Florida 2012 holiday quote

Sheila1204

Hi, planning to go to Disneyland for the first time in August 2012 for 2 weeks - 2 adults and 2 children agd 15 and 11 and have had a holiday quote as follows:

Flying from Manchester to Orlando Sanford
Staying at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - room only
14 Day ultimate ticket included
Disney Quick (counter) service dining plan included

Total £5857

Is this a reasonable quote as I haven't got a clue what we should be paying. Have looked at booking everything seperately but too confusing.

Any advice appreciated.

Nobjocki

Sheila1204 wrote: »

Hi, planning to go to Disneyland for the first time in August 2012 for 2 weeks - 2 adults and 2 children agd 15 and 11 and have had a holiday quote as follows:

Flying from Manchester to Orlando Sanford
Staying at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - room only
14 Day ultimate ticket included
Disney Quick (counter) service dining plan included

Total £5857

Is this a reasonable quote as I haven't got a clue what we should be paying. Have looked at booking everything seperately but too confusing.

Any advice appreciated.

Personally - and holidays are always subjective - I wonder why you want to stay for an entire fortnight in one Disney resort when your children are that old.
And nearly six grand seems an awful lot to be shelling out this far in advance.
There are so many different things to do not just in Orlando but around Florida - especially as your kids have passed the age where they need constant attention.
Again, personally, I would bide my time and watch all the usual websites to pick up flights at a good price - then maybe rent a villa with a pool ( there are gazillions of them ownd by Brits that are rented out ) for a week to do the Orlando theme parks then take the kids around Florida for the second week.
Busch Gardens, alligator farms, the Gulf beaches, the Keys,Miami ... do some research, buy a Let's Go guide and get an idea of other things to do.
Remember, eating out and staying in motels is cheap in Florida especially in August when it is VERY hot and humid.
A fortnight in a Disney resort would drive my kids bonkers ( they're about the same age as yours ) - they're artificial,homogeonised and ultimately really rather dull representations of a country which has so much more to offer the adventurous.

kendogriff

Hi Sheila

So excited for you, your 1st trip to Florida. I promise you will love it. Although going in August you may find it difficult. I have only ever been in September and its still very very hot but without the 2 hour queues everywhere. Would you be able to go maybe end of August/beginning of September? The kids would only miss a week of school and you would get to see much more?

With regards to the quote you had..... We always book everything separately, yes it takes a bit of time but youve got a year yet!

Just checked out the dates in August and Port Orleans for 2 weeks in 1 room is £1666. Yes you have the free dining but thats all of you in one room. Have you had a look at some villas? You could get a 3 bedroom villa with pool for £500 a week and a rental car for about £300. (Also loads of discounts for this on this website) This way the kids get their own room and you would save money on food by shopping at Walmart. If you are too tired to cook when you get back to your villa there are plenty of takeaways/food deliveries and they are quite cheap.

If you are worried about driving there is a service were you are taken to your villa in your rental car by someone from the company so it gives you a chance to see the roads and how the car works before braving the Interstate on your own. Got to admit im cr*p at driving but i found it really easy to drive over there and all the cars are automatic.

Disney and teenagers??? There is something for everyone there and if your kids are girls they would probably love it but im not sure it will keep them happy for 2 weeks! I think they will love the waterparks, Disneyquest, Disney Hollywood studios and maybe Animal Kingdom. The disney experience is partly about the rides but also the charactors, the parades and the fireworks. Whilst it turns grown adults into blubbering wrecks (me included... the fireworks are just out of this world!) im unsure whether a 15 year old would be that impressed.

Your 15 year old would love Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Seaworld, Aquatica and Citywalks. They do have hotels there but they are very expensive and they dont have a dining option like disney.

Another option is to stay in an offsite hotel. Near to disney is the area of Lake Buena Vista and near to Universal is International Drive. All the hotels in these areas have free shuttles to the parks but it means waiting for them. Ive never done this as we always have a car, its so much easier. Again we have only ever stayed in September but you can get very cheap hotels especially if you book last minute. The hotels are never full and you may find it even cheaper booking through an external company like cheaphotels.com. I would recommend the Radisson on International Drive.

Also saving money on flights - do you know anyone who has flown with Virgin recently? they may have a frequent flyer account with airmiles just sitting there doing nothing. Now, you need alot of miles to get a free flight but they would be able to give you a gift of 2000 miles and this takes about £150 off the price of a flight.

Need any other advice let me know love talking about Florida

Enjoy

lgw29

a few things to think about why a 14 day pass into disney when u have other parks like universal, seaworld and busch gardens,

as you will be out and about most of the day why not look at Disney's Pop Century Resort which is cheaper its only somewhere nyou will be putting your head down

delwynshd

The disney passes are on offer 14 days for the price of 7 so it doesnt benefit the OP only having the 7 days passes

Pop century doesnt qualify for the free dinning plans

Del

davetrousers

Just get a motel somewhere on or near International Drive, for the 3 nights we stayed in Orlando (couldn't wait to get away - too many Brits) we stayed in a couple of La Quinta Motels for about $70 a night.

As Nobjocki says there is loads of other stuff to do in Florida.

We went to Daytona Beach to the raceway and were lucky to be there for the Daytona Beach Air show, saw an F22, FA 18 Super Hornet and other planes too.

Kennedy Space Center is an absolute must please don't go to Florida and miss this.

Clearwater Beach (on the Gulf Coast just past Tampa) has wonderful white sandy beaches, we went on a boat trip to see dolphins and saw a pod of 8 dolphins that were jumping in the wake of the boat.

Your quote of nearly £6k does sound a lot to me. August 2012 might be a bit far ahead for most airlines atm, as most make flights available 11 months ahead.

Sheila1204

Thanks for all the replies/advice. Will definately re-consider. It seemed easier to book a package but as there are so many options will look into booking seperately and maybe go for a villa with car hire.

sunshinetours

A villa in Kissimmee for sure for at least part of your two weeks I would say and maybe 4 days on a Disney site just to experience it?

Unless it has to be August I would reconsider as weather is pretty "awful" for parks at that time of year being very hot and humid and guaranteed rain each day with a smattering of storms likely. October or May half term would be my choice with a few days off school either side of half term. Prices cheaper also (Easter nice weather but busiest time of year)

nw_man

Flight to Orlando ( either airport ).

Hotel on International drive with free shuttle.

Thats the way I would be doing it.

Pay almost 6 grand ? NO WAY !!!:eek:

merlinormartin

Flight to Orlando ( either airport ).

Hotel on International drive with free shuttle.

Thats the way I would be doing it.

Ditto! ... you could book 14 nights on I-Drive ... then book a night at Universal Hotel & Disney if you want to feel some"magic"

Have you looked at the Dibb Website ,, here

Enjoy your holiday!

Jon_Stubberfield

Hi there, I'm a Florida travel expert, the quote you have been given is actually reasonable, I think you could shave a few hundred off though.

If you're only able to travel in August - presumably before the 22nd August then do not 'bide' or you'll pay more. It is right in the midst of the school holidays and the demand is very high for this time of year. High demand obviously results in a higher price. If you're prepared to travel after the 22nd August next year and take the kids out of school just for a few days then you'll be able to find something closer to the £5000 mark I would imagine.

As far as the accommodation options go; If you stay at Disney it gives you the added benefit of being able to enter the parks earlier than everybody else. You'll also benefit from the free dining if you book a moderate or luxury hotel before November this year. If you stay at a Disney accommodation you wouldn't require a car rental as transfers to Disney are included within the price.

If you're going to stay at Disney then I would suggest a moderate resort or better - in my opinion the cheaper hotels such as Pop Century aren't as good value since you don't get the inclusion of the dining plan and they are not as good a quality.

If you're going on a budget then don't stay at a Disney hotel. Somebody earlier in this thread was talking about it being just a place to get your head down. Well if this is the case then what the point in paying for a 'Rolex' when a 'Casio' does the same job. Stay in a Best Western or Econolodge for example, you can get these for less than £30 per room per night, they are clean, tidy and comfortable but don't come with bells and whistles - if it's just somewhere to get your head down, these sorts of places have swimming pools etc... but are generally very basic.

A villa is a very popular choice in Orlando. The price on a villa is somewhere in between. A decent 3 - 4 bedroom villa should set you back on average £450 - £500 per week at the time of year you're going. A car hire is an absolute must though since the public transportation from villa locations is terrible. A villa is a great way to get some family time. Can be a bit boring for the kids if there are no communal facilities. I'd imagine a 15 year old would be better placed in a hotel where they might be able to meet some children of a similar age perhaps - there are few opportunities for this in some villa communities but I think you'd be better placed in a complex where you wouldn't have to walk off of a complex to be able to meet friends of a similar age.

Perhaps a condominium would be best suited. You can get 2 - 3 bedroom condos in a complex so that you're not all tripping over one another. Something like Bahama Bay, Tuscana, Lake Eve or Cypress Point for example.

If you're planning on booking everything individually then don't forget this would decrease your protection and you'll find the prices could be higher by doing it DIY.

I too would recommend the Dibb website like Merlinormartin suggested above. It's very resourceful... I use this site everyday to keep up to date with the goings on in Orlando.

Hope this is useful.