Orlando hotel/park/transportation questions

[the ghost]

In about two months(July 28th) me and my friends family are going to Walt Disney World, and I have a few questions.

 

We will be staying at the animal kingdom lodge, which looks awesome, besides the animals, what is awesome about the hotel? Also, there appear to be trails around the animals, which is the best trail for pictures.

 

My friends family is good on the disney parks in terms of planning, but we will probably also do IOA/universal

 

Is there an easy way to get to Universal property from Disney Property without renting a car?

 

At IOA do I follow what everyone does and ride hulk/spiderman first and then do toon lagoon and dueling dragons?

 

Is the theming(besides the dragons outside) on dueling dragons intact, and which is the better side(I realize this is a matter of opinion)

 

Is Mythos as good as everyone says? and are the prices fair, I looked for a menu and they seemed ok, but I don't know about portion sizes/anything else about iy(It is in the lost continent correct?)

 

Is there any awesome shows at Universal that are not to be missed or any non e ticket rides.

 

Is it cheaper to just go to IOA as opposed to doing IOA and Universal, because we are only doing one day at Universal.

 

Thanks for helping me out and have a fun, safe, credit filled summer(I know I will with a minimum of at least 4 credits, but possibly 7 new credits)

 

Also, expect a PTR after my trip.

[Darksin]

Getting from Disney to Universal can be tricky without a car considering Disney's big goal is to keep people on property as much as possible, try the local bus service in Orlando. It's called Lynx, they run the theme park circuit fairly often during peak season.

http://www.golynx.com/

 

Animal Kingdom Lodge is pretty famous for it's food/dining, plus the privite sunrise tours of the animals on the grounds. Those are the only two things I can recall about it at the moment though :/

 

As for IOA, it depends on your day and how things go. Often during peak it's better to get your huge rides down frist but sometimes you can catch low lines at the end of the day or lunchtime, it just all depends.

 

Dueling Dragons, Ice has more flips and twists (More G-force) and Fire has the bigger drops and views outside the park. It's a matter of opinion but I like ice the best.

 

Myhtos is excellet, I can't say what their prices are since it's been about 3 years but when I lived in Orlando I never got bad food there (plus I still have friends with passes who swear on it).

 

Things not to miss: MIB, Mummy, Talking Founting infont of Sinbad.. and if your a big enough geek the ghostbusters show (don't know if they even still run it now) and twister.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[pianojohn]

AK Lodge: definately do BOMA for dinner or breakfast. It is a great African buffet with some unusual foods. I have never had a bad meal there.

 

In my opinion, it is best to avoid the parks with the Extra Magic Hours since they tend to be more crowded than usual with all the hotel guests.

 

Also, I have been to Mythos since it opened, and the quality has gone down significantly. I say save your money and do Latin Quarter at CityWalk.

 

While the bus MAY run from Disney to IOA/Universal, your best bet would be to rent a car.

 

Good luck!

[piers]

and if your a big enough geek the ghostbusters show (don't know if they even still run it now) and twister.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

This show has been closed for a long time now, there is talks of it re-opening this summer season though with the new video game coming out. It is a street show though, kind of like how the do Blues Brothers.

[dandaman]

^If it was really like the Blues Brothers, they'd have Bill Murray lean over to a guy and say, "How much for ze little girl? I want to buy your women!"

 

I'm definitely a Hidden Mickey kind of guy, so I recommend either buying the book (usually at Borders or B&N) or looking up particular ones for the resort as a little fun thing to do.

 

http://www.hiddenmickeysguide.com/catalog.php

 

Also, when I went to IOA in March 2007, I did DD first before Super Hero Island. I rode each side thrice that morning before I even saw some semblance of a line being formed.