Florida 1st timer

[Allbymyself123]

So never been to Florida in my life. My kids will be 16 & 12 this year & thanks to some inheritance we can finally have a decent holiday (never been abroad as a family) thinking of Florida they’d love universal particularly the Harry Potter parts & mario & also maybe some disney like star wars etc but i’ve got no clue where to start!

do i book it all individually or is there a company with package deals? Do i need something like a 14 days pass for parks? Where do i book that? Limited to (Scottish) school holidays so worried about the heat and being on the go all day. Also worried about queues and how busy it will be!

where to stay? What to eat? How much spending money? Please can someone talk me through it like an idiot and where to start please?

Also is 2 weeks enough?

Yeah I’m expecting to pay more lol was just using that as an example that if budgeting & counting money i’m still about £20k which is why i think £25k maybe more alll in?

haven’t looked at dining didn’y know packages were an option thanks i’ll check

Calm down, you said you’re inexperienced and it’s not unreasonable to point out that most people can easily do a summer family trip to Orlando for half that. It’s a fairly standard holiday destination but yeah, by all means get it spent.

Wouldn’t be surprised if the kids get the desire to travel more though after the trip. Especially at those ages.

Sounds like you’ll have a fab trip. Happy planning 🎢🎡🎟️

I am calm. You’re the one bothered by what i spend or not. Yes inexpereinced and asking for help where to start planning but i didn’t ask for budging tips or how to do it cheaply.

if you can genuinely show for 5 with direct flights in July and a hotel with the park benefits. 14 day tickets & no need to hire a car. Plus food budgeted for £12k then yes i’m interested?

Mate 🤣 lots of people spend that and less. I do book trips for people but I’m not planning yours for you. People have given you some decent advice here, the Dibb being the one for Orlando planning.

I would suggest really planning this trip before diving in and booking, you’ve grabbed Hard Rock from one strangers suggestion on MN and just ran with it for starters. It’s not the best choice for many. If you weren’t even aware that dining packages existed until half an hour ago then you’ve a lot of research ahead of you if the trip is going to be any fun at all.

Back in the day you could just turn up and enjoy an Orlando holiday. Unfortunately these days it’s all about the prep or it can be utterly miserable. Particularly in July and August

No i had already looked at hard rock previously.

i am at the planning stage - literally this past week as just got the money 🙄 so it’s not like i’ve did much yet. have taken suggestions and looked where people who have actually helped have said and joined some groups) yes complete novice hence asking for tips and a starting point. Could go next year instead but hoping this year is doable.

at no point though did i say i want to do it on a budget or save money. Also said it has to be July (next year is the same) now Obviously £12k is better than £25k but i will pay more for ease, better hotel if closer, park benefits etc. don’t want to drive which i did day. Obviously you can’t do it cheaper with what i want / need or offer any help so not sure why you are commenting? If you have to do it on a budget obviously thats a bit different to a once in a life time experience but thanks for all the helpful knowledge you (haven’t) shared 🙄

No I mean really planning. This is not planning 😅And reading what people are saying. Check out the dibb. You can’t just turn up and expect a holiday in Orlando to be enjoyable anymore. It will be massively disappointing if you don’t.

You can book a package, not sure why you think you can’t. You can fly direct from Glasgow, literally zero need to be flying to London first. Universal cabana bay, and others have free shuttles to the parks, early entry etc with tickets. The flights, shuttles, hotel for 2 weeks in July from glasgow for 5 of you are around £7k. Then a couple of grand for your park tickets. You could’ve had free dining packages but it is likely too late, unless you book for next summer giving you enough time to learn how to enjoyably “do” Florida.

You can also get a villa with private pool for that price if that sounds appealing? Uber and delivery services are obviously available. When you’re knackered after a day at the parks with kids those ages, a quick cool off in the pool and a takeaway is often all you want. Hence, not spending £30k just to be disappointed.

Oh wow. So glad I just spent the time to have a look at prices and share what is actually helpful for a novice planning this holiday.

Don’t want a villa want a hotel. Want as close as possible to parks, want early entry & don’t want to drive. Only showing me stop over flights when i search unless i go via london. Will keep checking that.

the cheapest package i found was £12500 non direct flights and no food. Before adding park tickets so clearly i’m not looking where you are but never mind. As long as we get round all the parks they won’t be disapppinted as thats literally what we would be going for. With additional trips if time (e.g kennedy space centre which i can get as a booked excurion without needing hire car!)

Share them then instead of just saying because i’ve told you what i found when i looked and how much. There was cheaper but not necessarily what i wanted e.g further away or non direct flights. Stop saying what you can get if it’s not helpful?

yes i want help but help to plan as in where to stay and if packages are a thing or all booked indivdiually. Where to eat, spending money, how to get park tickets. Thats literally it. Not how to half the price i have.

Or Uber XL it there and back.

Ok good luck. It’s the not planning for the parks I’m talking about that will have them disappointed. There is literally a “system”. Sad for the kids whose families aren’t aware of it and stand sweltering in queues and don’t even manage to get on the rides they wanted to.

God knows where you’re looking but yeah, feel free to change flights in London 🤣

Here, as I’m feeling generous I’ll give you a clue. Obviously there are cheaper options. Also, the dibb. Trust me and others because you have no idea.

And that’s so rude. “Share them then” 😵‍💫

I did share the prices and the tips about the dibb and uber or shuttles to avoid driving. And free dining and planning for the parks and early bloody access. How the fuck would I know you’re searching some random flight scanner crap instead of the obvious package holiday providers?!

Don’t want ubers

Yeah 100% the best way if you don’t want to drive. Cheaper, convenient, faster, more pleasant than a sweaty coach and actually get there for park opening. So much to cover at Kennedy Space Center and the day trips never give you the actual full day.

I went last year with 2 teen girls. I was on a facebook forum and bought the DIBB and nearly bloody talked myself out of it before I even went - it was made so over complicated for no reason at all. Until you go yourself none of what everyone says makes any sense - it didn’t to me. I didn’t have any major budget restraints, I didn’t want to be restricted to quick service places, I didn’t want to book my restaurants months in the future - I wanted to be spontaneous and we were and it was utterly fabulous and we all want to go again.

We stayed at Cabana Bay in a suite so we had a bit more room - we did this because you can walk to the water park and CityWalk which is where the parks and restaurants are. We booked and ate at either Citywalk or Interanational Drive every night dependent on what we fancied that day. We did the Univeraal Parks, all the Disney Parks, the Universal Water Park, Clearwater beach, Wild Florida, Discovery Cove and on the rainy afternoons we spent a fortune in the outlets. We ate what we wanted, when we wanted, didn’t restrict anything at all and ubered everywhere just because it was so easy and convenient. We spent just short of £20k

OK, I think you want a week at Universal, walking distance to IOA and US. You’d have to get to Epic separately but I expect there are shuttles. Then a week in a Disney hotel with access to the Disney transport? Does that sound about right?

This would mean you’d only need airport transfers and possibly transport to KSC.

Which airport - does it have to be Glasgow or would Edinburgh work for you?

Would all four of you share one room, or would you be after something larger?

Although I don’t see the need to berate you, I do definitely recommend planning the theme park visits to some extent to maximise your enjoyment. However, FOTL passes will definitely help in that respect.

I suppose the incredulity from some posters that you are happy to pay >2x what we would stems from having been on the “trip of a lifetime” many times. I’m going in less than 3 weeks for my 11th visit to Florida in 30
years!

We went last year and spent £10k all in. Little you can do about park tickets because it is rare to have sales.

We made the most saving on booking a Marriott Villa (self catering fully serviced apartment within the Marriott complex) which meant we had breakfast at home, took sandwiches to the park then take away at home. Food will cost a lot and this saved us £££.

If you're not keen on car hire, you can uber most places, will still work out cheaper than staying on site.

I'd suggest skipping Disney and 10 days is more than enough. My kids were 8 and 11 when we went and Disney was very boring compared to Universal!

i’m on tui. Using same dates as you hard rock (which is 1st preference i had before suggested on here) is £2921 pp & 2nd preference before looking into them was lowes portofino at £2448 so thats the difference and why my price is what it was. Hard rock which is still our preference (though happy to hear reviews and suggestions on here) is over £14500 passes were nearly £2500 when i priced 14 day on so yeah £17k. Add on over £300 to pick seats. It’s over £15k before passes and before spending money.

fine, i accept it can be done cheaper but i don’t need to do it cheaper so would rather stay at a hotel which looks to be our preference and yes all i can go on that is looks / reviews / what others say. I didn’t ask how to do it cheaper though & maybe sharing tips on the “systems” to avoid disappointment would have been more helpful but i’ve said what i would like & its not what you posted

I’m happy to leave out disney but if doable then yes a week in each or a few days at disney end - i know the parks are massive hence posting on here for what is realistic.

glasgow easier than edinburgh as need to then pay parking at edinburgh but either is fine. Not wanting to arrive at 10 oclock at night either.

£4-5k is out of reach to us on a holiday previously so its once in a lifetime as even £9-10k isn’t something we would normally be able to repear and if we ever did it i did think it would be fully budgeted.

this way doing it i want a nice hotel as close to the park etc. now if there isn’t much difference between where say cabana bay and hard rock are in location or theme park rooms or “nice-ness” fair enough but on looking and reviews etc our preference is the more expensive hotels and this way we can do it.

5 of us so need at least 2 bedrooms.

i have tui uo just now and hard rock is over £15500 for 2 weeks add in the passes and i’m up at £18000 - maybe if i was going repeatedly i wouldn’t stay there or pay that much? Indon’t want a villa i don’t want to have to worry about cheap food or taking sandwiches in etc. i accept a lot of it is a waste but thats not what i was asking for opinions on or help with hence getting annoyed at soing cheaper or saving money when i’ve tried tonhighlight what we want to do (if possible) and why. I thought from what i’ve looked at groups etc that £20k is fairly standsrd for a lot of people

If you’re looking at indirect do consider aer Lingus via Dublin from Edinburgh (they prob do Glasgow too) added bonus of clearing US border in Dublin if you’re having to change anyway so save you time at final destination

Hey op, we have been to Florida loads of times. I know some people treat it like a military operation and really plan the days. We are more chilled and see how the day pans out. Sometimes we go to the parks later in the day to miss the heat. Do not underestimate how hot it is in the summer and the heat will drain you.
We have mostly gone with Virgin before, but have used Tui as well.
We have always used a face to face travel agent and the cost has always been cheaper, they seem to be able to get better deals than online and we have been able to haggle a bit
happy for you to message me, have been 8 times now so feel like old timers !
its a fantastic place, you will love it i promise ❤️

Nobody is getting annoyed, they’re also not taking in sandwiches in August. Grim. Who said they were doing that?

The hotels, not really much difference and you’ll all be knackered anyway. If you’re on TUI then why can’t you find the direct flights from Glasgow?

You’ll be completely limited if you refuse to drive or use uber. It seems crazy to limit yourself that way. You’ll be bloody lucky to make use of any early entry if you insist on just using the shuttles!

Same for Kennedy space centre. It is amazing, no way would I want to miss any of the opening just because I refuse to use uber XL.

Ffs i’ll use uber if we have too if its the only way to get between parks (again thats why i’m onnhere and other groups) but its only going between park - I want to be as close to them as i can. I don’t want a villa or a hotel further away & in uber all the time.

trips if we had to we would hire a car or go 1 days - i’d just rather not use ubers - it’s not like we can’t afford eirher i’m just not basing my trip around it.

i can look at villas and ubers but if we do that i’m going for 3 weeks & its a completely different trip / plannthen isn’t it

LOL I feel like the OP is trying to ask for money saving tips but not compromising on how to reduce the costs 😂