Florida holiday - where do I start?!

[tumpymummy]

Help, I know there is masses of information on the internet about booking holidays to Florida, but I really dont know where to start! Do I need to go to a travel agent or can I look online? Who should I use? Virgin holidays? We want to go at October halfterm for 10 days (kids have a long halfterm). Allowing in for flight times is that enough time, or a silly idea? Kids will be 14 and 17 years, and we have been to Disney land in California and Paris so not bothered about Magic Kingdom. Is it better to book flights to Orlando separately or a whole package? Sorry just dont know where to start, it seems such a minefield that I have always put this off, but am now aware that kids wont want to go on holiday with us for much longer!

Are you just looking to avoid the Magic Kingdom or Disney full stop? If the kids are both teenagers, perhaps you'd want to consider other parts of Florida as well, such as the Miami area.
On the other hand, if you wanted to do the Disney thing and just avoid the Magic Kingdom, I'd stay in the Disney compound and just book everything directly through them. Much easier than slogging in and out of there every day.

We went for 10 days in October half term a few years ago. It was a great time to go - not too busy, lovely temperature etc. With kids that age I would definitely recommend spending the bulk of your time at Universal rather than Disney. We did a day at Discovery Cove and a day at Busch Gardens too,if your DC like extreme rides then Busch Gardens is the place to go. We flew with Virgin and booked flights, accommodation etc separately. We stayed with Magical Vacation Homes which are based conveniently for all the parks.

Can't recommend Dial a Flight enough, that's who I would contact.

For Orlando you’re generally better booking a package (though I agree dial a flight are amazing and my first and only choice for anything non package)

Start with

1. what do you want to do there
2. what sort of accommodation- hotel, villa/apartment? Do you want your own pool?

I've always done my own thing (as part of a larger Us trip). Universal is presumably a must and it's well worth staying at one of their hotels to get the benefits of Express if budget allows.

We did October half term too, 10 nights and it was great.
We bought the Universal ticket package, so Universal and IOA, Sea World, Wet n Wild (it's Volcano Bay now) and Busch Gardens.
Out of the 10 days we only had the last day as a chill out day, so wouldn't have been able to fit Disney in!
I booked through HolidayGems.co.uk, as a package, they were thousands cheaper than anyone one else, but they are only ATOL protected, not ABTA so I was quite terrified it wouldn't end up being a real holiday!

DisneyWorld is so much better than DisneyLand or EuroDisney. You have to see it to believe it. 4 parks and 2 water parks.

Then you have the Universal parks along with Seaworld etc. Bush gardens an hour away in Tampa.

I always book direct flights with Virgin or BA into MCO although there are cheaper one's if you don't mind a connection or charter flight into Sanford.

Book car through reputable site and stick to the major providers. I hear too many horror stories from smaller providers off airport. I book Alamo through Virgin Holidays.

Hotel or Villa? Villas are great and only £100-£130 per night for 4/5 beds with their own pool. Onsite with Disney or universal is also great, but more expensive.

Stick to the parks or travel out, Miami, Keys, Clearwater etc. Loads to see.

Hope this helps and not just confused you even more!

DH and I went to Florida a few years ago with our family. We found it cheaper to book the flights yourself online and your accommodation yourself online. It works out about £1,000 cheaper than going through the local travel agent for a package deal. We got return flights direct to Orlando from Gatwick Airport with Virgin Atlantic for £600 each return. Price included 2 suitcases each, extra legroom and meals and drinks on the plane. We then hired a villa in a lovely residential area about 5 minutes away from Interstate 4 for 2 weeks for £1,200. It was a beautiful Villa with private pool and games room etc. Car hire was cheap with Alamo for about £200 for the 2 weeks too.

I think it depends a lot on how much money you're happy to spend, because Florida is one of those trips that can expand to fill just about any budget and you can spend many thousands making it luxurious and easy, if you can afford it and want it.

We went three years ago and flew using air miles, hired a car and booked an Airbnb apartment in Lake Buena Vista. We did the whole thing very cheaply indeed and had a great time. Our DC were 7 & 4 so we got a Disney pass and did all the parks - we also went in Oct and thought it was a great time to visit.

This Oct half-term we're going back and doing stuff we didn't do last time - Universal, Kennedy Space Center, etc - and once again we've booked air miles flights and are renting an apartment on a complex nearby, hiring a car, and once again we're doing it quite cheaply. So decide what is important to you and what you can afford and then get searching, bearing in mind that the theme park tickets are pretty much a fixed price and will be a decent chunk of your budget.

Questions to ask yourselves:

Are you happy to rent a car and drive yourselves around or would you prefer to use shuttle buses?
Do you mind shopping, cooking and making beds, or do you want those things done for you?
Will two hotel rooms suit you or do you want to have the space of a house or apartment?
Do you mind a shared pool, or do you want a private one?

Have a look at the Disney Information Bulletin Board (Dibb). There's hundreds of Disney fans on there willing to help with any type of question and a few even willing to help with your planning.

we bought the books WDW with kids and beyond WDW with kids. they have sections on what to do with teenagers not just for small children. we found them invaluable when planning our stay.