(Uh, Orlando-ites? Orlandans? I have no idea. Whatever. If the name even remotely identified you, then I'm talkin' to ya.)
My fellow blogger Janet of Love is Blonde is coming down to Orlando and (mainly) Disney World for the first time as an adult. Below, I'm giving her my best recommendations as one of the natives here, but YOU! You can also help! Leave her (er, me) a comment below for your recommendations, whether they are the best place you know of for fabulous sushi, your insider tips/tricks for sucessfully navigating Disney, or anything else you think is a must-see for a visitor.
(I know, I know: I could have simply linked to her post and had you comment THERE, but then I'd never get around to reading all of your fabulous tips, and I'm really feeling greedy and wanting to see how many comments I can generate, maybe more than, like, FOUR.)
Okay - here are my tips and tricks for Orlando:
--Best place for real Irish food and beer: Fiddler's Green. You must go. It's going to be north of Orlando in my old digs of Winter Park, right next to Rollins College. They have live music on weekend nights, and there's always a party crowd on weekends, too. They have about a zillion yummy beers on tap (my favorite, Strongbow, is among them) and the food - well, EVERYTHING is delicious. Some of my favorites are the fish & chips, bangers & mash, and just about the most delicious cheeseburgers in town (no, not Irish, but damn good still). If you happen to catch the Wyndbreakers as the band, do go, and have an Irish car bomb on me. :-)
--Best local place for dogs & fries: Hot Dog Heaven. This is also north of the Disney area, in east Orlando, right near the corner of Colonial (50) and Semoran (436). It's not a fancy place, but it is packed nearly every day at lunch, and for good reason: you can get delicious Chicago hot dogs and THE BEST FRENCH FRIES EVER here. I am not a hot dog person - I cannot stand Oscar Meyer - but every Saturday, my mouth starts to water and I want to come here. Get a souvenir mug with $.35 refills.
--Best fun place to stop on International Drive: the outlet malls (scattered everywhere - you'll see them as you drive down I-4) and Cafe Tu Tu Tango, a Spanish-themed tapas restaurant that also showcases local artists and has cool people come in like palm readers, belly dancers, and other assorted wildlife ;-) The food is all good - be forewarned that they actually charge you for refills on your sodas, but don't forget to order a decanter of their famous sangria, too.
--Best mall: The Millenia Mall. All sorts of shops from high-end (Cartier) to the common (Gap) and - my favorite - a great Apple store.
--Best insider tip for Disney: when you go to Epcot, you won't want to miss the ride "Soarin'", located inside the Land pavilion. Be forewarned, though: the wait to get on it is consistently between 90-120 minutes, and they aren't exaggerating. Here's what to do: get there first thing in the AM. Go and get a "fast pass" for the ride, and it will have you return later in the day in a MUCH shorter line (think 10 minutes instead of 2 hours). This is also a good strategy at the Magic Kingdom for rides like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, and also at Animal Kingdom for Everest. Pirates of the Caribbean, oddly, never has this problem.
--Best places to eat in Disney: I don't know about Magic Kingdom, but at Epcot, there are two restaurants - Le Cellier steakhouse (in the Canada pavilion) and The Rose & Crown (in the England pavilion). Both are more $$ than the average Disney fare, and you'll want to make reservations if you want to eat at either, because they book up quickly (I'd call at least a day ahead). I'd actually recommend Fiddler's Green over the Rose & Crown, if you can swing the drive, but if not, you'll enjoy the food there. And Le Cellier has some of the tastiest soft pretzel sticks ever, along with the rest of the delicious food.
Okay, now I'm realizing all of my recommendations are places to EAT. Heh. Oh, wait! One more!
--Best place to go to the beach: New Smyrna Beach - it's about an hour away on I-4 heading east. Less crowded than Daytona (about ten minutes farther east on I-4) and just as lovely. While you're there, go eat delish seafood at JB's Fish Camp, grab a soft serve at Frozen Gold (*drooling*), and walk up and down Flagler Avenue for some fun shops on the "boardwalk" (er, street, but it kinda looks boardwalk-y).
Your turn! Tell Janet the places you love to go in the Orlando area.
6 comments:
1. If you're eating anywhere on Disney property except the counter service restaurant, call as soon as you know what your travel plans are and start making reservations. Thanks to the oh-so-intelligent Disney people, they now have this thing called the Disney Dining Package or something like that and as a result, most of the restaurants are filled to capacity on reservations MONTHS ahead of time.
2. You MUST ride Toy Story Mania. You need to be prepared to either a) wait in a huge line (hours, people) or b) arrive at the ride first thing in the morning and get a fast pass. As of last month, the ride ran out of fast passes by 11am. This ride is at MGM, er, Hollywood Studios.
3. We have had great success with the "single rider" line at Expedition Everest. So, as long as you're brave enough to ride it solo, skip waiting in line and go single-rider. If you want to ride as a family (couple or whatever) best place to ride is in the front. So if you're waiting in line, you might as well as to ride up front.
4. As far as I'm concerned, best place on Disney property to eat is Ohana, which is located in the Polynesian resort. It's all you can eat, and they bring along skewers of meat 3 feet long (at least) and serve you fresh from the grill. It's delish! (See Tip #1.)
5. If you're thinking of doing a water park, it's a toss up for me on which one is better: Aquatica or Blizzard Beach. Both are amazing.
Two suggestions; (1) go to Blue Springs early in the morning to see the Manatee (if it's cold while you are here) and as tacky as it sounds - go to Gatorland to see hundreds of live adult gators fighting over a raw chicken :) have fun.....Dave
I would highly recommend Cirque Du Soleil. It's the best show in town. It's pricey, but worth every penny. We've gone 2 times it's so good.
When you visit the Magic Kingdom, take the monorail and it will pass THROUGH the Contemporary Resort and Hotel as you ride (very fun). For lunch, go to the bottom floor of the Contemporary Hotel, just past the front desk and go to the left to the place where the employees eat. Healthy food, quick, and it costs maybe $6-7 dollars for a salad, sandwich, drink, and a fruit dessert.
The same meal will cost you $20-$25 dollars (#$%#%!) inside the Magic Kingdom per person. It is the best deal going...
At the Magic Kingdom, when you go through Main Street, instead of heading towards Tomorrowland and Space Mountain as 70% of the visitors do, go left instead towards the Jungle Cruise when you are in between the Cinderella's Big Castle and you just left Main Street. Walking against the crowd will save you 5-15 minutes per ride.
And you must ride Pirates of the Caribbean! It is great, corny, and fun to sing to. It is dark, so feel free to be silly! Anne and I will ride it on a sister/brother fun day 3-5 times. It just gets better.
And skip the spinning tea cup ride or you will be very sick for a while.
At Epcot, the best food pavilion is in The Land Paviliion. Gourmet food and everything else you could want, and the prices are the same as the other hideous junk food. But at least you'll get really good food.
In Longwood, please visit Napoli's Pizza in Seminole County. They have awesome pizza, Italian food, and servers who will make you laugh and feel good about yourself for very reasonable prices. Second family owned, I've gone there since 1980!
Most important, have fun!
omg you guys are amazing! I was just going to write in my interview questions...what should I do in Orlando! lol...THANK YOU!
Jellyrolls at Disney's Boardwalk! It's a dueling piano bar and a total blast!
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