Costco Connection - February 2012

Spend time with Mickey and his friends, not waiting in line.

WALT DISNEY PARKS & RESOR TS

Tips to make the most of your Orlando theme-park experience

Spend less money, have more fun

By T. Foster Jones

IF YOU’RE TRAVELING to Florida, there’s a pretty good chance that visiting one or both of the major theme parks there (Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort) is on your agenda.

Navigating your way through the thicket of crowds and the maze of rides and attractions, so that you make the best use of your precious vacation time and money, can be a challenge.

We turned to Sarah Gaudet at Costco Travel, who offers these time- and money-saving tips to consider.

Get a car. Sure, you’ll spend money on the rental, but some hotels offer free parking. It does give you the flexibility to see all of the sights and dine away from your hotel (which can also save money). There are endless meal options in Orlando, from fast food to fine dining. Parking at the theme parks costs around $15 per day, but at Universal you will need to park only once as both Universal theme parks are within walking distance of each other, and at Walt Disney World you pay the fee only once per day and you can park anywhere within the resort. Reentry during the same day is fine.

If visiting the Disney theme parks, park at Downtown Disney. It’s free. Then you can take the complimentary transportation buses throughout the resort to get to your desired park(s). Also, check with your hotel, as many offer transportation to the transportation center (or straight to certain parks in some cases).

Go during off-peak seasons, such as January–February and September–October. This will save you both money and time (less standing in line because the parks are less crowded).

Go to Costco! Make a trip to a Costco in the area and pick up water, snacks, deli items and/or frozen entrées for quick, inexpensive dinners in your condo. While you’re there, you can likely also find discounted gift cards to local restaurants. C

Time-saving tips

Plan your day in advance. Think about the must-see attractions and plan accordingly based on park hours, entertainment, dining, etc. Both parks have maps and entertainment information readily available on-site, so you can make the most of each day.

Make dining reservations well in advance, especially for very popular locations like Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom Park and award-winning Mythos restaurant at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Also, consider eating lunch a little earlier or later than the noon rush.

When entering the park in the morning, go left. Most people subconsciously go right, leaving attractions to the left with shorter lines at park opening.

Go to the back of the park or the most popular attractions first. If you get there fast enough you’re likely to encounter a shorter line.

A great time to ride attractions is during
the theme park’s parade. People begin lining
up for parades almost an hour prior to it start-
ing. As a result, the lines for attractions tend to
be less crowded during that time.

Money-saving tips

Stay off-property. Consider a condo or villa rental where you have a kitchenette or full kitchen. Even if you don’t plan to cook full meals, it is more spacious and allows you to save money by being able to have something as easy as cereal for breakfast.

Freeze your beverages and pack them along with snacks for your days in the park. Carry them in a backpack, and throughout the day your load only gets lighter. If you don’t wish to carry them, you can rent a locker at many of the parks.

Universal Orlando Resort’s 3-D Spiderman attraction should be on your day plan.

The Costco Connection

Costco Travel offers a variety of Orlando theme-park vacation packages. For more information, call 1-877-849-2730 or click “Travel” at Costco.com. Find a Costco location by clicking “Locations” on Costco.com.