Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE

hi we are planning to go sept 2012 but it seems really hard to get booked up thomson only go upto april anyone else having this problem

davidswife

Hi Folks

Need some advice. We are looking at going to Orlando for Christmas, maybe 22 Dec to 3 Jan. We have been to Florida many times but never at Christmas. We thought it would be nice to spend Christmas at Disney but after a quick read of this thread it sounds like its vv busy.

Can anyone tell me of their past experiences at parks etc and of the weather at this time of year.

Thanks in advance

jeanniebeanie_2

Now they aren't the ride types but will cope with the ones that my son will go on, the question is does anyone have any gems of sites / info that would not be core Orlando ie museums, history something different. It's their holiday to so need to cover all bases or at least have places that they can be dropped at in the morning if they don't fancy visiting Disney for the 4th day running .

They may surprise you. we took my parents a couple of years ago. My Dad said he "never liked fairgrounds even as a kid", so wouldn't be joining us on rides.

We would normally have a villa, but that time we stayed at Bahama Bay condo resort which had a clubhouse, lake and man made beach, the idea being that some of they days they would just stay behind and chill without being isolated.

In reality, they never stayed behind once! They loved the parks. Not so much the rides, although I have a lovely picture of them on Buzz Lightyear in deep concentration wielding plastic guns, but the parades, shops, shows and firework displays. When they had enough they would sit with a coffee and cake or ice cream outside and people watch while we went on a ride. They absorbed the atmophere and were very struck by the number of older people there without kids.

We all had days away from the parks together. We went to Mount Dora, a small town with a couple of really good restaurants, we had a hot air balloon ride, which they loved, visited Kennedy space centre and had a day trip to the beach.

There is also Lakeridge Winery http://www.lakeridgewinery.com/ which often has family entertainment at the weekends, Winter Park for upscale antique shops, Boggy Creek for an airboat trip, and Bok Tower Gardens. http://boktowergardens.org/go/

Non of these places are practical to drop them and pick them up from though, they are just too far. Plus it is never an exact science to judge times for the ones at the parks.

My advice would be have other places in mind that you would all like to visit, just see how they like the parks, particularly Epcot or hire separate cars for a few days.

DickyP_2

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE wrote: »

hi we are planning to go sept 2012 but it seems really hard to get booked up thomson only go upto april anyone else having this problem

I've been starting my pricing by contacting villa owners direct to gauge prices, flights been looking at maximum forward date again as a guide.

Virgin release for the end of September middle of this month so you can book with them at that point. One thing I have learned with Florida is the closure you book the more it is, well thats what I have interpreted!!

Not sure what it's like booking direct with disney is how far in advance.

What's your starting dates for looking? We are aiming for last two weeks so should be quiet and rain should be minimal at this point, not that you can complain about 30minute downpours a day and thats that!

blue_monkey_2

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE wrote: »

hi we are planning to go sept 2012 but it seems really hard to get booked up thomson only go upto april anyone else having this problem

Virgin Holiday release their Sept 2012 dates May/June time - will probably be the same with other sites. Direct flights are around 330 dates before your RETURN trip. We are waiting for Feb to come up as it was not worth doing a Fly Drive. Too expensive just to ensure we get a seat.

PROUDMUMMYTOTHREE

thanks guys we havent picked any dates yet we were last there is 2005 but my 2 youngest were not born then so really want to take them they are right into all things disney and will be nearly 4 and 5 next sept so really excited although not looking forward to a 10hr flight with them :eek:

clairey1208

@ davidswife

We flew to Florida on 30th December 2009 & it was freezing - we went to Walmart and bought jumpers gloves & hats!!! There were also a lot of flights cancelled due to the snow in the UK. The kids were disappointed they couldn't go to the water parks & the first week was really busy. The second week was much quieter with not many queues. Personally I wouldn't go at Christmas or Easter as these are well known to be the busiest times. If you want to experience the Christmas parades etc I would suggest going at the beginning of December

maemaesmummy

davidswife wrote: »

Hi Folks

Need some advice. We are looking at going to Orlando for Christmas, maybe 22 Dec to 3 Jan. We have been to Florida many times but never at Christmas. We thought it would be nice to spend Christmas at Disney but after a quick read of this thread it sounds like its vv busy.

Can anyone tell me of their past experiences at parks etc and of the weather at this time of year.

Thanks in advance

We did last xmas dec 18th to Jan 1st it was manically the parks were closed to visitors from 11am as they were that full lol!

vivatifosi

DickyP wrote: »

Now they aren't the ride types but will cope with the ones that my son will go on, the question is does anyone have any gems of sites / info that would not be core Orlando ie museums, history something different. It's their holiday to so need to cover all bases or at least have places that they can be dropped at in the morning if they don't fancy visiting Disney for the 4th day running .

I have good friends who are Orlando natives, so I tend to take their recommendations for things to do away from the theme parks. At the end of the day, Orlando is a city of 1m people who have Mickey on their doorstep and don't want to spend all their time there. Here are some of the things that they enjoy.

* Shopping on Park Avenue, Winter Park. This is Orlando's upscale shopping area, not a mall, a proper shopping street with nice restaurants. Its a lovely area to hang out for the afternoon:
http://orlando.about.com/od/shoppingareas/a/winterparkshops.htm

* Winter Park scenic boat tour. A pleasant look at some of Orlando's waterways and most swanky homes. Relaxing.
http://scenicboattours.com/home.htm

* Orlando Museum of Art is a pleasant detour, particularly if your visit coincides with those 9 days per year that the "Festival of the Trees" is on. My Orlando friends always attend that!
http://www.omart.org/programs/festival-trees

* Dali Museum, St Petes: if you like Dali (we do - a lot), this is well worth a visit. If you do go, get a tour from a docent, they bring it all to life. This is a new purpose built facility. We have only been to the old centre and can't wait to get to this one:
http://thedali.org/

Running out of time, have to go to work, here's a few more:
* Bok Tower Gardens: http://boktowergardens.org/
* Clearwater beach: http://www.visitclearwaterflorida.com/

Must visit Kennedy Space Centre: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html
Maybe the Astronaut Hall of Fame: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/astronaut-hall-of-fame.aspx
* Disney Wilderness Preserve: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/outdoors/orl-trails-povtak-disneywildernesspreserve,0,3579813.story
* Orlando Science Centre: http://www.osc.org/
* Lake Eola: there are sometimes events here such as art fares. Pretty park, wouldn't go out of my way to go there unless for specific event, or visiting the neighbouring gay area of Thornton Park. When there are events on they can be good fun.

Disney sometimes has events on in the parks, eg "Eat to the Beat" concert series coincides with Food and Wine Festival.

heleng27

Hi there,

I wonder if any of you can help me. Never been to orlando before. I have been doing a bit of research into how we would like to spend our holiday and hubby and I have agreed to stay in the I-Drive area but we won't get a hire car (neither of us like to drive when on holiday). So as to save costs on transfers in the day can anyone recomend a hotel in the area that provides complimentary transfers to disney as well as the other parks?? If not what are the best/cheapest way to make your way to Disney?

Many thanks in advance.