terminal so brilliant in
morning.

Tumbles http://www.trumbles.co.uk/index.html 01293 863418

Trumbles AA 4 star Guest Accommodation offers 6 spacious on a bed and breakfast
basis, in a charming village near Gatwick Airport and Horley in Surrey, free transport to
the airport, parking is £3 a day, double room is £65-£75 a night (2009 prices)

Travelodge 0871 984 6031

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/info?hotelId=28
We are staying there (6 adults & 3 kids in 3 rooms) for just over £160 (2010 prices) for us
all for a one night stay. This includes 2 course dinner, bed & all-you-can-eat buffet
breakfast. Kids stay and eat free so each pair of adults pays only £59. There is a bus
service to and from each terminal building for a small fee (£3 adult, £2 children one way)
but overall, I would recommend it.

Page 19 of 30
Glasgow Hotels and Parking

Holiday Inn Express http://www.expressglasgowairport.co.uk/Holiday-Inn-Express-

Glasgow-Airport-Home/holiday-inn-express-glasgow-airport.html
They have 2 types of parking. 1 take the car to an off site care park yourself . 2 Hand
keys in at reception and they will park car for you and have it waiting in the hotel car park
when you arrive back. We always have them park car for us and I think its only an extra
tenner. There is a continental breakfast in the morning from 4am which if fine and just
enough for us. It is only a short walk to the terminal in the morning.
Their prices are pretty reasonable and it has always been a good start to our holidays.

Normandy Hotel with 15 Days Parking, it's usually £50 (2009 price) this includes Free
minibus pick up from the Hotel to the Airport and back.

Ramada http://www.ramadajarvis.co.uk/hotels/glasgowairport.aspx leave the car in the

car park at the hotel...free mini bus to the airport at any time of the day and it only takes
minutes.... great after a long overnight flight

For parking only Airparks was suggested.

Parksafe https://www.parksafe.co.uk/default.aspx 0141 848 7222, for years, never had a

problem, stop at the entry gate unload your cases and passengers, go and park the car
and get the minibus to the airport, 2-3 min travel max

Heathrow Hotels and Parking

I have discovered by using Holiday Extra Undercover Hotels, one can get some real
bargains, for example August 2011 Park Inn room for 2 adults and a teenager plus 16
days parking £69. August 2012 Sheraton Skyline room for 2 adults and a teenager plus
16 days parking £100.
http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/airport-hotels/undercover-hotels.html

Crowne Plaza
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/crowneplaza/hotels/gb/en/london/lonha/hoteldetail

£120 (2009) plus 15 nights parking like Park Inn, Crown Plaza & Sheraton Skyline, but
the Sheraton Skyline probably gets my top vote. Crown Plaza is our favourite due to the
fab leisure facilities and we tend to make a day of it before we fly

Hilton www.hilton.co.uk/heathrow utilising half price offers.

Holiday Inns http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/hd/united-kingdom/london/london-

heathrow-airport-hotels
Holiday Inn, Bath Road 118, Hayes, London, UB3 5AJ 0871-942 9040 £119 inc 15
nights parking booked through Quidco for weekday in August 2011

Holiday Inn, Bath Road, Sipson Way, 0208 990 0000 15 nights parking, Dinner + Bed
and breakfast for £135 (2009 price). Could not fault it at all. There is a bus that goes
around the Hotels to take you to the airport, but we used a taxi which cost £7 + tip. A taxi
is easier because it drops you at the terminal you want and not the bus station.

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Marriott http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/lhrhr-london-heathrow-marriott-hotel/

Park Inn http://www.parkinn.co.uk/airporthotel-heathrow (£120 in March/April 2009 for a

room and 16 days' parking); Like Park Inn, Crown Plaza & Sheraton Skyline, but the
Sheraton Skyline probably gets my top vote. Park Inn at Heathrow in September it cost
us only £89.00 for a family room with 15 days parking with the code from my voucher
codes uk website.
I booked the Park Inn for 3 with 16 days parking for August 2011 through Holiday Extras
Undercover Hotels for £69.
http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/airport-hotels/undercover-hotels.html

Renaissance hotel http://renaissance-heathrow.hotel-rn.com/ about 2miles from

Heathrow and have shuttle busses every half hour or so, I think the shuttle cost £4 per
person each way, I think we paid around £89 for the night and 2 weeks parking

Sheraton Skyline http://www.sheratonskyline.com/

(£44 April 2009 just room). Like Park Inn, Crown Plaza & Sheraton Skyline, but the
Sheraton Skyline probably gets my top vote.

Travel Lodge (both booked thru Holiday Extras), was £29 (2009 price) (we used meet &
greet parking) and have booked again for this year for the princely sum of £19

Edward Lloyd http://www.edwardlloydparking.co.uk/ meet and greet with 8% cashback

thru quidco.

Purple Parking http://www.purpleparking.com/?Source=GGLE

always come out the cheapest and book through Quidco, get cash back . It has 24hr
security, and busses to take you to the terminals.

Value Individual Parking meet and greet http://www.valueindividualparking.co.uk/

Manchester Hotels and Parking

Bewleys Hotel http://www.bewleyshotels.com/manchester_airport/
It's very reasonably priced, lovely bar & restaurant and the rooms are great too. They
have a mini bus that takes you back and forth to airport, no hassle at all. Once they took
our car off site and we had to get a bus to an off site carpark when we got back, but that
wasn't a problem. The other 2 times the car was left outside hotel.

Heatherlea guest house http://www.heatherleaguesthouse.com/

would highly recommend this. Price includes cooked breakfast in the morning (although
my dw wanted to be at the airport v early to get the seats she wanted, so we did not
have breakfast) and parking for the duration of your holiday. They also arrange transport
to and from the airport as well.

Premier Inn in Heald Green http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/MANHEA/manchester-

airport-heald-green is perfect for a quick overnight stay.

Radisson SAS http://www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-manchesterairport is more

conveniently located, it's actually on the skywalk with the airport, so you walk through to
the hotel. But it's a lot more expensive....

Travelodge on Runger Lane http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/info?hotelId=295

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0871 984 6181
Right next to the cargo terminal, it is one and a half miles from the main terminals and
there is an airport bus a hotel shuttle and cabs available to get you to the airport

Global Meet and Greet parking this year - they were great. Met us in the departures car
park, took or car and met as at arrivals on our return, we did not have any hanging
around or minibus transfers. We combined this with a cheap night in the Travelodge. It
was £82 for 21 nights parking (2009 price).

Pre-book Flight Seats

If you are flying with Virgin you can pre-book your flight seats (they are not guaranteed
and can be changed by Virgin) normally 11 months ahead
Go onto Virgin Atlantic website http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/index.jsp
Click on Manage your flights and book your seats
747 400 For a map of the plane and seating guide:-
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Virgin_Atlantic_Airways/Virgin_Atlantic_Airways_Boein
g_747-400_2.php
And for a seating plan for British Airways:-
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing_777-
200_B.php

Virgin Holidays
Virgin Holidays may not be the cheapest tour operator, but by the time you add all the
benefits that you get with Virgin Holidays, it is often worth paying the extra. For example
most tour operators have a baggage allowance of 20KG per person and excess baggage
is expensive for example on First Choice it is £15 per kilo
http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/help/luggage/excess-baggage/
Thomas Cook I understand charge for all luggage allowances and have a minimum
baggage allowance of 15kg plus 5kg hand luggage, the hand baggage no bigger than
43cm x 28cm x 23cm. They charge £30 per person for 20KG per person and charge
USD 20 per kilo for excess baggage at Stamford, I have read various posts saying some
people have been stung USD 500 for excess baggage, Thomson baggage allowance is
20kg per person and they charge £40 return if you do flights only, excess baggage £15
per KG http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/faqs/flights/luggage.html
Virgin’s is 23KG per person, a second case will cost £32 each way if pre booked online.
http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/info/important/faqs/default.aspx?category=7

Virgin do a check in at Downtown Disney in the morning of departure day, they take your
cases off you and give you the boarding pass, that is the last you see of your cases until
you arrive back in the UK. Virgin do a twilight check in at Gatwick airport, where you can
check in your cases the night before you fly out. All Food, snacks and drinks except
champagne on Virgin are included in the price, whereas with some other companies you
are charged about 90p for a small coke!

Luggage
Check your allowance, I believe for example Thomas Cook now do not include any
baggage allowance in their price, they charge £30 per person for 20KG per person and
charge USD 20 per kilo for excess baggage at Stamford, however with Virgin each
person (including infants) is allowed 1 enormous case total dimensions (length plus
breath plus height) of each item of luggage is not to exceed 158cms and no more than
23KG. Each person (including infants) is allowed 1 piece of hand baggage on board.

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Individual dimensions not to exceed 23 x 36 x 56cm, (approx 9 x 14 x 22 inches) and
13lb/6kg in weight.
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/travel-information/baggage.html

Additional golf bags can be taken, 1 per person, again up to 23kilos at no additional
charges. Gold card holders can have 1 additional bag again at 23kilos.

If you wish to take a second bag you can do so but there will be additional charges
locally when you check in. If pre-booked online the charge would be £32 per bag each
way, or if booked at the airport a charge of £40 per bag each way would be applicable.

Take out very little with you and plenty of empty suit cases, everyone I talked to bought
extra case(s) out there. Second trip we each flew out with one empty case and one full,
we filled everything and landed up ditching some old cloths/shoes to make room.

On our third trip at Easter 2009 I flew out empty 2 enormous canvas cases on wheels,
they came back both full.

My recommendation is to take out canvas cases as they weigh very little, even the ones
on wheels, compared to large hard cases that can weigh 7 kg or more. Why loose a
third of your weight allowance in a hard case, whereas a canvas case will weigh less
than 1 kg and ones with wheels will weigh about 3kg.

Goods are so cheap in the USA, even Disney toys are less than in the UK. I bought a
pair of Nike Trainers for £15 in 2009

Luggage locks should be TSA (this allows the USA authorities to open the lock by
master key without damaging the lock), remember if you are buying new hard cases the
locks are unlikely to be TSA, in that case you either leave it unlocked (could invalidate
the insurance) or risk having the lock damaged. It may be worth buying canvas cases
and a TSA lock, canvas cases are lighter and therefore do not eat so much into your
luggage weight allowance. I do NOT recommend using cable ties to secure your cases
as this could invalidate your travel insurance.

Allowances
Alcohol allowances
You can bring in either, but not both, of the following:
• 1 litre of spirits or strong liqueurs over 22 per cent volume
• 2 litres of fortified wine (such as port or sherry), sparkling wine or any other
alcoholic drink that's less than 22 per cent volume
In addition you may also bring back both of the following:
• 16 litres of beer
• 4 litres of still wine
Tobacco allowances
You can bring in one from the following list:
• 200 cigarettes
• 100 cigarillos
• 50 cigars
• 250g of tobacco
Other goods including perfume and souvenirs
You can bring in other goods worth up to £390 without having to pay tax and/or duty.
For further details see:- www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingnoneu.htm

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Duty Free Allowance INTO the USA Non-residents:
a) For persons of 21 years of age or older; 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 2kg of tobacco

or a combination of proportionate parts

b) For persons of 21 years of age or older; 1 lit of alcoholic beverage
c) Including minors accompanied or unaccompanied; gifts not exceeding USD 100 in
value, provided that the stay in the United States is not less than 72 hours and that the
gift exemption has not been claimed in the previous 6 months
http://www.dutyfreeexpress.com/dutyFreeExemptions.cfm

Travellers Cheques
Personally I do not go for these prepaid cards, too many well known household names
have gone to the wall and what is to say that one of these prepaid card companies will
not do the same. I normally take a mixture of cash, credit card & travellers cheques
(sticking with the well known names and getting them just before you go, so as to reduce
the chance of the firm going bust). Travellers cheques are treated like cash in the USA,
although there are a few places that have stopped accepting them and you get dollars in
change. However recommend taking small denominations as many places do not like
giving change for a USD 100 traveller’s cheque. Walmark only accept American Express
USD50 or below.

US Dollars Exchange Rate

For the quickest way of checking the best rates of exchange in the UK for your sterling
without having to trawl around various high street places:-
http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/holiday-money/

Shopping Malls
Disney have outlets at the Florida Mall, the two Orlando Premium Outlets, and Lake
Buena Vista Factory Stores

The Millenia Mall

1-4 at Conroy Road, 407-363-3555
www.mallatmillenia.com
Very up market stores including Bloomingdales and Macy’s, if you are looking for
bargains forget this mall.
Millenia Mall Map:-
www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=3720589#post3720589

The Florida Mall

8001 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32809
http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=139
Featuring 1.9 million square feet of shopping including, Disney (selling mainly a limited
selection of toys), Dillard's, JC Penney, Macy's, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sears,
M&M World, Bare Essentials, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Clarks England, Hollister Co.,
MAC, Apple, Puma, Adrenalina, Pottery Barn, Euro Moda, Sephora, Williams-Sonoma
and over 260 specialty stores. Very popular with locals and tourists, great selection of
shops and reasonably priced, when we visited in April 2009 many shops had a sale on
and discounts were good.

Orlando Premium Outlets www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=17

8200 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32821, 407 238 7787
Just off International Drive and Interstate 4

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A good selection of outlets – well over 100 (some showing fantastic discounts) outlets
include Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Disney (which sells mainly cloths good bargains to be
had), Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren
Orlando Premium Outlets map:- www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=304767

Premium Outlet Orlando Inc

Store Directory (Formally Belz Designer Outlet Centre), 4951 International Drive Florida
Orlando , Florida 32819, (407) 352-9600
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=96

The Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores

15657 State Road 535, Orlando, FL 32821
http://www.lbvfs.com/
mainly cheap outlets selling not very good stock, also a Reebok and a Nike outlet, about
50 outlets in total. Personally I would not waste my time here, even the Disney outlet
had a poor choice of stock.

Eating Off Disney

Eating off Disney will save you a small fortune and will give you a wider choice.

Crossroads
There is an area called Crossroads, just a few minutes past Downtown Disney by car,
about 15 minutes if walking. This area has TGI Fridays and several other restaurants as
well as a local supermarket, which even sells UK newspapers! To get to Crossroads by
car, pass Downtown Disney keeping it on your left, continue straight on into Hotel Plaza
Boulevard and you will come to the end of Disney with the 435 road crossing, go straight
over and this is Crossroads. TGI Fridays is at the far end past the supermarket.
So many places, Uno, Olive garden, Black Angus at Crossroads, never been to Bahama
breeze yet but that’s supposed to be very good

Bennigan's Bar & Grill,

13520 South Apopka-Vineland Dr, Lake Buena Vista, 407 938 9090
http://www.bennigans.com/index.cfm

Cheesecake Factory
4200 Conroy Rd, this is in Millenia Mall 407 226 0333
www.thecheesecakefactory.com/locations.htm

China Jade
7308 International drive, 407 438 9999
Chinese food average USD20 per head

Crab House
8291 International Drive, 407 352 6140
www.crabhouseseafood.com/menu.html

Miller's Ale House Menu

Lake Buena Vista Ale House, 12371 Winter Garden Vineland Rd
Prawns were at Orlando ale house, just looked here, looks like the one I had has gone
but lots of other dishes to choose from, mostly Americans eat there, sports bar with
endless drinks, Fosters lager is $2/pint, loads more very cheap.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/ale-house-menu.htm

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There are other locations but LBV is easiest from Disney.

Ponderosa
6364 International Drive (near Wet N Wild) 407 352 9043,
8510 International Drive (2 miles south of Sea World) 407 354 1473
Steaks, burgers and seafood, reasonably priced
www.ponderosaorlando.com/pages/Menu-06.html

Sweet Tomatoes
www.souplantation.com/locations/
Lake Buena Vista Sweet Tomatoes, 12561 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd,407-938-9461
6877 South Kirkman Road , 407-363-1616
Near Wet n Wild Evening costs $8.79 but if you register on there website for Club Veg
they send you a buy 1 get 1 free for your birthday, enter your birthday for day you fly, it
has to be used within 2 weeks and they send it a few days before you leave. I am a big
meat eater and never dreamed I would like anywhere like this but after the burgers and
steaks it makes a great change, the salad bar is amazing, homemade soups, fresh
breads baked onsite, pasta dishes cooked infront of you etc, nothing fancy but good
fresh food.

Roadhouse
www.texasroadhouse.com/store-sites/
13512 S. John Young Parkway, Orlando

Offsite restaurants
Our favourites are Bob Evans, Olive Garden (Italian), Cracker Barrel and The Outback
Steak House. Plain but good buffet meals are at The Golden Corral for us. Bahama
Breeze Bahama Breeze; Olive Garden; Carrabas; Seasons 52; Macaroni Grill
Cheesecake Factory, Golden Coral (breakfast), Dennys
Santa Fe was a real find for us this time, its on the US27 next to the Walmart at Cagan
Crossing. Every table gets a bucket of peanuts in the shells and you just throw the shells
on the floor!! the steaks are good and fairly cheap. I became a member of the 32oz club
there so I got a free T shirt and my picture on the wall. Mannys is well worth the drive to
get there and the prices are unbeatable. Applebees is a good all round restaurant/bar
that didn't have any big steaks but the quality of the meat was by far the best. for bbq's at
the villa the best meat is from Publix.

Tax and Tipping

Prices shown or quoted in the shops and restaurants are subject to tax of between 6.5%
and 7% (Florida Sales Tax of 6% and a Discretionary Sales Sur Tax of between .5% and
1% see http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/forms/2009/dr15dss.pdf ) and tipping is normally
18% to 20% of the final bill. So if your food and drinks come to USD50, plus tax
USD3.25 and 20% tip USD10.65 gives you a total bill of USD63.50

Mobile phone cards

Make sure that your mobile phone is unlocked, if you are not sure borrow a friend’s SIM
card from a different network and try it in your phone, if it works then your phone is
unlocked. The phone also needs to be either tri-band or quad-band, both will work in the
USA.

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I buy USA T Mobile SIM cards off Ebay and activate them myself within 90 days of the
return date. By activating them myself, the seller does not know when you are going to
be abroad, your home address is normally registered with Ebay and the seller can pull
this info even if you have the SIM’s posted elsewhere.
USA T Mobile has one of the best coverage’s available:-
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx

To activate:- call 001 877 778 2107 and get through to a person by staying silent when
asked to enter the codes or call Customer Care 001 800 937 8997, activation is easier
by speaking to someone
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/activateprepaid.aspx

Select the state FL and area code as 407 for Orlando or Kissimmee

To top up USA T Mobile in the UK:-

http://pinzoo.com/

Once in the USA you can buy top ups very easily, far easier than getting the SIM cards.

www.dtddwireless.com
USA T Mobile SIM cards at about £15 each with free credit of $10
Top up can be purchased from the same website or in a lot of stores.
There are plenty of places that sell the topup cards, few sell the pay as you go SIM
cards. First time we bought walkie talkies, range is limited, it is much better to purchase
SIM cards as you are not limited to 2 miles or so. We were only 3, but one went shopping
whilst the other 2 stayed in Disney and all of us could keep in contact.
T Mobile SIM cards –
to get your account balance dial #999#
To access voicemail 123
Customer service *8646

Using T Mobile cost £20 each card, cost of call 10p to make or receive, comes with $10
credit, additionally UK to abroad costs 30p per min
UK credit either £10 or £25
0870 922 0825
www.telestial.com/
001 858 274 2686
$49 each
www.planetomni.com/SIM_CTRY_usa2_DTL.shtml

Electrical Goods
Most electrical goods these days are marked as dual voltage if it is marked 100-240 volts
then it will work in USA. You need to take out a USA 2 pin adapter and I would suggest
taking a cheap UK 4 plug extension lead, this way you can charge 4 mobile phones,
cameras or games consoles at one go.

English Newspaper
The Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday is printed out there and is available that morning; we
found them for sale in our hotel shop and the local supermarket in Crossroads.

DVD Planner
Disney DVD online http://wdtc.disneyinternational.com/vpk/Default.asp

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Useful phone numbers
Dollar Rental Car Customer Service 1 800 822 1181 ext 6709
Dollar Rental Car Roadside Assistance 1 800 235 9393
Virgin Holiday 24 hour Emergency 1 800 251 5572
Virgin Holidays Orlando office 1 407 856 1177
Holiday booking and customer services - 01204 771001
0844 5573531 and choose option 3
Virgin Holiday insist on being connected to the UK call centre - 01293 496900 or 01293
496917
Virgin Atlantic - reservations and customer services 01293 473000
Virgin V rooms booking 0844 557 4015
Walt Disney Travel Company 0870 242 4900, 020 8222 1000
Taxi’s:-
Beeline Shuttle 407 438 3969
Diamond Cabs 407 523 3333
Mears Shuttle 407 423 5566
Star Cabs 407 857 9999
Town & Country Cabs 407 828 3035
Yellow City Cabs 407 422 2222

Web sites worth looking at

All Ears Net www.allearsnet.com
Disney Passes www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk
Boggy Creek www.bcairboats.com/
Disney tickets www.mapleleaftickets.com
Tickets www.pillingerworldtravel.co.uk/attraction_tickets.asp
Free Couponshttp://couponsalacarte.com/
Park Maps - www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/

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 PHOTOPASS SHARE GUIDE

To do a photopass share you need an organiser. The organiser pre-orders the

photopass at a cost of USD119.95 saving USD50
www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx

The organiser sets the dates of return that will fit the photopass, for example if the
organiser is returning on the 15th of the August, the organiser might select 2 weeks prior
and 2 weeks after. So the organiser will be advertising a shared photopass for people
returning between the 2nd and 28th August. If the time window is too wide, there is a
possibility of the early ones loosing their photos as you only have 30 days from the date
of the first photo to access the photos and once downloaded onto an account there is a
further 30 days is allowed for editing. Also again if the time window is too wide, people
at the beginning of the period will get fed up waiting for the CD’s to arrive. The CD’s can
take about a week from ordering to arrive at the organisers address. They are sent by
Fedex, so they need to be signed for when they arrive, a work address is preferable for
that reason.

The cost of the photopass should be split equally between the families that participate,
plus an additional cost added to cover duplication and postage of the CD’s. The price
should not be set until everyone returns and they have downloaded their photos. If the
price is set before and someone does not participate for any reason then the organiser
can be out of pocket. Cost of duplication of CD’s and postage is hard, but to give you
some idea, I had 12 on my photopass landing up with 1,900 photos on 5 CD’s. CD’s can
cost between 10-20p each depending on quantity bought and make. Plastic sleeves for
each CD can again cost about 10p each, padded envelope say 60p and postage by 1st
class is 90p. The organiser will have to copy and send everyone the complete set of
CD’s, as they will not know whose photo is who.

I would like to stress that whoever is the organiser, it is a lot of work for them. Besides
advertising and arranging the photopass and members before the holiday, you will then
have to advise everyone on your return. I had 3 people that did not respond to my first
email on my return, after several chase-ups, 2 advised that they had dropped out and a
third bothered to reply after I had set the price. A new member joined us after we had all
returned and was charged more as they had not accepted the invite before the holiday. I
then spent hours at the computer duplicating 11 sets of CD’s and several trips to the post
office, first to purchase the padded envelopes and stamps and then returning to post
them in batches.

Each person that has agreed and been accepted to join then goes on holiday gets and
uses the Photopass card (each family should try and not collect too many photopass
cards as all will have to be downloaded on your return), these are available in all Disney
parks.

On the organiser’s return he/she will open up a Photopass account, then email details to
everyone concerned. Each person logs on and adds their Photopass card numbers,
edits the photos and then informs the organiser that they have finished. When everyone
has advised the organiser that they have finished editing I would advise the organiser
changes the password after ordering the CD, so that it stops anyone trying to go back in
and continue editing. The organiser should receive the CD’s in about 2 weeks from
closing the account and will then duplicate all the CD’s and send them out to everyone.

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IF ANYONE VIEWS THEIR PHOTOS ONLINE BEFORE THE PHOTOS ARE ADDED
TO THE ACCOUNT THAT THE ORGANISER HAS OPENED, then I am afraid it’s too
late for you to join as it will not work.

Email instruction on how to download the photos:

Please read the whole of this email before you click on the link

Its easy

log onto www.disneyphotopass.com

At the top of the page

email: enter in account holders email address
password: enter in the password that was used to create the account

at the top of the page: "Have another photopass?" - enter your 16 digit number from the
back of your photopass card. The album will load.

You will see photos on there that have previously been loaded on and yours will be
added in I believe in date order, so they will be mixed in with others of the same date.

Edit as you require (you can add borders and save as a copy, that way you have the
original photo and the edited version, allowing you to have several different versions of
the same photo. Once you have finished editing, please send the organiser an email
telling he/she that you've finished. (because this is an email to you all, please include
your name so that the organiser can cross you off the list!)

DO NOT VIEW YOUR PHOTOS BEFORE LOGGING IN TO THE ACCOUNT. If you do,
or already have done, then it’s too late to join.

Any queries please feel free to contact the organiser and he/she will try to help.

The organiser will contact you all again once the CD’s have been ordered.

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