Florida/Gulf Coast holiday summer 2016 - USA virgins!

[KCAMum]

Ok, so we are looking at booking a holiday for next summer to Florida/Gulf Coast. It will most likely be the last family holiday abroad we will go on as my eldest will be 16, youngest 3 and one in the middle. So after getting quotes for 2 weeks in European destinations coming in at 5-6k all inclusive, we thought fuck it lets do this whole Orlando/ Disney as we have known others to do it for around this price. However, I do not want to spend 2 weeks just doing Disney etcetera., so am looking for advice from those who have done it the best way to get some relaxation in too! Never ventured to America so will be a first, any advice welcomed

we did 3 weeks in school hols and it was reasonably priced. 1 week down on florida keys for the relaxation and water sports and 2 weeks in wdw florida. it will be more than 5 - 6K though I would think because of the cost of park tickets. the 3 yr old will love WDW the 16 yr old will much prefer Universal so to keep both happy you will need to go to both. buy the books WDW with kids and beyond WDW with kids. you cannot go wrong if you start with these they are excellent at helping to plan. cheapest accommodation will be villas 20-30 away from WDW self catering and you will need a car. PM for more details of where we stayed and what we did.

We've done Clearwater and Anna Maria Island for weeks at the end of Orlando trips. Both were lovely, very different. Anna Maria is much less developed. It's definitely a great way to relax after the parks.

Thanks for the tips, we are booked up for 2 weeks next August - eek! We have bought the Orlando Flexticket plus, and are waiting to decide about WDW as Virgin told us they are trialling a 2 day pass this year which if successful they will do again next year. I hadn't realised so much planning was required though! I have heard about the planning book things though where do you get them? Do you really need to prebook restaurants and stuff?

amazon and type in Walt Disney world with kids 2015 and the books will come up. they are without a doubt the must have item as far as we were concerned. absolutely made the whole trip a lot easier and a lot less stressful.

Agree with mummy get the book. Read it, make notes. Digest.

Then genuinely prepare yourself for having to plan Disney restaurants 180 days, yes 6 months in advance. Certain restaurants are like hen's teeth, namely Cinderella's Royal Table with all the Disney Princesses (I don't know if your youngest two are girls or into princesses)

I have 2 boys and we went for the first time last year. It was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime. We are going back next year.

Walt Disney World is massive, there are a few YouTubers who walk round with or without commentary and you will get a feel for it. We particularly liked ithemepark (no commentary) and SeeYaRealSoon which is done by a married couple who are lovely. We actually met them when they were there last year which was surreal, especially for the children.

Advice wise, TheDibb for British people on a forum and easywdw.com for a guy named Josh, he reviews the parks, restaurants, hotels etc. We found his cheat sheets a must and he takes lots of photos.

We also did Universal, both parks. These are tiny compared to Disney.

Water parks wise we did Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach which we absolutely loved. Enjoy.