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Original poster

Anyone got a Disney World/Florida holiday planned? Part 3

999 replies

McKayz · 31/05/2015 12:06

I thought I'd start a new thread as number 2 is nearly full.

Links to old threads:

thread 1

thread 2

We haven't got ours booked yet. But we are planning on going August 2016. DH and I both turn 30 in the next 11 months so it's like a big birthday holiday.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
HelloIAmBaymax · 14/06/2015 11:49

Although you could look at the busy day guide for a rough guide, it depends on the Extra Magic Hours and they are changed fairly often.
The opening hours will be very similar though.

HelloIAmBaymax · 14/06/2015 11:50

I didn't type my last post clearly. I meant that the busy day guide for this August will not necessarily be the same as next year.

LucasNorthsTwiglets · 14/06/2015 13:29

I do exactly the same as Panda, except I don't take ADRs into account as most of the places we like eating at don't require ADRs anyway. I work out how many days I want in each park then go by the Dibb Busy Day Guide to work out the best days for each park and then try and figure out a schedule based on that. Figuring it all out is a bit like one of those 'the fox and the grain' logic problems though :) I also take into account when we are likely to need rest days (eg. we have a Universal hotel booked for 2 nights which means 3 full days in those parks, so I know we'll need a rest day after that).

Although for the first time we'll have to take DD's periods into account as she has now started :( My schedule is so hard to change once I've worked it out and if she has a period on a waterpark day then it will all go to pot :(

HelloIAmBaymax · 16/06/2015 16:16

There are no extra magic hours on the calendar for January 2016. I hope this isn't the end of them as it will make it harder to choose the best days to go to each park Hmm

PandasRock · 16/06/2015 17:01

It's a bit early for park hours to be finalised, isn't it? Last time we went there were significant changes made to EMH well within the 6 month window (I know because it was after i'd made our ADRs).

We don't really use them, except I guess they contribute to busy day guides, so I suppose we pay attention indirectly so to speak.

Original poster
McKayz · 16/06/2015 17:17

Thanks everyone for explaining how you do it. I think we might make a list of everything we really want to see and then go from there.

OP posts:
Ohanarama · 16/06/2015 18:11

Hi again all, we have been mulling over Florida again in the last few days (particularly over the weekend when it rained almost non-stop). We have had a change of plan and are now considering scrapping going to Disney Shock.
Our original plan was to go to Florida for a fortnight but because of the ticket cost, only do a couple of days at Disney and a couple at Universal. We are now considering the 2 week tickets for Universal and Sea world parks. Has anyone done this? Would there be enough to do for 2 weeks? (We would be happy to have a rest day or two each week. )
We are also considering the Cabana Bay hotel at Universal, we loved staying on site at Disney and want to recreate that feeling.

HelloIAmBaymax · 16/06/2015 19:47

They're never finalised at first release, no, but they've always shown EMH.
They've already cut down the number of EMH and reduced the evening ones from 3 to 2 hours in the last year or two.

HelloIAmBaymax · 16/06/2015 19:50

Ohanarama,

I've never done that, but plenty of people have. I quite often see trip reports where a family has avoided Disney entirely, or just bought a single day ticket.
My sister-in-law has been to Florida 3 times, but only went to Disney the first time.

LucasNorthsTwiglets · 16/06/2015 20:41

Ohanarama, you're hopefully aware that staying at Cabana Bay doesn't get you the free Express Passes? I'm also not sure if it's walkable to the parks fro there - I think you may need a shuttle? I know its a lot cheaper than the other Universal hotesl though.

I love Universal but we never need more than 1 day at SeaWorld and I wouldn't even go for that one day if it were up to me :) I'm not sure that you'd save that much money by doing a few Disney days compared to getting a 14 day ticket, btw. A 3 days Disney ticket is about £100 cheaper than a 2 week one. Of course if there are loads of you that does add up to a big saving but I'm not sure I could go all that way and not do most of the Disney parks. Each to his own though!

HermioneWeasley · 16/06/2015 20:43

We did the universal parks in 2 days. Could have done a third day there but not more. Having said that, if you've got big Harry Potter fans and they're into the big rides, you could probably spend best part of a day in each of hogsmeade and diagon alley, so maybe 4 in total.

Ohanarama · 16/06/2015 21:38

Oh no! I was hoping you'd all say that we'd be fine with universal/sea world passes and that we'd love 2 weeks of that as much as we'd previously loved 2 weeks at Disney! Maybe we need to rethink....problem is the money...In my heart I'd love to do one week at Disney, 3-4 days at Universal and then top off with a short Disney cruise!

LucasNorthsTwiglets · 16/06/2015 23:24

You can easily spend more than 2 days at Universal but 2 weeks is a bit much. I reckon I could easily fill 4 or 5 days there and after that I'd be repeating stuff. As I said before, unless there are loads of you it really doesn't save that much money to get a 1 or 2 week Disney pass over a 3 day one (2 week pass currently the same price as 1 week).

Original poster
McKayz · 18/06/2015 06:14

I couldn't go to Florida and not do Disney. But it might be different if you've been before I guess.

OP posts:
Ohanarama · 19/06/2015 19:56

I've told DH that the opinion of this thread was that DW is essential and that we couldn't just do Universal and Sea world for a whole 2 weeks! We're now revising our plans (again!) and are hoping to get a 1 week on site deal to disney, with the second week elsewhere. From googling it would appear that you can get better 1 week deals through US travel agents so I have made an enquiry and hopefully they will come back with something too good to refuse! Grin

StrawberrytallCake · 20/06/2015 11:01

I agree, couldn't go without disney! Hope you get a good deal.

A week on Monday for us now Shock looking at some things to do in the evening, any ideas on what citywalk is like for eve? Is DTD too busy?

HelloIAmBaymax · 20/06/2015 11:14

Ohanarama,

We book our Disney hotels through the US site as it has always worked out cheaper that way for us. What time of year are you planning to go?

LucasNorthsTwiglets · 20/06/2015 13:42

I'm a 'not worth it unless doing Disney' as well - though I don't bother with Animal Kingdom.

A week, Strawberry!!! How exciting!! I forget where you are staying - are you in a villa? Our favourite thing to do in the evening is have wine by the pool. We tend to go out for a meal and then just come back for a rest as we're too exhausted for anything else!

Dog, how's it going if you're reading?

StrawberrytallCake · 20/06/2015 17:11

Can't wait to hear from Dog!!

Yes we're staying in a villa, I love sitting by the pool and having wine in the evening too - first time without a bug net so I am a little bit worried about that. My order of skin so soft arrived today to hopefully keep them away from us all.

I've been getting more and more anxious about the flight but reading the dibb and their thread on flying to orlando has helped immensely, definitely advise it if any of you are as scared as me.

LucasNorthsTwiglets · 20/06/2015 18:02

Is there anything in particular that you're worried about re. the flight, or just a general fear of flying? Get some lovely diazepam sweeties from your GP, that will help loads :)

StrawberrytallCake · 20/06/2015 20:24

I hate being out of control of anything, I would absolutely take the tablets if it weren't for the children who tend to want me more than dh and I don't want to upset them by being a bit out of it!

I'm scared of crashing, terrorists, turbulence, wings falling off, storms and pretty much everything - the only thing I like is landing because it feels natural to be heading back towards the ground! I know it's really ridiculous!!

dd1 picked up the florida brochure when we walked through an estate agent in town today so is now reading it in bed...mwah ha ha ha little does she know what's about to happen!!!

Ohanarama · 20/06/2015 20:33

Baymax, good to know that booking with a US travel agent is worth looking into, we were originally considering saving up and going in May 2017 but that's too far away so now thinking late Oct 2016 which doesn't seem too bad! Just a bit worried about Oct being hurricane season but hoping by the latter part of the month the weather will be a bit calmer. Don't like it too humid as my hair gets very frizzy!
Strawberry I'm just like you with flying, florida is the only place that will tempt me onto a long haul flight. I take diamazepam which takes the edge off my worries, and I try and logically think about all the flights which go from the UK to Orlando each day and have done for dozens of years...none of them have had accidents. Hope you will be ok Flowers

LucasNorthsTwiglets · 20/06/2015 20:59

From reading what you've said, Strawberry, it seems to me like Diazepam would really help you. I take it occasionally and I'm not out of it at all - at low doses you feel exactly like yourself except calmer. I feel perfectly able to drive on my dose, to give you an example. I know exactly what you mean about feeling calm once you start the descent, btw - I am totally the same! :)

If this is a major problem for you and you have the money to spare then I woudl really recommed a Fear of Flying course. My mum was so scared of flying that she couldn't even go to an airport to pick someone up without having a huge panic attack but she went on this course and now she flies anywhere with almost no worries at all!

StrawberrytallCake · 20/06/2015 21:08

I watched the video a couple of days ago Lucas and I'm booking in to the next course, unfortunately not in time for this trip but even watching the video and reading the thread on the dibb has helped so far.

I might look at the diazepam then - can I drink the champers on it? Grin

Ohanarama don't know if you might be interested but I'm getting a kerasilk treatment at my hairdresser next week which apparently stops all frizz in humid conditions - vain I know but the last time we went all pics of me looked a bit like Monica from friends when they went to the caribbean (just a bit of a puffball head) so hoping it works!!

I read 30,000 people fly to america each week which made me feel better, the internal flight we are taking is making me scared too - especially because of the storms which might happen but we are flying early morning to NY and back so fingers crossed we won't see one.

LucasNorthsTwiglets · 21/06/2015 09:54

I might look at the diazepam then - can I drink the champers on it?

I do :) As far as I understand, it is teachnically safe to drink alcohol with it as there's no reaction between the two - the issue is that the diazepam can make the effects of the alcohol stronger which is why they say to avoid it. But a little bit is always fine with me - check with a GP though, obvs :)

Well done on booking a course, I hope it helps! Which one are you doing? My mu did the BA one but I know several airlines do them...

I am very excited as we are going to tell our DCs about our 2nd trip today :) We're going this October (which they kow about) but they don't know that we are also going next August and they're going to find out today Grin