is it possible to do a week near the theme parks and a week in the Florida Keys?

[ssd]

any advice welcome, am on a strict budget and just costing things out just now

kids 14 and 17, me and dh, flying from Glasgow, maybe going next June 23rd or there abouts for 2 weeks

thanks

It's possible but you won't fit everything in at the theme parks. You'll need to work out what you and the rest of your family want to do and try to plan. The Dibb forum is great for this.

Personally I would stick to just Orlando and there is enough there to do for two weeks.

FL Keys is nice but its a heck of a distance between Orlando and the Keys and FL is a vast state (its about a 3 hour drive from Miami which is about 4 hours drivetime south of Orlando).

we did it but over 3 weeks not two. spent 1 week in the keys and 2 at the theme parks. you might find that you can do it on a tight budget by flying into Miami driving to one of the upper keys then taking a day to drive up to Orlando and staying say 20-25 minutes out from the parks in a villa. definitely doable on a budget but would say 2 weeks would feel too rushed.

3 weeks just isn't an option, too skint!

am confused a bit here, don't know where to start

my 2 aren't mad on theme parks so thats not a priority, dont want to just concentrate on there only

When we were kids we went to Orlando for a week then a week on the west cost (Sarasota is the only place name I can remember) which definitely wasn't as far as the keys. Lovely beaches.

is there much to do in orlando apart from the theme parks?

We have done Orlando 1 week and the Gulf Coast 1 week on two occasions with our DCs. We have also been to the Keys for 10 days on a different 2-centre break including NY.

In my opinion the Keys are too far to get to unless you add additional flights down to Miami. The Gulf Coast is superb, better beaches and more to do than the Keys. I would go back to the Gulf in a heartbeat, the Keys not so much.

You can do a full 2 weeks in Orlando, you just take it steady with the parks and intersperse days by the pool. If doing a 2-centre you blitz the parks in a week then spend an entirely different week at the coast chilling out.

Yes, but I would focus on Orlando as others have said. There is more than enough to fill two weeks. The Keys are nice but it is pretty most of a day's drive each way and whilst nice, they aren't spectacular in my opinion.

thanks for that bear and bon

where is good to go on the gulf? I hadn't considered there.

I dont know Florida well at all

The Keys are fantastic! Who wouldn't want to go kayaking with alligators or see manatees......?

shudder...me! dont fancy that at all!

Most packages seem to focus on St Petes & Clearwater, I can't comment as we didn't go there. We went to Indian Rocks & Sanibel Island, both beautiful with amazing beaches. The beaches in the Keys are few & far between and the ones they have, although lovely, are very narrow and usually just off Highway 1. We stayed around Islamorada and below but never got as far down as Key West.

I am currently here in Florida!
We spent 5 days in Orlando and that was plenty (but have been several times before so no desire for DW).

We're now in Miami via the Everglades. Brilliant. Took us three hours to get here and we will fly home from here.

In the past we have been to the gulf - Clearwater is lovely and only an hour from Orlando.

wordfactory, wow!!!

I know this is a cheeky ask, but can you give me an idea of the overall cost

Look at Anna Maria Island for the beachy part of your trip . Much closer than the Keys.

ssd we paid 7.5 k for flights, hotels and car hire.

Tickets for universal and wet and wild were $900.

But you could go it for much cheaper than that!

We paid a lot for air tickets so we could fly to Orlando but come home from Miami. A return Orlando ticket would be much cheaper.

We stayed at the Hard Rock in Orlando and this was very pricey. We liked the convenience for Universal, the extra hour for Harry Potter and free express pass, but you could hardly call them essentials ( though I would not want to queue for rides!).

Our hotel in Miami is also pretty swanky but you stay somewhere much cheaper but still lovely in Clearwater. Plus in Summer you really are better off on the Gulf- too humid and stormy in Miami/Keys.

Also, the exchange rate is making it good value here at the moment!

thanks so much wordfactory!

will have a look at Clearwater

just now its a pie in the sky dream, but would love to consider it for next year, this would be our last big holiday with ds1

(am I right in thinking you are taking your dc's to the Liverpool game at the new year, is that you?)

Yes indeed! Though we just drew to Hull right? What a crap season.

At least Barca lost on Suarez' debut!

now you're losing me there! I have a family full of mad football fanatics but haven't a clue about it myself! ...I had a thread about getting liverpool tickets and you said you had tickets for the game I want tickets for, but they cost a fortune as its only hospitality left! Dont suppose you have any spare

Sadly not.

Clearwater on the gulf coast is just beautiful. The most stunning beach I have ever been on, miles long and completely deserted in places. It's a three to four hour drive back to the parks though. So a week in Orlando or even ten days then drive over to the gulf coast.

Enjoy your holiday, I may be back asking more questions.... we've been to California but not Florida, I've never really fancied Orlando but think the kids may enjoy it.

nicki, that sounds ideal, wonder how I'd go about pricing that, I looked at flights but it said they were seasonal and could show me them yet? Also how to decide where to stay? am clueless!!

I live in Florida. I think that based on your children's ages, I would definitely not spend the whole time in Orlando. I think you could do a week in Orlando and a week in the Keys; it's a bit of a trek to Key West but doable, and there are things to see along the way if you drive.

Clearwater area is nice, but another suggestion is Sanibel/Captiva if your family likes the beach.

On the East Coast there is Daytona for a funkier Florida beach feel. You might also consider an area that is often ignored: St. Augustine and Jacksonville. St. Augustine has historical interest and good beaches; Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville is very nice.

I always book our holidays myself, never through travel agents. When are you looking to travel? You honestly can't go wrong in Clearwater. So beautiful and relaxed. Do you want a villa or a hotel? I always book accommodation through Trip Advisor and have never had a problem. Flights through Sky Scanner .