Disneyworld??? I need help from experienced travelers!!!

15 years ago

I have *zero* interest in Disneyworld. In fact, I really don't like amusement parks or plasticine quasi-historical sites or popular, trendy spots. However, the fairly new husband is in LOVE with Disneyworld and wants to go there for our big vacation this year (twitch, twitch). He's been there before.

I have two questions: If a person *hated* amusement park rides and all the etceteras of that kinda stuff, what is there to do at Disneyworld (Florida)? I *love* history and science and the hubby tells me there's some history and science stuff I might find interesting. He also says there's something like a retro-world, where everything is from the 1950s. Anyone familiar with that?

Secondly, what are some day trips that are 60 miles or less from Orlando? What would you recommend?

I'm less than thrilled about this trip. For our honeymoon, we went to Charleston, SC and walked the streets and studied the historical architecture. Now THAT was a fun trip!!!

Thanks for your help.

Rose

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Comments (24)

good36
15 years ago
I think you would like Epcot and animal kingdom. Lots of stuff to read and look at. Not amusement parks, but interesting. The other parks are not "typical" amusement type parks. I love disneyworld and can't wait to go back for a whole week. I have a idea you will be surprised at how much you like it.
Judy
lydia1959
15 years ago
Get this book The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2009. Just under $14.00 at Amazon.com. I found a earlier edition super helpful during a trip there in the past. It describes all the rides and attractions and lets you know what to expect. Also rated are restaurants, hotels, etc. Tips to get around the park and avoid long lines are also included.

It's been about 10 years since I've been there.. so I'm not much help. But definitely - get the book!! I can't recommend it enough!
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bigfoot_liz
15 years ago
rose, i live in orlando and i'm anti-disney lol. we go to epcot 3X a yr, for the garden show, the beer & wine fest (coming up) plus christmas decor. i will post back again tonight when i get home from work w/ a bunch of ideas.

BTW when are you going to be down? there are lots of things going on this fall/winter. ~ liz
deemarie5500
15 years ago
DH and I go about once a year. We love Epcot and the Kennedy Space Center (about 90 minute drive).
cindyb_va
15 years ago
Rose, not sure what type of science you are into, but Cape Canaveral [sp?] is about 60 miles from Orlando. There is nothing quite as spectacular as seeing a shuttle on the launch pad. They offer a 2 hour tour of the facility, which was alot of fun.

Near the Cape is Cocoa Beach, which was very lovely.

I wasn't much for Disney, either, but I had a good time doing other things while I was down there.
dilly_dally
15 years ago
Rosemary, you sound like you are in a dilemma that I was in a few years ago. My BF at the time wanted to go to Disney World even though he had been there before. I did not want to go for the very reasons that you state that you are not interested in the experience.

We reached a compromise. We spent part of our vacation in South Beach so I could do the historical tours of the Art Deco building. Then had to go to Orlando for Disney world and Epcot Center. I HATED it. It was as awful as I imagined. Totally commercialized with most of the "educational" exhibits being sponsored by corporations promoting their own agenda and propaganda. The "World Village" or whatever it was called was entirely sponsored by the tourism boards of the various countries featured. What a waste. Everything was so overpriced too.

South Beach was over a hundred miles from Orlando so we rented a car and stayed over. I couldn't find anything interesting that was closer to Orlando and was glad to get to see the historic Art Deco areas.
monica_pa Grieves
15 years ago
EPCOT

The first section has a lot of interesting areas, especially the building called ""The Land"....very good tour nad lecture on hydropoic farming.
Also, the ride in spaceship Earth (the giant silver globe ) is a very interesting slow ride with history of communications.

The second section is areas maintained by different countries surrounding a lake. very interesting films/artifacts/food there.
The evening fireworks are beautiful. They're set off in the lake and it's a combination of music, laser lights and fireworks. A tip....show up at the Rose & Crown Pub (in England section) about an hour and a half before the fireworks, get something to eat and grab a table outside.
Best view of the show in the park and you aren't standing.

Restaurants

Hotel Grand Floridian

My favorite place to eat. Cafe is excellent. Fine dining at Albert & Victoria and the afternoon tea (complete with string quartet) is very nice (in a room off the main lobby).

Cafe de Paris in EPCOT(France section)...cafe downstairs great for lunch...fine dining at night in the restaurant upstairs.

Most of the hotels have rental boats that rent for the hour, pools and tennis courts.

We spent a week there this past February. Tom had balked at going there, remembering the trips with kids in tow. Believe me, it's an entirely different place without kids....and is just a beautiful adult resort with more things to do.

I could go on and on....but

-stop-
grammahony
15 years ago
I don't know how far it is from Disney World, and if you like tropical settings, check out Busch Gardens. It's beautiful.
Leslie
lindyluwho
15 years ago
I've never been nor have I wanted to go but we are going in October. There will be 9 of us going so we have rented a condo. Now I am looking forward to going to see it through the eyes of my grandkids.

Linda
mimi_boo
15 years ago
I live in the Tampa area and can understand your hesitence to visit WDW. I have been there with friends, family and other adults and combinations thereof.

For an adult visit, I recommend Epcot. I enjoy the countries and especially liked dining in Canada. It's pricey so we compromised and went for a late lunch. Very good food. Each country also had a "show" of sorts - for example we hit upon an acrobatic show outside of China once. My mother and I did Epcot at Christmas once and it was unforgettable. The ready of the Christmas story to a huge choir was fantastic!

Animal Kingdom is also nice but the last time I was there I found it too crowded to enjoy.

In the Orlando area, there's also Sea World and Universal. It is all "touristy" - but can be nice.

Tampa is only about 1 hour and 15 minutes away. Here we have a nice Aquarium and Zoo as well as beaches! If you would like something very remote and quiet - I can recommend Caladesi Island. It's only accessible by boat - personal or a ferry ride. Usually rated in the top 10 beaches in the U.S.

The Space Coast is also nice - I was fortunate enough to see a shuttle launch in the pre-dawn hours once. Nothing else can compare to that!

And if you'd like - we can try to organize a small KT gathering around the time you'd be here! What could be more fun?!!

Good luck,
Barbara
maryanntx
15 years ago
I took my two youngest to Disney World when they were middle school age and we all loved it! I would love to go back without kids.We went to the Magical Kingdom and The Animal Kingdom. There's never time to be bored as there is something happening, or something to look at all the time.

Hope you have a fun trip!
okwriter
15 years ago
I don't like rides...but I loved Disneyworld! I was there twice, once about 10 (?) years ago and once about 15 years ago, both times in January (perfect time!). What I found most interesting is from an operational perspective---what it takes to run a place like that day in and day out. It's truly amazing!

Back in the late 80s, my dad worked there for a couple of years. It was very interesting to hear his stories about maintenance people who showed up to work each day and were handed a costume and told where they would work. Also, I guess the entire place has underground tunnels for employees. When you're there, think simply in terms of all the food served and all of the trash generated every single day, and yet visitors to the park never see the "service" side of the park.

And even though I don't enjoy rides, there are some that are very tame and really just downright fun! Can't think of the name of the one now where you ride these little car (?) things in a haunted house, and there are all of these floating ghosts. Very clever!

YES, the entire thing is very touristy. But it is also quite a production! The light parade in the evening is a "must see" -- oh, wait! Do they still do that?

:-)
monica_pa Grieves
15 years ago
Mr Toad's Wild Ride???

Sorry to tell you, and to my sorrow....the ride is no longer there. Mr Toad has retired.

PS - My mother loved that ride, too.
monica_pa Grieves
15 years ago
I reread your post, OK....yes, the Haunted House is a favorite. They've revamped it a bit, electronically...the dancing ghosts in the Ballroom and the head in the crystal ball are enhanced.
naughtykitty
15 years ago
OKWriter, you're thinking about the Haunted Mansion. Quite Fun

Here is a link that might be useful: Website about the Haunted Mansion
iowagirl2006
15 years ago
Try to give it a chance. It won't be historically correct, but the landscaping is beautiful. Most people are quite friendly there also.

You can find some really nice places to dine (at the more upscale Disney Resorts - you don't have to be staying at them to enjoy the restaurants.)

The fireworks can be really romantic too - and they have FANTASTIC displays every night at the different parks.

Give it a try - and leave the negative feelings at home. Sounds like you have a peach of a DH - so I bet you can have a good time just being together.

Even if you HATE rides - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ride Soarin' at EPCOT - oh it is just lovely! It simulates a hangglider soaring over different parts of the US. It is just a refreshing thing to do - and it is not a "thrill ride" - people could get out of their wheelchairs and get on it. I highly recommend that one.
okwriter
15 years ago
*whew* You had me freaked out there for a minute, Monica!
:-)

But yes, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was fun, too, I think.

We took my niece the second time, which was a good excuse to ride the Teacups...and enjoyed it! LOL!
kittiemom
15 years ago
I also don't like most rides (especially roller coasters or other scary, fast rides) or many typical amusement park type things, but I love Disneyworld. DH & I spent part of our honeymoon there & have been once since. We're planning to go back next year as a 15th anniversary trip. We also spent part of our honeymoon in Charleston, SC. Charleston is only a couple of hours from us & I've been many times over the years. I also love Charleston.

I really enjoyed the Animal Kingdom last time we went. The safari ride was great! The forest exploration trail was interesting too. I really liked the Jungle Trek where I could see the tigers.

I love the World Showcase at Epcot. The boat tour in the Mexico Showplace is good & dining at the San Angel Inn is great. I also really liked the Restaurant Marrakesh at the Morocco Pavilion. All these world pavilions are interesting to me. It's almost like taking a mini-vacation to several different countries. There's a great drums show outside the Japan pavilion. The Illuminations fireworks show is just awesome! Since you enjoy science, you'd probably like the Living with the Land tour.

I like the Indiana Jones show at Hollywood Studios. DH wanted to ride the Star Wars ride & I didn't. At first he said he didn't want to leave me just standing there waiting for him, but I told him there was no reason for him not to ride just because I didn't want to. I did enjoy the Great Movie Ride and the Studio Backlot Tour.

I think that the Magic Kingdom is more for kids, but if you haven't been it's still interesting to take a quick walk through. The fireworks show over Cinderella's castle is beautiful.

I've never been to any place in the Orlando area so I can't help with your other question. I hope that you find that you like Disney. Yes, it is touristy. But it's also really fun.
Toni S
15 years ago
Iowagirl, I had forgotten about Soaring. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that ride. Breathtaking, exciting are two of twenty words I can think of to describe it. We went at the end of January, so we could ride every ride multiple times. I bet we went on Soaring 5 times!
I enjoyed the Mission Space ride and Tower of terror too!
I HATE going to places like Adventure land, the carnival type places but Disney world I would go to yearly!

More,,,,,
We used the fast passes all day long and used the meal passes for the whole trip. The food passes were wonderful and made the trip so much easier with 3 kids. We were full to the brim and had passes left over at the end of the trip.
Something that's important to bring is a light jacket. It can be chilly in the am and later pm.

Also if you are wanting to eat at the theme restraunts, get your times soon. We had a great time at the Castle. The had a great interactive show!
joann23456
15 years ago
I never, ever wanted to go to DisneyWorld, but took my niece there last year and had a wonderful time.

One thing I'd do that hasn't been mentioned is Cirque du Soleil's "Na Nouba" show in Downtown Disney. It costs extra, but is *well* worth it. Even if you've seen a Cirque performance before (I'm a big fan and have seen most of their shows), this is different. It's in a permanent location, so they can do more. Really wonderful.

DisneyWorld is sort of like reading a fun but unbelievable novel. If you complain that it's not true to life, you lose all the fun, but if you can suspend disbelief and go with it, there's lots of fun to be had. It's not my favorite place to go, but I was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
rosemaryt
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you so much for the replies. I was freaking out about this - pretty thoroughly - as I actually take a little pride in being a not-into-trendy-things person.

My husband is nuts about Disneyworld and it was during a weak moment that I hesitantly agreed to go. This marriage business is TOUGH. Compromise is not my thing but I guess I'd better learn how to compromise pretty quickly. And part of that compromise is going to (twitch, twitch) Disneyworld.

Thanks for the info on the "Soarin" ride/exhibit. I'll ride that a few dozen times. And I talked the hubby into four nights/five days, rather than the SIX nights he had in mind. Yuck.

I am a real homebody these days and don't have much interest in travel. However, he likes to plan these big vacations once a year. I'd rather save the money and pay off our house!

Thanks again for the many replies. I'm very grateful and always so impressed with how many people are willing to share their experiences.

And if anyone would like to share some insights on compromise, I'd love to hear that, too. :) I married a very good man and a nice man but we have some divergent views on things. Like Disneyworld.

Rose
okwriter
15 years ago
Oh, yes! I forgot about Universal Studios. That was also very cool!

Uh, yes. If you want a happy marriage, you'd better learn to compromise, and to do it with grace and enthusiasm (real or not). In 20 years, I've certainly gone to places and seen/done things that were not on my list of "must do" activities. When we were trying to decide where to go and what to see this past summer, I suggested the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY and a Cincinnatti Reds baseball game. If you think it's because I am a huge baseball fan, think again.

:-)
gardenspice
15 years ago
I'm with ya. I'm not a Disney kinda gal, but I have not really experienced the park since I was wee.
However, I was there on a business trip last year and we had dinner at the technology center and got to see the fireworks afterward.
The fireworks show may convert you. Get close to the lake and enjoy!
bigfoot_liz
15 years ago
i think there are things at disney everyone can find to like. in the fall epcot has the food & wine festival which they actually do a very nice job on. after that there's the christmas decor. myself i hate rollarcoasters but i am a horticulturalist who loves landscaping and disney is a main innovator in the landscape world. do remember they charge you for everything. a co-worker took her grandkids last weekend for 3 days and they went to a campfire roast, marshmellows were $1 each lol she knew this ahead of time & brought her own.

there are alot of things to do around orlando too. depending on when you are here there can be art shows, festivals and concerts going on. there's seaworld, discovery cove and aquatica. universal studios. busch gardens in tampa. leu gardens a local botanical garden. a history center in orlando, art museum, science museum... city of winter park has a nice upscale shopping district in an antique type town. if you are visiting from june thru nov, hurricane season/off season, do carefully watch the weather. we just had tropical storm Fay w/ 4 days and 35" of rain. we're keeping our eyes on hannah right now, will either come thru south fl or possibly central fl. and there are 2 systems behind her... some yrs we see no hurricanes (very unlikely this yr) some we have back to back to back hurricanes. in 2004 we had 3 back to back and disney did lose power in some places and people got flooded inside the parks for days and not for free either lol. here are some links... ~ liz

http://www.visitflorida.com/
http://www.leugardens.org/
http://www.cityofwinterpark.org/2005/arts_culture/index.shtml

local news:
http://www.cfnews13.com/
http://www.wesh.com/index.html (great weather radar)

nasa:
http://kennedyspacecenter.stores.yahoo.net/
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/view/index.html

orlando/orange county tourist places:
http://www.omart.org/
http://www.osc.org/
http://www.orangecountyfl.net/cms/DEPT/countyadmin/arts/default.htm

concerts
http://www.mix1051.com/pages/2045550.php

seaworld orlando
http://www.seaworld.com/orlando/?ReturnUrl=%2fSWF%2fdefault.aspx

disney epcot
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/parkLanding?id=EPLandingPage

Disneyworld??? I need help from experienced travelers!!!

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