first timer planning holiday to orlando next easter

[FoJo]

We've done disneyland paris to death and want to go to the real thing next easter (dc's wil be 8 & 11). Its all a bit daunting! I'm going to a travel agent next week just to see what they can offer, but havent done a travel agent holiday for years. We always do easyjet to paris/the med and book hotel seperately. A friend says pick a 'good' airline such as virgin for a comfortable flight. What other airlines are considered 'good' British airways presumably, after that i'm struggling! Any tips would be very welcome!

If you want to go next Easter I would book the flight asap and then the accommodation later. These flights sell out fast and you may be disappointed.

Would rather fly direct into Orlando and use either Virgin or BA than use Sanford as Thomas Cook do (primarily because of the increased travel time from there).

Would forget about using the travel agent and book it all yourself online using either BA's or Virgin Atlantic's websites directly. Do look at both before booking for a price comparison. Virgin economy class is okayish (they do have hard seats and their aircrews can be hit and miss) but as mentioned before the service to Orlando can be treated by them as akin to a bus service.

agree with Attila that you should book your flights ASAP otherwise you may not get the dates you want or the price will go up. Unlike a lot of holidays etc, the prices to Orlando tend to go up nearer the departure time.

I wouldn't go for the accommodation near International drive, I'd go for a private villa nearer Disney but I guess its down to personal choice. At the moment, it can actually be cheaper to get a private 4 bed villa with its own pool for the cost of two rooms in a motel.
have a look at www.loyaltyusa.com which is run by an english lady called Yvonne who only manages properties within 4 miles of Disney.

I am currently on hols in Florida and staying at the villa linked below and I heartily recommend it. Its even got a gorgeous heated pool and backs onto a conservation area. Very highly maintained, and the owners are great. They are really helpful and on the end of the phone if you need . It pretty much has anything you could want, and in a great location too. To add, it has alarmed doors onto patio area and pool and also a safety fence around pool which is really reassuring when you have little ones running about.

look at
this page

where is the best place to buy the park tickets (ie disney and sea world). Here or there?

We found the best place to buy is online direct.We only had Seaworld and Aquatica tickets and because we have been over here for a while we had annual passes for Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Ended up being a real bargain. We saved loads doing it that way.
The only stipulation is that in some cases you have to order the tickets a week in advance. Some of the villas have computers and you can just print the tickets off from there.

thanks dg.

Just back from Orlando - TODAY - sigh.....
Booked all directly - take a look at the Seaworld site - we did the buy 3 nights and get 2 free at the Renaissance - with tickets to Seaworld and Aquatica and Busch for a small extra - worked out very good value - and nice hotel - also did free transportation to many of the parks. At Disney stayed at Wilderness Lodge which we liked - booked well in advance and got the Disney dining plan free - highly recommend this - food was very exp-ensive in the parks - sit down meals for the 4 of us (no alchohol) were around the $150-$170 dollar mark and self service meals $35 to $50. Didn't need a car for the whole time so booked Hertz at the hotel when needed - this worked out cheaper than prepaying with Hertz in the UK. Flew BA direct to Orlando.

I fly home at the weekend. I want to stay here in the sunshine.