I am a huge Harry Potter fan so I would probably just visit that section of the park. It's been a while since I visited Orlando on business, but we would often go there and eat in a couple of the restaurants. Emeril had one of his there and we didn't have to pay the park fee to get into that section.

Thanks. We definitely plan to check out CityWalk too. We'll probably do that one evening.

You probably are already planning on this but a reminder from a Floridian: it will be HOT HOT HOT HUMID HUMID HUMID. For people who aren't used to it, the weather in Orlando during the summer can be overwhelming. It's not only the temps and high humidity but also the fact that you are inland so there is no cooling sea breeze...and since most of central Florida has been paved (seriously) the heat radiance is a factor as well.

Be sure to stay hydrated, wear a sun hat, plenty of sunscreen and if you can I'd recommend you schedule your outdoor park tripping for early morning or late afternoon to avoid the mid day intensity both nature and people. A zillion person line at mid day in an Orlando theme park in the summer is a special circle of hell, trust me on that.

Oh and one other tip: if/when it rains in the afternoon, don't leave :). It is always funny to see tourists scamper out of the parks, because they don't realize that in Florida rain comes and then goes. It's not like other areas in which rain is a day long affair. The weather will be sunny again soon and you'll have a lot fewer people to contend with!

Have a good time,
Ann

Rumor has it that a soft opening of the new Diagon Alley portion of Harry Potter World is imminent. Once the word is out the crowds are going to be crazy.

I don't know your crowd tolerance but if crazy crowds are not your thing I would check the internets about Diagon Alley before you buy your passes.

I still remember that most delish lasagne I had at mama dellas...

Are there any "must see" attractions, shows, etc. I don't know how many thrill rides we will be able to go on. I like coasters, but it has been awhile. I don't have any orthopedic limitations, but my sister has one knee that gives her problems. I am a little concerned about her getting around. There is no way we can do a long day there.

If you could only do one park, which one would it be? I really know nothing.

I would prefer not to be in Orlando at this time of year, but this is when/where my major conference is located. Next year San Diego, so definitely less hot and humid.

Have you been to Epcot?

I grew up near Disneyland and went a lot as a kid. We would always get there when it opened and stay for a couple of hours..maybe until 2. Then we would go home in the hottest part of the day, relax, have dinner then go back around 7 and stay until closing or almost. So, we got to enjoy the park at day and night and weren't exhausted. This might also be good for your sister and her knee to have a break for a few hours. Have fun!

Yes, we have both been to Epcot. The hotel we are staying is on Universal property, so we thought it might be easier to go there.

I like the idea of breaking up the day.

LOL runninginplace, that reminds me of going to Six Flags. We lived in Arlington and when there was an afternoon rain, we'd grab the kids and head for Six Flags. Discounted ticket evening prices AND less crowds after a rain.

I just googled Universal Studios for Seniors, since your sister might have trouble walking. Lots of info popped up. You might look there as a guideline for your trip.

Thank you for the heads up on the Universal for Seniors links! That info is really helpful.

Update: She said her knee was really bad when she was in Hawaii--they just got home, and she is going to rent a scooter for Universal. This will be so much better then trying to get around. I was really worried about this.

This post was edited by gsciencechick on Mon, May 19, 14 at 15:50

It has been a few years since our last visit ... maybe because it was during July with temps around 104F!! I really liked the Animal Kingdom parade. The scooter sounds like the perfect solution.

I went to Universal Studios in April with my DH and 2 DS's. My husband was there for a business trip that abutted a school vacation.
I get pretty severe motion sickness so I am very limited in the rides I can handle, Harry Potter ride was too much for me :(
I do love the water rides! I also did enjoy the parades, the fireworks, the exhibits- really like the I Love Lucy exhibit. There were not too many shows, all that we saw were mediocre, not nearly on par with Disney or even SeaWorld. If I only had a day and was with my sister I would hang out at the hotel pool.

Thank you. She'll be with me Thurs-Sunday, so we will have a lot of time to relax. Well, she will more than I will as I attend my conference. So, we have either Sat or Sun to go to Universal. The rest of the time we will enjoy the pool, etc.

If you are staying in one of the Universal hotels, you get early park admission and I think an ExpressPass as well. The early park admission lets you get into the park one hour before the general public -- that is key, because you get into the park and go straight to the Harry Potter castle -- that is the ride with the longest lines and no ExpressPass access. Most of the other rides have the ExpressPass lines - when we were there last June, we didn't wait longer than 25 minutes for rides. Spiderman was good, as was the Dispicable Me one. A lot of the rides at univeral are kind of "animated" -- so you sit in a car that is more or less stationary (it moves a little bit) and the ride projects on a screen in front of you. There is not much stress on your body because you aren't moving much, but you feel like you are (I got motion sick on the Harry Potter ride but you basically sit in a chair on a track and tilt a little bit up and down....it's what they project around you that makes you feel like you are flying!)

The website I'm going to link below was hugely helpful to us in figuring out what we wanted to see and what we wanted to skip. It offers strategies for beating the crowds and has one day, two day and three day park touring plans that take you through the highlights based on how much time you have. I highly recommend spending some time on this site (I have no affiliation other than the fact that I used it last year.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Orlando Informer

The ExpressPass isn't available for Cabana Bay.

I don't know much about this theme park. I'm more of a Disney gal. The one thing they both share is that you get more rides in if you're there at opening (or take advantage of early opening hours for resort guests). That leaves the afternoon, when lines are long, available for meandering, shopping, and eating. The Harry Potter area is supposed to by like stepping into the movie. Be sure to take time to enjoy the ambiance!

Yeah, that kind of stinks about the express pass. "Oh, you're at the VALUE resort, so you don't get it" kind of strikes me as petty. But, we plan to be there at opening on Sat. Her scooter rental is booked. We figured we'll stay through mid-afternoon and then head out to the pool.

She's scheduled her knee replacement for early Sept.

Just wanted to report everything went really well. Loved the resort and the convenience of staying on site. Back and forth to the park took 10 min easy on and off. It cost me about $17 each way taxi to the convention center.

The scooter rental was easy. We left late afternoon to go to the pool and then back again at night, and we could pick it up again. We only went to the Studios side vs Islands of Adventure.

The wait times were minimal even without Express Pass, and it wasn't too hot either. It rained briefly around lunch but that was it. We walked right into Emerils on Thurs night and got immediate seating. All in all, a good trip! Thanks for all your help.

This post was edited by gsciencechick on Sun, Jun 1, 14 at 17:48

So glad. Thanks for reporting back.

Happy everything turned out perfectly for you and your sis.