thanks can anyone recommend anywhere on International Drive please?, any useful web sites? thanks

HELP - husband has booked 14 night holiday to comfort inn, lbv, orlando for August 24th

Havent got a clue what to take, buy, tickets etc??? dont want to miss anything???

PLEASE HELP - ANY INFORMATION APPRECIATED.

The 2 main passes you will need are :

1/ Disney (7 or 14 day passes or the Magic Your Way day tickets) for the 4 Disney parks and / or 2 Disney waterparks (Blizzard Beach & Typhoon Lagoon).

2/Flex ticket for Universal Studios, Island Of Adventure (the second Universal Studio park), Busch Gardens, Wet & Wild (another waterpark but a bit dated now), & Sea World.

Those two will cover most of the main attractions.

If you want to swim with Dolphins you will need tickets for Discovery Cove...which also gives you free entry to Sea World and / or Busch Gardens depending on your ticket choice (but not the 2 Universal Studio parks).

New for Mar 2008 will be a fantastic big new waterpark called "Aquatica", belonging to the same group as Sea World/ Discovery Cove / Busch Gardens...so look out for tickets that include entry to this...supposed to be the very latest in waterpark entertainment !!!

Don't worry , you won't do everything in 2 weeks......and its always best to have an excuse to go back !!!

Hi,
We are about to start planning our first visit to orlando for next year.

Can anyone tell me what is the best time of the year to go and why.

Thanks

Paul -TW

Its all about personal preference really; for weather & crowds ....and obviously when you are free to go (ie if you are governed by school holidays etc).....and your budget too !

Our personal preference is:
late Jan/ early Feb (avoiding the third week in February if possible as this is Presendent's Week in the US) - we like this time of year because ; a) its cheap b) its not too hot, or humid c) the parks are not too busy. However, the weather during these times can be more variable - though I would liken it on the whole to our British Summer (but without the light or warm evenings), and all that entails, both good, and bad ! It goes dark around 7pm.

Here's a personal account of the rest of the year:

October/November/early Dec. (avoiding Halloween which is mega busy but has extra park celebrations) is pretty similar to late Jan/ early Feb, crowd wise.. if a little pricier. Again the weather can vary, but its much like our British Summer, with darker, cooler evenings.

September is cheap and parks are relatively quiet, and on the whole there is better, hotter weather,than early Spring/ late Autumn, but you run more risk of hurricanes. Its also warmer, lighter in the evenings. Try and avoid Labor Day/week (first Monday in September) as this can be much busier.

Xmas and New Year; the weather can be, for the most part, very pleasant, but crowds around Xmas and New Year are huge..but the parks often have special shows/decorations at this time which can be truely magical. Evenings are dark, and you often get very cold start/finish to the day (but it usually warms up during the day) - with occasional frost. It is also an expensive time for visiting ref. accommodation & flights.

March; a good time to visit also, weather, crowd and price wise. But few British schools have breaks at this time of year. A few US states have early Spring Breaks at the end of this month.

April / May / June; the Parks become busier with the onset of American Spring break and more settled and hotter weather , though prices (except Easter) are more moderate. Evenings are lighter and warmer.Try and avoid Memorial Day/week (last Monday in May) as this can be much busier. By June, the climate is getting hotter and more humid, as this month progresses.

July & August the parks are at their busiest, accommodation & flights pricey and weather is hot & humid. Long, light and warm balmy evenings. Occasional thunder storms, with more risk of hurricanes towards the end of August..

Also note that from the late autumn (end Oct),through to early spring(beg. Mar), you will normally find that 1 of the 2 Disney waterparks will be closed for refurbishment during this period.

Other top tip : Whatever time of year you go, try to build in rest days or non Disney park days at the weekend since, as in this country, theme parks are always busier at weekends. Good alternatives include; chilling by the hotel pool, shopping, Kennedy Space Centre (simply because it is so vast it swallows crowds), Sea World isn't too bad, and the many other lesser Orlando attractions etc...its a shame to waste precious park/holiday time stood in the heat, in long queues most of the day !

Just my views and some very broad generalisations at that !! .

I am planning on booking for July 2008 (school holidays!). Can anyone tell me when you can book direct with the hotels and whether this is usually a cheaper option? We want to stay in a Disney hotel, but I can't seem to get a price for that far ahead on their website?

The plan is to stay for 11 nights in Orlando and then 10 nights somewhere away from the theme parks, does anyone have any suggestions for the best place to spend the last 10 days?

An tips very welcome.

Thanks.

Try Findmeaccom.com, Alpharooms.com and Roomsnet.com.

You could also try a reputable American TA such as Dreamsunlimited. You can also book direct with Disney if you contact them by phone (see their website).

The advantage with the first three is that you will avoid the usual annual price increase that Disney normally apply (even after you have booked, as your direct or US T/A booking will be subject to them if they occur).

The advantage with the last two is, that although you may well end up paying 2008 rates, if any discounts become applicable (which sometimes they do) you can get them applied to your bookings. Also if you are a member of the AA in this country you may qualify for a discount, and both will have generous cancellation terms that normally mean you can cancel without loss of deposit up to a certain point in time.

I have found that there is not normally much of a difference between booking direct, or using an accommodation only provider, as Disney strictly control prices.

Difficult to say if you will get a better deal with a package, as you can get good deals in both DIY markets and package markets these days. Most package deals normally revolve around the 14 night holiday and this is certainly the most competative market. One thing you will get is more flexibility if you book it yourself.

You might also want to consider flying into Orlando and perhaps flying out of Miami (or vise versa) if you are looking at a two centre holiday.

As for somewhere else to visit on your trip, popular choices would include ;

Miami
Florida Keys
Clearwater
St.Pete's
Naples
Ft Myers
A Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral/Fort Lauderdale/ Miami

After racing around Disney for 11 days I think a 7 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral would be ideal. You could still fit in a visit to the Kennedy Space Centre on the way to the port . Take a look at Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas- you can still be busy 24 hrs a day for those that have the energy,or do absolutely nothing except get taken to some lovely Caribbean beaches and enjoy the ship. Onboard they have 4 pools,ice skating rink,putt putt course,kids clubs,rock climbing walls,a wonderful main Promenade,shops..... etc

We are now thinking about spending the last 10 days in the caribbean, possible Jamaica. TA quoted about £6,000 but couldn't be definate yet as the final prices haven't come out yet.

I have had a quick look at doing it DIY but the prices are more, mostly due to the cost of the flights to Orlando and then back from Jamaica. Any good tips on airlines etc for cheaper flights?

Beginning to wish I hadn't promised the children now!

Thanks.

I think if you are looking at combining your Orlando trip, with a trip to Jamiaca, then really you are getting past the realm of a realistically priced 2 centre holiday, and talking more of 2 entirely separate, custom made holidays...I'm not saying it can't be done cheaper, but its not going to be a cheap option by any means......

It could be worth consulting a reputable US T/A and see if they can organise the Jamaican trip starting and ending in Orlando (that way you could use your UK return ticket to fly back from there) - just a thought, especially since the $/£ rate is so good at the moment ?

However, a good compromise (and I suspect, a more reasonably priced one), if you want the Caribbean, is as Emdia43 suggests, a Caribbean cruise.......another advantage would be, that this option allows you to be in a better position to make a choice of which Caribbean island you might like to go back to on a future holiday.

Good luck in your decision whatever you chose - sounds like you will have a great time.

We are thinking about going on holiday to Florida next year.

Our children will be 12 and 5 and a half.
Would my youngest be too young?

Also, my youngest suffers from travel sickness very badly, so we would need to stay somewhere near to the tourist attractions etc...

Any advice.

I personally think our daughter is too young

If you stay at the Polynesian,Grand Floridian or Contemporary resorts at Disney you can get to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot by monorail. You shouldn't have a problem with motion sickness on that. I think her age will be perfect - she will still believe all the magic.
For cheaper alternative the Sports or Music resort is a good choice- they shuttle you by coach to the parks in about 15 minutes,so not too uncomfortable for those that hate bus riding.

Hi emdia43

Monorail sounds good.
Do you think she will be too little to go on a lot of the rides?

Thank you.

K

Oh no, Magic Kingdom is made for the little ones. There is so much to do and see there that you can't get it all done.
There are some rides that have height restrictions but they appeal to the bigger kids anyway.
If she loves Cinderella, all the cartoon characters she will be in heaven.
It's magical for all ages.
I bet the 12 yr old will love MGM studios- special effects are wonderful to see.
That's the best thing about Disney- somthing for all ages.Epcot is my favorite.

If she suffers from travel sickness she probably won't go on lots of the rides anyway, even if you wait a year or two. I get travel sick and have to be really careful as most of the rides bring it on. There will be lots which she will love though.
Hope you are rich as the hotels on the monorail are very pricey. If not, think about the Lake Buena Vista area as its a short drive to most of the Disney parks.

Thanks emdia43, sounds great.
She loves Cinderella, Snow White etc...

Bridd
No not rich
I'm am off to have a look at what's on offer.

Thanks

K

The other Disney resorts are less expensive and only take 15 minutes to get to the parks- Disney All Sports and the Music Resort - have stayed at both and were fine- shuttle buses run every few minutes from early to very late,so really convenient.

I would agree with others..... stay in a Disney value resort if you can.

It may be a bit more expensive than staying on I-Drive, but it is much nearer and you won't get landed with having to catch time limited shuttle buses that your hotel may, or may not provide (in which case you spend a fortune on taxis that wpould easily have paid for a Disney stay- believe me !).
Its ideal for a first time visit to Orlando plus I have to say alot of I-Drive hotels are VERY grotty - you really have to research reviews well to get a decent one.

Disney parks are really for ALL ages......infact this is very much their selling point. There will be lots of rides she can enjoy at every park - plus lots of shows & parades too.

If your daughter loves the Disney Princesses, then I would strongly recommend booking a Cinderella breakfast (otherwise known as CRT) at the Magic Kingdom park...there is a detailed thread about this further down this forum.
Or a cheaper option would be the Princess Story Book breakfast at Epcot.

She is a perfect age to enjoy these - but you have to get them booked early as they are so popular !!!

we took our grandaughter,last year,a month after her 6th birthday.i thought she was an ideal age.she believed it all!!!!! to see it through her eyes,was fantastic.
when we got off soaring,she was like "wow nana,was that real" with eyes wide open.then in seaworld,we went on the simulator,where it is a helicoptor & it crashes,then you get off,into the big igloo type building.when we entered this,she grabbed my hand "nana,how are we going to get back,to grandad" the whole trip,was priceless.
she went on all the rides.she had no problem,going on
space mountain
splash mountain
tower of terror
expedition everest
dinosaur
test track
soarin
in fact,she went on every single ride.
take your daughter,to bake the cookies,in epcot.kiera loved it,another thing she believed was real!!!
you will have a fantastic time.she is at an ideal age.we also took our niece,who is 11,she had a fantastic time,but the believing,wasn't there,so there wasn't that magic,if you know,what i mean.
have a great time
tracy