Orlando & Florida - Questions & Answers (Part 1) *CLOSED*

afinn

Poppy9 wrote:

With regard to Virgin can someone give me some advice please. When I booked a few weeks ago for Florida via Airline-networks my flights were only £888 for the 3 of us (exactly the same on Virgin's site) and I used the holiday wizard on Airline-network.

A friend who knows how much I paid is looking for a similar deal but it appears that I can now only book the flights through Airline-network at a cost of £1250 and the hotel at £856 separately. The wizard is bringing up Orlando at all. I checked the Virgin site and the flights do seem to have gone up £400.

Is this normal or did I just buy on when they had a sale on. If so how doI know when the next sale is on with Virgin?

I think the fuller the 'plane get the more remaining seats cost. It may be worth looking at virgin holidays site to see how much they charge for fly-drives or full package. A lot of the time virgin holidays are cheaper than virgin atlantic for the flights and you don't have to take their car if you don't want to.

I have heard that virgin give discounts if you book on a bank holiday so perhaps try calling them on Christmas day.

divadee

afinn wrote:

A word of warning for anyone travelling with TCD in the next couple of months. We flew with them in Sunshine First in May and it was fabulous so we booked to go again on 8 December. A couple of weeks ago we received a letter from TCD letting us know that there has been a change of airline and we would not longer be traveling on a TC 'plane but on Excel Airways. Sunshine First would not be what we had paid for as the Excel 'plane is configured in a different way. After reading about Excel on a few sites we decided not to travel with TC and cancelled. We received a full refund and booked flights with Virgin, car with Airline Network and the Villa with Travel Options.

If you are travelling with TCD in the next few months check with them that you are getting what you have paid for. It seems from reading other sites that people travelling in January have now had letters informing them of the change, some people have been asked to change their holiday dates. It seems the TC 'plane could take about 500 passengers but the Excel Air 'plane only takes about 300 so they need to move people around.

If you visit www.thedibb.co.uk and read their forums you will find more posts on this.

i have had that letter, they are changing us to excell as well. but they did state in the letter that it will have a first class seating config. they better had as we changed the date of our holiday to get first class!!!!

paulie558

We are all sorted now for what should hopefully be the trip of a lifetime next may.
Holiday is a Virgin airtour,3 nights in New York,4 nights in Vegas,and 7 in Orlando.
So we will be bouncing around from one coast to the other.
Have booked an hire car with airline network for the week in Orlando,don't think Virgin include a car with this package,but it actually works out cheaper to book a car with AN(gold package)than to pay the extras with Virgin's "free" car(both rented through Dollar).
Staying at the Sheridon World Resort in Orlando,anyone stayed there?
Have booked premium economy flights for our return to UK,I think we will need those seats after that lot!
Paul.

tech

Hi all,

I'm hoping to take the family to Florida in 2006 but need some advice. I've got 3 dates in mind in June, August and October and have found differences in packages of between 100 and nearly 1000 pounds depending on when I go.
I would prefer August (madly enough) as it's my kids' birthdays and I'd love to spend it in Florida.

What is the best time to go, is DIY for flight and hotel/transfers better than package (although I want to buy my theme tickets separately). Who does the best deals for packages (minus theme tickets and car hire) and who does the best deals for flight only and hotel/villa only?

There seems to be so much good advice in this thread it's difficult to know where to start.

Any help would be appreciated. :xmassign: :santa2: :snow_grin :rudolf: :xmastree: :xmassmile

gizmos

paulie558 wrote:

Staying at the Sheridon World Resort in Orlando,anyone stayed there?
Paul.

If you mean Sheraton World Resort I stayed there Christmas 2001/2002. It was nowhere near the four star it makes itself be advertised as. I hated it. Would never stay again. Had to move rooms and the second room they tried to put us into I refused because it stank of smoke even though it was a no smoking room.

Also did not feel safe wandering through the grounds of this place at night - a lot of people hanging round the motel style room and just pray you dont get a car park view as it will be horrid.

THe only good thing was that you could walk SeaWorld (which we did numerous times!). Nothing else in the area at all - right at bottom of I Drive.

Sorry to dampen your hopes but that's our views. There are plenty more hotels in the Orlando area that are much cheaper and better value for money.

Real sorry it may have changed - if you can though try and get a room in the tower as these are a lot more superior to the others.

gizmos

tech wrote:

Hi all,

I'm hoping to take the family to Florida in 2006 but need some advice. I've got 3 dates in mind in June, August and October and have found differences in packages of between 100 and nearly 1000 pounds depending on when I go.
I would prefer August (madly enough) as it's my kids' birthdays and I'd love to spend it in Florida.

What is the best time to go, is DIY for flight and hotel/transfers better than package (although I want to buy my theme tickets separately). Who does the best deals for packages (minus theme tickets and car hire) and who does the best deals for flight only and hotel/villa only?

I would go in June time as the temperatures are a bit cooler than August - the early part of June is also very cheap (nearly half the price of August when I have done comparisons).

Also August is right in the middle of hurricane season and judging from the past couple of years you may be unlucky enough to experience one of these.

October is pretty much the same as June for temperatures and may also be quite quiet in the parks. June is the start of hurricane season but it is rare to get one then and October is near the end where there is a slightly higher possibility. Though no-one can predict mother nature.

I've used BA Holidays in the past and they are excellent (it was cheaper to book with them and include car hire than it was on ba.com for flights only!!) - though of course it is BA flights and they are only out of Gatwick.

Virgin are also pretty good and First Choice are also good if you are looking for local departures.

What ages are the kids and where would you be flying from??

paulie558

Thanks for the advice.
I'll have a look at the trip advisor site as we could change Hotels if neccesary,but we have stayed in some dodgy places in our time.
Pulled into a motel about 200 miles north of Boston on the I 95 once,it was dark,and the place looked OK from the outside ,when we entered our chalet it was straight out of the Bates Motel.
The carpets had some interesting shades on them,a VERY odd smell about the place,and if you turned the lights off pitch black.Too late to search for another room,we set off next morning to see a fine hotel off the next exit road!
As our other locations are New York and Vegas it's going to be a holiday where we watch ourselves,although last time the wifey ended up in Niagara General Hospital(Fell down steps in Niagara Falls!)
Thank god for insurance,but it's all part of seeing the big wide world.
Ta .

gizmos wrote:

If you mean Sheraton World Resort I stayed there Christmas 2001/2002. It was nowhere near the four star it makes itself be advertised as. I hated it. Would never stay again. Had to move rooms and the second room they tried to put us into I refused because it stank of smoke even though it was a no smoking room.

Also did not feel safe wandering through the grounds of this place at night - a lot of people hanging round the motel style room and just pray you dont get a car park view as it will be horrid.

THe only good thing was that you could walk SeaWorld (which we did numerous times!). Nothing else in the area at all - right at bottom of I Drive.

Sorry to dampen your hopes but that's our views. There are plenty more hotels in the Orlando area that are much cheaper and better value for money.

Real sorry it may have changed - if you can though try and get a room in the tower as these are a lot more superior to the others.

gizmos

If you are able to change hotels without penalty I would. Last year I needed a hotel for just one night and stayed at a rather lovely Holiday Inn on the 192 (Irlo Bronson Highway). It was near Old Lake Wilson Road if you do decide to do a search, plus it was only about £20 per night - the room was the same size and layout as the Sheraton, but the resort area itslef just had a better feel to it.

One night I woke up in the Sheraton to see someone standing inside our doorway so I screamed very loudly and threw a show in the direction of it .... only for me to discover it was the standard lamp's shadow .....

paulie558

Ta for the advice on here.The World Resort doesnt get very good write ups at all on tripadvisor,so I hope we can change to the Marriot Fairfield inn,which is 3* instead of 3*+ in the Virgin brochure and £30 less based on 7 days stay,so I hope we can work out something with them.

gizmos

paulie558 wrote:

Ta for the advice on here.The World Resort doesnt get very good write ups at all on tripadvisor,so I hope we can change to the Marriot Fairfield inn,which is 3* instead of 3*+ in the Virgin brochure and £30 less based on 7 days stay,so I hope we can work out something with them.

Just been on Virgin website to see what they have - did you look at the Embassy Suites - the price there includes breakfast which would be a good way to start the day - it's also a 4 tick one. Also from what I remember from my visits to Orlando it is in the middle of I Drive and within walking distance of a lot of decent restaurants and shops. Believe its near one of the shopping areas Mercado.
These are suites which have a separate bedroom - ideal for parents to get some "privacy".
Embassy Suites