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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 7-7.5k for Florida (Disney etc) is good?

110 replies

shabbalabba · 17/03/2022 10:42

Posting for traffic...I'm trying to do it DIY Style and I'm thinking so far looking at flight and hotel deals and then buying the tickets and adding in 1k for food, maybe 500 more.

That 7 to 7.5k for a family of 4 for 10 days in Florida to go to Disney world etc is quite a good deal? Or could you do it for less? Anyone else who know the score with these holidays as I have never done it before ?? Thank you.

OP posts:
Francescaisstressed · 17/03/2022 10:47

Depends on what type of holiday you want, and if that amount also includes spending money/money for food and transport/Park tickets?

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 17/03/2022 10:48

8 people (4AD 4ch) we did Florida for 6.5k but we did not go to Disney, only universal. Kids were older so Disney wasn’t really a thing.

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 17/03/2022 10:48

Oh and we went for 14 days

Original poster
shabbalabba · 17/03/2022 10:50

So far for 5k It looks like I can get the flights and hotel and the park tickets so I'm think the Extra 2k for transport and food?

Although that's just my first look around and I have no idea on the distance of said hotel to the parks etc. i obviously need to do a lot more homework. But just wanting to know if this is realistic or have others done it for less? Or more??

OP posts:
Original poster
shabbalabba · 17/03/2022 10:51

@JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam thank you. Kids are 9 and 6 so I think Disney would be on the cards and maybe the space center if we can?

OP posts:
tanstaafl · 17/03/2022 10:52

Have you priced it up already or are you asking if you can do it for that much?

When are you going , how long for, how many of you over 11 years of age ( which where Disney say you need to buy an adult ticket I think )

Mumofsend · 17/03/2022 10:57

We are going October 15N/16D

1A2C

Hotel (AoA onsite), disney tickets and flights £6250
Universal tickets £750
Discovery cove tickets £650

So roughly the same. I was happy to pay it.

Original poster
shabbalabba · 17/03/2022 10:58

I have looked REALLY quickly at hotel and flights and Disney tickets 2 adults and 2 dc under 10 (9 and 6) Looking at last week in June.

OP posts:
Ozzie9523 · 17/03/2022 10:59

We've done it twice as a family of 4 and that's about right, tho we spent quite a bit more than that the first time. It can vary enormously depending on if you are staying onsite or not, want to do character meals etc. We bought two week passes from Floridatix, obviously the cost depends on which parks you want to visit out of Disney, Universal and Seaworld. First time we did Disney and Universal and stayed in a hotel, second time we did one day at Disney and Seaworld and stayed at a villa (cheaper). I think it would be impossible to do all three - Disney has 4 parks, Universal has 2 and Seaworld has 3 I think, and there are also water parks which are great. If you're on Facebook join "It's Orlando Time" and other Orlando groups, very helpful.

Original poster
shabbalabba · 17/03/2022 11:04

@Ozzie9523 thank you so much! Did you book everything separately or did you use a travel agent?

OP posts:
Ozzie9523 · 17/03/2022 11:14

First time I booked a Virgin package including flights, hotel and car - we stayed at the Sheraton Vistana which was lovely - huge 2 bed apartment with lounge, dining area, kitchen and 2 bathrooms in a resort with lots of pools and a few restaurants, 5-10 min drive to Disney. Second time we thought we'd try a villa and I booked flights and villa separately and we stayed a bit further out (Shire at West Haven - booked through VR360 Homes directly with owner). I did it all myself as I knew what I wanted. I've never stayed onsite as it doesn't appeal due to lack of space in the rooms for a family and we wanted to do other stuff as well (Gatorland and Kennedy Space Center well worth a visit). We stayed one night at one of the Universal hotels as you get free fast passes for the day of check in and check out - it was cheaper to pay £250 for the room rather than £400 for 4 fast passes (this was 5 years ago tho so it may have changed). Lots of people did this, the queues at Universal in August were mad. Good luck, the planning is fun!

ChloeHel · 17/03/2022 11:36

I think that’s about right! If you are only going for 10 days then I wouldn’t bother buying the universal package. Just buy the Disney package. There’s 4 parks and 2 water parks and you’ll definitely want to go back to some of them more than once as there is so much to do!

Also definitely book the fast passes as the queues can be ridiculous, especially in magic kingdom!

Original poster
shabbalabba · 17/03/2022 11:54

@ChloeHel @Ozzie9523 thank you so much...glad to see I'm on the right track!! Now to get planning!!

OP posts:
Pbbananabagel · 17/03/2022 12:04

You definitely need to factor in car hire. You absolutely CANNOT do a Florida holiday without a car unless you plan on staying at a Disney park hotel for the whole trip and then the space centre is probably out as you need to drive there. Car hire has gone really expensive since the pandemic as all the companies sold off their cars and now have to buy new.

Pbbananabagel · 17/03/2022 12:05

And don’t bother with the sat nav - just make sure your phone is ok to use data in the US and use that instead, you’ll save a lot.

Sisisimone · 17/03/2022 12:07

@Pbbananabagel

You definitely need to factor in car hire. You absolutely CANNOT do a Florida holiday without a car unless you plan on staying at a Disney park hotel for the whole trip and then the space centre is probably out as you need to drive there. Car hire has gone really expensive since the pandemic as all the companies sold off their cars and now have to buy new.
We got Ubers everywhere. They were very cheap and when we priced it up was way cheaper than paying for hire car and parking
Jody21 · 17/03/2022 12:08

Lots of hotels have free transport to and from the parks, have a look around and I'm sure you can find one that suits you. If you are only going for 10 days you will be better off just getting tickets for the 6 Disney parks. You can do 2 parks in one day (transport is free between the different disney parks) but it can be tiring doing this a few days in a row. First time we went I bought tickets for disney, universal, seaworld and legoland. It was a waste of money as we just didn't have time to get around everything and we were there 17 days. Outside of the parks eating out costs roughly the same as at home when you include tips, costs a bit more in the parks. Take snacks with you as they can be expensive in the parks too. Outlet malls are great for shopping, great bargains to be found. I don't pack much to take out with us as the clothes / trainers / suncream etc are cheaper to buy out there. We've never been to the space centre so don't know what that's like. Some interesting places to visit on international drive if you fancy a break from the parks. Ripleys, Wonder works, Gatergolf etc are worth a visit - most shops and hotels on I-drive have little coupon books that can save you a few dollars here and there. Your kids are a great age to go, enjoy every minute of it!

Pbbananabagel · 17/03/2022 12:39

@Sisisimone really?! That’s interesting, did you just stay in Orlando though? There’s so much awesome stuff to do in Florida that’s further out from the city. the space centre is over an hour’s drive from Orlando so I could see that getting pricey and tricky with kids in car seats etc. but it’s so so worth it.

Girlmumdogmumboymum · 17/03/2022 12:47

June is very humid and rains a lot, just prepare for that!!
£1k will not be enough for food and spends- £1500 is unlikely to be enough.

Sorry I cant remember if you've taken into account car hire- it's v expensive from Orlando at the moment.

Take into account parking at whichever park you go to. Its z out $20 a day.

I don't think the price is particularly bad tbh. Where are you staying? Sorry I'm not retaining much information at the moment!

Schwarz · 17/03/2022 12:48

We're paying £9k excluding park tickets / spending money for universal this summer (two adults) but we're flying upper rather than economy. Your price sounds reasonable, although 2k spending over ten days for four people seems light.

FilthyforFirth · 17/03/2022 13:00

So I go to Disney fairly often and always book things separately. I think that seems pretty good. How much are you allowing for spending money? I am going in August 2A 2C (4&1) and we are setting aside 10k. We are stsying onsite for 1 week and off for the 2nd. That includes accom, flights (to Miami much cheaper) tickets, car, universal tix and spending money. We are setting aside 2.5-3k spending money.

The Dibb is a great website with loads of rescources and knowledgeable people.

maddiemookins16mum · 17/03/2022 13:02

Ex travel employee here….I know people like to DIY (I really do), but you have far better protection with a package holiday. There’s a reason the package holiday regs exist, they very much favour the customer.

Daisy03 · 17/03/2022 13:03

Where is accommodation, and are those direct flights?

I completely disagree about needing a car, rental prices have gone through the roof, and parking fees are high, it can be far cheaper to use Uber.

Daisy03 · 17/03/2022 13:05

Although it seems more expensive it can work out cheaper to stay in one of the Disney value hotels, the free transport to parks is worth a large saving.
Indirect flights also via places like Atlanta can save quite a bit and aren't really that much extra hassle

Username917778 · 17/03/2022 13:08

We've had some good deals through booking it as a fly+drive holiday through BA and then adding on a hotel. Something to look at?

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