Florida & Disney
Discussion
I know this isn't to everyone's taste, but I have the means to take the family to Florida next summer for two weeks. The kids want to go to Disney World, but we also want to do some exploring, Kennedy Space Center is a must for me. I have a lot of thoughts and questions. Would a week in a Disney hotel, then a week in an Airbnb be better than staying in the same place for two weeks? Is there a travel company that would organise everything? Or am I better sorting everything out separately myself? Where are the must visit places and the must avoids?
Apologies, I've not booked such a holiday before and it seems quite daunting considering the costs involved.
Apologies, I've not booked such a holiday before and it seems quite daunting considering the costs involved.
Long time Florida and Disney family holiday man here.
Go to thedibb.co.uk and spend an afternoon browsing through there. The answers to all your questions are there, and many more you haven't even considered.
One tip. Stay in a Disney hotel with a skyline station in it. We had a week in Carribbean Beach last September. It's a really good way to move around.
Oh and one more. Get decent travel insurance. We arrived 2 days before Hurricane Ian did. Nationwide travel paid out over £1500 just like that, no questions asked.
Go to thedibb.co.uk and spend an afternoon browsing through there. The answers to all your questions are there, and many more you haven't even considered.
One tip. Stay in a Disney hotel with a skyline station in it. We had a week in Carribbean Beach last September. It's a really good way to move around.
Oh and one more. Get decent travel insurance. We arrived 2 days before Hurricane Ian did. Nationwide travel paid out over £1500 just like that, no questions asked.
Check out TheDibb - all your questions are answered in detail
I always found the Disney resorts a bit minging. Not worth the money, unless you’re happy spending $$$$$$
I much rather recommend a Villa, close to the parks. They charge for parking now, so I’ve had friends just Uber in every day, which can be cheaper
Kennedy is great, worth a visit.
I always found the Disney resorts a bit minging. Not worth the money, unless you’re happy spending $$$$$$
I much rather recommend a Villa, close to the parks. They charge for parking now, so I’ve had friends just Uber in every day, which can be cheaper
Kennedy is great, worth a visit.
Personally I'd rather slit my wrists than stay on Disney, horrendous rooms with ridiculous prices but we don't have kids so only do a day at each park we just hit them hard and fast. Kennedy I also found very underwhelming.
Back Feb next year and likely back end of next year too
Just make sure your fully aware of all the Disney costs, genie plus, lightning lanes, food costs and overpriced tat that kids will always want
Back Feb next year and likely back end of next year too
Just make sure your fully aware of all the Disney costs, genie plus, lightning lanes, food costs and overpriced tat that kids will always want
We always hire a villa with a pool and have a good hire car.
Staying in the Orlando Kissimmee area the whole time as it is easy for both Disney and Universal and shopping, dining and day trips to the space coast and gulf coast.
The Disney water parks are great.
You can have too much Disney so space out the activities.
We get to the attractions early and often setting off in the dark especially at Christmas time.
Staying in the Orlando Kissimmee area the whole time as it is easy for both Disney and Universal and shopping, dining and day trips to the space coast and gulf coast.
The Disney water parks are great.
You can have too much Disney so space out the activities.
We get to the attractions early and often setting off in the dark especially at Christmas time.
Trustmeimadoctor said:
Personally I'd rather slit my wrists than stay on Disney, horrendous rooms with ridiculous prices but we don't have kids so only do a day at each park we just hit them hard and fast. Kennedy I also found very underwhelming.
Back Feb next year and likely back end of next year too
Just make sure your fully aware of all the Disney costs, genie plus, lightning lanes, food costs and overpriced tat that kids will always want
I don’t like to ‘advise’ on WDW as people’s way of doing it varies, plus, although we’ve been maybe 25 times our last trip was 2019. We had 2020 booked but it got cancelled and haven’t felt we want to go back until it settles down more (I believe that is happening now).Back Feb next year and likely back end of next year too
Just make sure your fully aware of all the Disney costs, genie plus, lightning lanes, food costs and overpriced tat that kids will always want
I think if you’re going to have a WDW focussed holiday then it makes sense to stay on-site. Big advantage is you don’t have to do the “hit them hard” thing - it’s a lot easier to come and go. If you’ve got kids and they’re having a grumpy day you don’t want to be 10hrs in a park with them because you got a single day ticket. We get in early, do a few hours, then go back in the evening - with length of stay passes it takes a lot of pressure off.
When they used to throw in the Dining, which is starting to come back, then that took a lot of edge off the pricing. With a couple of kids a standard room would be tight though - there’s not much space to store stuff as Americans typically only go for 4 to 5 days. The few resorts that do bigger rooms are a lot dearer.
Off site our go to villa resort is Windsor Hills and we get a 6 bed villa as we prefer the layout of those.
ETA: I forgot about the family suites at All-Star Music Resort and Art of Animation Resorts - these are "cheaper" Disney resorts and apparently can be a bit "lively", with busy food courts and park busses etc.
Oh, and we went to Kennedy for the first time during our 2019 trip as we had our oldest granddaughter (8 at the time) with us and we all thought it was pretty good, but not something to repeat.
Edited by Sheepshanks on Friday 1st September 12:35
Best way to stay on Disney property is to rent DVC points. Can be done privately or via a rental site (for more protection but higher cost)
DVC depending on the size have small kitchens in them so can cook to save a few $. Aswell as can have multiple bedrooms if you want privacy.
Most of the standard studios will sleep 4/5
DVC depending on the size have small kitchens in them so can cook to save a few $. Aswell as can have multiple bedrooms if you want privacy.
Most of the standard studios will sleep 4/5
fourstardan said:
I think for the price of Florida when you look at two weeks I would probably rather do 10 days in California if it was to serve the kids.
Universal is there and Sea World down the coast in San Diego.
Only exception is Kennedy which I think my son would prefer more than Disney TBH.
For me Florida offers much more than cali ever can when it comes to this kind of holidayUniversal is there and Sea World down the coast in San Diego.
Only exception is Kennedy which I think my son would prefer more than Disney TBH.
But the best Disney experience by all accounts is Tokyo
Just don't underestimate his much money you need it's basically blank cheque and worry about it later
Since dining plan has gone the way of the dodo being captive at Disney isn't fun when it's $6 a coke and 5 for a water
Sheepshanks said:
ETA: I forgot about the family suites at All-Star Music Resort and Art of Animation Resorts - these are "cheaper" Disney resorts and apparently can be a bit "lively", with busy food courts and park busses etc.
I think one of these establishments would be the one I had the misfortune of staying in for a night a few years back when we went to Orlando for 2 days.Absolutely god-awful - thank God it was only for one night. I'd rather have been in a UK Premier Inn.
Staying on site is massively convenient, but the problem I found is that the hotels you'd actually want to stay in are $$$$$$$$
Muzzer79 said:
I think one of these establishments would be the one I had the misfortune of staying in for a night a few years back when we went to Orlando for 2 days.
Absolutely god-awful - thank God it was only for one night. I'd rather have been in a UK Premier Inn.
Staying on site is massively convenient, but the problem I found is that the hotels you'd actually want to stay in are $$$$$$$$
All stars room have been refurbished in the past few years. Absolutely god-awful - thank God it was only for one night. I'd rather have been in a UK Premier Inn.
Staying on site is massively convenient, but the problem I found is that the hotels you'd actually want to stay in are $$$$$$$$
Is basically a Disney themed motel mind you. We stay for 1/2 nights before moving to a DVC deluxe and it serves its purpose.
I do enjoy the food court mind you.
But id not want to spend 14 nights there as some do.
If anyone needs any WDW advice. feel free to message me. I got back last week from Florida
Edited by J210 on Friday 1st September 12:50
J210 said:
Best way to stay on Disney property is to rent DVC points. Can be done privately or via a rental site (for more protection but higher cost)
DVC depending on the size have small kitchens in them so can cook to save a few $. Aswell as can have multiple bedrooms if you want privacy.
Most of the standard studios will sleep 4/5
I've looked at doing that but never really figured out how to make it work.DVC depending on the size have small kitchens in them so can cook to save a few $. Aswell as can have multiple bedrooms if you want privacy.
Most of the standard studios will sleep 4/5
Wife & I did have a couple of weeks in a studio at Saratoga Springs, which is a DVC resort, but we paid for it on some kind of deal so was a very acceptable price especially as at the time it included the top level dining plan "free". It was very nice, but the bedroom only had a king bed and I couldn't see it working very well with a couple of kids on the sofa bed in the kitchen/living room.
I agree with above, Villa with pool and a decent hire car. We did this in June / July
Only downside for me, was that the I4 was stationary most of the time !
Hopefully you aren't left in the position we were. The Villa we booked through AirBnB last November was cancelled by the host a week before we were due to fly! Didn't leave much time to find a replacement, which we fortunately did but was further out in Davenport.
Only downside for me, was that the I4 was stationary most of the time !
Hopefully you aren't left in the position we were. The Villa we booked through AirBnB last November was cancelled by the host a week before we were due to fly! Didn't leave much time to find a replacement, which we fortunately did but was further out in Davenport.
I've done both, early days we did the hotels but then did the villa thing with a car and never went back to the hotels. Well, we did for walk abouts and things like character breakfasts with the kids. The next 20'ish times we went, were all in villas, own pool and a nice car.
The drive to Kennedy is easy, me and the lad normally do that while the women get an Uber and go shopping for the day, win, win, until the credit card bill comes in,
Haven't been since 2019, this is the longest period of time with no Florida, used to go twice a year some years as well, when it was actually affordable. The last trip for 5 of us cost somewhere around £10-15k for two weeks.
Do often get an urge to go back, but just can't justify the cost. Once the now grown kids can pay for themselves and maybe treat us in our old age, we'll definitely go back though. Just hope I'm not so old I can't enjoy the park rides!!
The drive to Kennedy is easy, me and the lad normally do that while the women get an Uber and go shopping for the day, win, win, until the credit card bill comes in,
Haven't been since 2019, this is the longest period of time with no Florida, used to go twice a year some years as well, when it was actually affordable. The last trip for 5 of us cost somewhere around £10-15k for two weeks.
Do often get an urge to go back, but just can't justify the cost. Once the now grown kids can pay for themselves and maybe treat us in our old age, we'll definitely go back though. Just hope I'm not so old I can't enjoy the park rides!!
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