GOING TO WEST COAST OF USA

[Wilko]

Hi everyone, I am a first time poster. I am travelling to New York, Washington DC, Vegas, San Fran and Orlando for a holiday in June. What theme parks should I visit? WHOOPS, Thanks Alexb for pointing that out. What was I thinking???? I am going to the other side of the states.

Edited March 10, 2009 by Wilko

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Going by your geography, i'd recomment Disneyland Paris, Tokyo DisneySea, and maybe Luna Park Melbourne. This is, of course, only accurate if you still believe that New York, Orlando and Washington DC are on the West Coast as your thread title suggests. If however that was just a woops on your part, then from a Western perspective, (and I know a lot of people will disagree with me) my favourites to visit on the west coast would be Knotts, Disney Precinct Cali (DCA and DL), SFMM, and since you're heading to SF, make the effort to get to SW SanDiego. Universal is also a must, but it depends on what you're really after, since they all offer something a little different. That is pretty much my west coast itinerary on my next trip O/S. East coast \ Central, I can't help you. I've never gotten that far on a trip to the states. I always end up heading north or south way before I get past nevada. Next trip I plan to go east, but its a year or two off yet.

[Gazza]

To continue on, In San Fran you have Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and California's Great America In Vegas, there are a few Casinos that have roller coasters attatched, the only fully fledged park is the indoor Adventuredome but to be honest that park doesn't seem that great. Orlando has heaps of theme parks, and theme parks are the only reason you'd go. You have the four theme parks (EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kindgom) and two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach in Walt Disney World You Also have Universal Orlando, with Universal Studios and the spectacular Islands of Adventure, plus Wet 'n' Wild . There is SeaWorld and the associated Aquatica water park. Nearby in Tampa Bay is Busch Gardens. PS, if you are after photos of any of the Orlando parks, search for them here on Parkz. In New York then Six Flags Great Adventure is the nearest large park. What is the situtation with Coney Island at the moment though? In Washington DC you've got Six Flags America, but reportedly that park is awful. There are also a few theme parks in between DC and NY, but I'll leave them to someone else more familiar with them to cover....As you can see the US has quite a lot of theme parks, and you could in theory do a trip solely visiting them. I don't know how much trip time you have (and that will determine everything), but If you just went to the Orlando parks (Islands of Adventure and the Walt Disney World ones taking preference) then you'd be doing pretty well, and any other parks would be a bonus. I'd imagine time in the other cities would be better spent seeing the cities themselves.

Edited March 11, 2009 by Gazza
Typo

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

PS, if you are after photos of any of the Orlando parks, search for them here on parks.

or even better, here on PARKZ

[Wilko]

or even better, here on PARKZ

Ive tried searching photos but I dont see any of disneyworld, orlando??? Which of the 4 disney parks in orlando should I see? Are the water parks worth going? I am going to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in one day. Going to buy the express add on like i did at their LA park. What rides should I go on first???

To continue on, In San Fran you have Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and California's Great America In Vegas, there are a few Casinos that have roller coasters attatched, the only fully fledged park is the indoor Adventuredome but to be honest that park doesn't seem that great. Orlando has heaps of theme parks, and theme parks are the only reason you'd go. You have the four theme parks (EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kindgom) and two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach in Walt Disney World You Also have Universal Orlando, with Universal Studios and the spectacular Islands of Adventure, plus Wet 'n' Wild . There is SeaWorld and the associated Aquatica water park. Nearby in Tampa Bay is Busch Gardens. PS, if you are after photos of any of the Orlando parks, search for them here on Parkz. In New York then Six Flags Great Adventure is the nearest large park. What is the situtation with Coney Island at the moment though? In Washington DC you've got Six Flags America, but reportedly that park is awful. There are also a few theme parks in between DC and NY, but I'll leave them to someone else more familiar with them to cover....As you can see the US has quite a lot of theme parks, and you could in theory do a trip solely visiting them. I don't know how much trip time you have (and that will determine everything), but If you just went to the Orlando parks (Islands of Adventure and the Walt Disney World ones taking preference) then you'd be doing pretty well, and any other parks would be a bonus. I'd imagine time in the other cities would be better spent seeing the cities themselves.

Thanks heaps Gazza. Im spending just 4 days in San Fran. I was there in 2006 and did Disneyland and the one next to it, Universal Studios and Great America. I didnt think to go to Seaworld but this time around I should make the trip.

[Gazza]

Ive tried searching photos but I dont see any of disneyworld, orlando??? Which of the 4 disney parks in orlando should I see? Are the water parks worth going?

Whoops, I could have been clearer. You need to search for the individual parks (EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom) Searching for "Disneyworld" wont return any results because Disneyworld isn't an individual park, but rather the name given to the collection of parks and the Disney owned resorts surrounding them. If you have the time, visit all of them because they are all excellent. Though if I were to give a preferential order it would go EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios. I'd try to visit at least one of the water parks too, because they are among the best in the world.

I didnt think to go to Seaworld but this time around I should make the trip.

Bear in mind that there is a SeaWorld in San Diego, and a SeaWorld in Orlando...the Orlando one is better.

I am going to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in one day. Going to buy the express add on like i did at their LA park. What rides should I go on first???

At Islands of Adventure, the important ones to go on first are The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, both sides of Duelling Dragons (Each track is unique), and the Incredible Hulk Coaster. The water rides on offer are all pretty cool too. At Universal Studios, Revenge of the Mummy (This version is completely different to the Hollywood one), Men In Black, The Simpsons Ride and Jaws are the key ones to see. A new coaster called Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is nearing completion, but I don't know if it will be ready in time for your trip. They are both pretty full on parks (And really deserve a full day each given it will be summer time) but I guess the express pass will help. If you are going to do both in one day, then I'd start off early in the morning at Islands of Adventure, and do the Studios later on. Edited March 14, 2009 by Gazza

[Wilko]

Whoops, I could have been clearer. You need to search for the individual parks (EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom) Searching for "Disneyworld" wont return any results because Disneyworld isn't an individual park, but rather the name given to the collection of parks and the Disney owned resorts surrounding them. If you have the time, visit all of them because they are all excellent. Though if I were to give a preferential order it would go EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios. I'd try to visit at least one of the water parks too, because they are among the best in the world. Bear in mind that there is a SeaWorld in San Diego, and a SeaWorld in Orlando...the Orlando one is better. At Islands of Adventure, the important ones to go on first are The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, both sides of Duelling Dragons (Each track is unique), and the Incredible Hulk Coaster. The water rides on offer are all pretty cool too. At Universal Studios, Revenge of the Mummy (This version is completely different to the Hollywood one), Men In Black, The Simpsons Ride and Jaws are the key ones to see. A new coaster called Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is nearing completion, but I don't know if it will be ready in time for your trip. They are both pretty full on parks (And really deserve a full day each given it will be summer time) but I guess the express pass will help. If you are going to do both in one day, then I'd start off early in the morning at Islands of Adventure, and do the Studios later on.

Thanks Gazza for all your useful advice. I am really looking forward to this trip. I'll take your advice about Seaworld. I do have an afternoon off in Orlando so I guess I should go to that one instead. Great Idea about Disney too.

[Wilko]

Hey there guys, Well I am travelling to the EAST Coast of the USA in a few weeks time which is exciting. I have an express plus pass for universal orlando and islands of adventure so that will be a great day. Also seeing transformers 2 at universal at lunchtime to ease the stomach from churning from the rides. LMAO. I also have the 4 park hopper for 3 days too for Disney. Gazza mentioned that the water parks over there are among the best in the world. Which one would be the ulimate experience as i believe i might have half a day left over to visit one of them? Any tips to give in getting the most out of the parks???????

Edited May 22, 2009 by Wilko

[Gazza]

Also seeing transformers 2 at universal at lunchtime to ease the stomach from churning from the rides. LMAO......... Any tips to give in getting the most out of the parks???????

Haha, I can guarantee you now that you'd be too busy and having fun at both parks to even remember to go out and spend time seeing the movie. If you have paid over $100 for the park ticket, then why waste 3 hours worth of it? Citywalk is open well into the night, so I'd recommend seeing Transformers after the parks have closed. All though Hulk and Dueling Dragons are big rides, the place as a whole isn't that stomach churining, and you'd be fine to go at it all day. At the Universal parks, turn up to I.O.A. before opening time, and when the gates open rush to rides like Hulk, Dueling Dragons and Spiderman and get a ride in when they are quiet. That way you don't 'waste' an express token when you don't need to (At Universal Florida, you can only skip the line once per ride) and when the rides are busier, you can come back and use the express pass to get a reride...Oh, and absolutely don't forget to ride Spiderman. With that extra half day, I'd play it by ear. 3 days will be a terrible rush for the 4 Disney parks, so you may well want to use up that half day for more time at Disney. Id recommend www.allears.net which I found invaluable for figuring out how to tackle Disney. Find out which rides have fastpass , and try and use them as much as you can (They tend to run out early)...Rock n Roller Coaster, Test Track, Expedition Everest have single rider, so if you don't mind riding separate to whoever you are with you can skip a long queue. Admittedly, I did Disney in 3 days, but I had the advantage that I had been to Disneyland in LA, so at the Magic Kindgom I just did a 'highlights' package the equivalents of my favourite rides from the LA park. The other slightly bad point is that I only spent 2-3 hours at Animal Kingdom. This was enough time to see all the major attractions (Though i didn't spend much time looking at the Animals, other than on the actual safari) and again, I did this by turning at opening time, and hurrying to the major rides before they got busy. However, if you wind up not needing the extra time, then I think Blizzard Beach is the hot pick for the half day.....Or just go to Sea World for Kraken and Manta! Edited May 22, 2009 by Gazza

[Wilko]

Haha, I can guarantee you now that you'd be too busy and having fun at both parks to even remember to go out and spend time seeing the movie. If you have paid over $100 for the park ticket, then why waste 3 hours worth of it? Citywalk is open well into the night, so I'd recommend seeing Transformers after the parks have closed. All though Hulk and Dueling Dragons are big rides, the place as a whole isn't that stomach churining, and you'd be fine to go at it all day. At the Universal parks, turn up to I.O.A. before opening time, and when the gates open rush to rides like Hulk, Dueling Dragons and Spiderman and get a ride in when they are quiet. That way you don't 'waste' an express token when you don't need to (At Universal Florida, you can only skip the line once per ride) and when the rides are busier, you can come back and use the express pass to get a reride...Oh, and absolutely don't forget to ride Spiderman. With that extra half day, I'd play it by ear. 3 days will be a terrible rush for the 4 Disney parks, so you may well want to use up that half day for more time at Disney. Id recommend www.allears.net which I found invaluable for figuring out how to tackle Disney. Find out which rides have fastpass , and try and use them as much as you can (They tend to run out early)...Rock n Roller Coaster, Test Track, Expedition Everest have single rider, so if you don't mind riding separate to whoever you are with you can skip a long queue. Admittedly, I did Disney in 3 days, but I had the advantage that I had been to Disneyland in LA, so at the Magic Kindgom I just did a 'highlights' package the equivalents of my favourite rides from the LA park. The other slightly bad point is that I only spent 2-3 hours at Animal Kingdom. This was enough time to see all the major attractions (Though i didn't spend much time looking at the Animals, other than on the actual safari) and again, I did this by turning at opening time, and hurrying to the major rides before they got busy. However, if you wind up not needing the extra time, then I think Blizzard Beach is the hot pick for the half day.....Or just go to Sea World for Kraken and Manta!

Hey there Gazza, I actually bought the express pass plus which is more expensive and allows me to go unlimited number of times on each ride. The Express Pass is the one that only allows you once per ride to use the token. So i can go on each ride heaps of times. Good idea for blizzard so will have to wait and see. I figured Animal Kingdom will be good as i dont want to spend heaps of times looking at animals when i could be going on rides. I reckon movies will be at night too. I like your idea of doing I.O.A first as looking at the park map there seems to be better rides there. I cannot wait to ride the Mummy since i loved the one in LA. Ive been to disneyland in anaheim so i figured i wouldnt need to spend a whole day at magic kingdom so maybe i can do the blizzard then????

[Gazza]

Oh, I didn't realise they had unlimited version of the express pass (Wasn't on offer when I visited). IOA and USF with no lines whatsoever! You're definitely in for a pretty awesome day then looked up the price for the pass out of curiosity, eeek! Though I guess it is worthwhile in the scheme of things given how much these trips cost. Though I gotta say, If you've spent that much....well you can see the movie any old day The Mummy in Orlando is better than the one in Hollywood, and does completely different stuff, so I'd imagine you'd like it even more. I guess one last tip I can offer, only a simple one, but go to the websites of the parks and check out the hours, gives you an idea of how much time you have to play with. http://www.universalorlando.com/hours-info...park_hours.html http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars Quick question, but are you staying on Disney property? They have this thing called extra magic hours, where Disney resort/hotel guests get exclusive access to the parks outside of normal operating hours (And naturally it is quieter without normal guests around)

Ive been to disneyland in anaheim so i figured i wouldnt need to spend a whole day at magic kingdom so maybe i can do the blizzard then????

By all means, do stuff like Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain etc, but yeah, no need to ride "its a small world", or see the same 3d shows again. Be prepared to be exhausted by the end of it all, and be sure to post up on here how it all went.

[Wilko]

Oh, I didn't realise they had unlimited version of the express pass (Wasn't on offer when I visited). IOA and USF with no lines whatsoever! You're definitely in for a pretty awesome day then looked up the price for the pass out of curiosity, eeek! Though I guess it is worthwhile in the scheme of things given how much these trips cost. Though I gotta say, If you've spent that much....well you can see the movie any old day The Mummy in Orlando is better than the one in Hollywood, and does completely different stuff, so I'd imagine you'd like it even more. I guess one last tip I can offer, only a simple one, but go to the websites of the parks and check out the hours, gives you an idea of how much time you have to play with. http://www.universalorlando.com/hours-info...park_hours.html http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars Quick question, but are you staying on Disney property? They have this thing called extra magic hours, where Disney resort/hotel guests get exclusive access to the parks outside of normal operating hours (And naturally it is quieter without normal guests around) By all means, do stuff like Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain etc, but yeah, no need to ride "its a small world", or see the same 3d shows again. Be prepared to be exhausted by the end of it all, and be sure to post up on here how it all went.

Hehehe. Yeah it is expensive but I figured it is worth it while I am there, as I may not go back again so paying the extra cost is worth it in the end. But you are right "eeeek". I am not staying on disney property which is a shame, just too expensive but do get free shuttle. Will def do all the big rides, my fav is splash mountain for sure. I will be exhausted. I will def post photos and how it all went.