girldetective

I am going to Disney World in Orlando Th afternoon this week. I am going with my boss. I will be there 6 days. I dont want to go, not at all. I have never been there, but I have been to fucking Disneyland. I didnt like it.

I am feeling bitter and resentful and sour that I have to go, while my boss is all excited. I dont want to wreck her good time and thought I would look around on the net to see what to do there. I was overwhelmed with information, so I now turn to you TFPers.

Have any of you been to Disney World, and what did you like to do there?

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As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons...be cheerful; strive for happiness - Desiderata

Frosstbyte

I went there in August on my honeymoon, also for six days. I have to assume that the weather will be a LOT better for you than it was for us.

My first, best suggestion is to look online for the extra packages that aren't included in normal admission tickets and aren't just normal rides. The best times my wife and I had during the entire trip was when we went on a Segway tour of Epcot before the park opened and the backstage tour we took of the Animal Kingdom. Fewer people, more intimate access to the park and the views. It was great. There's TONS of stuff like this, but they do require reservations, so check it out and see what you can find.

I would highly recommend finding an evening for the Cirque du Soleil (Soliel? whatever) show in Downtown Disney. I've seen....6 or 7 Cirque shows and this would be my third favorite after Quidam and O. It's also a nice break from the humidity and something that feels more "adult" after all the rides.

If you're doing the normal themepark kind of trip, I also can't emphasize enough how important the FastPass is. Figure out which ride you want to ride the most and, as soon as you get to the park, go to that ride and get a FastPass for it. Then wait in a line (or two) until you can go ride that ride. Also, if you're staying AT the resort, you get early access and late access to the parks. Which park stays open late or early varies by day. If you're willing to stay up a bit later or wake up a bit earlier, it can make a big difference in the amount of rides you can get done with smaller crowds. It's also a good way to avoid being out in the middle of the day, when it's the hottest. You'll have time early and late so you won't feel like you're losing out by taking a break in the middle.

If you need recommendations on restaurants, let me know what your budget and food preferences are. I have a few suggestions for you.

Hope that helps. Remember, the most important thing is to not take anything too seriously. Disneyworld is a RIDICULOUS place and it almost defies the mind that it can exist. The more you can run with it and enjoy the total inanity of the experience, the more fun you'll have.

noodle

Epcot is having the Food and Wine Festival right now. Go.
My very hungover SO came home after an overnight last weekend with friends and already wants to go back with me.
Explore the Disney Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, the Pleasure Island thingie has some cool night clubs... like the jazz place.
House of Blues and a couple of other places are in Downtown Disney.
I've had fun being silly at the Magic Kingdom and actually, Animal Kingdom can be awesome if you take a camera and be patient. It's like a zoo... but with natural environments and neat experiences.
If you can escape the Wonderful World of Disney with a rental car, there's also Leu Gardens in Winter Park, the best dang Irish pub in Orlando, Fiddler's Green, not too far from there. There are great places to explore if you can escape the compounds.

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Fotzlid

I'm in Kissimmee now. We only went to Epcot and Downtown Disney.
I wasn't all that pumped about going there but I had a good time.
Downtown was just a large open air shopping area with a bunch of resturants, most of which you needed reservations for.
We spent an entire day at Epcot. Got to sample a bunch of different foods, which was nice. There are no Morrocan resturants in our area for example. We stood in line for all the presentations (For lack of a better word. Not really rides, not really slide shows.) I think the longest wait was 20 minutes. They are definately experts at moving large numbers of people throught small areas.
If you end up going, eat a hardy meal before. That way you won't have to pay $20 for a sandwich and a water while in the park.

BadNick

Well I like rides, the crazier the better, and also the theme parks so I enjoyed a few days at Disney. Other than the other specific Disney stuff already mentioned above, if you've never been to a Sea World kind of show, there is a good one not far away...I enjoyed it, but if you've already seen one of these shows it might not be worth seeing it again.

I also enjoyed watching a jai-alai game in Orlando not far away...a couple drinks, munchies, betting on the games if you want. If you like games like tennis, racketball, handball...you would probably like jai-alai.

Right outside Orlando you can watch dog (greyhound) races and I also enjoyed those.

The NASA - Kennedy Space Center is not that far away if you enjoy seeing that kind of stuff...I liked that, too.

mrklixx

First of all Fucking Disneyland is a completely different theme park.

But seriously IMO Disneyworld is much better than Disneyland. I like going to Disneyworld and have been several times. I went to Disneyland for the first time last year, and did not enjoy myself at all. Disneyland is too cramped and crowded. Don't get me wrong Disneyworld will be crowded too, but the crowds seem more spread out.

What exactly did you not like about Disneyland?

What kind of things do you like to do?

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girldetective

Im off this morn to the land of Disney hell. Thank you all for your suggestions. I am going to use every one of them.

I will be on my best behavior. I will be on my best behavior. I will be on my best behavior. I will be on my best behavior. I will be on my best behavior. I need a drink.

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As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons...be cheerful; strive for happiness - Desiderata

MoonDog

You MUST stay for the nightly fireworks in EPCOT. Take it from a guy who isn't a fan of fireworks...they are breathtaking!
Spend your day in the various countries doing a "Beers Around the World" tour like I did, and suffer the ill effects in the morning :-)

Redjake

Disney World is awesome. One of the best vacations I've ever been on. We went about 2 years ago. Amazing place - clean all of the time, awesome rides, and cheap (in comparison). Have a great time and be amazed at the park!

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SSJTWIZTA

ahh, my old home away from home.

i just have one word of advice, bring your own water.shit is ridiculously expensive inside of disney world.

epcot is great this time of year. beer and food, delicious. Head for MGM as well, Gatta love the rockin' roller coaster and tower of terror.

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Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me.
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Cernunnos

I can second this recommendation. Don't miss out on Leu Gardens. It's an amazing place for anyone who enjoys diverse plant life and/or a walk through nature. The trails meander and wind around, and there are a bunch of alcoves for a person to sit down and relax, read a book, listen to music, take photographs (I took 200+ on my last visit), or even paint/sketch. No one has ever hassled me there, and the garden management team tends to keep out of the way. If you're an early bird, head in from between 9am-12pm on Monday for free entry. You can stay until closing at 5pm. Other days, the standard entry fee is $7.

I've never been to Fiddler's Green, but I have heard only good things about it.

girldetective

im back from disney world. the best moments were :

1) I had one day to myself. I went to the concierge and asked, "How much would it cost me to go to downtown Orlando? To the grit of the city?" The answer was $77 one-way after talking with some people about where the grit might be. I asked about taking a bus and was told after about 20 minutes of computer search that it would be about 3 hrs one-way. I left the desk in dismay, walked out the front door to a cab with a hipster driver and said, "I have $50. Take me out of this hellhole." He laughed, I hopped in, and we spent the next 3.5 hrs drivin around and stopped for coffee. (When I got home there was an email from him.)

2) The fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

3) The bar.

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As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons...be cheerful; strive for happiness - Desiderata

SabrinaFair

girldetective-
I loved reading your cab driver story!

The fireworks ARE awesome. One of the best parts of WDW, in my humble opinion.

Best,
Saby

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Frosstbyte

Disneyland is very very different. Going to Disneyland is basically like going to any other amusement park. You can go and do basically everything in a day (California Adventure sucks and doesn't count) and that's that.

Disneyworld is a giant, sprawling mess of parks that to do all of would take you at least a week, and that'd be rushing it. It's a much more of an immersion into the crazy Disney experience.

Mostly it depends on what you want. For a day trip, I prefer Disneyland; but I think Disneyworld probably makes for a better vacation.

Unless you go in August.

Then it's really really humid. (ew)

mrklixx

"Hell hole"? Really? Wow. I know that there are tons of people that would give their right arm to be able to go to Disneyworld, but are never going to be able to afford it, especially in this economy. But you not only were able to go, but also had someone pay your way, and the thing you come away with is that it was a "hell hole".

Again, wow.

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girldetective

Yes, hellhole is correct. That is how I feel. It is not that I dont understand that someone else might want to go there and not be able to, it is that I did not want to go there and had to. Travel can be rewarding and educational and fun. It can also be tiring, tedious, and make one homesick. If it had been a trip to China or boating in Wisconsin, or a class, or something to do besides the look/eat/shop that is disney, I may have loved it and it would have interested me. If I had a child with me who was interested and in awe of disney, that would have made the trip worth it. Personally though, for me it was sort of like walking through a giant mall day after day or wrapping myself in plastic wrap.

I scrubbed that filmy junk off as soon as I got home - walked in the door with that in mind, shed my clothes first thing, and hopped in.

*

Those fireworks were really really good though.

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As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons...be cheerful; strive for happiness - Desiderata

Merlocke

Epcot Centre. See the world. Eat its food.
Best part.

Although Florida has some really weird ass looking bugs. Speaking of which - I hope to see none of those weird ass Floridian bugs when I head down in a week - sadly - 3.6 hours away driving time from said Disney World.

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