Orlando Holiday

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dodo

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Thinking of having once in a life time holiday to Orlando Florida theme Parks 2 adults ,3Kids just wondering should we just book with American Holidays or is there a better way to book through,cheers
 
Hi Dodo,

We've been to Orlando a few times (2AD & 2Ch), and it really is a brilliant holiday, you won't regret the extra cost. We've used American Holidays a couple of times and found them very easy to deal with, no real problems.
We've also done the "DIY" option, which is a little more hassle (not much) but can be a lot cheaper.
As its your 1st time you may feel a bit more at ease getting the travel agent to book everything, but when you think about it, to arrange it all yourself all you need is:
Flights (Skyscanner, Expedia etc)
Accomodation (OwnersDirect etc)
Car (Definitely need this, loads online)
Theme Park Tickets (again, online)

I'd also recommend this forum www.thedibb.co.uk which is an excellent resource no matter which way you decide to book it.


You'll have a great time in Orlando. There's so much to do and see, I hope you're not expecting to get a rest! Enjoy!!
 
Not enquiring for myself but just wondering if the timing of the visit is essential. I know from previous visits to theme parks local school holidays and weather can be very important along with timing of school holidays here.
 
Sue Ellen said:
.. just wondering if the timing of the visit is essential. .
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I been there three times. The second visit was in September 1999 and we lost out because of a hurricane that threatened to make landfall in Florida. As it panned out, it went north to the Carolinas but we had to deal with two days in Orlando with all theme parks closed. Believe me, there's little else to do when businesses have pulled up the shutters ! At least back then it was just the two of us.

The third, and last, time was earlier this year. We took the kids out of school a week early before Easter and got the benefit of relatively less crowds. The difference in the parks the following week, when US school were on break, was significant. Queue times, specifically at Potterworld, practically doubled.
 
Travelled to Orlando 2nd January and it was wonderful. Weather was excellent, mornings a little cold but the days were lovely. Certainly the holiday of a lifetime, not expensive as holidays go but depends on the strength of the dollar.
Adults enjoyed it as much as the children. Good luck have a wonderful holiday, Browtal
 
We went to Orlando in March three years ago and it was lovely at that time with the temps in the low to mid 20's. We booked the accommodation and car hire through Expedia and flew direct from Dublin with aer lingus (not sure if they still fly there). We stayed in a resort called Liki Tiki village which was great as it had 3 pools with water slides which the kids loved. It was 20 mins or so from Disney which was fine but you would need a car.
We're looking forward to going there again sometime.
 
Went there in September this year for the second time really great holiday other than getting delayed in jfk going and coming back we flew delta which to be honest i would not fly with again . What made our holiday was the hotel it was our second time staying there and it was as good as the first from the moment we walked in till the time we checked out we were treated like a king and queen and the hotel was fantastic seaworld very near as was universal and wet and wild.You might need a car to go to some parks but to be honest the hotel had its own shuttle and cars that will drive you. Works out the same as renting a car and the i trolley was great stoped right outside the hotel . If you want the name of the hotel pm me and i will give it to you ok
 
Been twice in past 4 yrs both at Easter....did it DIY.... Just booked flights and went from there. Stayed at caribe royale hotel. Highly recommend. My kids loved it.... Great pool area with slide , fitness centre, most nights show outdoor movies on big screen near pool with free popcorn.On Easter Sunday had fab Easter egg hunt for kids! Great location .... 10 mins from Disney and loads shops restaraunts close by. Free parking which is rare in Orlando. If u don't want to drive shuttle buses to main parks. Heading back next Easter if can stretch it and will def stay there....
 
If you can afford it I suggest you book two different hotels one in the Disney area and one within the Universal Studios compex ( there are three to choose from inc Hard Rock hotel). The benefit of booking within Universal is that your room key allows you jump to the front of the queue on all rides within Islands of Adventure and Universal.(except H Potter ride) This can be fantastic at busy times such as Easter. So my advise on a two week break would be 3/4 days at Universal (Hotels are very expensive) and the rest of your time at some hotel or apartment complex near Disney (most are very good).
 
I was in Orlando earlier. Definitely stay in a hotel in the Universal complex as every day you get to skip the line for each ride once. Plus entry to the park is included in the price of the room, so even if you see hotels nearby that are cheaper, you need to factor in the price of entry to parks. If you're planning on leaving the parks a car is essential. Cabs are not very common and I found the bus system to be very unreliable. Plus everything is absolutely miles away from everything else making walking around impossible. If you are going for any reason other than the parks - Orlando is nothing special.
 
JamesMorgan said:
..Definitely stay in a hotel in the Universal complex as every day you get to skip the line for each ride once. Plus entry to the park is included in the price of the room, ..
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Unless it's part of a special package, only the skip-the-line part is included with the room - theme park tickets have to be purchased separately.
 
Hi!

If you need to find a hotel in Orlando I would recommend to you to have a look to this website in which you can refine your searches as you need: fogg.co.uk/q/hotels-in-orlando-united-states
and a website with a lot of useful information about Orlando: visitorlando.com

I hope you find it interesting
Regards!
 
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