Florida - time for an updated thread for 2017

[Bozza]

Whats the ball park all in cost per person for a florida disney holiday then? Flights, accommodation, all those queue ticket type things.

Summer school holidays:

Flights (economy): from £400ish (indirect with a US carrier) through to £1000ish for Virgin/BA direct.
Hotels: offsite from around £30 per night through to £300-£400 per night for top DIsney resorts.
Disney 2 week ticket: around £350
Car hire: around £300 upwards

So, for a family of 4 you could be looking at:

(£400 * 4) + (£30 * 14) + (£350 * 4) + £300 = c£3500 plus food etc.

You can spend many multiples of this and to be honest we tend to, mainly on flights and Disney hotels.

 

[Beach Hut]

Daytona Beach is an amazing experience around an hour drive from Orlando, you pay around $10 to park on the beach itself and excellent body surfing and one of my favourite beaches, have been to quite a few in my time

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Thinking about doing Disney in the next few years for the grandkids, is it worth renting a villa compared to hotels?

On our last few trips, we have rented a 2 bedroom suite at Bonnet Creek Resort. It is a Wyndham Vacation Club resort that is within the Disney property but without the full Disney Perks. It is next to the Caribbean Beach Resort and you can watch the Epcot fireworks from your room or from one of the viewing balconies at night. We pay for a 2 bedroom deluxe suite the same price as the cheapest, smallest Disney room. This is a king sized room with ensuite spa bath, shower room, etc. separate bedroom with two queen sized beds, another bathroom, full kitchen, dining area and lounge. There are seven pools in the resort to use and it is central to everything Disney and only a couple of minutes off of I4 to get to SeaWorld, Universal, Busch Gardens etc. If anyone wants the contact details of the people we rent off of, please PM me. You get a formal rental contract so no risk.

As for tickets, if you don't get them as part of your package then Attraction Tickets Direct is the best place. Good value and they give you proper tickets unlike some places that send you vouchers which mean you have to join queues to exchange for real tickets when you get to the theme park.

Other tips - make sure you pay attention to the boot size of your car. So many people end up playing tetris squeezing everyone into the wrong size vehicle. If you are not travelling around much, it can be cheaper to rent a smaller car and just stick one person in a taxi with the luggage each way. If there is a large group, it can be better to rent two cars rather than one big van as it gives you more flexibility.

I know it sounds silly having paid all that money to get there but don't try to do a theme park every day as you will be knackered. Try and fit in a rest/shopping/swimming day every three or four days. Don't underestimate the benefits of an afternoon siesta - especially in the first few days when you are still suffering from jetlag. Try to avoid the main parks on a Saturday as a lot of locals visit then.

Best BBQ food is out at Winter Garden - about a 20 minute drive - at 4 Rivers Smokehouse.

 

[R. Slicker]

Interesting this thread has appeared now, we've just booked virgin flights to Miami in September for £388. aiming to bum around in southern Florida and the Keys for a week. Any suggestions?


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[Bozza]

Interesting this thread has appeared now, we've just booked virgin flights to Miami in September for £388. aiming to bum around in southern Florida and the Keys for a week. Any suggestions?

I'm out. I'm not helping anyone who benefits from cheap flight prices due to being able to travel outside of school holiday times.

 

[Weststander]

On our last few trips, we have rented a 2 bedroom suite at Bonnet Creek Resort. It is a Wyndham Vacation Club resort that is within the Disney property but without the full Disney Perks. It is next to the Caribbean Beach Resort and you can watch the Epcot fireworks from your room or from one of the viewing balconies at night. We pay for a 2 bedroom deluxe suite the same price as the cheapest, smallest Disney room. This is a king sized room with ensuite spa bath, shower room, etc. separate bedroom with two queen sized beds, another bathroom, full kitchen, dining area and lounge. There are seven pools in the resort to use and it is central to everything Disney and only a couple of minutes off of I4 to get to SeaWorld, Universal, Busch Gardens etc. If anyone wants the contact details of the people we rent off of, please PM me. You get a formal rental contract so no risk.

As for tickets, if you don't get them as part of your package then Attraction Tickets Direct is the best place. Good value and they give you proper tickets unlike some places that send you vouchers which mean you have to join queues to exchange for real tickets when you get to the theme park.

Other tips - make sure you pay attention to the boot size of your car. So many people end up playing tetris squeezing everyone into the wrong size vehicle. If you are not travelling around much, it can be cheaper to rent a smaller car and just stick one person in a taxi with the luggage each way. If there is a large group, it can be better to rent two cars rather than one big van as it gives you more flexibility.

I know it sounds silly having paid all that money to get there but don't try to do a theme park every day as you will be knackered. Try and fit in a rest/shopping/swimming day every three or four days. Don't underestimate the benefits of an afternoon siesta - especially in the first few days when you are still suffering from jetlag. Try to avoid the main parks on a Saturday as a lot of locals visit then.

Best BBQ food is out at Winter Garden - about a 20 minute drive - at 4 Rivers Smokehouse.

Good point about non theme park rest days. Every third day, doing something entirely different worked for us, perhaps avoiding the parks at weekends? It's a parents holiday too!

 

[fozzie's headband]

Going for the first time in August with the wife and kids. Staying on site at Port Orleans French Quarter with QSDP. Fast passes all booked.
Once in a lifetime trip, can't wait to see the kids faces when we finally get there. Only thing I'm not looking forward to is the long flights.
I too can recommend the Dibb forums as a good source of knowledge, it's certainly helped me get clued up on things as there is so much to think about and plan.

 

[Beach Hut]

The other thing is when you do theme parks you spend less.

Personal view is Disney Waterparks far better than Wet'n'Wild and Aquatica. Aquatica is pointless queueing up for an hour just to go down a tube where dolphins might be and sprayed with water in your face you see nothing.

Sea World - judge yourself and watch Blackfish, what they are doing is not fair to killer whales however you judge it but Mantra is an amazing roller coaster as is Kracken.

Universal is amazing it really is, you cannot fault it as is Busch Gardens, first time we went in 2008 Shaka O'Neil was doing the rounds and he is enormous in weight and height. One thing about Busch Gardens is don't be fooled by that newish coaster Lion or Safari stating the longest ever, pretty mundane but Sheikra - WOW with bells on

As stated Kennedy Space Centre is really interesting, don't bother with Cocoa Beach - rubbish do Daytona Beach if you like the sea.

One other tip if you go to a Theme park around 2 or 3 o'clock it can be better as queues go down but if doing the early shift get their early when it opens as in two hours you should get to do all the big rides.

To show my age at Universal I went on what was Back To The Future which was converted to The Simpsons and still a riot.

MIB is a great ride as well and ET is very romantic but quite dated (if still going)

 

[R. Slicker]

I'm out. I'm not helping anyone who benefits from cheap flight prices due to being able to travel outside of school holiday times.

Cheers, did the kids thing in the early 2000s.
Only just finished paying for it. Hence the need for cheap flights.

 

[Hammer15]

Some magnificently mean-spirited tags that someone's put on this thread. Who is it that always does that?

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Interesting this thread has appeared now, we've just booked virgin flights to Miami in September for £388. aiming to bum around in southern Florida and the Keys for a week. Any suggestions?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Now thats more like it, the parks, orlando etc is not my idea of a holiday for that money.
Miami South Beach is coooooool, one of those places you need to go to to explain it, the bars, restaurants, hotel roof tops are great, treat yourself to a cocktail in the Tides Hotel.
Then down through the keys, chilling out, fishing, swimming. Just great.

 

[Giraffe]

Right so the Universal conversation bit about staying onsite for a night and getting queue jumpers. I can't find a cheap hotel that does the queue jumpers. There only seems to be the three premier ones which are damn expensive. Am I missing something?

 

[SB005]

We had our first ever Florida holiday this winter just gone, which ended up being our best non-skiing holiday. We still talk about it now.

Universal Studios was brilliant - if you can afford it, visit for three days altogether over your stay. The Harry Potter area is incredible, no expense or detail was spared. We allowed ourselves to get 'ripped off' by buying the Fast Passes, to queue jump. This cost an immense amount of money, but we would do it all over again, otherwise you'll spend 2/3 of the day in queues.

Eating out - even Denny's and diners are now expensive for a family bill. I can't think of an alternative, apart from eating food stuck in your condo or hotel room.

Cape Kennedy - allow a day to visit, an easy drive about 75 minutes away. Incredible place. Time it with a rocket launch, which are scheduled on the internet. So much more to see there, so get there in good time. Typically American, it's so well run.

Disney - book up to three rides a day well ahead, by buying their better park tickets and downloading the 'My Disney Experience' app. You can do this months ahead. Soarin, Frozen, Spaceship Earth and Test Track are brilliant at Epcot. Book ahead.

Sat Nav - save a lot of money and don't get one with your hire car. Pop into the nearest full blown Walmart (there are loads in Orlando) to get the cheapest Garmin sat nav at $100. Don't buy the US maps SD card in the UK which slots into UK Satnavs - it's out of date and we wasted our cash with Amazon on that.

Car hire is cheap. We booked independently in the UK beforehand at just $200 for 11 days, a huge people carrier. Buy you own US-compatible car excess insurance in the UK at low cost, saving fortunes. Virgin Holidays couldn't price match the low car hire cost.

Virgin Atlantic - were faultless. A great experience even in economy, decent legroom, free food and drink, and an excellent array of films and TV programmes.

I wish we'd daytripped to an Atlantic beach resort - we will do next time!

Hi, perfectly timed thread for me as i have just booked up orlando for two weeks in early Novemeber.

Do you mind me asking you where you hired the car from??

 

[Albion my Albion]

http://www.visitflorida.com/en-us.html

 

[Albion my Albion]

http://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/listing.a0t4000000AeDyvAAF.html

 

[Notters]

save money on a sat nav

Am I missing something; you're saying save money on a satnav by spending $100?! Can't you just use your phone as I do here, either Google maps pr navmii? !

 

[Dan The Man]

Hi, We went April this year for 3 weeks (enjoyed the promotion party whilst out there) and our it was our first time, it was amazing!

1) Didnt come across Pandora land? Must have missed that one
2) People Ive spoken to who went last year said that the King Kong wasnt there, and we went on it at Universal lands of adventure. It was pretty good and would def say give it a go. At Disney studios they were building a Toy Story land and an Avatar land I think, not sure if these will be open soon or not.
3) Took us 2 days to do universal, 1 day in each of the parks, dont think you need much more than that. The show at the end of the evening is ok, there are better.
4) We did a few buffets at golden corral, was a bit downmarket but cheap and food was good enough.
5) We stayed near Old Town. It's a bit run down but Saturday night they do a 'Saturday night cruise' loads of old american cars with a band etc and it was good fun. Elsewhere we did Gatorland which was fun, and did Miami for 2 nights. 3-4 hour drive and cost about 30 dollars in tolls each way. When there did the tour buses which were all good, and after eating on Ocean Drive decided to sleep it off on the beach. We also managed to get tickets to Orlando City game, not cheap but was a good experience. And one thing we didnt do but saw it advertised lots was a helicopter ride, wasnt cheap but saw loads of people doing it.

Hope this helps! Enjoy, and very jealous! Cheers.

We are heading that way again soon for some Disney magic and all other things Florida and wondered whether anyone has any recent this year experience. I know [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] has for sure.

Core questions from me are:

- What is the new Pandora land like? Is it worth it as I have previous not liked Animal Kingdom very much, too crowded and not the same nice vibe as other parks.
- Anything new at any of the other parks since we went last summer?
- Shall we do two days at Universal or not? Struggling to justify the money on this, but equally I did very much enjoy the Harry Potter bit last year.
- What are the best tips for eating cheap but well. Any favourite restaurants on Disney and off?
- What else in Florida is a must for you outside of Disney/Universal. We have hired a car so are willing to go further afield for the odd day out.
- finally the 18 year old is 18 when we are out there. Any suggestions for a great way to celebrate this?

Probably worth saying that there are six of us going, two proper adults, a 20, an 18, a 15 and a 14 year old. An assortment of very brave, go on anything types, and a couple of cowards who struggle with anything tougher than "It's a Small World"

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The other thing is when you do theme parks you spend less.

Personal view is Disney Waterparks far better than Wet'n'Wild and Aquatica. Aquatica is pointless queueing up for an hour just to go down a tube where dolphins might be and sprayed with water in your face you see nothing.

Sea World - judge yourself and watch Blackfish, what they are doing is not fair to killer whales however you judge it but Mantra is an amazing roller coaster as is Kracken.

Universal is amazing it really is, you cannot fault it as is Busch Gardens, first time we went in 2008 Shaka O'Neil was doing the rounds and he is enormous in weight and height. One thing about Busch Gardens is don't be fooled by that newish coaster Lion or Safari stating the longest ever, pretty mundane but Sheikra - WOW with bells on

As stated Kennedy Space Centre is really interesting, don't bother with Cocoa Beach - rubbish do Daytona Beach if you like the sea.

One other tip if you go to a Theme park around 2 or 3 o'clock it can be better as queues go down but if doing the early shift get their early when it opens as in two hours you should get to do all the big rides.

To show my age at Universal I went on what was Back To The Future which was converted to The Simpsons and still a riot.

MIB is a great ride as well and ET is very romantic but quite dated (if still going)

Considering Wet & Wild is now a building site, most water parks are better than that now

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Am I missing something; you're saying save money on a satnav by spending $100?! Can't you just use your phone as I do here, either Google maps pr navmii? !

Get Three mobile sim only for a month....

 

[Weststander]

Am I missing something; you're saying save money on a satnav by spending $100?! Can't you just use your phone as I do here, either Google maps pr navmii? !

I meant versus the rip off satnav offered by the car you hire companies.

Our circumstances were that we took our new-ish Garmin satnav, which we like using with its large screen and easy interface. We bought the North American sd card from Amazon. Immediately using it from Orlando Airport it was useless. The major roads around Orlando are undergoing huge changes and the sd card couldn't cope, so we got lost (first time visitors by the way). $100 at Walmart got us a US satnav which was great. Just a personal thing, I like using a Garmin.

Which we'll use on future North American holidays.