Spend the most magical time of year in the most magical place on earth. Disney World isn’t the only attraction in Central Florida that puts on a show at Christmas. Here’s our pick of the best attractions this Christmas in Orlando.
You can celebrate the holidays in all four of the Disney World Parks.
There are also plenty of special events at Universal’s two Orlando Parks.
Read on for more details.
Magic Kingdom: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Orlando Christmas highlights at the Magic Kingdom include:
Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
A Frozen Holiday Wish: Queen Elsa transforms Disney’s Cinderella Castle into a sparkling, icy centrepiece for the celebration.
Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration: a special Christmas show
Epcot: International Festival of the Holidays
Orlando Christmas highlights at Epcot include:
Candlelight Processional: Hear the stirring story of Christmas as told by a celebrity narrator, accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and massed choir.
An International Yuletide Extravaganza: enjoy the sights, sounds and flavours of the season with stirring live musical production and international seasonal food and beverage specialties.
JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season: uplifting Gospel, R&B and holidays songs at the Future World Fountain Stage.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Flurry of Fun
Orlando Christmas highlights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios include:
Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! A light show spectacular of holiday music, fireworks, special effects and dazzling state-of-the-art projections.
Enhanced Holiday Décor Around Echo Lake, including a giant Christmas tree on the water.
Santa Greetings: visit with Santa Claus from November 9 to December 24, then with Santa Goofy until December 31.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can see a special show that tells the story of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights.
Universal Orlando
Orlando Christmas highlights at the Universal Parks include:
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Visit both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley which will be transformed with festive décor and special entertainment.
Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s: Merry and Mayhem combine as the Minions join Santa Claus in this Holiday favourite that features characters from Madagascar and Shrek.
Seuss Landing™ is home to the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular, a live retelling of Dr. Seuss’s classic holiday tale starring The Grinch™.
Mannheim Steamroller: the best-selling holiday artist returns for live performances on select nights.
Celebration
The Ellis team love wandering round the boutiques at Celebration. The Christmas décor around this picturesque town will get you in the holiday mood!
Now Snowing: a winter wonderland spectacular featuring strolling Charles Dickens Carollers, photos with Santa, horse drawn carriage rides, train rides and nightly snowfall at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m.
Skate under the stars on Celebration’s seasonal ice-skating rink
Come early for some Christmas shopping!
Disney Springs is transformed with holiday décor and Christmas cheer. Enjoying the shops, restaurants and bars at Disney Springs is the perfect prelude to Christmas.
Orlando’s malls are renowned for good reason – whether you are looking for high-end labels or great discounts, there’s something for everyone here. Read our guide to Orlando’s shopping.
If you would like to join us for Christmas in Orlando 2019, book your visit now!
Check out our vacation homes near Disney World Orlando:
Talk to our ticket partner for the best deal on tickets – guaranteed!
Read our best-ever hacks for Disney World:
What’s new in Orlando?
There always seems to be something exciting happening in Orlando. And this season is no different.
The Ellis Exclusive Villas team brings you news of all the new rides and excitement coming to Orlando soon.
We bring you news of:
Infinity Falls, a new raft ride at SeaWorld
Ray Rush, an award-wining new ride at Aquatica water park
Oga’s Cantina, exciting first news from Galaxy’s Edge
Tigris, soon to be Florida’s tallest launch coaster
Family fun from Disney
What are the most exciting new rides and attractions opening soon in Orlando?
Infinity Falls
Well, it doesn’t get much more exciting that the new ride opening at SeaWorld this week. That’s right ladies and gentlemen: this week.
>Infinity Falls opens at SeaWorld on 4th October and we just can’t wait!
This new SeaWorld ride is set to be the most thrilling river rapids ride of your life! It features the world’s longest drop on a river raft ride and the only vertical lift on a river rafts ride. Jump on one of Infinity Falls 14 rafts and you’ll be whisked away on a watery adventure. If holding on tight through churning white water is your thing, then this is the ride for you.
Infinity Falls Fun Facts
- Opening: 4th October
- Park: SeaWorld
- Ride type: Family
- Drop: 40 foot
- Length: 1,520 feet of track
- Splash level: Soaked – pack those ponchos!
- Height requirement: 42” to 78”
Ray Rush
The grand opening of Infinity Falls comes hot on the heels of another SeaWorld new attraction: the Ray Rush ride at Aquatica Orlando, which opened this May and has already scooped Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for Best New Water Park Ride.
This awesome ride is another fun family raft ride. Hop on a raft and water jets will launch your raft so you whoosh down the Ray Rush’s exhilarating slides and tubes before popping out in the pool below – splashtastic!
www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=30&v=InZy_kO6ruU
Ray Rush Fun Facts
- Opening: Open Now!
- Park: SeaWorld Aquatica Water Park
- Ride type: Family
- Splash level: Who cares? You’re in your shorts or bikini already, right?
- Height requirement: 42” or over
Oga’s Cantina
Disney has opened Toy Story World this year and Star Wars fans are eagerly awaiting the opening of Disney’s Star Wars World, Galaxy’s Edge. If you are a Star Wars nut, then Disney has something special for you to make the wait more bearable.
Oga’s Cantina is a new restaurant which Disney has announced will open next year – serving Star Wars themed food and drinks to the sounds of its resident DJ. Visitors can expect to meet a few Star Wars themed characters in Oga’s Cantina. Besides RX-24, the former StarSpeeder 3000 pilot droid, who is the Cantina’s resident DJ, it’s a safe bet a few Storm Troopers will be making an entrance.
Oga’s Cantina Fun Facts
- Opening date: 2019
- Park: Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be home to Disney’s new Star Wars world, Galaxy’s Edge.
-
Thrill level: For Star Wars fans: high.
- Found on: Planet Batuu
- Location: Black Spire Outpost
- Clientele: the galaxy’s most colourful – and notorious – characters
Galaxy’s Edge is set to open Fall 2019 in Disney World Orlando.
Tigris
Meanwhile, Busch Gardens has been announcing some exciting plans of its own – especially for coaster fans.
Tigris is set to be a new record-breaking rollercoaster. Busch Gardens has scheduled its opening date for Spring 2019, so you don’t have long to wait to experience what will be Florida’s tallest launch coaster. The movement of the coaster has been designed to imitate the agility of a tiger and it sounds like it will have just as much power too!
Tigris Fun Facts
- Opening: Spring 2019
- Park: Busch Gardens
- Ride type: High thrills
- Length: over 1,800 metres of steel track
- Speed: Reach speeds of up to 60mph
- Height: Tigris’s 150-foot skyward rush makes it Florida’s tallest launch coaster
- Thrill level: High
- Height requirement: 54” or over
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Finally, Disney is also planning one for the littlies with Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. This fun, family attraction is set to open in 2019 and will throw guests into the wacky and unpredictable world of Mickey Mouse. It will be Disney World’s first Mickey-themed ride-through attraction and its crazy capers will feature a new no-glasses ride experience that Disney is calling 2½D.
We’ll bring you more news when we hear it!
Orlando’s unique magic
If you’d like to experience any of these rides and attractions – whether this year or next – now is the time to book your Orlando vacation home. Booking early ensures you get your pick of the crop: you can browse our homes here.
Orlando is the centre of the theme park universe, with good reason. And its managed to retain that status for decades thanks to the continual innovation and ground-breaking designs of the theme parks’ imagineers. These are the people that bring the rides off the drawing board and to life and, if this season’s launches are anything to go by, they just keep getting better and better!
We’re so excited to see what’s coming next. And of course, we will share all the news with you right here on our blog.
Now you know the news, book your visit!
Check out our vacation homes in Orlando:
Talk to our ticket partner for the best deal on tickets – guaranteed!
Find out more about Disney’s Star Wars launch.
The Ellis Exclusive Villas team shares our favourite Disney World top tips. This is everything you need to know about Disney World!
Even experienced Disney visitors will learn something from this collection of our favourite Disney hacks. If you are planning to visit Disney World while staying at one of our Orlando vacation homes, make sure you try these best-ever Disney World Hacks.
Let us guide you step by step through everything you need to know about getting the most from your visit to Disney World Orlando.
#1. Pick your dates wisely
Ticket prices can vary wildly from one month – or day – to the next. Choosing the right dates to go can have a huge impact on your total bill. If you are able to pick your travel dates freely, January and September are usually the cheapest months – and the weather is milder too.
If you are planning a visit to the parks with tiny tots, then make the most of these cheap rates before your toddler reaches school age and you’re constrained to the more expensive school holiday periods.
We really love Dave Shute’s guidance on this and if you’re serious about picking a day with lower footfall highly recommend you visit his site.
#2. Get your ticket from a reputable source
Don’t fall for too-good-to-be-true prices – always get your ticket from a reputable source.
If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. You don’t want to find yourself signed up for a timeshare meeting to get a discount (what a waste of a day’s holiday!) or, worse, turned away at the gates.
#3.Buy your tickets AT LEAST a month before you go so you can use the Fast Pass service
Disney’s Fast Pass Plus will save you lots of time standing in line.
Fast Pass is a free service from Disney. To use it, you need to have Disney tickets.
Then, 30 days before you are due to visit, you can use your Fast Pass to reserve your place in the queue on some of Disney’s most popular rides and attractions.
If there are some rides you don’t want to miss, your Fast Pass is the best way to minimise the time you stand in line for those rides. Simply register online or in the app to book your slot in the queue in advance.
Each guest can reserve their place in the queue for up to three rides or attractions.
You can also use your Fast Pass Plus to book character Meet and Greets too – which is really great if you have toddlers and little ones in your party.
Spend some time thinking about what you want to do, what you don’t want to miss, what is going to make your day special and use of your Fast Pass allocations wisely.
#4. Download the Disney World app
The best source of information before you go is the Disney World app – it includes information about wait times per attraction as well as showtimes for fireworks and parades.
Download the Disney World guest app “My Disney Experience” as soon as you can. The app is available on IoS and Android.
The app is ideal for helping you get familiar with the park layout and services before you arrive.
It also gives you access to the Fast Pass Plus scheme – so you can book your place in the queue for the most popular rides (see item #3). You can access the Fast Pass Plus system from 30 days before your visit. This scheme is one of the best ways to minimise the time you spend in line during your visit – so do make use of it.
#5. Book Disney restaurants and Disney character meet and greets far in advance
Character meet and greets are extremely popular and you need to book them month’s in advance. Don’t leave it to the last minute.
#6. When you visit, aim to arrive BEFORE the parks officially open
People don’t usually want to get up early in the morning when they are on vacation so, as a rule, the parks are always quieter first thing in the morning. Aim to arrive even before the official opening time. This enables you to make your way to the gate for “rope drop” and be at the front of the queue!
Magic Kingdom opens an hour before rope drop – so you can spend a little time browsing the stores on Main Street before getting yourself into pole position for opening.
On some days, on some rides, you may even be able to enjoy an attraction before the official opening time.
#7. Early starts don’t have to mean a full day
If you have toddlers in your party, one thing we have found useful over the years is to book a villa just a short drive from the main gate – our homes on Seasons are ideal. This way, you can align your trip perfectly with your toddler’s schedule.
You’ll be used to the early starts with your toddler’s early rises so can arrive at the parks early and make the most of the lighter queues in the mornings. When your little one is ready for their lunchtime nap, escape back to the vacation home for lunch. This will save you a fortune because you can cater for yourself instead of having to pay high restaurant prices in the parks.
You can chill by the pool during the heat of the day, then return to the parks fully refreshed in the late afternoon – ready to enjoy the evening fireworks and parades.
Disney can be quite overwhelming, especially on a first visit, so this is one way to reduce the stress and sensory overload on your whole party!
#8. Extra Magic Hours
One way to sneak into the park before anyone else is to stay at a Disney hotel for a night when there are Extra Magic Hours running at the park you want to visit.
On these days, hotel guests can access the park an hour early or stay a couple of hours later than other guests.
A word of warning, however: this is really only useful if you intend to get up an hour earlier and make use of that extra magic hour. What’s more, the parks do tend to be busier on the days when Extra Magic Hours are available.
There is a cheaper and better way to get into the park early which we will explain below.
#9. Time your Disney restaurant bookings and Disney character meet and greets wisely
Rather than checking into a Disney hotel and leaving your villa empty for the night, we recommend saving your money and booking a character breakfast on a day when there are no Extra Magic Hours instead.
Book an early breakfast at Crystal Palace or Cinderella’s Royal Table on a non-EMH morning and you can skip down an empty Main Street USA and pose with characters with hardly any others in the picture.
This is a great treat. Plus, the rest of the day won’t be subject to the extra crowds that seem to materialise on Extra Magic Hours days.
You can also use the Disney app to book restaurants and character meet and greets.
Do book as early as you can because they are popular!
#10. Agree a meeting point
As soon as you enter the park, set a meeting point where all your party can meet up in the event you get separated and your phone batteries die. If nothing else, it’s good for peace of mind.
#11. Your first visit should be to Guest Services if it is a special occasion
On your first visit, birthday, anniversary or special event go to Guest Services as soon as you arrive to pick up a pin badge. Wear your “It’s my birthday today” pin and you’ll be regaled with birthday greetings all day. A little bit of extra Disney magic which makes an occasion or birthday extra special.
If you are going to do this, we recommend an early start because the queue for Guest Services can get long quickly – and early start saves the time you’ll spend in line.
#12. Leave your selfie stick at home
They are not welcome at Disney.
#13. Do pack a poncho
This is our favourite money saving tip. At certain times of year, Florida is known for its flash showers so having a lightweight waterproof is vital.
Plus, your waterproof poncho will also come in very handy on the water rides!
However, the ponchos you buy in the park are expensive, so if you are trying to save money don’t leave it until you get to Disney World to buy one. Pick them up cheaply from local stores or online before you go.
#14. Make use of the Single Rider and Rider Switch schemes
Just as in Universal, Disney operates a rider swap scheme for parents with young children, so no one has to miss a turn on the ride because they’ve been left holding the baby.
As well as ensuring both Mum and Dad get to turn on the ride, older children in the party can enjoy a second turn without having to return to the back of the line.
Another way to reduce times is to ride as a single rider. This way, you will be seated where there are single seats between large parties. However, you do need to be prepared to ride alone; if you join the Single Rider line with other people in your party, you need to understand that you will be seated separately.
If you are parents visiting with one child who is too small to ride, you can combine Rider Switch with Single Rider and keep your wait times to an absolute minimum.
#15. Keep adding to your Fast Pass Plus selections as you use them
Once you use up your three pre-booked Fast Pass Plus selections, you can add more Fast Pass Plus options through the day (subject to availability). Either use the app or go to one of the Fast Pass Plus kiosks around the park.
Remember, to use the Fast Pass Plus scheme to full advantage, you need to get your Disney tickets well before you travel.
#16. If you don’t mind missing parades or firework shows, this is the time to ride!
The wait times for attractions are usually much lower when there is a parade or show happening.
On nights when there are no evening spectaculars in Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, you’ll find those parks have shorter waiting times too.
So, provided you don’t mind missing the shows, this can be a great time to get some extra rides in.
If you have little ones in your party or its your first visit, you won’t want to miss these magical events of pure Disney – so position yourself to the beginning of the parade route so you can scoot off once the parade passes and enjoy the short lines!
Word of warning: make sure you are on the right side of the parade route for the attraction you want to ride. There’s no crossing the parade route once it’s started.
#17. Offset your mealtimes
Wait times are often shorter during mealtimes too. So, you could consider scheduling a mid-morning snack and afternoon tea instead of having lunch.
This is a double win: you eat when the restaurants are less busy and you make the most of the short lines during peak dining times.
#18. Shop wisely
There are so many ways to spend money in the parks, so it’s worth thinking about what you want to spend your money on before you go.
You can pick up Disney merchandise cheaply in stores like Walmart or online, so if you are trying to save money it might be worth buying your little princess her Elsa dress before you go.
You can also save money by taking refillable water bottles with you – most restaurants will give you free iced water if you ask for it.
When Main Street is busy, you can avoid the crowds by walking through the shops instead of along the road. The shops are all inter-connected and the air conditioning is a cooling bonus!
We suggest you leave your shopping until the end of the day, because the shops of Main Street remain open for an hour after the rest of the park closes. However, if you do pick up a few souvenirs during the day, you can ask for them to be sent to the front of the park for the end of the day, so you can pick up your gift shopping as you leave.
Follow these 20 tips and you can get your most from your Disney World Orlando visit.
Share your Disney World Orlando hacks!
If you have other Disney World Orlando tips you can share with our guests, please do share your thoughts on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear your Disney World tips and hacks.
If you’d like to talk to us about finding you the perfect vacation for your Disney World Orlando vacation, please email: reservations@ellisexclusivevillas.com
Now you know the hacks, book your visit!
Check out our vacation homes near Disney World Orlando:
Talk to our ticket partner for the best deal on tickets – guaranteed!
Read our best-ever hacks for Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure:
Exciting news for all Star Wars fans… Disney has announced its plans for the new Stars Wars worlds that it is developing for its theme parks in Orlando, Florida, and in California.
Disney has announced that the construction of its new Star Wars attractions is already underway at Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando.
The new land will be called Galaxy’s Edge, set in the galaxy of Batuu. The site covers some 14 acres of the Disney plot – putting the Star Wars extension on an unprecedented scale; the biggest single-themed development Disney has ever undertaken.
Pictures of the construction site released so far obviously show the construction in very early stages. Even so, there are some tantalising glimpses into what we can expect in this much-anticipated new world.
Feel the Force
Disney has also released news about the activities guests can expect to enjoy in the new Star Wars worlds. These announcements include news that guests will be able to pilot the Millennium Falcon as well as witnessing a battle with stormtroopers.
At the D23 Expo last year, Disney also released plans to open a Star Wars theme hotel as part of the development. The hotel will resemble a spaceship and it’s planned that, over the course of a two-night stay, guests will be able to take part in an immersive story-led interactive Star Wars experience.
For Star Wars fans, it could be well-worth considering checking into the hotel for a couple of nights during your stay at one of our villas. Pack an overnight bag and immerse yourself in this exciting new universe!
Starry Eyed
Disney imagineers say the new worlds will really enable guests to get the Star Wars experience for themselves.
Disney’s Doug Chiang, VP Creative Director Star Wars, says, “it’s all the things you wanted to do watching the movie that you’ve never had a chance to do. Having this attraction will allow guests to really immerse themselves and feel like they really are visiting Star Wars.”
MaxPass Rumours
There’s speculation online around how Disney will deal with the huge crowds expected when the new Star Wars worlds open.
Orlando Weekly has suggested that Star Wars land will open with a MaxPass scheme and not the usual free FastPass and FastPass+ fast-track schemes. MaxPass is a paid-for pass that ranges in price from $10 to $75 for an annual pass. Orlando Weekly suggests these prices may increase as we approach the Star Wars land opening date.
Of course, the rumour mill is in overdrive about this new opening, so we will have to wait for more news from Disney before we know for sure what will be available to guests.
May the Force Be with You
Much as we’d like to tell you the new Star Wars world will open on May the Fourth, announcements from Disney seem to suggest it will be later in 2019 before the new Star Wars worlds open at Disney World Orlando. At the moment the schedule is suggesting a late Spring opening at Anaheim and a summer opening in Orlando.
If you can’t wait until then, check out this video released by Disney which shows a detailed view of the model on which this new world will be based:
Then check out all the latest announcements on the Disney blog.
If you want to reserve a vacation home for summer or fall 2019, browse our Orlando vacation homes on our website.
September and October could be great months to visit, when the crowds are likely to be quieter than during the summer vacation season.
There’s only a month to go until Disney’s newest world opens at Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando.
Here’s everything you need to know about the soon-to-open Toy Story Land.
Toy Story Land – Opening June 30, 2018
This summer visitors to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Disney World Florida can enjoy a whole new land: Toy Story Land.
It’s the first of two major expansions to the Hollywood Studios park and is intended to be a really immersive experience. Toy Story fans should definitely not miss getting tickets to this park this summer!
Toy Story World will cover approximately 11 acres just off Pixar Place, behind the existing 4D shooting game, Toy Story Mania.
This is currently Hollywood Studio’s most popular ride, which is presumably what inspired Disney to expand on the Toy Story theme. The Toy Story Mania building will be extended to create a new entrance which will open directly onto the newly created Toy Story Land area.
Slinky Dog Dash
The centrepiece of the Toy Story Land area will be the Slinky Dog Dash – a family-friendly rollercoaster which coils around curves, hills, bridges and drops.
It should give a great view over the whole of Toy Story Land and the giant-size toys of that fill the landscape. Disney says there are more than 400 toys around Andy’s backyard.
Riders have to be 38in (97cm) or taller to enjoy Slinky Dog Dash and Disney describes the thrill level as “Thrill Ride, Small Drops”.
Alien Swirling Saucers
The other Tier One ride in Toy Story Land is the Alien Swirling Saucers spin ride.
Disney says, “Inside a play set that Andy won at Pizza Planet, the Aliens have powered up their flying saucers—and they’re ready to spin you on a wild ride into space! Hold on for some wild fun as your toy rocket takes off, all while electronic space music provides an intergalactic soundtrack. And if you’re really lucky, you might just get ‘chosen’ by the claw. Oooooo!”
The height restriction on this ride is just 32” (81cm) or taller.
Woody’s Lunchbox
Woody’s Lunchbox is the new food kiosk in Toy Story Land which will offer guests “tasty meals and old-fashioned floats” from a walk-up window service.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, visitors can enjoy a Toy Story themed menu.
Announced earlier this year, it includes: S’more French Toast Breakfast Sandwich; Banana Split Yogurt Parfait; Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwiches; Raspberry Lunch Box Tart; an Ice Cream Float with Barq’s Root Beer; and Grown-Up’s Lemonade.
Toy Story Merchandise
The Disney site is also promising Tshirts, Novelties and Beyond!
Character Meet and Greets
You can get a taste of the character meet and greets you can expect at the new Toy Story Land by checking out this video in which ABC previews the park attractions.
Disney says, “So buckle up your space ranger utility belt, set your lasers for big fun with some of your best pals… and get ready for the biggest play date of all time!”
Use Your Fast Pass
The FastPass+ reservations opened for Toy Story Land in April 2018. This means if you are planning a trip to be one of the first to experience the new Toy Story Land at Disney World Orlando, you can pre-book your rides on Alien Swirling Saucers or Slinky Dog Dash.
Best Price on Tickets
For great value tickets and information and advice about the best ticket and FastPass packages for you, we recommend you speak with our ticket partner Kissimmee Guest Services. They guarantee to match any price if you find the ticket cheaper up to 14 days after your visit – so you can be sure of getting the best deal.
Click through to their site from our attraction tickets page: www.ellisexclusivevillas.com/attraction-tickets/
If you are planning a trip to Universal Studios Orlando during your stay in Florida, you need to read these 10 Universal Orlando tips before you go.
We’ve pulled together some amazing hacks for you. Universal Orlando features three amazing theme parks — Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the Volcano Bay water theme park — it offers days and nights of endless fun for every member of the family.
Whether or not you’re staying at an Ellis Exclusive Villa or not these Universal Orlando tips will save you time, effort and money. And, most of all, help you to have a fantastic day at Universal. We’ll even help you discover one or two secret areas that most visitors miss!
Tip 1: Arrive Early – Even Before the Parks Open!
To enjoy the most popular attractions, do make sure you get to the parks early. The parks will be less crowded in the morning as most people like to sleep in late whilst on vacation.
If you can, aim to arrive about 1 hour BEFORE the park opens. If you are lucky, the park gates may open 15 minutes before the official opening time.
BONUS TIP: Once in, head to the back of the park and make your way to the front. We’ve tested this and being early allowed us to breeze through several wait times on the most popular attractions before the crowds arrive.
Most people will start at the gate and work their way into the park, so if you start the opposite way round you should maximise your time without the crowds.
Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade are much calmer early on and you will be able to get some good photo shots and browse the shops in relative peace. These areas can get pretty busy and it’s easy to miss some of the highlights when the usual crowds are buzzing around.
Tip 2: Buy Park Tickets in Advance
To save time and money we recommend buying your park tickets ahead of time. For the best deal, buy them through our ticket partner, Kissimmee Guest Services.
You can purchase them on the day at Universal Studios, but expect a big queue and the tickets tend to be more expensive.
Make sure you purchase a park-to-park ticket if you plan to ride the Hogswarts Express, as this visits both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.
Don’t worry if you forget or decide on the day, as there are ticket booths at the train stations in both parks, but you’ll save money and time if you purchase your tickets for both parks ahead of time.
Tip 3: Plan for Four Days Minimum
To conquer Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and the new Volcano Bay Water Park we recommend planning 4 days of your vacation to these parks. Maybe 5, if you don’t have an Express Pass. See our Tip Four for our tips on the best way to get an Express Pass.
You will definitely need a full day to explore the NEW Volcano Bay Water Park. It is amazing and is one of the best water parks around. It’s been a big hit with our guests.
BONUS TIP: If you are visiting Universal’s Volcano Bay water park, plan ahead and hire a private cabana where you can relax and unwind. The cabana retreats have padded lounge chairs, a small refrigerator stocked with bottled water, a complimentary fruit and snack basket, plus towel and locker service. You also have access to a concierge service with an exclusive menu of food and drink which can be delivered direct to the cabana.
One-story and two-story retreats are located throughout the park and you can get single or a family suite.
Tip 4: Get a FREE Express Pass by Spending a Night in a Universal Hotel
You’ll need to stay at either the “Royal Pacific”, “Hard Rock” or “Portofino Bay” hotels.
I know this tip sounds crazy coming from a vacation rental company, and you want to experience all the extra conveniences of staying in a villa over a hotel. However, it can pay to spend a night at one of these hotels at Universal Orlando if you plan to visit the Universal parks. This is because hotel guests get THREE amazing perks that will help you to more than double what you see in the Universal parks.
Perk 1 – You get to enter the Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure parks one hour earlier than the general crowd.
Use this early admission to go on the Forbidden Journey or the Gringott’s Bank ride an hour before anyone else is let into the park. If you’re quick and it’s not a busy day at the hotels, this extra hour potentially gives you enough time to ride the Forbidden Journey THREE times before the rest of the park even opens! We tried this for ourselves last time we visited Universal Orlando and it does work!
Another good use of this early entry is to visit Ollivanders in Hogsmeade, where the queues can get long very quickly. Getting there early will save you a lot of time waiting. Plus, the shops and town of Hogsmeade and the brilliant Diagon Alley are totally different when it’s empty; much calmer and more photogenic!
Perk 2 – Each guest staying in the room gets a FREE Universal Express Unlimited pass (worth around $149 each). This can be used every day of your visit and this includes your date of check in and departure.
Universal Express allows you to skip the lines at most Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure attractions. It is awesome and includes the major Harry Potter rides: Escape from Gringotts, Forbidden Journey and Hogwarts Express. However, please note, an Express Pass is a separate purchase at Universal’s Volcano Bay.
The value of the Express Pass tremendous, especially during busier times. Do the maths and see if it makes sense to stay on site for your party! It is often cheaper to stay on-site with Unlimited Express Pass when you compare it against staying off-site and purchasing the Unlimited Express separately.
Don’t check out of your Ellis Exclusive Villa – just take an overnight bag and check into the hotel for one night so you can use the Express Passes for free.
Perk 3 – Added benefit of being close to the parks. Your hotel stay also includes free parking – and this can save you a further $25 per day (so assume 2 days parking charges are saved during a one-night stay).
There are five Loews hotels on site at Universal Orlando:
• Loews Portofino Bay Hotel – includes the Universal Express passes and early park admission.
• Hard Rock Hotel – includes the Universal Express passes and early park admission.
• Loews Royal Pacific Resort – includes the Universal Express passes and early park admission.
• Loews Sapphire Falls Resort – includes early park admission.
• Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort – includes early park admission.
All of the hotels are within walking distance or a shuttle bus ride to all three theme parks and Universal CityWalk, which is well worth visiting.
If you are interested in checking out whether booking into a hotel could work out as a cheap way to get an Express Pass for you, give the Ellis Exclusive Villas team a call or email us: reservations@ellisexclusivevillas.com We work with a number of ticketing and hotel booking partners who can get you a great rate.
We will help you do the maths and see if this will work for you.
Tip 5: You’ve Got Your Tickets – Now Plan Ahead
To get the most out of your days at Universal parks, we recommend you plan, plan and plan.
To help you do this, Universal has a very useful app. As well as helping you find out what’s going on in the parks, the app includes an interactive map, real-time wait times for rides, park hours and a parking reminder so you will remember where you parked your car. Best of all, it enables you to connect to Universal’s park WiFi – for FREE.
The app is FREE to download, so do download it!
Before you go, use the app to get the whole family involved in planning the day, making it more fun and efficient. It will save you so much time and frustration.
Another thing to plan in advance is PARK RESTAURANTS. Check out the Universal Dining Plan. Planning where you are going to eat will help you with your budget, as you will not have to eat at the closet restaurant you can find when everyone is hungry.
Planning ahead will also give you a chance to check out the menus and prices before you visit. Another option is to come out of the parks and eat at Broadwalk at Universal Citywalk. It tends to be quiet in the afternoon.
If you want to eat in the parks, try and wait until late afternoon to have lunch. This is when the ride waits are the longest and the restaurant queues are shorter.
Tip 6: Wear Comfortable Footwear and Bring a Backpack and a Rain Poncho
Universal doesn’t have any transportation inside the parks, so you can expect plenty of walking and standing in queues.
Make your number one wardrobe priority some good, comfortable footwear. Get them before you go and break them in before your trip! Sore, tired feet can make for a miserable day at the parks.
If you have a two-park ticket, don’t miss taking the Hogwarts Express between the parks. It is a really convenient way to get around and is a brilliant family experience – plus it saves walking time.
BONUS TIP: Take the train from both parks, so you make the journey in both directions; the experiences are totally different and, if you are a Harry Potter fan, not to be missed.
We also recommend taking a backpack for your snacks, water and personal items. If you don’t feel like carrying a backpack, you can rent a locker at the parks.
Do take a lightweight rain poncho. Florida rain showers can blow in quite suddenly, and the poncho will come in handy on some of the water rides anyway!
Tip 7: Beat the Queue as a Single Rider or with a Child Swap
The parks try to make the queuing work as seamlessly as possible for everyone and two of the options introduced to manage the queues for the rides better include “single rider” and “child swap” policies. The canny park visitor can use these two policies to make the most of their visit.
Single Rider
If you are 10 years or older, then you have the option of grabbing a spot as a “single rider”.
Since most people ride in groups of two or more, if there is an extra single spot available on a ride, the attendants will ask for a single rider to fill the empty seat and you’ll be able to skip to the front of the queue.
At some rides, there is even a special queue reserved just for single riders.
Single Rider Lines at Universal Studios Florida:
• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
• Men in Black : Alien Attack
• Revenge of the Mummy
• Transformers : The Ride 3D
Single Rider Lines at Universal’s Islands of Adventure:
• The Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man
• Doctor Dooms Fearfall
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
• Skull Island : Reign of Kong
Child Swap
One perennial problem if you are visiting the parks with small children is the age and height restrictions on some rides.
“Child swap” has been designed to help families visiting with little ones to wait in the queue together once while allowing both adults a turn on the ride.
This works by one parent staying off the ride and waiting in the designated child-swap room with the child who is not tall enough to ride. Meanwhile, the rest of the family hops on the ride.
When they are finished, the parents can swap roles and the parent who initially stayed back is given a chance to ride without having to queue up again. Instead, they simply walk to the front of the queue in the child swap designated area.
Another added benefit of using the child swap is that the second parent can take up to three guests on the ride with them. So, several people in the family get to go on the ride twice without having to go to the back of the queue in between!
Tip 8: Factor in Breaks and Take Time to Explore
Make sure you factor in breaks during the day. It can get overwhelming for adults – and young children can find it especially hard going without some downtime.
Make the most of the water splash areas around the parks to help your little ones cool down. Pack a change of clothes for them so they can splash around to their heart’s content.
Another low-key activity little kids will enjoy can be found near the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. The air-conditioned shop in Seuss Landing has a colouring station in the store – a great opportunity for the little ones to cool down with some calming activity.
If you are visiting Universal Orlando with kids, do take advantage of child swap and single rider rides and plan your time wisely.
Don’t rush through the parks. Take time to explore, especially both the Harry Potter worlds. You will discover there is so much more to see in them than the rides and main attractions. If you know where to look, you can find magical elements hidden all around. For example, buy an interactive wand at Ollivander’s and you will be able to cast spells.
Magic will happen right before your eyes! It’s truly amazing.
Tip 9: Shhh… Use the Secret Entrance
Ok, so it’s not really a secret entrance… More like an entrance most people aren’t aware of.
If you don’t manage to get to the parks early, you can still avoid some of the queues by entering Universal Studios by the Blue Man Group auditorium, under the Rip, Ride, Rocket rollercoaster. Using this entrance will help you get in to the park quicker.
You access the park right in between the entrance to Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and the Studio store. Do note, however, that this entrance does not open with the regular park opening (or early admission). It generally opens around 10AM – ideal for late arrivals!
Tip 10: Useful Insider Knowledge!
Here are a few of the things that many people aren’t aware of… but we think are absolutely worth your time.
Harry Potter
• While visiting Gringotts ask the goblin in the Money Exchange any question and he will respond. Ask him about the dragon in Gringotts next time you visit.
• Want to impress Harry-Potter-mad kids? Head to The Three Broomsticks or the Hog’s Head pub and order a Pumpkin Fizz. You won’t find it on any menu, but it’s a magical carbonated delight! A secret item you shouldn’t miss!
• Why not try the Fire Whisky, the booze of the wizarding world? In the Deathly Hallows, it’s said to give anyone who drinks it an overwhelming sense of courage to go along with its “burning sensation”. You can order it at the Leaky Cauldron and Hog’s Head pub.
• Dial 62442 (MAGIC) in the phone in Diagon Alley and it will connect you directly to the Ministry of Magic. Give it a try!
• You can buy an interactive wand at Ollivander’s. With it, you can cast spells around Diagon Alley. If you yell “Metelojinx!” and move your wand the right way, water will pour down from the umbrella!
Men in Black Tour
Talk to the team member outside the attraction and ask them if you can get a tour of the immigration room. If it is a slow time and they have someone available, another Team Member will come out and escort you into this incredible room. This is a fantastic spot to take fun photos, so take full advantage of the unique opportunity.
Live Raptor Photo Opportunity
If you’re brave enough, you can approach the nearly nine-foot-tall raptor for a unique photo-op. But don’t make any sudden movements—as she gives you a sniff, her dagger-like teeth are just inches away. Are you daring enough to meet this prehistoric predator?
Jurassic Play Area
After you ride the Jurassic Park River Adventure, you can go to the Jurassic Park Discovery Centre. Here you can relax in the air-conditioned room while kids check out all the cool dinosaurs. Make sure to wander over to the eggs. If you’re there when a baby dino breaks out of its shell, you may be lucky enough to name the newborn and get an official birth certificate!
Secret Songs
Choose your own song on Hollywood Rip Ride Rock it.
How do you find these hidden tracks? After lowering the restraints, push and hold the ride’s logo for around 10 seconds. When you release your finger, a number pad will show up. Enter a three-digit code, then push enter, and a mystery song corresponding to the code will be played. Most of the tracks are located between 101-132, 301-312, 501-508, 701-718 and 901-904. If you hit a different number, you’ll hear the default song.
To get you started, try 902 (Rainbow Connection by The Muppets) or 310 (Vogue by Madonna).
Character Meet and Greet with Shrek and Donkey
We recommend you check the guide for times for this character meet and greet so that you can hang out with these totally awesome and funny characters.
Share your Universal Orlando hacks!
If you have other Universal Orlando tips you can share with our guests, please do share your thoughts on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear your Universal tips and hacks.
If you’re interested in finding a price for an overnight stay in a Universal hotel, please email: reservations@ellisexclusivevillas.com
Now you know the hacks, book your visit!
Check out our vacation homes near Universal Studios Orlando:
Talk to our ticket partner for the best deal on tickets – guaranteed!
Florida’s beaches are consistently named among the best in the world. Although there are no beaches in landlocked Orlando, it is easily possible to make a day trip to either the Atlantic coast or the more sheltered Gulf Coast.
Atlantic Coast Beaches
The Atlantic Coast beaches are the closest to Orlando, at just over an hour’s drive away. The wide stretches of sand buffeted by Atlantic waves might not be quite as picturesque as their Gulf Coast counterparts, but the sweeping vistas and bustling resorts make them well worth a visit.
Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is the closest beach to Orlando and can be reached in just over an hour’s drive. A five acre stretch of beach with beachfront parking, it has a wide choice of shops, activities and restaurants along the beachfront, including the 900-foot wooden pier built in 1963, Canaveral pier.
Cape Canaveral National Seashore
Beaches along the 24 miles of Canaveral National Seashore include Apollo, Playalinda and Klondike. It is a beautiful stretch of coastline without the shops and bars of Cocoa Beach or Daytona Beach. You’ll need to pack all your supplies for the day and get there early – the limited parking spaces can fill up early, especially during peak periods.
Be aware the beaches do close when there are rocket launches. On these days, park up and watch them from the nearby Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The 57,000-acre reserve is a refuge for a variety of bird species and a nesting ground of loggerhead sea turtles.
Daytona Beach
Daytona is probably the most famous of Florida’s beaches, and a Spring Break favourite. You can drive right on to the beach in Daytona and you’ll find several days’ worth of entertainment along its length, including the Boardwalk and Pier, the Bandshell which has regular live concerts over the summer, and – to the very south – the tallest lighthouse in Florida, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum.
New Smyrna Beach
South of the Ponce de Leon Inlet, you’ll find the 13-mile stretch of sand that is New Smyrna Beach. New Smyrna hosts a series of concerts in its beachfront park through the summer months. With white-sand beaches, and offshore rock ledges which create excellent wave breaks, it’s a perfect family beach. At its southern border is the north entrance to Canaveral National Seashore.
Flagler Beach
A slightly longer drive than Daytona, at an hour and a quarter’s drive from Orlando, the Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches area has 19 miles of pristine, cinnamon-coloured beaches. There are lots of family-friendly events throughout the summer including Pirate Invasions and Sandcastle competitions.
Gulf Coast Beaches
The white sands of Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches make the extra drive time worth travelling – if you can, we recommend making time to visit both coastlines for a real Florida experience.
Treasure Island Beach
The closest of the Gulf Coast beaches to Orlando, Treasure Island is around a two hour’s drive away. It is an island, connected to the mainland by three bridges. It’s a great approach to this family-friendly stretch of gorgeous white sand framed by restaurants and shops with a distinctly “old Florida” vibe.
St Petes Beach
The beach at St Petes was voted the third best beach in the USA by TripAdvisor travellers in 2017. The long stretch of white sand offers plenty of attractions and water sports along its length – at parts lined with tall hotels, at others palm trees. The Corey Avenue district has a variety of funky speciality shops, galleries, and restaurants.
Siesta Beach
To the south, and just pipping St Petes Beach in the 2017 TripAdvisor Best Beach rankings, Siesta Beach on Siesta Key is a barrier island to the west of Sarasota which was voted the best beach in the USA by TripAdvisor travellers. It made number two spot on Dr Beach’s list of the best US beaches in 2016.
Clearwater
Clearwater Beach won the Travel Channel’s Best Family Beach award in 2014 and when you see its three miles of powdery white sand and family-friendly attractions, it isn’t hard to see why. At the end of your two-and-a-quarter-hour’s journey to Clearwater, you’re rewarded with a few bridge crossings as you approach this barrier island off the peninsula.
Caladesi & Honeymoon Island State Parks
Just north of Clearwater you’ll find two beautiful state parks: Caladesi State Park and Honeymoon Island State Park. You’ll need to take the ferry to Caladesi, whereas you can drive to Honeymoon Island; it is located at the extreme west end of State Road 586. On either island you can swim, fish, and snorkel in the warm waters of the Gulf, shell hunt along the stretches of picturesque white sands, or spot some of the wildlife along the shore, including Ospreys and other seabirds.
Other Options
If you don’t fancy making the trip from Orlando to these beautiful coastal resorts, you can of course hit the water closer to home.
Whether it is in the private pool of your own vacation villa.
Or in one of Orlando’s brilliant waterparks!
Our resident thrifty creative, my sister Sonya, has been busy renovating some bedrooms for our property owners again and I thought I’d share some of her handiwork here.
Sonya’s really crafty but she’s also really into keeping costs down to an absolute minimum for our villa owners – we want them to get the most return for their investment without having to spend silly money on expensive refurbs. Sonya is great at this.
First, take a look at how she’s re-purposed these tired old pictures from the living room into some fun, Mickey-themed pictures for a new themed children’s bedroom.
Step 1: Remove glass and tape over the sections of the frame she wanted to keep pale grey.
Step 2: Spray black spray paint over all the ‘mahogany’-coloured woodwork of the frame and leave to dry. NB: put plenty of newspaper down first in the area you’ll be using the spray paint! The last thing we want are some unexpected repair or cleaning costs!
Step 3: In the first frame, Sonya replaced these tired old abstracts with some images from an old roll of retro Mickey Mouse wallpaper she found at a yard sale.
Step 4: In the second frame, Sonya used an image from the wallpaper in the central section, but can you guess what she made the Mickey Mouse silhouettes out of? They’re actually made from an old CD and a pre-loved balloon weight!
Finally, Sonya completed another frame with her trademark black spray paint and a super-cheap tshirt she picked up for next to nothing. I hope you’ll agree that they look great and are a testament to Sonya’s incredible make-do-and-mend approach to injecting a bit of new life into our homes.
Thanks Sonya – great job!
We host some amazing and inspiring people in our villas. Not least this group of college friends who now reconnect regularly – thanks to the power of Facebook and the Central Florida Tough Mudder events.
If you’re not familiar with the Tough Mudder concept it’s an opportunity to raise funds for the Wounded Warriors charity through 12 miles of teamwork and running with military-style obstacles thrown in. And when we say military-style obstacles we’re talking barbed wire, dangling live wires and Berlin walls… Let’s just say it puts the Ellis Exclusive Villas team’s New Year’s resolutions about a health kick to shame!
The six members of the ‘Fear the Beard’ team pictured here (above) before embarking on the race are (back row, left to right) Ed, Conrad, Michael; (front row, left to right) Jason, Bryan and Mike. Another three college buddies completed the team (and the Tough Mudder course), most of whom stayed at the Ellis Exclusive Villas holiday home “Jasmine” in Kissimmee.
Michael found us via Flipkey and said staying in a villa was much better than their previous year’s approach of all staying in hotels: “Last year we all stayed in different hotels and meeting up after the race was more difficult. This year we were all in the one spot. The villa was just three miles from the race site so it was easy to head back there, take a shower, get the mud off, and then all play by the pool.”
If you’re wondering where the Fear the Beard team name comes from it was inspired by San Francisco Giants baseball star Brian Wilson, who sports a rather impressive beard of his own. Michael says it was just a bit of fun and an excuse not to shave for five weeks! And it gave an extra dimension to washing the mud off after, we guess!
Although we have to say the boys really looked after our property and left not a trace of mud behind them. It really was a pleasure to host them.
Happily, the feeling seems to be mutual because Michael told us: “We really appreciated the convenience of booking a villa, the great location, and the way the Ellis team took care of us. They said they would give us a welcome pack, but we weren’t expecting the beer to be thrown in too! We’d book again with Ellis Exclusive Villas in a heartbeat!”
Team Fear the Beard: congrats guys and we look forward to hosting you again this year!
I’m always surprised just how much creativity and ingenuity is required in the day-to-day life of a property manager. That’s one of the reasons we enjoy our work so much here at Ellis Exclusive Villas – not one day is the same.
Part of our job is to keep the properties top notch so that we make sure that they are going to attract the most bookings. Repurposing an under-used room into a fun kids’ bedroom is all in a day’s work!
My sister Sonya had some inspired creative thinking to create these fun accents out of a few bits she had lying around. They look great in this Mickey Mouse themed children’s bedroom. There’s definitely a Mickey theme without it being a too full-on mouse overload!
Both ideas are really simple. First, she covered an old piece of hardboard with some quilting foam and some black spotty fabric using just glue and a staple gun.
Second, she updated an old picture frame which she spray-painted black to match the other (fabric) accent. She stretched an old Mickey Mouse tshirt over a rectangle of cardboard and inserted it into frame (replacing the tired old floral picture it used to house). I think they look fab.
Framing an old tshirt is a great idea I plan to steal for in my own home (thanks Sonya!). How good would an old college shirt look framed on the wall of an office? Thinking back to the optimism of my college self would help me get inspired by some great memories every day…
I hope Sonya’s handiwork inspires you too… we’d love to see your own creative projects if it does! Please share them below.