Florida - is it worth it?

[mamaes]

I went as a child and loved it. We were thinking about going next year and doing a week of theme parks and a week of relaxing on a beach somewhere. 



Looks like it will cost an absolute arm and a leg plus loads of spending money due to being self catering etc. 



Anyone been recently? Is it worth it? 



We've got two primary aged children. 



We are fortunate enough to be able to afford it but would need to save. It would probably mean "extras" wouldn't happen next year such as a weekend break in the U.K., center parcs and/or Legoland etc. not sure if that one big holiday is worth not doing everything else we usually do. 



Wondering if we should just book our normal beach holiday then do DLP?

[GerundTheBehemoth]

@squareyedannie

Just seen the date on this thread!

Looks like it was bumped by a chatbot 🙄

[squareyedannie]

Just seen the date on this thread!

[squareyedannie]

We went last year. It was absolutely awesome! I like going in May as very little rain and it's not too hot either, 80s instead of 180 degrees.
I've heard it works out cheaper if you don't book a package.
I'd also recommend the Gulf coast beaches, they're stunning.

[MalagaNights]

Yes if you can afford it it's worth it.
Mine are now adults and we still talk so much about our Florida holidays. Really great memories!! And we didn't think it would be our kind of thing, but it was by far the best time we've spent together as a family on a holiday, so we ended up going several times!

Primary age is a great time to go. Although mine loved it as teens too.

[Vanquee]

It's a destination with a lot to offer, from theme parks to beautiful beaches. While it can be a bit pricey, it can also create unforgettable memories for your family.

Consider what's most important to you and your family for this upcoming vacation. If you have the means to afford it and it's a dream destination for your kids, it could be a fantastic experience. Keep in mind that you can always find ways to save or budget for your trip.

However, if you're concerned about sacrificing other activities or trips you enjoy, it's worth weighing your options. Maybe explore Coastal River RV Park as a more budget-friendly alternative for a beach holiday.

[MargeSimpson79]

I am biased because we go every year and therefore obviously love it but I truly believe there’s nowhere else like it, it’s just magical!

If it’s your first and possibly only visit I wouldn’t spend a week at the beach though. You will not do everything in the parks in a week.

so yes, it’s worth it! And primary age is a great age to go. Hire a double buggy though!!

[whatnumber]

How old are the children and what height are they?
It's definitely worth it if they will remember it and tall enough for all the rides.
Would you consider staying the full two weeks in Disney then you could take it easy whilst you are there and have relaxing days in between and not have to spend all day at the parks.

[coodawoodashooda]

@RewildingAmbridge

For that price I'd do something really memorable that the children would also enjoy, like a jungle tour/Costa Rica or Safari in Africa etc. A theme park is a theme park ok they're decent ones but go on a weekend break to one of the big parks in Germany if that's your thing or Efteling if you have little ones (I love roller coasters btw I just think Disney with children is extortionate)

I agree with this.

[Fortbite]

How old are the children?

[NrlySp]

Personally I would wait until the youngest is a bit older. We took out two. ds1 was 13 and Ds2 11. It was old enough to enjoy it and remember it. Plus they could go on all the rides etc.

[ChickinMarango]

You can do it cheaper if staying off site, booking at the right time, travelling at the right time. Prices have gone up a fair bit recently though.

if it’s a once in a lifetime holiday I’d go, stretch to 14 days at parks then 7 days at the beach. Accommodation can be very cheap, Disney do 14 days for the price of 7 too.

We have been going every three or so years, 2019 we took our 15 month old and we fly out on Monday with her (now 4!) and a 4 month old. We seem to have a bargain, £3500 for flights (connecting), cheap hotel we have stayed in before, hire car and park tickets for 14 days.

We eat breakfast in the room, have one cheapish meal out a day and have sandwiches etc once a day too.

[Playplayaway]

If you can comfortably afford it then it's definately worth it. There's no holiday quite like it and our dc have great memories.

Most families don't get much change out if 10k, but there are ways of making it a lot cheaper - going at cheaper times of year, staying off site etc. If you are happy to take dc out of school for part of the holiday you can save a lot.

[FionnulaTheCooler]

If you want to do Disney specifically then definitely do Florida rather than DLP, there's no comparison, the Florida parks are so much better. We've not been since before Covid and we're considering booking in the next couple of years but I'm keeping an eye on things because there have been a lot of complaints about over crowding and the new system that replaced fast passes so I'm going to wait and see how that pans out before I decide whether to spend the money. We stayed onsite at Disney last time but if we went back we'd probably do self catering now that a lot of the perks of staying onsite have been cut.

[RewildingAmbridge]

For that price I'd do something really memorable that the children would also enjoy, like a jungle tour/Costa Rica or Safari in Africa etc. A theme park is a theme park ok they're decent ones but go on a weekend break to one of the big parks in Germany if that's your thing or Efteling if you have little ones (I love roller coasters btw I just think Disney with children is extortionate)

[Sirbobblysock123]

I hope so OP as we are going next year and as you’ve said, it will be the one big holiday. No centre parcs/weekends away.