Orlando in Mar/Apr, with a 3.5 yr old...help, tips...reassurance...!

[Tamz77]

Hello, this is another Florida query. I'm taking my son to Orlando for one week, 31 Mar - 7 Apr, we've booked accomodation and flights. I could do with a few pointers though:

1. Are the queues really terrible at this time of year? For rides for my ds's age group?

2. Which parks should I go to that he would appreciate most, bearing in mind that we only have a 7 night stay. I'd like to book tickets in advance.

3. Is it stupid not to do Disney at all? There seems so much else that he might prefer ie the big water parks, Gatorland etc. Is Disney mostly for slightly older kids? Also I'm thinking the queues might be worse there than other parks, am I right or is it all bad?

4. Has anyone been to Disney just for one day; all the advance tickets are 5 - 14 day passes; how much does one day entry cost?

5. I have a hire car; is there anything I should know about driving in Florida (it is my biggest concern...apart from the queues...) eg is everything well signposted? or anywhere great I should go that's driving distance away?

6. Anyone stayed at the Enclave suites? I've booked and paid now so too late to change, but any insider info would be fab....

7. Weather...do I need to bother with emergency jumpers etc, and does it rain much in Mar/Apr?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Easter is peak season in Florida, so the queues at the theme parks will be pretty awful - say 1hr per ride. Take suncream! However, as you suggested, no one says you HAVE to go to those places. With a 3 year old you're pretty limited on what you can go on anyway. Maybe do one or two days in the parks and the rest of the time go to less crowded places. SeaWorld is a good day out as there is something for everyone - the whale/dolphin shows are great. You probably want a day or two shopping as well - the discount malls are quite good! Driving is easy - everything is geared towards drivers - eg large parking bays etc. On the subject of parking, if you do go to the theme parks, I'd say it's worth paying a couple of extra dollars for 'priority parking' which means nearer the entrance! You won't need more than one jumper each - although if you do go on any airboat rides etc, you will want to wrap up for that.

Tam77 - i've just returned from Orlando with my 6 month old and we're going again the end of April. If you're there for easter it will be busy because its a major holiday in America, not just in Disney but everywhere. We were really surprised at how many of the disney rides at all the parks we could go on, esp with a 6 month old.
You can't buy single day passes in the Uk but you can when you get there.

A single entrance ticket for your son will be $56 and for you $67 they're available at the parks ticket offices. You may drive past ticket booths outside of Disney offering cheap passes, although some are genuine we have never risked them, the sellers cannot prove how long is left on the pass, you could be paying for an expire pass.

Other parks that he might like are seaworld and universal studios, the main park has a nickelodeon section which the younger kids love.

There are certain rules when driving in Florida that are differen to here. we went with Virgin and they sent us a guide to driving and getting around Orlando, if you would like me to post it to you, then please email me at [email protected]. The americans aren't particularly polite drivers and don't appear to take into account that there are lots of tourists on there roads. just go steady and stay calm, thats the biggest tip, and keep your eye on the signs all the time.

For info on hotels, visit www.tripadvisor.com, they will have reviews written by guests. I've read them for your hotel, and there are some good and bad points as with all places. might be worth you knowing about them though before you get there.

The weather is changeable, one minute its hot then its cold and raining. in December 2006 it was 80 degrees.
if you visit this link disneyuksite at the bottom it shows you the current weather.

if you visit usa site you will be able to choose tickets and see prices on one of the pages, pretend you're an american resident, or it will send you to the uk site. you can also see what there is for all the age groups of children.

hoep this helps, anything else i can do email me.

Hi Tamz, we will be in Florida with our 3.5 year old on those dates so we may be behind you in some que some where!
Have a fab time

I hope you have a buggy with you. Little ones seemed to get very tired in the heat. We will be taking one for our 3 nearly 4 year old but we are going to get a cheap one out there. Try this website for tips etc www.thedibb.co.uk