My Two Week Orlando Itinerary

I had so much fun planning our two week Orlando itinerary! At the time of travelling, we had to book our Disney park days in advance (throwback to COVID times) so we needed to be relatively organised. 

Of course there is so much more to Orlando than Disney and Universal but if you’re visiting for the first time, you probably want to see exactly why they call it the theme park capital of the world. 

You’ll notice that this itinerary doesn’t include Busch Gardens or SeaWorld. Busch Gardens is in Tampa which is roughly an hour’s drive from Orlando. We didn’t rent a car so left this one out, but can easily be added in if you do have a car. If you have ever seen Blackfish you will understand why we didn’t want to visit SeaWorld. 

So I’ll explain a little bit more about the tickets we had. Our Disney Park tickets included all four parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach) and ESPN Wide World of Sports. Disney Park days had to be booked in advance (I think they have stopped this now) but we could park hop after 2pm. This also gave us unlimited access to the parks over two weeks. 

Our Universal tickets included two parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure) and one water park (Volcano Bay). This also gave us unlimited access to the parks for two weeks and we didn’t need to pre-book our visits. 

There is also Disney Springs and Universal City Walk but you don’t need tickets for these. 

I would highly recommend that you download the My Disney Experience and Universal apps. You can book tables, order food, check waiting times, see what characters are where etc. They were so useful! I also bought a Disney Magic Band. You don’t need one of these but you can use these as your tickets, link your PhotoPass photos, pay for things and use it as your room key if you are staying in a Disney resort.

Of course this won’t work for everyone. Some people might want more or less rest or park days, but this is what worked for us and allowed us to truly make the most of the time we had without feeling burnt out. 

Day 1

Our first full day was a day to relax, adjust to the time difference and recover from the flight. We stayed on International Drive so we had a walk around the area and spent some time by the pool. 

For dinner we found a restaurant called UNO Pizzeria and Grill and it was delicious without breaking the bank. We visited a few times during our stay and would highly recommend it.

Day 2

Time for the first park! Head to Animal Kingdom for opening to see the park come alive. Animal Kingdom is actually the largest theme park in the world and the most visited zoo in the world. It may not seem that big compared to some of the other parks but being a zoo, there are a lot of animals on the property who need the space. 

If you choose to stay at the park for dinner, you can use the quick service places to eat or book a sit down restaurant. You will need to book this in advance using the Disney Experience app (this goes for every Disney park).

Day 3

Today you can choose one of the water parks to cool off or have a down day. It really depends on how much you want to squeeze in. 

We had a relaxed morning and then headed to Universal’s City Walk which is so much fun! At the time we were there Universal had their annual Halloween Horror Nights event so there was plenty of extra spooky fun to be had. 

City Walk is a great place to shop, people watch, eat and drink and generally have a good time. 

Dinner at Pat O’Briens is an absolute must. 

Day 4

Disney Park number 2: EPCOT!

Start the day a little bit later if you’re planning to see the firework show at 9pm (or if City Walk gave you a hangover). 

At the time EPCOT was hosting its International Food and Wine Festival which was a dream. They also have an International Flower and Garden Festival, International Festival of Arts and International Festival of Holidays depending on what time of year you visit. 

Even without the festival, EPCOT is very heavy on gastronomy. You can stop at every country in the World Showcase to try their speciality food and drink. By the end of the night you may not need or want a meal but there are plenty of choices to choose from. 

Day 5

Today you can mix things up a bit before heading back for more Disney fun. 

There is plenty to do in Orlando including GatorLand, exploring International Drive, shopping, mini-golf and so much more. 

We used today to head to ICON Park on the recommendation of a local. ICON Park is an entertainment complex on I-Drive which has plenty of restaurants, bars, shops, attractions and rides. Another great place to spend a few hours! 

After a bit of pool time in the afternoon head back out for dinner and live music back at ICON park. 

Day 6

Today is the day for my favourite park…Hollywood Studios!

We didn’t arrive late but still stayed until closing time. And I wouldn’t have left a second earlier.  

Toy Story, Star Wars, Tower of Terror…you have so many things to do and so many choices of good food. If you can make it to the end there are shows at 8:30 and 9pm before the park closes. 

Day 7

Today you can visit another one of the water parks or one of the other Orlando attractions. 

We spent the day being lazy with an iHop breakfast and a pool day. After a recharge head out for a nice dinner. I would recommend Uncle Julio’s at ICON park (the best tacos I’ve ever had).

Day 8

Another rest day was needed for us due to some unfortunate blisters. But again there is still so much to do! Head back to a park or a water park or visit one of the non-Disney or Universal related activities. 

Depending on where you are, you can visit Disney Springs in the evening for dinner and a spot of shopping. Disney Springs is lovely and a great place to wander around, people watch or catch some live music. I left my boyfriend in a sports bar (because NFL season) while I had some alone time shopping. 

It’s worth taking some time to wander around Planet Hollywood to check out the memorabilia, even if you’re not going to eat there. 

Day 9

It’s Universal Studios day! 

The brilliant thing about Universal is that if you have the three park ticket, you can catch the Hogwarts Express from King’s Cross Station in Universal Studios over to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure. You could leave US and walk over to IOA but where’s the fun in that! 

There are street performances and shows all through the day if you want to take a break from roller coasters or need to get out of the rain. Just to note that if it’s raining or stormy some of the rides will close for safety reasons. 

There is an enormous amount of choice for food and drink so you’re guaranteed to find something to suit. 

The first time you visit a Universal park I would suggest buying one of their refillable cups. It costs $18.99 and you can refill it all day for free and you can use it at all of the parks. Bring it back the next time you visit a park and pay the $11.99 activation price for another day of unlimited drinks.

Day 10

Chances are that you won’t have done everything yesterday so head back to Universal and then hop on the Hogwarts Express to spend the day at Islands of Adventure. 

Hogwarts, Jurassic Park, Marvel; can it get more adventurous?

Again there are plenty of food options and with the three park ticket you could even hop back to Universal. 

As you leave, make a stop at Voodoo Doughnuts in City Walk. Use the app to order and collect rather than waiting in the queue. 

Day 11

Two days of adventuring meant our feet needed another rest day. So after a breakfast of doughnuts in bed…the pool was calling to me. 

After a very chilled out day head out for dinner, drinks and live music at Ole Red. Blake Shelton is the owner of Ole Red so if you like country music, you’ll love it here. 

Day 12

Today you’ll visit the final Disney park and get your fill of childhood nostalgia.

Magic Kingdom is home to (in my opinion) some of the most iconic rides including the Haunted Mansion, Pirate of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain and It’s a Small World. 

Here is where I also got to tick something off of my bucket list by eating at the Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant ‘Be Our Guest’. 

The famous firework show is on at 9pm, so it’s worth staying. 

If you’re feeling particularly hard core you can stay until closing time for the “Kiss Goodnight”. I’ve never seen this myself but it is a two minute secret show that starts 30 minutes after closing time to say goodnight to any remaining guests. Isn’t this the loveliest way to get people to leave lol. 

Day 13

The last full day in Orlando :(. The world is pretty much your oyster today. Re-visit a favourite park, do some shopping, have a pool day. Whatever you’re in the mood for.

We headed to one of the International Drive Outlet mall for some last minute souvenirs before cooling off by the pool. You can stop off at the Stone Cold Creamery for the most sensational milkshake you’ll ever try. 

We spent our last night investigating some places close to our hotel; O’Shucks bar and the New Punjab Indian restaurant. The food here was amazing and definitely one of our favourite meals of the trip. 

Day 14 – Home Time

The majority of the hotels will have a check out time of 10 or 11am. So depending on your flight time you may have some time to kill. I personally wouldn’t venture too far but you may want to get in some last minute shopping at Disney Springs or another outlet mall. You could also just hang around your hotel and get in one final dip. 

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Unfortunately two fun filled weeks are at an end and here you’ll start the long journey home and try to get ahead of the jet lag!

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Have you been to Orlando? Have you visited any of the places in this itinerary or is there anything you would add in?

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Don’t forget to check out my other Orlando posts here.