Florida first timer

[SunnyNights]

We are off to Orlando this summer (end of July until mid august). This holiday seems to be taking up a lot of my brain so wondered if there are others also going for the first time that are finding it a lot of admin!

Sorted Estas, and other crap like parking, car hire etc. Now focusing on how to keep cool in the humidity, have bought some cool clothes and mini fans.

We are flying into Miami and staying one night then driving to Orlando which all sounded very fun when booking but now seems like extra stuff to sort out.

I think it’s the fact the holiday has been cancelled twice due to covid coupled with the huge amount of money it’s all costing (that we’ve saved up for years) that just makes it all feel slightly pressured and that it needs to be the BEST holiday of a lifetime.

Sorry this is so rambling. Is anyone nervous about going?

Why are you flying to Miami to go to Orlando?

Because it was much cheaper. We land in Miami, stay over, have breakfast somewhere then drive to Orlando.

Are you planning on going to the Disney parks? If so, you need to purchase tickets in advance and then book which day you want to go to each park in advance. This is a fairly new thing since the parks reopened after Covid.
You will also need to reserve any sit down Disney dining you want asap as the restaurants get booked up months in advance.
There is also a new fast pass ride system in place, which is very complicated.
It was never a free and easy, go with the flow type holiday, but since Covid things have got a lot more complicated.
I highly recommend following the Disney Food Blog for top tips - not just about dining but the whole thing in general.
Good luck!

You’ll love it. It’s v hot and stuffy but it’s a swamp land so that’s expected. Beware of the crocs x

Thanks both that's really helpful!

I've booked the Disney park tickets, reserved and booked a lunch for our son's birthday too - have two birthdays out there!

The fast pass system looks a bit complicated so looking on the DIBBS site for tips.

We have two days in Fort Lauderdale from day 11, then fly back from there. Looking forward to some beach time.

I'm not normally a nervous traveller, or that anxious generally so not sure why I'm over thinking a bloody holiday, I'm annoying myself

You cannot do everything. There is SO much and so many different choices to make.

I find having a rough plan but then within that going with the flow helps - where are you staying and which parks are you doing?

We nearly went, then DS(16) raised an eyebrow and told me to type “Florida man” into a search engine with any random day and month to see what came up. 😁the resulting news stories were fascinating, but it was enough to end my Florida holiday dreams. We’re now going to Majorca instead!

Totally, there is kind of too much you can do really. So many options.

We are doing two days at Disney world, space Kennedy, then have a 14 day for universal. The universal tickets were 14 days for the price of five so got those and then we can go whenever we like, or even just for the morning.

Have factored in lots of down time as the kids (10 and 12) seem most excited about having a private pool. We are staying in a house in Kissimmee, Sunset Lakes.

Then on day 11 we drive to FL to stay for two nights at a beach resort and then fly home - probably tired and a stone heavier...

Are you going this summer?

If you're on Facebook then the Disney and Orlando for Brits group has been an absolute godsend for me with planning! Picked up so many tips and had somewhere to ask all my stupid questions!

Well will certainly be cheaper and Mallorca is lovely.

Not sure you've helped alleviate my anxiety but thanks anyway

I'm not on FB, perhaps might join just for the tips

My BIL lives in Florida, and we also flew to Miami and drove up to where they live. It was a good old day's drive that's for sure. I couldn't do any driving as I was injured but if I remember correctly, make sure your sat nav is set to not take you off the main roads to avoid tolls as that was the most annoying thing, we couldn't;t turn the damn thing to just drive straight there.

Other memories, is that we could order one meal and share it as they were huge, apart from the theme parks as thy were tiny for the price.

And we got caught in a hurricane, they closed all the fast food stores so we knew it was going to be bad and we had no power for a day. But the drive back was hairy as every stop was closed due to the damage, and miami airport only just reopened the day we went back. Which we didn't even know it had closed as the news is extremely local, and they only report on towns really close to the news station.

The heat is something to behold and make sure you have ample drinks round the parks as you can be queuing for rides and such in the hot sun for ages.

@SunnyNights no - we go at Christmas - only missed 2020 since 2015

Did Universal at February - I like coming and going from that - if you are around in the evening really liked going up to the top of the Aventura Bar and seeing the view. Sometimes it is those things that I find the highlights.

Your plan seems to be fine to me

@Quartz2208 Christmas in Florida must be amazing. I have a friend that goes then too and they love it at that time.