Disney Florida

[linzi133]

I've just bitten the bullet and booked a family holiday to Florida next year


So....who has been and what should we do!

Oh and what is good to buy (I plan on lots and lots of shopping)

My LO has ASD and will be 4 so with that in mind what does everyone suggest.

We are staying in a Villa with a private pool in Kisimmee.

Any suggestions really welcome...moneysaving tips welcome too!!!

Lindsey

[charleyfarley]

Well done you

We are in florida right now and loving it although rain does stop play out here. Shall be back with some tips for you later.

When are you going? We got loads of info off the Dibb website

Carol xx

[RainbowMum]

If you child is bothered by loud noise I recommend a set of child size ear defenders. DD gets very upset with loud noise and some of the shows/rides would have been too much without them

[linzi133]

We're going for the first 2 weeks of may! I've looked on the dibb website but there is soo much info I wasn't sure what would be applicable.

My lo is affected by background noise,I was thinking about ear defenders as I'd heard they were good for the flight!

[Cammie Doodle]

Oh I dont know where to start I love love love Florida, my sister goes 3/4 times a year and told me to go to the dollar tree, think its like our £ shops, but they have brill arts and craft stuff that I brought back with me,sad I know The Florida Mall is also a Favourite along with all the outlets, son gets his footwear in bulk whilst we are there as he is a size 14 and struggles in the uk to get any. We "found" Longhorns on our last visit and the steaks were amazing, never managed dessert, so on the last night thats all I did have lol. Love Disney no trip complete without a visit there. We 1st went to Disney when our son was 8 and wore ouselves out thinking we wouldnever go back Well we did and plan to go again. Best advise is plan "rest"/ stay home days , it will make the holiday much more enjoyable. Some of our best days have been pool days then out for dinner . Enjoy

[RachelE]

I have been looking at going.

We havent been before (I went as a child)

Who do you all book it through? - alone or with a travel agent? - it such a minefield!

Thanks
Rachel x

[Greengrass74]

I have been looking at going.

We havent been before (I went as a child)

Who do you all book it through? - alone or with a travel agent? - it such a minefield!

Thanks
Rachel x

We always book everything seperate on line, for flights we use either US Airways or American Airlines and we book with a transfer as it not only saves money, but when you arrive at Orlando airport, (or Sanford) you do not need to go through immigration, which seems to take ages as nearly everyone arriving at Orlando is a tourist.

For the villa we always use an independant website which deals with owners direct, so again cheaper as no "middle man".

Car hire we just use dollar rental.

Park tickets we buy before we go from floridatix website.

In the past we have also booked using Virgin and Travel City they are both ok if you are not comfortable booking things seperate but you can save a small fortune if you book seperatly and shop around. More money to spend on shopping

[RachelE]

Oooh, thanks for that.

Want to go in a couple of years, so we can get saving!

Will have a look around.

Rachel x

[wendywu]

Buy the book the Brits Guide to Disney, it is full of great tips for the the parks and the general area, food shopping etc. It is updated every year. It is a fun read as well

[Childrenatheart]

We went last year with my 9yo dd & 12 yo ds & my parents mid-June. I have to say the weather wasn't fantastic - very hot but lots of rain especially thunderstorms, and all the outdoor rides stop for storms. Having said that we had a fantastic time. We had a villa with a pool about 1/2 hour drive from Disney near Kissimmee and it was gorgeous & much cheaper than something similar in the UK. We booked through Trailfinders who organised the Villa & flights (Virgin) and provided a fantastic service. We booked cars separately but I can't recall the website - something like 'uscarhireonline' but not that iyswim. We ended up buying all the Disney and Universal tickets as there was something in both we wanted to see (inc Harry Potter!). We also got tickets that covered Sea World & Busch Gardens which I preferred to Disney - quieter & more relaxed but beautiful. We got the tickets via Orlandoticketdeals and got 14 days for the price of 7 for Disney (common offer if you book early) and a 6 park Orlando deal that covered Universal etc and the various waterparks. There was loads more we could have done but not enough time. You definitely need to build in a couple of 'down' days or you get theme park overload. We also took ds to Kennedy Space Centre (got a kids go free ticket) which was stunning.

[linzi133]

Oooo thank you everyone.... Keep the tips coming!!!

[wendywu]

Yes re the weather the summer is not the best time to go they have rain and storms most afternoons and it is still hot an humid.

We have been April, and Oct and it was really really hot but no thunder storms. December was cooler but no rain.