Hoping to go the two weeks after Easter in 2008 which is the last 2 weeks of March. It will be end of April before flights will be available and I hope to book as soon as they come on line.

i have just booked for next year and did it independantly flights directly with virgin and accomodation with alpharooms just car hire to sort out i reckon i've saved £600 at least

I've looked on Virgin, the cheapest flights I can find are £641!!

Thats not going to work out cheaper, than say going with Cosmos.

When are you going? And what did the flights cost?

i booked virgin flights and got 3 adults and 1 child £1600 and bahama bay condos (which are lovely have stayed there before) for £725 through alpharooms we are going May 22nd 2007

I believe Virgin normally do a 10% off sale, either Xmas Day or Boxing Day - if this helps.............
I haven't booked flights yet, but I have booked a Disney cruise direct with DCL (much cheaper than UK and prices are cheaper the earlier you book ...plus you can cancel and have a full refund , up to 3 months out...so nowt to lose !)

Well we've booked 3 weeks in Sheraton's Vistana Resort at LBV from the end of June 2008 - timeshare exchange We won't be booking flights until we return from this summer's hols, when scheduled flights become available (they are available 11 months in advance). Car hire too will be booked independently in due course.

Hi,

We are going for our 8th time on 1st February 2008,there are 6 of us going,all adults.We have booked a 4 bed villa with private pool and spa in kissimee plus car hire with platinum insurance.
We are going with Travel City Direct as we always do,and including insurance for 6 adults,the villa for 2 weeks,double baggage,guest lounge at sanford,7 seater minivan with all insurance,6x disney ultimate tickets and 6x dolly parton dinner shows the total is £4600 which i think is pretty good.

Kind Regards Nickki

Hi Nikki -

That is an excellent price ! We went with them fly drive last year - no complaints at all.

We have decided to for longer than 14 days though, this time as we are doing a 7 night Disney cruise...so we will probably have to go Virgin ...so will cost alot more than the £1490 price we have been quoted so far from TCD.

Sorry if this is too late for you booking Nikki (but you have a great price anyway) but for some reason it is quite a bit cheaper to book over the phone with TCD, than on their website.

Hopefully we will be booking soon.

Hi JD

My family (them more than me) seem to want to go back in 2008. This will be our 4th and last time as a family.

We did 2 weeks Disney All Star Music plus 1 week Naples, the first time, 14 days Disneys Coronado Springs the second and Sheraton Vistiana resort at LBV (great) plus the Registry Resort, Naples (what a fab hotel ) last time.

I don't know what to do next time :hmmm. Some have suggested a few days in New York then the remainder in Orlando. Any suggestions?

I've never stayed in a private home, and remain to be convinced. I read a lot of positive stuff on here, but in other places, I've read they are rather sterile and devoid of atmosphere, with no other kids for your own to chum up with. Also the pools are tiny compared to those in Disney and other large hotel complexes and after the first day a couple of teens would be bored with them i.e 2 stokes of front crawl and your at the other side.LOL

Also I have never DIYed (cos we are frequent virgins so always get 10% off plus an upgraded car). Would this be an option? I quite fancy the cruise that you are doing?

Doe

Hi Doe

Yes , the Disney cruises are great, and great value for money; particularly if you pick a low season time of year and book direct from reputable US websites.
- we went on a 4 night Bahamian cruise last Feb., and it cost £920 for 2 adults / 2 children (lowest category inside cabin) ..and that includes all your food (but not alcoholic drinks) and pretty much all the entertainment, plus you get a trip to the Bahamas....all for £230 pp is a pretty good deal, when you consider that many people are happy to pay £140 for one day at Discovery Cove. The kids clubs are never oversubscribed and are open till 12am - so we had lots of time to relax ourselves !!!
We always book direct with Disney Cruise Line (see their website) and then transfer to a reputable US specialist cruise T/A for free on board credits worth up to $200. Its a really good time to book at the moment with the £/$ rate. Its worth noting that the earlier you book, the lower the price of the cruise ..and the american booking system is great ...if you change your mind, you get your deposit returned in full or can transfer your booking to another date..up to final payment date (about 3 months out I think).

As far as a staying in a private home, we had the same reservations as you, as our kids are the sociable types...we found the perfect compromise...a town house on a resort community. We stayed at Regal Palms (Davenport area) and it was (having stayed at PORS) just as good if not better than Disney; the pool area was fantastic with a (very warm) lanscaped pool with lazy river & slide, jacuzzi etc., club house, gym & spa, communal (though small) games room & internet room. Along with all the advantages and low cost (was £55 per night then) of staying in a private home...there was just our little family rattling around in a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house...all that space! and not having to eat out every night made the whole trip less tiring (and less expensive !) also having our own laundry faciliies meant we could pack less clothing and bring more goodies back. I would really recommend it - I've posted some pictures in the Florida Gallery on this website if you want to know more (plus a review in the hotel section).
We booked direct with a (UK) owner , which was cheaper than through travel agent or rental agencies.

Thing is, we don't like going to the same place twice, so we are hoping that by early 2008 another resort, that has even more fantastic pool & resort facilities will be finished call Tierra del Sol (also in the Davenport area)....... but it is very much still under construction at the moment..but it is something to keep your eye on for future reference.

Hope this is helpful if you want any further details just PM or post here.

Judy

Many thanks for the info. We always go the last 2 weeks in July so I guess the prices for the cruise might be higher than you have paid.

I agree with you about Discovery Cove. Although it was great it is bad value for money in comparison to what you quote, and I would think twice about doing it again. The only saving grace with it is the free (if you can call it that) weeks entry to seaworld which somehow makes the cost more bearable.

I need to do a bit of investigation on the net about places like Regal Palms to see what we would actually get for our money.

We are like you and really dont like to stay at the same accommodation twice, so I am at a bit of a loss where to look.

I checked flights on Opodo looking at 2007 (they dont have 2008's up yet) going 16th July and they were almost as much as a package.
Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be back sometime looking for inspiration.