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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Has anyone been to Florida and thought "Never again!"

53 replies

daffsntulips · 26/09/2010 10:35

considering it for next Easter but it is so different to our usual type of holiday.
our DC will be 15 and 12
everyone i have spoken to/read about have loved it
but there must be someone who hasn't and i want to hear both sides.

thanks

OP posts:
MrsDoofenshmirtz · 26/09/2010 10:39

I loved it but I do know a family that didn't. It can be heaven or hell. The difference is in the planning.

Original poster
daffsntulips · 26/09/2010 10:42

maybe that is the problem ...what do we plan for?

need to get a good guide book

OP posts:
MrsDoofenshmirtz · 26/09/2010 10:43

The Unnoficial guide is excellent and I would look at the dibb forum

MrsDoofenshmirtz · 26/09/2010 10:44

Simple rules are :

go in low season october half term week and an extra week are cheap and fewer people around.

get up early and eat early, take a mid afternoon break. You will miss the crowds

don't try and do it all

charmander · 26/09/2010 10:44

My Dh and DS2 loved it. DS1 and I were underwhelmed. I am not a theme park person though.

MrsDoofenshmirtz · 26/09/2010 10:53

What do you usually do or like to do ?

AttilaTheMeerkat · 26/09/2010 11:04

daffsntulips,

Have always enjoyed each visit to FL; it is truly one of my favourite states to visit.

Easter generally is one of the peak times in terms of visitor numbers at the theme parks.

What do the children like in terms of rides?. What do you like to do?.

Get to the parks as early as possible or better still arrive for opening time, certainly do not turn up after lunchtime!.
Also your children will both now pay adult prices for entry into all the theme parks (adult prices start at 10!). Same will apply with the airfares.

You will all need an ESTA for travelling to the USA (electronic travel authorisation) and the American authorities (bless 'em) now charge $14 per application made.

If you do go book it soon as the flights do fill quickly.

Planning is of the essense; don't try and do it all in one go.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 26/09/2010 11:06

Have no real intention of going at all.

MrsDoofenshmirtz · 26/09/2010 11:14

huh?

MuddlePuddle86 · 26/09/2010 19:14

I have been 4 times, before I had children. The kids will love it...just make sure you PLAN and for the sake of everyone's sanity please do not spend it ALL in Universal Studios or Disney Land...yes they're amazing but it includes, queueing in 38oc heat for several hours, millions of screaming brats, and a bunch of Mexicans trying to flog bottles of water for $5 a pop. However, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Wet n Wild, the magic shows and haunted houses, Old Town..etc are all incredible...even Sea World was good (albeit I didn't stand for "our fallen troops" and sing the US anthem). However food is CHEAP, the flea markets are incredible....be prepared everything is off a motorway and you can't do it without a ve-hicle. I shan't be going ever again, but then I'm cynical, miserable and British. The brash, bold, tacky, over the top, make believe set, that is Florida, is not for me. The Gulf of Mexico is beautiful...and the Florida quays...lovely jubbly!

MadameCastafiore · 26/09/2010 19:18

Blimey am watching this with interest we are going at easter for a week then onto Captiva Island for a week to relax after the stress of theme parks - which DH & DCs won;t have but I think I will have in spades.

MuddlePuddle86 · 26/09/2010 20:02

I think you're right Madame ! I'm still recovering now !

Original poster
daffsntulips · 26/09/2010 21:07

Ooo, so confusing!

Do we? Don't we?

We are going to North Carolina for a few days first, so coud go somewhere else... but where????????????

think i will start a new thread!

OP posts:
Hulababy · 26/09/2010 21:12

Have been three times with DD and planning to go again next summer. Dh was very sceptical the first time, but loved it and loved watching DD enjoy it even more.

It is the most hectic holiday I have ever been on, but love every second.

Original poster
daffsntulips · 26/09/2010 21:15

It is exactly that bit that is worrying us - hectic.

Our usual holiday is French keycamp type where no one gets up befoe 10, we raed alot and I delight in the fact that evryone is happy without being entertained iyswim

OP posts:
Hulababy · 26/09/2010 21:33

We don't do relax type holidays - we like busy! We do theme parks and the likes in Florida every one of out 14 days when in Florida. Love it :)

bellavita · 26/09/2010 21:48

I like Florida and have been numerous times. When we touched down back home on our last flight from there, a family of mum, dad and two girls who were aged maybe 13 and 15 were sat in the row in front of us on the plane. The mum turned and said to the girls, "I am so sorry, I will never ever put you through that again, next year we will go back to Wales".

I asked if them about their holiday and the mum said they were not prepared for the heat,the food and the queues and hated every minute of it. This was in August btw.

I just think if you are going to spend that amount of money, you need to read up/research first on the place you wish to visit.

Alouiseg · 26/09/2010 21:53

We love it! But, we plan it well, we use fast passes everywhere. Staying at one of the Universal hotels enables you to use your room key as a fast pass for all the Universal rides.

brimfull · 26/09/2010 22:00

Florida is def not my cup of tea.

That is the Orlando/Parks are just not our thing..too artificial , commercial and tacky .

Some of the beaches are nice on the gulf coast but there are far nicer places in the States to go and spend your buck.

said · 26/09/2010 22:05

Why are you considering it? Genuinely curious as it's getting mentioned by my 13 yr old (and this thread is useful to remind me of why I'd never want to go Grin- lots of (most) other places in America I'd go to though)

loopyloops · 26/09/2010 22:06

hideous, hideous awful place.

silver28 · 26/09/2010 22:07

We went before having children. Loved it, and didn't gave a hectic time at all, bur didn't spend all of our tine af the theme parks. We just booked flight and car then went where we liked when we got there. Spent 2 days in Orlando then went down to fort lauderdale, Miami, key west then back up to Orlando. Took 2 weeks in total. Did universal, Disney, buscg gardens, sea workd and wet n wild, thought they were all fab, but wouldn't have enjoyed a holiday spent solely on Orlando. Shopping was good and food and motels dirt cheap.

It was such a good holiday, though we dud benefit from going in september when the school hols had just ended so queues at parks were virtually non existent, I don't suppose Easter is a good time to go.

silver28 · 26/09/2010 22:10

Of course there are other places in USA that offer more, but they all cost far more to fly to and would have spent more on living costs when we got there (well that was the case when we went). Florida was all we could afford and we had a great holiday for v little money (relatively speaking).

brimfull · 26/09/2010 22:10

lovely resort to go to in florida
my mate wnt last summer with 3 kids, spent first 4 days in orlando then rest of time at cheecos. Kids preferred resort and playing in water than at parks.

Hulababy · 26/09/2010 22:20

I think it does depend on the type of holiday and activities you enjoy as a family.

There is no way we could do a sitting on the beach or by a pool type holiday. The idea of spending all day sunbathing has me shuddering, and DD would hate a day on a beach. DH is the same. We like to busy, doing stuff and seeing stuff. Hotel resorts with entertainment and kid's clubs are not for us either, just not our idea of fun. But each to their own.

If you like rides and like to be doing things, then Disney style Orlando is ideal. If you want to relax and chill then it won't be for you. It'd be a massive waste of money - and these days Disney and the parks type holiday is very expensive.