Florida Trip - Starting to Pre-Plan!

coxella

Hi everyone,


We are looking at Florida in about 3/4 years time, we're a family of 2 adults and 2 kids (the kids will prob be classed as adult prices by the time we go).
I know I need to save heavily but I am looking for people's knowledge on what time of year to travel/where to go/good value/places to stay/advice on trips, etc.
Is there a good blog/forum/site out there that someone can recommend please as I'm sure this is a lot to research.


Many thanks..

jaytar

One of the best sites is https://www.thedibb.co.uk. Everything you could possibly want to know. We are off to Florida on Monday and this site has been our main source of info, especially the forums.

steve1500

For the flights you might want to consider collecting virgin Atlantic miles

vivatifosi

Are you looking to go to Disney or for a beach holiday? Although you say the kids will be treated as adults, how old are they and are they in education? These sort of things factor in to plans.

My favourite times to go are early-mid November and late January. In the case of the former it is after hurrican season and the weather tends to be less humid but still warm enough to swim in the pools etc. At Disney, you the Food and Wine festival is in full swing in Epcot, with free concerts (with admission tickets) as well as a very nice vibe. In January, it has traditionally been quieter, though as the economies of Brazil and Argentina have picked up you get a lot of tour groups as it is their Summer school holidays then. Similarly you get a lot more Australians, though they are way more discreet, as there don't tend to me 60 of them walking around in a group. January is cooler (typically low 20s centigrade), but lovely compared to here. Sometimes it is just nice to get away somewhere warm in the middle of winter.

Personally I find the summer too hot, but I understand that some have no choice but to go then. If the kids are in school, if you can reach agreement to take one week holiday, then adding this on to the one week at half term in October is a great time to go. The flights do tend to fill quickly then, but the theme parks (if that's where you want to go) are much quieter as the American schools are not out at the same time. The Food and Wine festival is running at that time too.

lea2012

We're going next April just after easter but in the school holidays. We went against the grain and booked a package with Thomson as we got a fantastic deal. We've paid £1050 each (2 adults,1child all the same price) for two weeks. We've got a 3* apartment complex just off international drive which has self catering facilities as well as a free breakfast each day, unlimited tickets to Disney and universal, car hire and flights on the dreamliner for that price. We'll need to purchase the car insurance separately but this will only be about £220. I think we've got a great deal considering the theme park tickets would have been £400 almost on their own.
We booked as soon as the holidays became available on the website and we booked what they call an 'all in one package' on their website
We've found thedibb forum to be a great source of info and would certainly suggest looking at it.

zagfles

Yes, the problem with Florida is the UK school holidays are the worst times to go, Christmas and Easter are very busy and August is just horrible (hot and humid, hurricane season, and rammed).

As above try to go off peak and outside the summer months. Accomodation is cheap off peak as there's so much of it. Don't be scared of hiring a car, driving is easy and there's so much to see in Florida, it's not just theme parks.

richardw

Which month and year will your eldest child have their 12th Birthday?

coxella

thanks everyone for the good info...yes kids are in school so will have to be school holidays and they'll (twins) be 12 before I've saved up enough to go!

juneyspooney_2

I go to Florida regularly and planning is the key! I would say the best time to go is April /May as it is not so crowded and the temperature is bearable. The humidity in Florida is near enough 100%, in July/August it is hot and sticky! Look at a forum called Disney with a British accent, they give wonderful advice to make your trip magical, have fun, you will love it!

crazycamper

Some good advice on here, planning is the key. If you have to do school holidays, you are going to have crowds no matter what. Christmas & Easter is very busy, would you consider doing the May Whit week or October half term ? Would certainly avoid the 6 weeks Summer holiday if you can. Many first timers to Florida underestimate the heat & the crowds, especially in Disney. Have a good think about what theme parks you want to visit too and also do you want to drive or are you happy to catch the shuttles or I Ride. I would be thinking about those sort of things before you start worrying about exact dates. Good luck, Florida is fab with a bit of careful planning

pollypenny

Don't just do theme parks. The Gulf Coast is beautiful, with bigger places like Clearwater and St Petes and smaller places like Indian Rocks, which we love.

We also love Tarpon Springs, a Greek town, founded by sponge fishers. We contemplated buying there at one time, lovely beach, too.