Leosille Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I'm going to Orlando International Drive on the 2nd of May with 5 mates, all in our early twenties and wondered if anyone had a recommendations for while were out there. We have the tickets for all the parks but don't know much about the nightlife, which restaurants are worth visiting or any other activities etc. Thanks Ryan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjf1985 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I've been out to Orlando quite a few times now, and I'll tell you this; you won't be dissapointed! International Drive is a great location to stay as its heaving with restaurants and nightlife and theres a shuttle bus you can use to travel along it as its quite a walk from one end to the other! The theme parks are a must-do and Downtown Disney and Universal City Walk are great for eating out, nightlife and shopping too. Plus you've got quite a few malls in the area as well. One of my favourites to visit which I thoroughly enjoyed was Kennedy Space Center which is well worth a visit! Don't forget the water parks too! Personally wouldn't bother with Wet & Wild and Aquatica, the Disney ones are much better Do you have a rental car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizurd Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 (edited) Rental car is an excellent Idea. City walk up at universal is good fun for a drink. Weirdly always had fun drinking around the world at epcot Disney parks are brilliant and the universal ones. Never went but heard busch gardens is the best for rides though. Anyone know? Always enjoyed a beer and food at the espn bar at boardwalk Disney and the hot wings challenge at buffalo wild wings. Yum yum. Edited April 26, 2014 by wizurd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjf1985 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 (edited) Rental car is an excellent Idea. City walk up at universal is good fun for a drink. Weirdly always had fun drinking around the world at epcot Disney parks are brilliant and the universal ones. Never went but heard busch gardens is the best for rides though. Anyone know? Always enjoyed a beer and food at the espn bar at boardwalk Disney and the hot wings challenge at buffalo wild wings. Yum yum. Ohh I forgot about Busch Gardens! Thats a great place to visit, like a massive zoo with some good rides thrown in! Similar to Disney's Animal Kingdom in a way but found Busch better personally. This is making me want to go again!! Edited April 26, 2014 by pjf1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 When I was last in Florida, Orlando one of the things we did that I really enjoyed was visit a shooting range. It's something you will never get to do in the UK and for me was one of the highlights of my US trip. The shooting range I went to was called "Quick Shots" based on International Drive, Orlando. They had loads of gun lanes and various firearms you could try. At the time they had an offer on with free lane rental, pay once for gun rental so you could stay all day & just keep swapping the gun you where using. You have to pay for paper targets and ammunition but it was worth every penny (cent) for the unique experience. Just googled it but couldn't find a link so not sure if it's still there as my trip was back in 1994 but here's another Orlando based shooting range I found; http://www.topguntours.co.uk/Orlando_Shooting_Other_Info/shooting-in-orlando.html Sorry if guns aren't your thing ~ As pjf1985 mentions though if you can Busch Gardens is definitely worth a visit although it is a bit of a drive from Orlando so you will need a hire car and it's best to make a whole day of it there. They have some amazing roller coasters there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjf1985 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 When I was last in Florida, Orlando one of the things we did that I really enjoyed was visit a shooting range. It's something you will never get to do in the UK and for me was one of the highlights of my US trip. The shooting range I went to was called "Quick Shots" based on International Drive, Orlando. They had loads of gun lanes and various firearms you could try. At the time they had an offer on with free lane rental, pay once for gun rental so you could stay all day & just keep swapping the gun you where using. You have to pay for paper targets and ammunition but it was worth every penny (cent) for the unique experience. Just googled it but couldn't find a link so not sure if it's still there as my trip was back in 1994 but here's another Orlando based shooting range I found; http://www.topguntou...in-orlando.html Sorry if guns aren't your thing ~ As pjf1985 mentions though if you can Busch Gardens is definitely worth a visit although it is a bit of a drive from Orlando so you will need a hire car and it's best to make a whole day of it there. They have some amazing roller coasters there. The gun range sounds awesome!! Yeah forgot to mention it is quite a drive, over an hour away. First time I went to Busch I went on a coach which worked out pretty cheap. There are loads of tourist centers around where you can book trips, they probably have one in your hotel, if you aren't getting a rental car or not keen on the drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Just got back from Orlando last weekend. I can't make recommendations about bars and nightlife as it was a family holiday. As for other things to see as already mentioned the Kennedy space centre is a must in my opinion especially that they now have the Atlantis space shuttle on display. Also we really enjoyed having lunch with an astronaut though this extra. You could check when a rocket is due to take off and try and visit at the same time though weather can delay when it takes off. We went to discovery cove where you can swim with a dolphin, it isn't cheap and may not suit a group of lads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 When I was last in Florida, Orlando one of the things we did that I really enjoyed was visit a shooting range. It's something you will never get to do in the UK and for me was one of the highlights of my US trip. The shooting range I went to was called "Quick Shots" based on International Drive, Orlando. They had loads of gun lanes and various firearms you could try. At the time they had an offer on with free lane rental, pay once for gun rental so you could stay all day & just keep swapping the gun you where using. You have to pay for paper targets and ammunition but it was worth every penny (cent) for the unique experience. Just googled it but couldn't find a link so not sure if it's still there as my trip was back in 1994 but here's another Orlando based shooting range I found; http://www.topguntou...in-orlando.html Sorry if guns aren't your thing ~ As pjf1985 mentions though if you can Busch Gardens is definitely worth a visit although it is a bit of a drive from Orlando so you will need a hire car and it's best to make a whole day of it there. They have some amazing roller coasters there. The gun range sounds awesome!! Yeah forgot to mention it is quite a drive, over an hour away. First time I went to Busch I went on a coach which worked out pretty cheap. There are loads of tourist centers around where you can book trips, they probably have one in your hotel, if you aren't getting a rental car or not keen on the drive. It was an awesome experience. You can fire everything from a .22LR revolver to 12gauge shotguns & a range modified AK47. I enjoyed using the semi auto pistols the most and did a certificate of marksmanship there with an instructor. They where very impressed with my shooting skills and gun safety knowledge especially as I was only a UK born 15 year old lad at the time. Now in my 30's and that is still a highlight of my life's experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjf1985 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 When I was last in Florida, Orlando one of the things we did that I really enjoyed was visit a shooting range. It's something you will never get to do in the UK and for me was one of the highlights of my US trip. The shooting range I went to was called "Quick Shots" based on International Drive, Orlando. They had loads of gun lanes and various firearms you could try. At the time they had an offer on with free lane rental, pay once for gun rental so you could stay all day & just keep swapping the gun you where using. You have to pay for paper targets and ammunition but it was worth every penny (cent) for the unique experience. Just googled it but couldn't find a link so not sure if it's still there as my trip was back in 1994 but here's another Orlando based shooting range I found; http://www.topguntou...in-orlando.html Sorry if guns aren't your thing ~ As pjf1985 mentions though if you can Busch Gardens is definitely worth a visit although it is a bit of a drive from Orlando so you will need a hire car and it's best to make a whole day of it there. They have some amazing roller coasters there. The gun range sounds awesome!! Yeah forgot to mention it is quite a drive, over an hour away. First time I went to Busch I went on a coach which worked out pretty cheap. There are loads of tourist centers around where you can book trips, they probably have one in your hotel, if you aren't getting a rental car or not keen on the drive. It was an awesome experience. You can fire everything from a .22LR revolver to 12gauge shotguns & a range modified AK47. I enjoyed using the semi auto pistols the most and did a certificate of marksmanship there with an instructor. They where very impressed with my shooting skills and gun safety knowledge especially as I was only a UK born 15 year old lad at the time. Now in my 30's and that is still a highlight of my life's experiences. That sounds incredible! Only in America, eh? I'm planning on heading back next year hopefully, this will be on my list 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leosille Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 I can't believe everyone's responses thank you very much. I do have a Chevrolet Tahoe a big 4x4 as the rental car. The gun range will be a must thanks for the link also, pumping a shotgun sounds like a must. Anyone have any recommended malls? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leosille Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 The space centre would definitely interest me aswell cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 http://www.iridetrol.../marker-map.pdf http://www.thedibb.co.uk/ might be useful first time i went back in 2007, used google maps months before hand to know the rough idea where things were - https://www.google.com/maps/place/Orlando,+FL/@28.4452175,-81.4758014,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88e773d8fecdbc77:0xac3b2063ca5bf9e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjf1985 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I can't believe everyone's responses thank you very much. I do have a Chevrolet Tahoe a big 4x4 as the rental car. The gun range will be a must thanks for the link also, pumping a shotgun sounds like a must. Anyone have any recommended malls? No worries, any other questions, fire away! (get it?) The best malls in the area are The Florida Mall, Mall At Millenia, Premium Outlets & Prime Outlets. Good to hear you have a rental car, its pretty important to have one IMO, makes things much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Which hotel you staying at ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Most shops on i-drive are geared towards tourist so may rip you off like posted above best to stick to the malls and outlets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oVerboost Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 (edited) Definitely stick to the malls rather than the same as the next t shirt and towel gift shops! If you've never been before, pace yourself as there's a lot to do I've been 7 or 8 times and never get bored of it out there. If you get lost, make sure you stop at a 7-eleven or a branded fuel station not just stop and ask someone as there are some rough and dangerous areas in Florida but generally people are polite, friendly and the complete opposite to this country, maybe the weather has something to do with it lol. Food wise I'd not bother with hotel food, food in almost any restaurant is cheap apart from the high end exotic places. Also make sure you drink plenty throughout the day as the heat can creep up on you. Food portions are also large, so you can save money on sharing one large portion for lunch. Also make sure you have a meal and some cake from the Cheesecake Factory and if you like or even if you don't, try the peanut butter chocolate deserts/bars you'll be hooked! Oh and if it says your sitting in a splash zone, you WILL get wet lol. Even if you look old enough to drink, take some I.D with you when you go out as without it you may not get served. YouTube videos of the rides is a good insight to what to expect and also check out the OVN (Orlando visitors network) site. More importantly though, relax, take in as much as you can and I guarantee you'll be counting the days until you go back before your even home again! Edited April 26, 2014 by oVerboost 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leosille Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 Which hotel you staying at ? Staying at the Rosen inn international, we have 2 weeks so fingers crossed we should be able to see everywhere ishhh. The Dibb site looks brilliant thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Stayed there a few times, nice clean hotel, exterior is dated but the rooms were refurbed recently Look for the golden corral all you care to eat restaurant just across the road, behind Walgreen's (like superdrug, boots etc) ABC liquor store is across the other road for all your beer supplies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Use Google maps and place the little stick man on the road outside the hotel to get a idea of what's close by, that's what I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 We liked the Outback Steakhouse on int dr , pitchers of beer and good food We named Int dr the highway of tat , pretty accurate really , there is a nicer end and a not so nice end , you'll soon work it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Yeah I drive is a little trashy like say Blackpool lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuarty Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I'm going to Orlando International Drive on the 2nd of May with 5 mates, all in our early twenties and wondered if anyone had a recommendations for while were out there. We have the tickets for all the parks but don't know much about the nightlife, which restaurants are worth visiting or any other activities etc. Thanks Ryan What's wrong with Amsterdam? Something just a bit creepy about 5 young lads in there 20's going to a fun park! Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leosille Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 We liked the Outback Steakhouse on int dr , pitchers of beer and good food We named Int dr the highway of tat , pretty accurate really , there is a nicer end and a not so nice end , you'll soon work it out I heard it was run down looking place just so much to do there. Is the south end the not so great place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Nearly forgot, if you fancy a day on the beach and/or jet skiing you could head over to the clear water area. Also, a restaurant a little drive out but very good is Manny's chop house, it gets very busy so worth booking a table. They have a website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 We liked the Outback Steakhouse on int dr , pitchers of beer and good food We named Int dr the highway of tat , pretty accurate really , there is a nicer end and a not so nice end , you'll soon work it out I heard it was run down looking place just so much to do there. Is the south end the not so great place? the southern part is posher and quieter but not much choice in restaurants that are within walking distance so you can all enjoy a beer or two with your meal https://www.google.c...1kw7KOVz8rQ!2e0 idrive entrance to rosen inn (formerly quailty inn international) and abc, there's also a entrance from sand lake road to the rosen inn - https://www.google.c...IJeYgnIB9Cg!2e0 - the red and yellow checked building is the worlds largest McDonalds, never been in it tho. https://www.google.c...yhFPiLLpmlQ!2e0 walgreens, the road at the side leads to golden corral as mentioned, cheap price buffet, some hate it, others love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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