DisneyWorld newbie

[Countdown]

Hi folks

Just thinking about holidays at the moment (family of 6). Normally we probably spend about £3k to £4k per year going abroad and usually go to Turkey, Egypt, or Asia. However, for a change, the kids would love to go to Florida (and so would I ).

How much will I need to spend for a decent holiday? By "decent" I mean reasonable hotel, maybe 3/4 theme parks, and all food and drinks.

Also I'm looking for minimal stress "all-in-one" package so which would be the best company to book with?

Thanks in advance

[Countdown]

Cheers crafty.

However I'd prefer the package approach if possible. Have seen them for about £800 plus food plus theme parks so far so, back of a fag paper calcs suggest £1200pp ??

[Countdown]

Firstly thanks all for the info so far - lots for me to think about.

Because its the first time for us in the US and with 4 kids in tow I want everything to be zero hassle, that's why I'm thinking package deals/hotels/on site Disney kind of thing. Appreciate ths might cost a bit more and didn't realise villas were so cheap.

With regards to sharing with other families that's actually part of the attraction

[Countdown]

Hi folks

Just to say thanks again for all the comments - very interesting and lots of things I hadn't realised / thought about.

Long story short - "She who must be obeyed" has given permission for me to go ahead and book it. We're looking at the last 2 weeks in August, rough budget £1500-£2000pp for a 10-14nt stay.

Ive got a stack of brochures that Im going to go through over the next couple of weeks and then I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

[Countdown]

Crafty_ said:

Back to your original question I think you are looking at double/triple the budget of your euro holidays

You are spot on !

Normally we spend about £500 per head, this is looking 3x as much.

[Countdown]

LuS1fer said:

Personally, we take the (young) kids out of school and go end April, beginning May when the weather is perfect and the parks aren't over-crowded.

Fair point. Unfortunately back end of May tends to be exam time and neither my wife nor the School will be too keen.

Now that you mention it - maybe a week before or after half term???

Damn this is complicated

[Countdown]

Sorry yes – perhaps I should have made that clearer. As it’s the first time and there seems to be shedloads to do just at Disney, I was thinking about a resort hotel (on the grounds that it would be easier to stay on site).. But nobody mentioned it so I thought I was missing something.

So – anybody recommend a resort for 4 kids aged between 6 and 21? Youngest 2 love Disney cartoons (princesses, mermaids etc), teenage son likes things that go fast, and eldest won’t be particularly bothered,

Cheers

[Countdown]

pherlopolus said:

now dont get me wrong, but we tend to do disneyland paris - gives better access to cast etc.

Problem is I think you need to spend £5-600 to have a good time at DP. I thought I might as well go the whole hog and go to Orlando (assuming it would be £1k each. I realise now that it's a bit more but tbh I'm sure the experience will be worth it

pherlopolus said:

EPcot is a good 2 days and an evening for the fireworks, Ditto Disneyworld, Animal Kingdom a day, couple of water parks and a studio visit (or 2)

thats 10 days if you have a rest day or 2, then you have the Boardwalk/Shopping etc.

and you have to do sea world!

In all honestly you could go for a month and still not get bored!

Therein lies the problem. I'd always assumed that DW was like Alton Towers but a bit bigger. It's probably 10 times as big

pherlopolus said:

How old are your kids? in to harry potter?

Not really into HP. They're 21F/13M/10F/6F.

[Countdown]

aka_kerrly said:

I completely disagree. There is only one ride at Euro Disney which is better than the equivalent at Disney World - Space Mountain. In all other areas the Paris Disney cannot be compared to the PROPER experience that Disney Florida delivers, literally everything is on a larger scale, you really do get more bang for your buck!

OP: Your kids have a pretty good age range where there are attractions for everyone!!!! Don't forget that in between the Disney parks you also get the water parks - blizzard beach and typhoon lagoon - also very good days out.

I've stayed in the All Star resort and Dixie Landings - which is Old Orleans now. Both were great fun, the All Star hotel is the 'cheaper' version but is rammed full of Disney characters so character breakfasts were easy to book.

Cheers

[Countdown]

Right folks - I need to do this in chronological order. Step 1 - what's the best time to go? My options are;

Go 1 week before Easter (for 2 weeks)
Go summer half term plus 1 week after
Last two weeks in August

I need
minimum queuing
reasonable weather (we're OK up to 30'C)

Thanks again - I didn't realise how much choice there was.

[Countdown]

Hadn't realised there were so many other Parks tbh. We "may" not stay just at Disney.

The KSC thing - whilst me and my son would love it my 3 daughters would be bored rigid.

[Countdown]

telecat said:

Off in November this year. Went late November early December last year. It's generally quieter but busy enough for everything to be open. The Universal Parks, Sea World etc are where the fast rides are with those at Disney being more sedate but still not all "kiddie". The Faster Rides at Disney are in the newer parks with The Rock and Roller coaster and the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios being the fastest, scariest.

Accommodation wise I would go with a villa as recommended with that number in the party. With a pool you'll find the kids occupied while you sort things out or chill out. Hotels generally are pretty good and large but you'll feel cramped in and as stated Food is usually not included. Villas do tend to be further out however usually Kissimmee is close by and there are plenty of Restaurants along the 192.

Food wise I would go to one of the theme restaurants, Planet Hollywood is the one near Disney and Universal has the Hard Rock Cafe, but the restaurants on I Drive are pretty good as are those on 192 in Kissimmee.

I usually go for a package with Virgin these days. The aircraft are comfortable and the on board entertainment is really good. The Car with them would be Voyager sized but the extra Insurance/Petrol is usually worth getting if only so you can just use the fuel and leave the car at the end of the Holiday. They also have a facility to check in your luggage prior to leaving so you can go off and shop or use your remaining time at Disney Universal or as we do shopping. You could also try Travel City which is a Virgin Subsidiary these days. They try to be cheaper than Virgin but use Virgin Atlantic so it remains quite comfortable.

Shopping is another good reason to look around. The prices are pretty good with the New Outlet at the top of I-Drive being very good for clothes. Florida Mall has the "Big" stores along with some interesting upmarket brands and Novelty outlets. Along the 192 and Vineland Road there are a good few "Outlets" as well with the VF in the Lake Buena Vista Outlet selling a number of American brands such a Lee jeans.

Thanks that's all very useful and tallies with what I've been reading.

We've decided to go during the last 2 weeks of October. "Stage 2" is deciding where to stay.

Based on what I ve read so far (and budget) I'm looking for a 3 bedroom apartment or hotel ideally on International Drive clo to shops, restaurants, and equidistant from WDWR and Universal. Any recommendations?

Once again thanks for all the comments. Im stunned at how much choice/variety/options there are. Also a bit surprised at how expensive it is I'd assumed £2k pp would be comfortable whereas it's only just about sufficient.

[Countdown]

einsign said:

Best time to go from experience is after November thanks giving. Either that or take a disabled person with you to jump the queues (sorry lines), we did once!

Lines seem to be at their lowest at end-October from what I can see?

[Countdown]

mattman said:

Telecat - we find it cheaper to book virgin fly drive and not bother extending the car, in fact we don't even pick it up. Hiring a car through usrentacar.com or similar is cheaper for the whole stay than the cost to extend the virgin car. Just don't tell virgin this or they'll charge you 70 quid to remove it from your booking

Matt - the quotes I've had from usrentacar are £557 for 10 days. If I take the Virhin car I'm paying £410 for the full insurance for 10 days. Surely I'm better off taking the Virgin car? It will be an 8seater MPV btw.

[Countdown]

Still at Stage 2 (Accommodation)………

Right –apologies if this is stating the “bleedin’ obvious” but it seems that a Villa offers both better value and better enjoyment than a Hotel.

That being the case can people recommend an area/resort (or even Villa if they are Disney regulars) which is convenient for WDW? Needs to be a minimum 4 bedroom.

Also what’s the best way of having satnav over there? I’m thinking NavFree for Iphone. Anybody have any opinions?

Cheers

[Countdown]

Cheers both

[Countdown]

Hi Matt

Minimum 4 bed. Might be more if other family members decide to tag along.

Has your friend got a website?

[Countdown]

mattman said:

Here you go -no link to him other than a work colleague so not making any momney out of passing it on!

www.vrbo.com/215356

If you want to contact him direct, PM me and I'll send you his contact details

Cheers - that looks fantastic.

Just received a quote from Thomsons - it's for one of their "Gold Choice" villas, includes car hire and works out pretty close to "Flights-Car Hire - Villa" if I do it independently. It's also about 30% less than their website price which I can't figure out?

Most flights seem to be ITRO £800pp return. Am I looking in the wrong place?

[Countdown]

FiF said:

OP meant to post this when you started your thread but forgot, sorry.

My usual advice to Florida noobs is to purchase the Bible

Cheers - on preorder

[Countdown]

Thanks.

Any suggestions about satnavs? AFAICS my options are

Get a US SIM card with data allowance and use Google maps on my IPhone

Use NavFree on IPhone which apparently doesnt need a data connection

Buy or rent a TomTom