Just a caution -
I have heard of a few people that have done this and realised that they wasted a ton of money afterwards.
Example: Mum, Dad & 2 Kids (about 10 yrs old) - booked 14 night Orlando Holiday.
Bought 14 day Disney Pass.
Bought 14 day Orlando Flex Ticket (Universal/Islands of Adventure/SeaWorld/Aquatica/Busch Gardens)
Went to see Shuttle take off & NASA Visitor Center.
Reality: Too tired for Disney EVERY day and cannot be in 2 places at once so wasted buying 2 14 day tickets only to be able to use one at a time each!!! also wasted 2 days each by having ticket then going elsewhere (Cape CAnaveral)!!!
Advice: Either 7, 14 or 21 night -
It would be better to buy 3 disney tickets that do not run out get more if you feel like you want more.
Get a 2 day pass to Universal/IoA
Get a 2 day Busch/Seaworld/Aquatica pass
Save even more - Day 1 - go to any driving license office - (invest an hour or 2) get a Florida Licence with your Hotel/Villa address (make sure you take the address with you) and show your passport/visa/visa waiver programe card (white or green card given to you on plane) tell the Driving license Officer that you are staying over a month - Florida law says if you stay over 30 days you must do this - it does not matter to driving license people that you are actually not staying 4 weeks! - now you have a Florida License, you can "prove" to the theme park that you are a resident, now when you buy your theme park tickets - you get Florida Resident rates = SeaWorld = pay for 1 day get Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and Aquatica FREE for the rest of the Year!
Save even more - Day 1 - go to any driving license office - (invest an hour or 2) get a Florida Licence with your Hotel/Villa address (make sure you take the address with you) and show your passport/visa/visa waiver programe card (white or green card given to you on plane) tell the Driving license Officer that you are staying over a month - Florida law says if you stay over 30 days you must do this - it does not matter to driving license people that you are actually not staying 4 weeks! - now you have a Florida License, you can "prove" to the theme park that you are a resident, now when you buy your theme park tickets - you get Florida Resident rates = SeaWorld = pay for 1 day get Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and Aquatica FREE for the rest of the Year!
Doesn't the license take 30 days to get to you as tourists cannot collect it on the day so by the time it arrived -bearing in mind that most villas or hotels won't accept mail the tourist would have gone home.If this were the case then all the villa owners would be doing it and they have to have their temporary license mailed to them and as most don't stay long enough to get it they don't other.
I would be very interested in learning form an official source that tourists can go to the office and get ID or license on the same day
Doesn't the license take 30 days to get to you as tourists cannot collect it on the day so by the time it arrived -bearing in mind that most villas or hotels won't accept mail the tourist would have gone home.If this were the case then all the villa owners would be doing it and they have to have their temporary license mailed to them and as most don't stay long enough to get it they don't other.
I would be very interested in learning form an official source that tourists can go to the office and get ID or license on the same day
Your right about the endless ticket days which get wasted..
I booked everything originally thro' Travel City Direct - 14days Disney 14days flexi pass etc..etc..
Then when they went bankrupt - (I got my money back-phew) I had a rethink.
I got 2 park 14 day pass for Universal + Islands of adventure (Better for teenagers -And we'd done Disney Paris)
And a Discovery Cove day which included 14 days in Busch Gardens.
Then when we were there, when we decided to go to Disneyland - we bought a 2 park 2 day pass for Magic Kingdom + Hollywood Studios for about the same you'd pay for Alton Towers here!
In 2 weeks you simply can't get them all in - most parks need 1-2 days each to get round properly.
- Bearing in mind you need a few days off round the pool (and for a cheeky drink)
This did the trick for us anyway..
It also gives you the excuse you need to go back to Florida again and try the others!
I booked everything originally thro' Travel City Direct - 14days Disney 14days flexi pass etc..etc..
Then when they went bankrupt - (I got my money back-phew) I had a rethink.
I got 2 park 14 day pass for Universal + Islands of adventure (Better for teenagers -And we'd done Disney Paris)
And a Discovery Cove day which included 14 days in Busch Gardens.
Then when we were there, when we decided to go to Disneyland - we bought a 2 park 2 day pass for Magic Kingdom + Hollywood Studios for about the same you'd pay for Alton Towers here!
In 2 weeks you simply can't get them all in - most parks need 1-2 days each to get round properly.
- Bearing in mind you need a few days off round the pool (and for a cheeky drink)
This did the trick for us anyway..
It also gives you the excuse you need to go back to Florida again and try the others!
As someone who has a Florida driving licence I would offer the following observations on the above suggestion:
You will need proof of your residential address. Not always asked for but you will need to produce a utility bill or homeowners insurance policy.
The cost of obtaining the licence is about $40.00 (shortly to increase and renewals will cost about $40.00 every six month). So, this has to be saved before you are in profit.
After you pass the driving test you are issued with a temporary licence (no photo) with a validity of 28 days. The British style id photo licence arrives at your "residential address" about three weeks later.
The licence is only valid for 90 days (green entry card) or 180 days (white card) from the day of your entry into the country.
If the licence is returned to Talahassee by the homeowner or rental company you will almost certainly be flagged for questioning by immigration on your next visit to the States (even if you go to another State) and there is a possibility that you will be refused entry.
I seem to remember that is is something like 180 days in the State before you are required by law to have a State licence. By this time you would also have to apply for residency.
I only have alicence because I have a car in Florida and things work out better insurance wise if you have a Florida licence
Hope this helps. Theory good but the practicality has many pitfalls.
You will need proof of your residential address. Not always asked for but you will need to produce a utility bill or homeowners insurance policy.
The cost of obtaining the licence is about $40.00 (shortly to increase and renewals will cost about $40.00 every six month). So, this has to be saved before you are in profit.
After you pass the driving test you are issued with a temporary licence (no photo) with a validity of 28 days. The British style id photo licence arrives at your "residential address" about three weeks later.
The licence is only valid for 90 days (green entry card) or 180 days (white card) from the day of your entry into the country.
If the licence is returned to Talahassee by the homeowner or rental company you will almost certainly be flagged for questioning by immigration on your next visit to the States (even if you go to another State) and there is a possibility that you will be refused entry.
I seem to remember that is is something like 180 days in the State before you are required by law to have a State licence. By this time you would also have to apply for residency.
I only have alicence because I have a car in Florida and things work out better insurance wise if you have a Florida licence
Hope this helps. Theory good but the practicality has many pitfalls.
Busdriver - you are right for a permanent license. However Florida law is 30 days and you must have a Fl license. I know you have the car here, but I live here permanantly. It works a friend of mine done it (not sure on the cost though) when he done it, they did not charge as it was a tourist license. I think you are talking about a "snowbird" 6 month license.
In any case as far as the parks are concerned the driving license is your proof of residency and a temporary license (paper one) is proof as far as they are concerned (I got my anual Universal pass with one).
Also, you could take a bill, power, water etc even if it is in the name of the property owner, and get your pass in their name - the parks have no way of knowing who you are as they accept the bill as proof and it's not like you are avoiding taxes, or commiting fraud - nothing official - you are "tricking" a theme park.
Anyway - it's only a suggestion to save a little, most people probably are not going to waste half a day of their hols queing up at the license office, I'm not forcing anyone to do it.
If you have a car in Fl, then I asume you have property to keep it there (I'm sure you don't just leave it on the road!) then why don't you get a permanent (10 year) license?
In any case as far as the parks are concerned the driving license is your proof of residency and a temporary license (paper one) is proof as far as they are concerned (I got my anual Universal pass with one).
Also, you could take a bill, power, water etc even if it is in the name of the property owner, and get your pass in their name - the parks have no way of knowing who you are as they accept the bill as proof and it's not like you are avoiding taxes, or commiting fraud - nothing official - you are "tricking" a theme park.
Anyway - it's only a suggestion to save a little, most people probably are not going to waste half a day of their hols queing up at the license office, I'm not forcing anyone to do it.
If you have a car in Fl, then I asume you have property to keep it there (I'm sure you don't just leave it on the road!) then why don't you get a permanent (10 year) license?
Salisbury - the temporary (paper) license is printed "while you wait" so you can drive while you are waiting for your "plastic" license.
As for villa owners, they can, they would probably have a mailing address (po box, accomodation address, property management company) or have thwe mail re-directed to their home address as they must receive their bills for the villa somehow!
As for villa owners, they can, they would probably have a mailing address (po box, accomodation address, property management company) or have thwe mail re-directed to their home address as they must receive their bills for the villa somehow!
Most would have bills sent to their UK or out of state address in which case the license would still be out of date by the time it arrived .The full license would have to be sent to an address that does not accept mail which may well flag up the address and maybe causing problems for the owner.
It has been a long time since the parks accepted a utility bill,as proof of residency for any passes and how would a guest get hold of a bill in the owners name?The temporary license does not have a photo so most likely not be accepted ad ID
This is from the Florida driving license site and is about non USA citizens surely the SSN will be a stumbling block
*Material subject to copyright law removed. Please feel free to post a link instead. Pippy*
these are comments from people who have done it as they are there for 6 months a year as UK citizens
*Material subject to copyright law removed. Please feel free to post a link instead. Pippy*
As I said if it was as simple as spending a few hours at an office to get ID and therefore discounts all the villa owners would be doing it so I might give it a try in September and report back
It has been a long time since the parks accepted a utility bill,as proof of residency for any passes and how would a guest get hold of a bill in the owners name?The temporary license does not have a photo so most likely not be accepted ad ID
This is from the Florida driving license site and is about non USA citizens surely the SSN will be a stumbling block
*Material subject to copyright law removed. Please feel free to post a link instead. Pippy*
these are comments from people who have done it as they are there for 6 months a year as UK citizens
*Material subject to copyright law removed. Please feel free to post a link instead. Pippy*
As I said if it was as simple as spending a few hours at an office to get ID and therefore discounts all the villa owners would be doing it so I might give it a try in September and report back
I think we are going to buy a 14 day flexi plus ticket (universal etc) we are going for 3 weeks so are planning to do disney as and when we feel like it (done disney at Paris) and a visit to kennedy space centre once the 14 day ticket has run out and perhaps a day at discovery cove.
going Easter hols 2010
going Easter hols 2010
Disney are doing 14 day hopper passes for the price of a 7 day one at the moment anyway (they've been doing it like this for a few years now i think, but overly advertising it this year!) so you may aswell get the 14 incase, during your 2nd week for example, you decide to go back to one of the Disney parks for a day.
GG x
GG x
Louise
If you do want to go to Discovery Cove (Which includes 14 days to either seaworld or bush gardens)
And is well worht it - You'll have to book about 3 months in advance - there's a limit of 1000 inside
Nik
If you do want to go to Discovery Cove (Which includes 14 days to either seaworld or bush gardens)
And is well worht it - You'll have to book about 3 months in advance - there's a limit of 1000 inside
Nik
My girlfriend and I recently bought annual passes to Universal Studios in Hollywood (it was last weekend). They only required my ID, not hers, probably because I was the one paying for the passes. I don't remember seeing anything about residency requirements, although I suspect it probably IS required and I just missed the fine print. I have a CA drivers license but my girlfriend only has a Canadian drivers license, so I'm not sure what would have happened if they required ID from both of us. Fortunately they didn't, but I don't know if that's their usual policy or if we just got lucky!
Tip: There is a deal right now (in CA, anyway) where annual passes (with no black out dates) are only $80 per person if you pay with AMEX. Considering it normally costs $67pp to enter the place anyway, that's a real bargain.
Tip: There is a deal right now (in CA, anyway) where annual passes (with no black out dates) are only $80 per person if you pay with AMEX. Considering it normally costs $67pp to enter the place anyway, that's a real bargain.
Florida ID is not required for annual passes as far as I know as many UK people buy them.It is for certain tickets such as those for Florida residents and it has to have a photo on it which is why the temporary paper license talked about here will not be accepted.
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