Obvious, but sometimes overlooked. A few tips to visit Central Florida.

Florida welcomes millions of visitors annually who seek beautiful beaches, theme parks, water sports, golf, Nascar, and many other entertainment options. In recent years, they have also experienced an influx of people, just like me and Marzz, who are permanently relocating to Florida. Specifically Central Florida is a location that many seek to visit or move to and one of the top reasons for people are its theme parks.

Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens, Sea World, Margaritaville, and The Fun Spot, are all destinations for people. Each one offers something unique in its own right. Some have hotels and shopping centers in addition to their theme park, while others are only a hotel but have established a lifestyle and made themselves into a destination despite no theme park. What does this equate to for visitors? A plethora of options!

All of this is great and well, but the devil is in the details. The following are a few things that we think you should know before you visit Central Florida.

Depending on where you may be visiting from, one element that may surprise you is that the afore mentioned locations are not all right next to each other. They are certainly nearby, but not walkable to each other. Public transportation is offered to all locations, but you are handicapped by their schedules etc. So having your own transportation is best. The exception would be Walt Disney World. If you stay at a Disney hotel, which is considered “on property”, then they provide a bus system that will take you to any of their theme parks as well as other hotels and Disney Springs, their shopping district.

So, getting around can be a challenge, but nothing you cannot solve. The part I want people to grasp is the amount of time getting around can eat up from your trip. Whether it’s using Disney’s bus system, or you rented a car to get around, it will take a certain amount of time. Of course, all of this will depend on where you’re trying to get to. If you’re only going to Disney and staying on Disney property, then your planning is simple compared to someone who is trying to visit all of these locations. Here is my take on estimating your travel time.

If you are only staying at Disney World, and using their bus system, plan on 20-40 minutes to get from any location to another, depending on the time of year. This can really add up, and if you are trying to make a dining reservation, it could be the difference of being on-time and being late.

For those staying at Disney, but driving, I would plan for at least 45 minutes. Waiting in line to pay for parking, then being in line to park, and then walking across the giant parking lots only to stand in line to get into the park, it all adds up quickly. Especially Magic Kingdom, their parking lot is a half mile from the park entrance. You can walk, but that is definitely NOT recommended, since you would most likely be walking in total over a mile having to go all the way around Bay Lake and using their winding pathways. More likely, you would take the monorail or the ferryboat. Both are fun, but both will require you to wait. My advice, take the ferryboat because it can hold approximately 250+ per ride, whereas the monorail is closer to 100.

Anyone renting a car and plans on driving from Disney to Universal or any other combination of the theme parks, should understand that travel time will be affected by traffic. It doesn’t change too much on the day, because many of the people on the highways or roads are the same collective. It’s made up of tourists traveling just like you are, or it’s the employee’s who work at the places you are trying to get to and because these places are open 365 days per year, there are no “off” days. It will fluctuate a bit depending on time of year and a Tuesday may be slightly better than a Friday, but not by much. The good thing is, that there are “rush hour” times, generally in the morning from 7a-9a and in the afternoon/evening from 4p-7p. This is at least something, whereas Los Angeles is busy 24/7.

If you are traveling by car from Disney to Universal, there are several caveats such as day, time of day, what exact location at Disney are you leaving from that will affect your travel time, but I would say give yourself 45 minutes minimum. Keep in mind, my theory is that arriving early is better than arriving late. You may be able to trim it down to 30 minutes, but I would use 45. Just like before, you have to account for traffic, plus waiting in line to park at Universal, plus parking and then walking to the parks and there is a security check in between which can take a small amount of time.

Another thing to keep in mind when visiting Universal is that not only do you need to do a security check, but you also have to walk through City Walk, which when busy, can add a bit of time walking through a heavily crowded area. For the record, Disney also has security checks too.

Another element to watch out for is the weather. Now most visitors are aware that the weather here can fluctuate, but I do believe people under-estimate that fluctuation. It is not uncommon for you to wake up to sunny skies, go about your day, and then around 3p or 4p have it pouring rain. Now this afternoon rain can last a few minutes, up to hours, but generally it’s about 20 minutes, and then it will be sunny skies again. Because of this, be prepared for those showers. Personally, I’m not one to carry an umbrella with me usually, but for park goers, I do recommend disposable rain ponchos. You can purchase them inexpensively online and they work great for these short showers. Throw some in a backpack or even your pocket and use them as needed and then just throw them away. No need to carry around a wet poncho the rest of the day.

In addition to afternoon showers, hurricanes are a real thing and if you happen to be here during one, just listen to the park’s safety protocols as well as local government guidelines and you should be fine. Those who tend to find themselves in trouble during a hurricane are those who fail to adhere to those safety warnings and assume they can withstand the storm on their own. The resorts all offer shelter-in-place safety camps during a hurricane as well as their resort hotels are all designed to withstand the storm, so you will be safe.

The last thing I will mention regarding weather is the sun. This is the sunshine state after all, and that sun can be unforgiving after spending all day running around the parks, or at the beaches. Don’t forget, that even if it’s a cloudy day, the UV rays can still give you a sun burn. The obvious solution is to ensure you are wearing sunscreen and reapply throughout the day. If you’re planning on getting wet while swimming or riding water rides, make sure you reapply afterwards or make sure it is a waterproof sunscreen. I see many visitors walking around with bright red burns. That is not the way you want to spend your vacation.

Other things to keep in mind, especially if you’re on a schedule is the amount of time eating can take you. For example, a group of 4, whether you’re eating at a restaurant inside a theme park or nearby, you’re wait during peak season can easily be over an hour just to be seated, and then another hour or so to eat your meal. So, if you’re planning on watching shows, or making another reservation you may have, keep this time in mind so you’re not late. Not all locations or attractions will accommodate you if you are late.

For those visiting the theme parks, there are ways to help shorten your wait times for attractions, but I’ll get into that in more detail another time. My advice for those waiting in the “normal” lines at the theme parks is to prioritize by which ones are most important for you to ride, but that are also fairly close to each other. I see people make the mistake all the time, they’ll walk up to a queue, see the estimated wait time, and then suggest riding something clear across the park. Trust me, by the time you walk to that other attraction, even if it’s a shortly wait time, you could have invested it in the one you’re already at, and I bet the wait times are somewhat close to each other. In addition to that, if the first ride you’re at is something you want to ride regardless, why jump around? Just invest in it now. Jumping from ride to ride is not the best use of your time, even though standing in line does not sound efficient.

My last note is regarding time again, just because I see so many people waste so much time here.

Now perhaps you like taking things slowly, and not having a plan, so you just make it up as you go. If yes, good for you, I envy you a little, as I’m a planner. For my fellow planners, here is another tip regarding your use of time.

The destinations that I’ve listed, theme parks, beaches, resorts, wildlife parks, Kennedy Space Center, etc. They are all great in their own right, but they are all robust. For example, a few years back, my family and I, visited Kennedy Space Center for the day. We rented a car from a location on Disney property and drove out there and back that same day. We spent all day at Kennedy, as well as another space museum nearby. We technically did it, but we did skip a few things, and we were very tired that night. My point is, just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you should.

First time visitors, I recommend the following: 2 days per theme park and Kennedy Space Center. At day at the beach, Gatorland, or a water park should all be fine. In addition to that, I highly recommend planning a non-theme park day, just to break it up and provide a day of rest. If it were me, I would place this non-theme park day in between other theme park days, because back-to-back theme park days can end up being exhausting. Don’t be afraid to take in a local spot like downtown Winter Garden, Orlando, or Kissimmee. There are also resorts that can be destinations, such as, Margaritaville, or Gaylord Palms.

Florida also has some of the top-rated beaches in the nation. There are also state and national parks, historical places of interest, local fairs and events, concerts, professional sports, and conventions. Central Florida is one of, if not the top, travel destination in the world, and that is due to no shortage of activities. So come on out and visit, find your happy place here in Central Florida.