Disney Orlando . Help

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senni

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We are a family of two adults and three teenage kids going to Disney Orlando in sept 2017 ( it will take us over a year to save , thus dates ) please could you advise us on ..

1.Going direct v going through agent ?

2.What good websites should we use ?

3. 14 days or 21 days ?

4. Villa v hotel ?

5. What money needed while there ?

6. Any advice as this is our family holiday of a lifetime ? Any ?

Thank you in advance X
 
Hi Senni,

Was there with my sister & brother in law & two year old twins last year. Only for a week but had a ball. She booked their package through a local travel agent & I booked flights solo. She opted for an agent for a personalised service. We stayed on Carrier Drive & hired a car for transport. So easy to get around. Flew Aer Lingus to Gatwick & Virgin to Orlando.
Below is a copy of an email that I've passed onto colleagues at work who found it very useful. It will seem daunting at first but when you do a small bit more research it will make sense. Enjoy!

First thing: Download both APPs (1) My Disney Experience - Walt Disney World & (2) The Offical Universal Orlando Resort App, both on the iphone. You'll need your part ticket to activate your disney account but you can add everyones to the app & book all fastpass rides together.

Tickets:
If you haven't already booked them then you will be paying full price at the gates. I did this. My sister booked hers & they were delivered before she left. She did get them significantly cheaper but the way I looked at it was I had budgeted for it so I didn't mind.
The ones I'd suggest are:
Disney: 4 or 5 day Park Hopper - this will automatically get you Fastpass. Cost for me was about 420-440 dollars
Universal: 1 day unlimited - covers both parks, express/fastpass & access to the Hogwarts express (takes you between the two parks, saves the long walk). I started Universal & was finished bang on (closing time on that day) & I got everything covered. This might be the deciding factor on whether you buy a one or two day ticket. Cost for me was about 220 dollars.
You can get access to Sea World & Wet'n'Wild (which is near your hotel & universal) on a combo ticket with Universal so look into this when you get to the Hotel.
Also most Hotels will offer you time to sit in on a Time Share presentation. If you sit there & listen to them (no obligation to buy!) you can get a reduction on park tickets & they generally throw in breakfast & cash!

The Disney parks & main (busiest) rides:
Epcot (linked to Magic Kingdom by Monorail so handy for park hopping, consider just a half day here if you get there early):
Spaceship Earth (the big golf ball), first ride you meet it's brilliant. If you're in the park early do it straight away while the queue is short.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends - a nice little quite ride. Fish tanks to view after wards. Nice to get out of the heat. Beside Soarin'
Soarin', in "The Land". Extra brilliant. Gets really busy really quickly. Book this one on your Fastpass in advance
Journey with Figment - not so good. If stuck on time maybe by pass.
Mission Space (opposite side of the park) - good but might not jump at it for Fastpass. Wait shouldn't be too bad
Chevrolet Test Track (beside Mission Space do this too.
World Showcase - a long walk around the lake, you visit loads of countries on your way. Loved this. Some of the counties have their own little rides, you just have to wander. Mexico, at the end or start depending on which way you go, has a great little boat ride
I loved Epcot

Animal Kingdom (you'll need a full day here)
Sections:
1 - Discovery Island
Tree of Life - just a giant tree but amazing - good for photos
It's Tough to be a Bug - brilliant - perhaps one for Fastpass - watch your bum!
Adventure Outpost - a photo opp with Mickey & Minnie. They take photos for you & put them on the website (pick up a card for this - Photopass). No obligation to purchase & photos stay online for 45 days. As far as i know you could take these from the website. Nice photo reminder
2 - Dinoland USA
Finding Nemo The Musical - loved this
Dinosaur - didn't get to do this. It was closed. Supposed to be good
3 - Asia
Expedition Everest - loved it. Got the front seat. One for Fastpass
Kali River Rapids - didn't do this
Maharajah Jungle Trek - didn't do this either - don't know why?
Flights of Wonder - good sit down bird show
4 - Africa
Kilimanjaro Safaris - brilliant - get to the park early - leg it through the park & do this the very first thing. Don't fastpass if you are planning to get there early enough. Animals will be out early. If you leave it later in the day the animals are brought in around 4 so you'll miss everything.
Pangani Forest Trail - loved this. Walk around to see the animals that you saw on the safari. I left this to do until later in the day. No point in doing it straight after the Safari.
Wildlife Express Train - I didn't do this. Looked after the kids while the others went.
Festival of the Lion King - great show. Check show times when you get to the park. We got there just as the show started & got front row seats! Pure fluke but was brill.

Disney Hollywood Studios (meh...could take this or leave it. You kind of need to be a movie buff. Only did a half day here)
1 - Sunset Boulevard
Rock 'N' Roller Coaster - Aerosmith - ok, coasters in Univeral are better but still do it
Tower of Terror - Brilliant - fastpass this
Beauty & the Beast on stage - didn't do this
2 - Animation Courtyard
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - another stage show but nice to do
Disney Junior live on Stage - really for little children. Unless yours watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse they could possibly bypass this
The Magic of Disney Animation - can't remember if we did this?
The Great movie Ride - this was closed as it was Star Wards weekend
Toy Story Mid Way Mania - again bypassed this
3 - Commissionary Lane / Street of America
Star Tours - didn't do (you'll see a pattern)
Honey I Shrunk the Kids - didn't do
Muppet Vision 3D - didn't do

Magic Kingdom (I did two long half days here to break it up & see the Fireworks, see note re monorail to Epcot)
1 - Entry
Get the ferry across the lake to gain entry to the park instead of the monorail. Slower but for effect it's lovely Walt Disney World Railroad - train ride around the park. Can get off in different world but do the whole thing any ways
2 - After that.....
This place is huge. Look at the map on the APP before you go & wander, wander, wander. Main things to do are:
Space Mountain - fastpass this
Monsters Inc Laughter Lounge
Mickeys Philharmagic
It's a small world - ha - it will be stuck in your head
Carrousel
Haunted Mansion
Liberty Sq. River Boat
Big Thunder Mountain - perhaps Fastpass
Jungle Cruise
Parade - these run pretty much 12, 3, 6, . Nice to watch. Find somewhere good to stand.
Wishes - Book fastpass for the electric parade & you should be able to stay in the reserved grass area for the fireworks show. All in front of the castle fills up from about onwards. If you get there late you're stuck at the back.

Universal - once you've done a Disney park figuring this one out comes easy. Again think about doing only one day, check you times & make it a long one. If you get the "unlimited ticket" & that along with the single rider facility you should be able to motor around this.
Warning - The Harry Potter themed rides don't allow for fast tracking, so you have to queue for these. Gringotts gets very very busy so get there early as you might want a second go. Also it is prone to breaking down. Don't buy butterbeer for everyone as you'll only manage to drink half a cup before you want to puke - share it. Also the wands in Olivanders are expensive but do the background tour thing.

Other things to do:
Seaworld - loved it
Wet'n'wild - was behind our hotel, beside Univeral - looks great (see Universal ticket info above)
Gatorland - supposed to be very good

Next plan your week. My itinerary was as follows:
Day 1 (Thurs): Epcot & Sea World - we had a car which made this easy
Day 2 (Friday): Animal Kingdom
Day 3 (Sat): 50/50 Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom (just to get our bearings)
Day 4 (Sun): Kennedy Space Centre - again car
Day 5 (Mon) Epcot from 10-12 then Magic Kingdom (long day)
Day 6 (Tue): Universal - 10 til 6
Day 7 (Wed): Disney Character Breakfast (had this booked in advance) then shopping then Airport

Tips:
  1. It might be a bit late for you but I'd suggest a car - great comfort
  2. All the parks have good wifi so bring your iphone/ipod etc for the app.
  3. Single Rider - use it, especially in Universal. Sometimes it's faster than Fastrack. Don't be afraid to ask on all Disney rides if they are operating a single rider line, especially if it's busy. You'll all get on close enough together just not ride side by side
  4. Learn open & closing times in advance - should be on the app. Get there as early as you can. Knowing the times helps you plan. Don't worry you pick up on the planning thing very quickly
  5. You have to pass through a Security / Bag check at the entry to each park. They are fussy about water & queues can be long. If you can don't even bring a bag as there is a fast line for bagless people.
  6. Plan your fast pass in advance - allotted time lasts an hour so you don't have to get there right on time.
  7. If you don't have a car you will need to check into travelling between parks. The monorail only links Epcot & Magic Kingdom. You'll have to look into whether or not there is a bus link between the others
  8. Food is american. Reasonably enough priced for Disney. You expect it to be expensive & some of it is quite reasonable in fact. However in the Disney parks it is very hard to find a healthy option. Easier in Universal. Also in Disney the food is salty, very very salty.
  9. Near your hotel (it's on Carrier Drive) is some Pirates theme restaurant. It's right beside TGI's. We didn't go as you might need to book it but it sounded like brilliant fun. It was packed & they were roaring their heads off.
  10. Finally - for tired Mammy - there is no beer in Magic Kingdom! It's a dry park. You will get beer everywhere else. You have been told.
 
senni said:
6. Any advice as this is our family holiday of a lifetime ? Any ?
Click to expand...

Yes we did it as the family holiday of a lifetime and indeed it was. But we have older kids and we did not go to Disney. We went for two weeks in July which is exceedingly hot but my kids cope well with that. We stayed at the Caribe royal in an apartment and that was absolutely the best decision as we had the best of both worlds. We thought about renting one of those fabulous houses but researched it and went against it. Also I couldn't stand a hotel for two weeks with the kids without cooking facilities etc. Our bedroom was vast, actually everything is vast, great kitchen dining and and living, tv's everywhere. The kids adored the pool, it's so warm and inviting I too loved it. I wouldn't have liked one week and over two weeks is too long.

Wet and wild

Is being pulled down. And that's a good thing, it was awful. Too many people and the kids queued for something and arrived back to us and asked to leave. They had much more fun at the hotel pool.

Universal

Unbelievable fantastic, we got a two week family ticket so we could go when we wanted. It's absolutely amazing. The kids will remember it forever and so will we.

Car

You must have a car. We got a taxi to the hotel the first day as we didn't want the hassle of figuring anything out and rented the car at the hotel (pre booked). After long haul there is nothing worse than trying to rent a car and find it etc when you are exhausted with kids.

Flights

Flew from Europe to Atlanta and then to Orlando, due to a flight problem we flew back to New York instead of Atlanta. With Delta.

Took over an hour in Atlanta, maybe two, as we do not have pre clearence on US immigration. Not as bad as I'd remembered New York in years before. No problem with the long haul as the kids and us were glued to all the free movies etc.

Hotel

We never ate there, and we all thought the food in America was absolutely atrocious and exceedingly expensive. We did not eat in 'universal' itself but just offsite is a Hard Rock and that did the trick.

You can rent a 'cabana' for 25$ and that was fantastic and we brought a picnic to eat a few times and we all loved that. Much cheaper and nicer than hotel food.

There is a top class supermarket about five minutes from the hotel. They had lovely bread and cooked chickens and massive sandwiches that we divided in two. Great fresh food too.

The location drive wise for Universal and International drive was superb, never got any traffic problems.

Tip

- The kids and myself found the air conditioning to be excessive in restaurants so we brought cardigans/a sweater.

- Don't do a theme park everyday as you will be exhausted. Our kids liked the fact we stayed at the pool every other day etc and they also liked sleeping in. As did we, it's our holiday too.

- Bring good ear phones with you. My husband bought me decent ones in Orlando for the trip back four around $ 20 and they made an amazing difference on the inflight entertainment.

- Nothing on earth would have persuaded me to go to Orlando with very young children. We are fit people but we were all done in by around 6 pm in Universal. (Go to Efteling in Holland with young kids - magical). But different horses for different courses and only you know what suits your family.

Gatorland

You have to do this, it's expensive but something different. There is a waterfeature so if we'd known that we would have brought swimming togs for the children, they ended up in it anyway to cool down and then one of the thunderstorms happened.

Shopping - Buena vista

Had great fun there, especially at one of my old favourites - Old Navy.

Also spend half a day twice in Barnes and Noble elsewhere when the weather was bad and the kids had great fun there too.

Cost

I'm not going to state it on here but it was a family holilday of a lifetime and on that basis alone it was worth it becuase it was our most outstanding holiday ever.
 
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Thank you x


Smoneen said:
Hi Senni,

Was there with my sister & brother in law & two year old twins last year. Only for a week but had a ball. She booked their package through a local travel agent & I booked flights solo. She opted for an agent for a personalised service. We stayed on Carrier Drive & hired a car for transport. So easy to get around. Flew Aer Lingus to Gatwick & Virgin to Orlando.
Below is a copy of an email that I've passed onto colleagues at work who found it very useful. It will seem daunting at first but when you do a small bit more research it will make sense. Enjoy!

First thing: Download both APPs (1) My Disney Experience - Walt Disney World & (2) The Offical Universal Orlando Resort App, both on the iphone. You'll need your part ticket to activate your disney account but you can add everyones to the app & book all fastpass rides together.

Tickets:
If you haven't already booked them then you will be paying full price at the gates. I did this. My sister booked hers & they were delivered before she left. She did get them significantly cheaper but the way I looked at it was I had budgeted for it so I didn't mind.
The ones I'd suggest are:
Disney: 4 or 5 day Park Hopper - this will automatically get you Fastpass. Cost for me was about 420-440 dollars
Universal: 1 day unlimited - covers both parks, express/fastpass & access to the Hogwarts express (takes you between the two parks, saves the long walk). I started Universal & was finished bang on (closing time on that day) & I got everything covered. This might be the deciding factor on whether you buy a one or two day ticket. Cost for me was about 220 dollars.
You can get access to Sea World & Wet'n'Wild (which is near your hotel & universal) on a combo ticket with Universal so look into this when you get to the Hotel.
Also most Hotels will offer you time to sit in on a Time Share presentation. If you sit there & listen to them (no obligation to buy!) you can get a reduction on park tickets & they generally throw in breakfast & cash!

The Disney parks & main (busiest) rides:
Epcot (linked to Magic Kingdom by Monorail so handy for park hopping, consider just a half day here if you get there early):
Spaceship Earth (the big golf ball), first ride you meet it's brilliant. If you're in the park early do it straight away while the queue is short.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends - a nice little quite ride. Fish tanks to view after wards. Nice to get out of the heat. Beside Soarin'
Soarin', in "The Land". Extra brilliant. Gets really busy really quickly. Book this one on your Fastpass in advance
Journey with Figment - not so good. If stuck on time maybe by pass.
Mission Space (opposite side of the park) - good but might not jump at it for Fastpass. Wait shouldn't be too bad
Chevrolet Test Track (beside Mission Space do this too.
World Showcase - a long walk around the lake, you visit loads of countries on your way. Loved this. Some of the counties have their own little rides, you just have to wander. Mexico, at the end or start depending on which way you go, has a great little boat ride
I loved Epcot

Animal Kingdom (you'll need a full day here)
Sections:
1 - Discovery Island
Tree of Life - just a giant tree but amazing - good for photos
It's Tough to be a Bug - brilliant - perhaps one for Fastpass - watch your bum!
Adventure Outpost - a photo opp with Mickey & Minnie. They take photos for you & put them on the website (pick up a card for this - Photopass). No obligation to purchase & photos stay online for 45 days. As far as i know you could take these from the website. Nice photo reminder
2 - Dinoland USA
Finding Nemo The Musical - loved this
Dinosaur - didn't get to do this. It was closed. Supposed to be good
3 - Asia
Expedition Everest - loved it. Got the front seat. One for Fastpass
Kali River Rapids - didn't do this
Maharajah Jungle Trek - didn't do this either - don't know why?
Flights of Wonder - good sit down bird show
4 - Africa
Kilimanjaro Safaris - brilliant - get to the park early - leg it through the park & do this the very first thing. Don't fastpass if you are planning to get there early enough. Animals will be out early. If you leave it later in the day the animals are brought in around 4 so you'll miss everything.
Pangani Forest Trail - loved this. Walk around to see the animals that you saw on the safari. I left this to do until later in the day. No point in doing it straight after the Safari.
Wildlife Express Train - I didn't do this. Looked after the kids while the others went.
Festival of the Lion King - great show. Check show times when you get to the park. We got there just as the show started & got front row seats! Pure fluke but was brill.

Disney Hollywood Studios (meh...could take this or leave it. You kind of need to be a movie buff. Only did a half day here)
1 - Sunset Boulevard
Rock 'N' Roller Coaster - Aerosmith - ok, coasters in Univeral are better but still do it
Tower of Terror - Brilliant - fastpass this
Beauty & the Beast on stage - didn't do this
2 - Animation Courtyard
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - another stage show but nice to do
Disney Junior live on Stage - really for little children. Unless yours watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse they could possibly bypass this
The Magic of Disney Animation - can't remember if we did this?
The Great movie Ride - this was closed as it was Star Wards weekend
Toy Story Mid Way Mania - again bypassed this
3 - Commissionary Lane / Street of America
Star Tours - didn't do (you'll see a pattern)
Honey I Shrunk the Kids - didn't do
Muppet Vision 3D - didn't do

Magic Kingdom (I did two long half days here to break it up & see the Fireworks, see note re monorail to Epcot)
1 - Entry
Get the ferry across the lake to gain entry to the park instead of the monorail. Slower but for effect it's lovely Walt Disney World Railroad - train ride around the park. Can get off in different world but do the whole thing any ways
2 - After that.....
This place is huge. Look at the map on the APP before you go & wander, wander, wander. Main things to do are:
Space Mountain - fastpass this
Monsters Inc Laughter Lounge
Mickeys Philharmagic
It's a small world - ha - it will be stuck in your head
Carrousel
Haunted Mansion
Liberty Sq. River Boat
Big Thunder Mountain - perhaps Fastpass
Jungle Cruise
Parade - these run pretty much 12, 3, 6, . Nice to watch. Find somewhere good to stand.
Wishes - Book fastpass for the electric parade & you should be able to stay in the reserved grass area for the fireworks show. All in front of the castle fills up from about onwards. If you get there late you're stuck at the back.

Universal - once you've done a Disney park figuring this one out comes easy. Again think about doing only one day, check you times & make it a long one. If you get the "unlimited ticket" & that along with the single rider facility you should be able to motor around this.
Warning - The Harry Potter themed rides don't allow for fast tracking, so you have to queue for these. Gringotts gets very very busy so get there early as you might want a second go. Also it is prone to breaking down. Don't buy butterbeer for everyone as you'll only manage to drink half a cup before you want to puke - share it. Also the wands in Olivanders are expensive but do the background tour thing.

Other things to do:
Seaworld - loved it
Wet'n'wild - was behind our hotel, beside Univeral - looks great (see Universal ticket info above)
Gatorland - supposed to be very good

Next plan your week. My itinerary was as follows:
Day 1 (Thurs): Epcot & Sea World - we had a car which made this easy
Day 2 (Friday): Animal Kingdom
Day 3 (Sat): 50/50 Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom (just to get our bearings)
Day 4 (Sun): Kennedy Space Centre - again car
Day 5 (Mon) Epcot from 10-12 then Magic Kingdom (long day)
Day 6 (Tue): Universal - 10 til 6
Day 7 (Wed): Disney Character Breakfast (had this booked in advance) then shopping then Airport

Tips:
  1. It might be a bit late for you but I'd suggest a car - great comfort
  2. All the parks have good wifi so bring your iphone/ipod etc for the app.
  3. Single Rider - use it, especially in Universal. Sometimes it's faster than Fastrack. Don't be afraid to ask on all Disney rides if they are operating a single rider line, especially if it's busy. You'll all get on close enough together just not ride side by side
  4. Learn open & closing times in advance - should be on the app. Get there as early as you can. Knowing the times helps you plan. Don't worry you pick up on the planning thing very quickly
  5. You have to pass through a Security / Bag check at the entry to each park. They are fussy about water & queues can be long. If you can don't even bring a bag as there is a fast line for bagless people.
  6. Plan your fast pass in advance - allotted time lasts an hour so you don't have to get there right on time.
  7. If you don't have a car you will need to check into travelling between parks. The monorail only links Epcot & Magic Kingdom. You'll have to look into whether or not there is a bus link between the others
  8. Food is american. Reasonably enough priced for Disney. You expect it to be expensive & some of it is quite reasonable in fact. However in the Disney parks it is very hard to find a healthy option. Easier in Universal. Also in Disney the food is salty, very very salty.
  9. Near your hotel (it's on Carrier Drive) is some Pirates theme restaurant. It's right beside TGI's. We didn't go as you might need to book it but it sounded like brilliant fun. It was packed & they were roaring their heads off.
  10. Finally - for tired Mammy - there is no beer in Magic Kingdom! It's a dry park. You will get beer everywhere else. You have been told.
Click to expand...
 
Wow , That is an extensive reply . Thank you so much . I'm going to print it now as I'm working from a small I phone . Thank you again .

Bronte said:
Yes we did it as the family holiday of a lifetime and indeed it was. But we have older kids and we did not go to Disney. We went for two weeks in July which is exceedingly hot but my kids cope well with that. We stayed at the Caribe royal in an apartment and that was absolutely the best decision as we had the best of both worlds. We thought about renting one of those fabulous houses but researched it and went against it. Also I couldn't stand a hotel for two weeks with the kids without cooking facilities etc. Our bedroom was vast, actually everything is vast, great kitchen dining and and living, tv's everywhere. The kids adored the pool, it's so warm and inviting I too loved it. I wouldn't have liked one week and over two weeks is too long.

Wet and wild

Is being pulled down. And that's a good thing, it was awful. Too many people and the kids queued for something and arrived back to us and asked to leave. They had much more fun at the hotel pool.

Universal

Unbelievable fantastic, we got a two week family ticket so we could go when we wanted. It's absolutely amazing. The kids will remember it forever and so will we.

Car

You must have a car. We got a taxi to the hotel the first day as we didn't want the hassle of figuring anything out and rented the car at the hotel (pre booked). After long haul there is nothing worse than trying to rent a car and find it etc when you are exhausted with kids.

Flights

Flew from Europe to Atlanta and then to Orlando, due to a flight problem we flew back to New York instead of Atlanta. With Delta.

Took over an hour in Atlanta, maybe two, as we do not have pre clearence on US immigration. Not as bad as I'd remembered New York in years before. No problem with the long haul as the kids and us were glued to all the free movies etc.

Hotel

We never ate there, and we all thought the food in America was absolutely atrocious and exceedingly expensive. We did not eat in 'universal' itself but just offsite is a Hard Rock and that did the trick.

You can rent a 'cabana' for 25$ and that was fantastic and we brought a picnic to eat and we all loved that.

There is a top class supermarket about five minutes from the hotel. They had lovely bread and cooked chickens and massive sandwiches that we divided in two. Great fresh food too.

The location drive wise for Universal and International drive was superb, never got any traffic problems.

Tip

- The kids and myself found the air conditioning to be excessive in restaurants so we brought cardigans/a sweater.

- Don't do a theme park everyday as you will be exhausted. Our kids liked the fact we stayed at the pool every other day etc and they also liked sleeping in. As did we, it's our holiday too.

- Bring good ear phones with you. My husband bought me decent ones in Orlando for the trip back four around $ 20 and they made an amazing difference on the inflight entertainment.

- Nothing on earth would have persuaded me to go to Orlando with very young children. We are fit people but we were all done in by around 6 pm in Universal. (Go to Efteling in Holland with young kids - magical). But different horses for different courses and only you know what suits your family.

Gatorland

You have to do this, it's expensive but something different. There is a waterfeature so if we'd known that we would have brought swimming togs for the children, they ended up in it anyway to cool down and then one of the thunderstorms happened.

Shopping - Buena vista

Had great fun there, especially at one of my old favourites - Old Navy.

Also spend half a day twice in Barnes and Noble elsewhere when the weather was bad and the kids had great fun there too.

Cost

I'm not going to state it on here but it was a family holilday of a lifetime and on that basis alone it was worth it becuase it was our most outstanding holiday ever.
Click to expand...
 
We went last year and used Virgin via Gatwick to Orlando. We booked the flights through a travel agent as I understand that Virgin has a deal with travel agents. I could not price match the flights by booking them directly myself. We used a travel agent for the flights and car hire and booked the accommodation ourselves.

We stayed in a house using www.vrbo.com which is a fantastic site. You are able to completely customise where you want to stay and what facilities you require. One tip: don't accept the quoted price on the site. Contact the seller and negotiate. For us the house was ideal. We had our own private pool yet we stayed in a complex that had a clubhouse with gym, communal pool etc. House had wi-fi and a pool table in the garage. It even had a Playstation 3!

Hire a car!! Absolutely essential. America is a big place, it is very hot in Florida and the last thing you want to be doing is standing around waiting for a cab or bus!
 
I did it a few years ago with 3 kids.
I agree on hiring a car and we rented a big house (3500 square feet) for a song. It had a games room, swimming pool, wifi etc.)
Personally I don't like theme parks (the rides make me feel sick) and I don't like Florida as the entire place feels like a newly built theme park but the kids loved it. Without the Theme Parks there are so many better places to visit in the USA.

The food in the Disney Parks was terrible, I really can't over emphasis that enough. It was more boiled in oil and rolled in salt than fried. If you stay in a hotel the breakfast can be expensive but there are lots of diner type places that do it for next to nothing.
The up side is that food in general is cheap and the people are nice.
 
Went to Orlando a few years back. 2 weeks should do you, 3 would probably have you in bankruptcy court when you get home!

Are you staying in Disney? It's much more expensive to do so. There's tons of holiday homes to rent in Orlando, worth your while doing a bit of research.

Going with an agent gets you a bit of experience and expertise in getting the right place and save you time but will cost you a bit more.

Couldn't stay in a hotel for 2 weeks, it would drive me nuts. Get a villa, most have their own pool.

You have to have a car.

Bring as much money as you can. Disney etc isn't cheap to go to. Then there's the outlet stores (there's two big outlet malls there as well as the normal clothes mall), where you can easily buy a load of clothes.
 
Purple said:
I did it a few years ago with 3 kids.

Personally I don't like theme parks (the rides make me feel sick) and I don't like Florida as the entire place feels like a newly built theme park but the kids loved it. Without the Theme Parks there are so many better places to visit in the USA.

The food in the Disney Parks was terrible, I really can't over emphasis that enough. It was more boiled in oil and rolled in salt than fried. If you stay in a hotel the breakfast can be expensive but there are lots of diner type places that do it for next to nothing.
The up side is that food in general is cheap and the people are nice.
Click to expand...

My own view is that I will never ever do it again. Definitely the whole place had the feel of falseness. But it was absolutely worth it. No way would I go on a rollarcoaster. We left the kids go on one on their own as they are tall enough, just so they could see what it was about and they will never forget it and they apparently take after their mother as they won't ever want to do that again. Which I consider a good thing.

Our hotel apartment really made a difference, knowing you were always going back somewhere with the beds made and with facilities and a buzz around the pool and the kids safe and happy.

And you make me laugh about the food in the theme parks, we went to a top class fish restaurant, researched it, wanted proper fish, like shell fish. It was the worst meal we have ever had. Totally and utterly appalling and expensive. I should have realised when I went in and the fish 'display' was a limp piece of cod and another of salmon and no sign of a proper fish tank. .
 
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A trip to Africa with a Safari and a week on a tropical beach will cost about the same as a Disney trip.
I'd rather do that with the kids if I had the chance again.

You are probably safer as well.
 
Bronte said:
My own view is that I will never ever do it again. Definitely the whole place had the feel of falseness. But it was absolutely worth it. No way would I go on a rollarcoaster. We left the kids go on one on their own as they are tall enough, just so they could see what it was about and they will never forget it and they apparently take after their mother as they won't ever want to do that again. Which I consider a good thing.

Our hotel apartment really made a difference, knowing you were always going back somewhere with the beds made and with facilities and a buzz around the pool and the kids safe and happy.

And you make me laugh about the food in the theme parks, we went to a top class fish restaurant, researched it, wanted proper fish, like shell fish. It was the worst meal we have ever had. Totally and utterly appalling and expensive. I should have realised when I went in and the fish 'display' was a limp piece of cod and another of salmon and no sign of a proper fish tank. .
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I agree. We don't appreciate how good our raw materials are here when it comes to food.
 
We have been a few times and heading again for Easter (only decided to go about 6 weeks ago!.....),,,,, Anyway the following is my take on it all as someone who is fairly well travelled globally and who in general shies away from "package holidays":

Orlando is what it is......A bit surreal....quite tacky....overpriced and still great fun!
If it is your first time it is very easy to get carried away with so many theme parks from Disney to universal to Sea World to Water Parks: Don't try to do them all!! You will be exhausted and end up hating the place!
In terms of length of time I would suggest as long as you can afford.... 3 weeks is great but make sure you get the heck out of Orlando for at least 10days and see a bit of real Florida. We went for 3 weeks 3 years ago and spent 10days in Naples on the Gulf Coast and it was heaven! There are lots of beach areas a few hours drive both east and west coast. The gulf coast is definitely more pleasant in terms of sand and water but I have really enjoyed the Atlantic coast area around Coco Beach for example but beaches more pebbly and Atlantic not as pleasant as the Gulf. Even stretch to a day or two in the keys if you can....well worth it. Flight costs are the same whether it 2 or 3 weeks and if you not spending it in Orlando it can be pretty reasonable accommodation wise so the extra week may not cost as much as you think.

Back to Orlando; With teenagers I would suggest the Universal Parks over Disney: A bit more grown up and if any Harry Potter fans then well worth a visit. We have 14day tickets (both parks included as well as Wet N Wild) we bought through Attraction Tickets direct (Dublin based pretty good value). It suits us and my kids like Wet N Wild though it closing in December and a new water park opening (There are better water parks ie Acquatica etc but this is best value as it included with Universal so worth it for us). One tip depending on the time you are heading.....I would urge you to stay at one of the onsite hotels even for one night. You stroll (or boat) to the parks get early entry and above all get a fast pass so you can skip the queues(except H Potter stuff). This pass is worth up to $100 per person per day so whilst the hotel can be expensive (€200-€400) it is certainly made up for if there at busy times (the beauty also is one night gets you 2 days of fast pass). I could not do without it especially as we there at Easter which will be packed! I justify it on the basis that I am not travelling 3-4000miles to stand in a Q for 2 hrs for a 3min ride!

I always book independently......check out airline comparison sites like Skyscanner or GoHop: Accomodation check out Trivago for example .....you can get some great deals..... Also worthwhile is seeing what price these sites give then contact Hotel direct and see what they can offer....You would be surprised how just being cheeky and asking can sometimes pay off!
Definitely get a car...driving is very easy and also means you can do day trips to the coast or the Kennedy Space Centre (best place ever!!)

Doing it all yourself can be fun but if it just not you then use someone like American holidays who do it all for you:
Be wary of reading reviews of hotels.....You will be having a nervous breakdown that the lovely hotel you booked has been described as a flea ridden hovel!!
Remember for every good review there will be a bad one. My experience is most places are pretty ok. We always use hotels ........just our preference but a lot of people will plump for villas.....I just like the idea of having everything on hand without the need to cook etc!

Re Money: You can spend a fortune if you eat in the parks etc.....But we take a sensible approach....We hit a supermarket for fruit cereals etc......eat breakfast before we leave hotel.....bring fruit snacks etc with us for lunch then eat out somewhere decent in the evenings......


Orlando is a place that people love or hate: Some go annually and never leave the Orlando area: Personally we enjoy it for what it is: If you combine the theme parks with time in the real Florida it can be great.......In fact if you stray off the highways and drive through central Florida you could be quite shocked at the poverty.......As with much of the states stark contrasts within the space of a few miles: As a family holiday you will enjoy it......We have take our kids there a few times (now 14 & 9) yet have also trekked them through places like Vietnam! Both vastly different adventure but equally enjoyable. Enjoy the planning and once you roll with it and not get stressed about express passes and dining plans etc it will be great!
 
Purple said:
I agree. We don't appreciate how good our raw materials are here when it comes to food.
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I absolutely think the quality of Irish meat and vegetables is world class. But the level of cooking has to improve. There is now a tendancy to overload plates, a restaurant is judged on quantity rather than quality. Portions way too big. Which is why Ireland is European obesity central. Roast beef in particular is way over cooked.
 
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