Disneyworld

[darleneconnor]

Right, so we want to take the DCs at some point before they're too old, so in the next 5 years ish.

We did a quick search online to see roughly how much it would cost so we'd know how much to put away each month.

I nearly fell off my seat! Multi-park tickets for 2 adults + 2DCs = £1500! Is that right?

Flights and 2 weeks in budget hotel = £2800!

Is there anyway to go there and it not cost £5k+?

Hi Darlene,

We went in January (me, DH and DD) and got a good deal online through Virgin. My DD is under 2 so we didn't need park tickets for her but for us it was £490 for 2 adult tickets for all the Disney parks for 2 weeks. How old are your DC? After age 10 (I think) they pay the adult park ticket price, but even then that would be less than you have been quoted.

Have you looked at the Disney hotels? I found that they weren't as expensive as I thought, and you get free transport between the hotels and the parks. We booked into one of their moderate resorts and because we bought the hotel and tickets at the same time we were given the Disney Dining Plan free (2 quick service meals consisting of main course, dessert and drink plus 2 snacks each per day) which meant that we only spent money on souvenirs once out there.

Also, can you be flexible on the time of year you go? We went in January as it was much cheaper, and the parks and planes were a lot less crowded and we still got nice weather.

It really is an incredible experience, you will love it!

Thanks, yes older DC would be 10+.

For a holiday like that I'd have no qualms about takingthem out of school so any time of year suits (actually none of us likes the heat so the cooler the better).

Our flights probably cosy more because we're in scotland so not as much competition.

I saw the dining plan deal but it said desserts aren't included, which I can see being more hassle than it's worth (dont want arguments every meal time)

The ticket price I quoted was for all the florida parks not just disney. I wouldnt want to go and not go to Universal studios, Busch Gardens and the Kennedy space center too.

You can get the theme park tickets a bit cheaper than that (we got ours for £1200 and are doing all the parks, but our DC are both under 9). But still not very cheap. It is worth shopping about. For example we got the DC's space centre tickets free.

Flight prices are also not cheap these days. If you're prepared to go indirectly, this can come in cheaper. If you book flights and aaccomodation separately this is potentially the cheapest option.

Have a look at www.thedibb.co.uk . Lot's of people there who are good at bargain hunting!!

We flew from Manchester and there were lots of Scottish people on our flight, so maybe that is an option?

There are 2 dining plans, the full one, which has 3 sit down meals a day and one snack, and the quick service one which we had. They definitely include dessert (unless you use it for breakfast, when you don't get one, but we used a snack for breakfast). We didn't always want dessert, so used to get fruit to take away with us. It worked out really well.

We didn't bother with the other parks because our DD is so young, and we have done them before, but if your DC are 10+ I would definitely include them, but you should be able to get them cheaper than your quote - you won't need the other parks every day, so you could maybe get a 2 day pass for Universal. It is definitely cheaper to buy the tickets in the UK though.

Kennedy was fantastic. The scale of the place is mind-boggling! You will have an amazing time.

darlene,

Children age 10 and over will pay adult price for admittance to all the theme parks.

If finances allow flying direct into Orlando and or Sanford I would take either option rather than doing a same day internal transfer within the US. That process can add hours overall to a long day. You may want to look at flying south into either Gatwick or Manchester airports (Virgin operate a flight to Orlando from Manchester).

The American authorities now charge for their online ESTA application and this is mandatory for all passengers. Current cost is $14 US (about £9) per person so for four of you that is $56 US.

Early December is a good time of year to go; Christmas and Easter are more expensive overall along with being far busier. August can have high humidity levels.

OP, we're going in october and flying with Aer Lingus from Glasgow-Dublin-Orlando. £1700 for 2 adults and 1 child, Saturday departure. Renting a 3 bed villa for the fortnight, £900. we used orlando villas

If you are going to go - be sure to go off peak during term time (taking particular note of avoiding US holidays like Thanksgiving). Like BiscuitNibbler we went at the end of Jan / Feb and it was so laid back and quiet.

Can't give you advice on getting the cost down however since it cost us a good deal more than £5K - but then we stayed at the Disney Beach Hotel