Firstly, head over to thedibb. You will find everything you need to help you plan for your trip there.
We came home this time last week 😢. Did both Disney and Universal and loved every minute. There has a been a few changes since covid (we were last there in 2019) but on the whole, it still felt just as good as it always had to us. Still experienced helpful, friendly cast members who couldn’t do enough for you. Prices have risen across the board but that’s to be expected, and with the weak exchange rate you feel it more. I was shocked at how pricy Walmart was for simple things like fresh fruit and water compared to here. Actually found better prices in Publix and Target.
We missed the dining plan so didn’t do as many table service meals at Disney as we normally do (only did our favourites). Found portion sizes have reduced across the board, so days of sharing meals seem to be long gone. I didn’t find eating out anymore expensive than at home. Outside of Disney and Universal, we ate at Chilis, Cheesecake Factory, Cheddars Scratch Kitchen, Bahama Breeze, Rainforest Cafe, Kekes, Cracker Barrel and Longhorns. We had excellent service in all of them but this might depend on the branches you visit. Sign up to their mailing lists if you can as you they often send out coupons.
In the 16 days we were there, we spent £2091 on food, tips and petrol. This was for the 4 of us. We had separate spending money for shopping - the kids spend around £400 each and I spent an unspeakable amount, mostly in Bath and Bodyworks! 😳
You can take food into the parks, saw loads of people wheeling cool boxes and people having picnic lunches. It’s very common.
I’ve never understood why people think the food in the parks is dire, there is an abundance of choice both quick service and sit down restaurants. I don’t eat burgers or hotdogs (but I’m partial to Disney chicken strips). One of my favourite quick service meals is the noodles bowl at Satuli Canteen at Animal Kingdom. You can literally get food from around the world at the World showcase in Epcot. Look at some menus on the MDE app. You can also get an idea of pricing.
Qeues for the major attractions can be lengthy, but if you’re onsite, it’s definitely worth taking advantage of the 30mins early entry. I found that before 10am, the queues were very manageable. We pre-purchased Genie+ with our tickets so didn’t really feel much different to the old fast passes (especially if you stacked them for later in the evening). Genie+ can seem a bit complicated but you quickly get the hang of it when you’re there.
At Universal, stay one night in one of their deluxe hotels (Royal Pacific, Hardrock or Portofino Bay) and get 2 days of fast passes for all of you. This can work out much cheaper than buying the fast passes separately, if there are more than 2 of you.
it will be hot and it will rain very heavily late afternoon and early evening with thunder and lightning. Bring those ponchos! Also invest in some cooling towels.
One last thing, Guardians of Galaxy cosmic rewind is worth getting up early for to grab a boarding group for or even paying the individual lightning lane for. At Universals, Velocicoaster and Hagrid’s are worth the long waits.