Helpful Hints for Survival

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Helpful Hints

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Inside stuff! OK so I've told you about the parks, I've told you about hotels...now for survival techniques. Survival techniques? What, are we going on safari? Just about! Below you will find specific tips for the parks but first let's go over some basic theme park survival. A good back pack can be your best friend (check out my sponsor yakpak below for GREAT bags!) Fill it with: chapstick, aspirin, bandaids,snack foods (I know it's cheesy but believe me park food is expensive and lines can be killers for little kids) sunscreen (very important! Even when it's cold here-WEAR SUNSCREEN-especially british visitors...I can't tell you how many tourists I've seen lobsterfied!) light jackets for little ones ,and rain ponchos (if you are visiting in the spring and summer this is a must!! It rains EVERY DAY!!!) GET A MAP!! Ahead of time, if possible, and plan your day before you go! I know this kind of kills the excitement and spontineity(sp) BUT I promise you, you will thank me for it. Figure out what you want to see the most and go there first!! Preferably something towards the back of the park, crowd consciousness herds toward the first thing they see. Check your map while standing in line and try to memorize how to get there, landmarks along the way, this way you won't have to stop in the middle of the walkway and unfold the map to figure out where you are going. MOST PEOPLE WILL gravitate towards the right in all situations, whether it be walking or standing in line...which means you should head for the left. DRESS FOR COMFORT!!! Don't worry about how you look...you're on vacation! Believe me, there is always someone who looks worse. Don't worry, just enjoy yourself. Oh yeah... WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!I can't tell you how many women I see limping around nursing their blisters from the heels they wore to match their cute little sundress. It's your vacation! You don't want blisters! And hey, if you buy new shoes, break them in for a few days before you head out to the parks or else you too will be nursing blisters!! BUY YOUR TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME (check my link on the "your orlando vacation" page) This will save you so much time, the lines to buy tickets are usually about a half hour long. Get there early and eat before you go to the park. I know, I know, it's your vacation, you want to relax...how relaxing will it be fighting the crowds with all the other tourists who slept in? OK now that I've talked your ear off here are some specific hints about each of the parks! BUT FIRST.... The biggest and best hint of all DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!! I can't emphasize this enough! The sun here is a killer and you don't want to get dehydrated and sick on your vacation!
		Disney tips! Disney uses a method called fast pass to control traffic at their most popular attractions. Basically, you take a ticket, which sets you an appointment to come back to that ride at a later time, and get into a special line which is MUCH shorter (usually about a 5 minute wait) If the line is longer than 20 minutes, definitely use the fast pass. BUT you can only hold one fastpass ticket at a time, UNLESS your return time is more than two hours away.(this is a new policy) At Animal Kingdom be sure to see the Tree of Life show! It is fabulous! If you do not want to see the parades, plan to go on the most popular rides during the parade. Each park has an area where you can always find characters or Mickey Mouse. In fact MGM has a whole street with characters who take pics and sign autographs all day! If you are traveling with kids, make it your top priority to find out where this is and schedule it into your day!
		Universal Tips When going to Universal studios, there are 2 options when you enter the park- Right or straight. If you go straight, you will pass a boneyard on your left and the Monster Cafe on your right, then you will come to the Twister ride. This is a great experience. If it is on your list of must sees, go here first. IF you have the action rides Back to the Future and Men in Black, head to the right. This path will curve around and then straighten out, heading right for the back of the park. Move quickly and don't stop to look at the sites (there will be plenty of time later) Hit Men in Black first, then Back to the Future. This could save you over an hour of wait time that you can use to see other things! Be sure to see T2. It is an amazing show and even though the line may seem long, the theater holds several hundred people so don't worry!One stage show you must see here is Beetlejuice's Graveyard Review. Located between the New York area and San Francisco area, this slightly corny but very fun stage show always has top notch performers. (Did you know that Joey from N*SYNC used to play the wolfman in this show??) When visiting Islands of Adventure, when you hit the fork Go left. Go directly to Spiderman-do not pass Go-Do not collect two hundred dollars . This ride is the most amazing technological advance in themeparks today! You MUST ride this ride! No matter how long the wait, which has been known to rise above 3 hours. One show you must see is Poseiden's Fury! This is located in the back right corner and is a continuous viewing with shows every 20 minutes. Amazing effects!!
		Sea World Tips Journey to Atlantis ALWAYS has a long line, but Kraken NEVER does, so head straight for the back of the park to ride this ride if it's one of your priorities. When heading for the Shamu show, get there about 1/2 hour early. If you want to get wet, sit in the bottom sections. If you don't want to get wet, but still want an up front view sit in the center section near the camera. (these things cost over ,000 each, the whale is trained NOT to splash them) If you have little ones, the Pets on Stage show is excellent and lots of fun, but get there at least 20 minutes early (this is where the snacks come in handy) There is alot of walking in this park so be prepared! Find out when dolphin feeding time is and get to the pool at least a half hour early to get a good spot on the edge of the pool and to stand in line for fish.