Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

diadeb

Hi folks, just starting the massive research for our trip next in April 2012. We are there over Easter for two weeks, so have a few days when UK schools have gone back - hoping it may get a little quieter then?!

I have flights booked and need to book a villa next. I have several possibles but just wondered where you would recommend. Possibly Kissimmee, but most are in Clermont or Davenport area. We will not spend all our time at Disney - hope to do Busch Gardens, Universal, maybe the space centre, possibly a day trip to the coast.

Is any one of these areas better for access to Disney - not knowing traffic conditions etc?

broonbear

Davenport is on the 27 highway about 15-20 mins from Disney and at least 30-40 mins from Universal, we stayed at Solana area on the 27 a few times it's well out the way but still a nice area, have a look at the Lindfields area just off the 192 highway restaurants minutes away and about 10 mins closer . The times are estimates :j

meer53

Clermont and Davenport are ideal places to stay, close to the 192 ans the I4 for access to Universal/Kennedy Space Centre and to the coast. We've always stayed at Davenport, you don't get many traffic problems getting to any of the parks. Disney is about 20 mins, Universal about 30 mins. We've had lovely villas at Mission Park and West Haven (The Shire) The newer developments are off H27.

Jenerena

Right.

My boyfriend and I are looking to go to Orlando next July and we are currently looking at our options. If we go next year and stay in a Disney hotel, we get a free dining plan worth up to £900 (or a smaller one at £600) and $150 to spend in the disney parks on souvenirs or something. Basically, we're looking at that versus a fly drive.

Of course, a fly drive is going to be cheaper but we can live 'like an American' for a holiday, and experience America rather than just experiencing Disney. My boyfriend has only ever done fly drives before (I've never been), and although the Disney hotels look amazing, he's concerned that there'll be minimal time actually spent at the resort and it would be a shame to be locked away from the 'core' of Orlando. The other issue is, if we stay at Disney we probably wouldn't need a car, or at least if we get a car we might not get the most out of it. This does to an extent depend on where our hotel actually is, and of course it would be useful to have a car if we wanted to venture out to Kennedy or the coast or whatever else is miles away that is worth visiting.

We're actually considering doing a bit of both, so doing a fly drive for the first week, staying in a semi-decent motel, then in the second week go to Disney. The nice thing here is that we can have the car for both weeks at very little extra cost (like £20 extra or something) and we will have Disney to look forward to during the first week even if we're already having an awesome time. In terms of price, fly drive was about £1200 cheaper than Disney, and half and half about 3-400 cheaper I think. We have to justify whether that £400 is worth spending when you get meals, extra time in parks, and $150 to spend in parks.

Has anybody ever stayed at Disney before and used the dining plan? With the wealth of restaurants in Orlando, is the dining plan limiting your options? Do you find the dining plan isn't really that cheap at all and we'd be better getting food separately? Currently the £600 one is 2 quick meals and 2 snacks, the £900 one adds on sit-down meals.

mintster

Right - I feel i can't search for cheaper tickets any more. It seems the best deal I can find is the floridatix 12 park deal for £399 per adult. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of combination I put together it always comes out at around the same price.
less
Before i give up and just buy them can anyone give me any tips to get the costs down?

broonbear

i've used atd ,Florida tix and Florida escapes for many years and we didn't find much savings between them £5 here £10 there. Atd do price match they price matched our hhn tickets and discover cove ones:j

Kaz2904

KarenG wrote: »

60 miles a day sounds like quite a lot to me for the Orlando parks (on average). Whereabouts are you staying?

We're staying at Marbella, on Cadiz loop, near championsgate. It's just off the 27, just below where the 27 and the I4 cross. It is one of the furthest out but MiL insisted we had a villa with a games room.

I think we're going for the £1200 ticket combo mentioned previously. We're going to go for snacks in the bag daily (so hopefully we will just get up early on the first morning and get our shopping done then or MiL, SiL and I will go shop whilst the men get the lay of the villa and sort the kids on the sunday. That way, we'll have food, can try to pick up restaurant vouchers etc from the walmart.

Can anyone tell me, the walmart is open 24/7, will they have tickets and stuff available there? You know how we do in our supermarkets. There's always a stack of what's on flyers and whatnot isn't there?

Am also wondering if the malls will be open on our first day? Perhaps we can go and have a mooch around then on our first evening as we won't want to do a great deal that night. Perhaps we'll just get swimmers on and enjoy the pool and a couple of sherberts though ?

broonbear

If you drive north up the u27 there's a Wallmart just past where the u27 junction to the 192 is and that was a 24hr one but there's a Publix supermarket a few miles before that also most shops, restaurants and supermarkets have coupon books that have money off vouchers there's also a 24 hr Wallmart at the east end of the 192 but the one at the u27 should be your nearest

Kaz2904

Coupon books! That's what they're called! I couldn't for the life of me think what I was trying to say . I knew what I was after and that I didn't mean tickets but I was beggared if I could think what to call them
Thanks for detangling my drivel into an understandable message!

Specs_2

Good Afternoon
Would be grateful for any advice you guys could give.
The family and I would love to go to Florida within the next two years either summer 2012, Christmas 2012 or at very latest summer 2013. We are a family of 2 adults 3 children 10, 8, 4 (summer 2012). Having looked around I am under the impression that I have ‘missed the boat’ for any good deals for summer next year. Would like to keep the cost of getting there as low as possible so that we have more $$ to spend whist we are away.
We wish to go for 2 weeks during school holidays (or over by 1, 2 days max), Any London airport. Don’t mind either a package or splitting things out, we both happy to drive.
Other than that neither of us has been to Florida, we are sort of relying on friends that have and this website.
Thanks for any help you can give.