First Timer and I'm Baffled already!

[To disney we go]

Originally Posted by Cull32

Oh they are going to be so excited

I'm still unsure about the split hotel thing, the thought of having to pack up my things to move to another hotel is a bit but i will see how the cost changes if i do it that way.
I can't believe the price of the park tickets i honestly didn't realise they were that much

I think i am going to look at a package too, i know it may be a little more, but i get the added security of not having to worry about the airport transfers, and i can fly from Bristol too, which saves me having to spend a fortune getting to and from London on a bus/train.

So far i'm getting decent enough prices with virgin, although that is online and not calling them direct, so i can only choose the one hotel, i might have to give them a call and see what they say

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That’s correct. To do a split hotel stay you would have to either phone or pop into a virgin holiday shop.

Yes, the price adds up when you start to add on all the tickets.

What an amazing experience you are going to give to both you and your son.

[mrsmickey]

Hello and good luck with your first trip!

I got hammered in a Facebook group a couple of years ago for suggesting a budget of £1500pp with direct flights, Disney and universal and a hotel was a tad ambitions, so given that your budget sounds fine!

The first time we went we did it through a TA. We staying in a very mediocre hotel but didn’t care much - you spend a lot of time in the parks and it had a free bus shuttle to Disney, universal, sea world and DC. For us that was perfect as we were not confident in DIY as didn’t really know what we were doing too much. Thankfully we found the DIBB for our next trip! Nonetheless, it might be worth going to a TA and see what they may be able to offer you. Virgin will do split stay if you talk to them but all TAs will price you something up and sometimes Virgin don’t do the best deals. Indirect flights can be a big
Area for saving if you don’t mind it.

I would definitely agree if it is likely to be a one off do look at the Kennedy space centre, it’s so unique and really impactful.

[Ohanaa]

If you do decide to do a diy holiday.. people on the dibb are so helpful and knowledgeable.

Iv booked to go in May and couldn’t of done it DIY without the help on here.

I did get a quote for a package holiday but it came out at over 2k more expensive for essentially everything I priced up on my own. Although that was also flying from Bristol and Iv ended up with flights from London which is fine as we have booked a overnight hotel for the night before for only £30.

Good luck!

[Claudette]

Originally Posted by Cull32

Oh they are going to be so excited

I'm still unsure about the split hotel thing, the thought of having to pack up my things to move to another hotel is a bit but i will see how the cost changes if i do it that way.
I can't believe the price of the park tickets i honestly didn't realise they were that much

I think i am going to look at a package too, i know it may be a little more, but i get the added security of not having to worry about the airport transfers, and i can fly from Bristol too, which saves me having to spend a fortune getting to and from London on a bus/train.

So far i'm getting decent enough prices with virgin, although that is online and not calling them direct, so i can only choose the one hotel, i might have to give them a call and see what they say

See more...

If you are going to do Universal and Disney and particularly as you don’t drive, two hotels really makes sense. We also don’t drive and I think we would soon get pretty tired with transferring from a Disney based hotel to Universal (or vice versa) every day. Fifteen minutes of packing will alleviate a lot of later hassle.

I am not keen on packages, it means a middleman is always involved if you want to tweak something. If you can get a better deal as a package then why not, but an airport transfer is such an easy thing to do, I would not book a package for it.

Tickets really add up. For fourteen days, I would not be looking to add in Discovery Cove or any of the SeaWorld options. There is more than enough at Disney and Universal to keep you occupied a including water parks.

[dav220588]

For Universal I can recommend the Endless Summer resort as a good budget option - it's low priced for an "onsite" hotel and has very regular shuttles about 5 mins over the road to Universal.

I'd echo the other sentiments about switching hotels, it makes a lot of difference at the end of the day to have a fairly quick ride back.

[Stitchesmumanddad]

If you are going late Sep, then the Halloween parties - especially Universal ( and if you can get there Busch Gardens ) will have started. I think Sep is the best time to go !

[cornishfrogboy]

I feel sure that you will have a brilliant time and the advice that you have received already is imho, excellent.. split centre near Disney and near Universal. I would take a look at some of the on site Universals such as Cabana Bay, Endless Summer and Saphire Falls.

Disney I cannot help with as we no longer do it!

I would very much recommend Discovery Cove. It is to us, way and away the finest park in Orlando and an experience that you will never forget. It is also deceptively good value. If you buy a Discovery Cove non swim with Seaworld as the extra park, you will get all your food for free on the D.C. day and it is well worth considering how much this saves in the calculation. You also get to Seaworld, another truly fabulous park with some brilliant rides, particularly infinity falls.
If you are staying at a Universal Hotel, then it is an I Trolley ride along International drive to the gates of Seaworld and a short distance further to Discovery Cove.

For the above reason, I would suggest 7 or 8 at near Disney and 7 or 6 at near Universal.

These are big decisions and I would recommend extensive Utube research in the coming weeks as you decide exactly what to do between you.

I would also print off all of the park maps and study them carefully.. or better still, get some recent park maps off eBay or friends.

Whilst very much into DIY myself, I agree that a package will in probability be best on a first visit and that Sept is a good value time to go.
If you do diy, then a taxi to Universal from MCO is around $55 and a lyft or Uber, cheaper. Others can advise on MCO to near Disney.
I would weigh up both options and prices before jumping one way or the other.

[Nelly7]

If you are looking at a package rather than DIY try giving Ever After Holidays a call, there very knowledgeable and can easily help you plan a split stay. They won’t necessarily be the cheapest but have a lot of positive feedback.
We’re booked with them for later this year for a split stay at Universal and Disney.
As other’s have said, I wouldn’t worry about transfers, plenty of good options from Mears or using Uber/Lyft taxi ride services.
We found the Lyft app really easy to use last time we went in 2019.
Enjoy the planning 😊

[ncmurray]

Originally Posted by Stitchesmumanddad

If you are going late Sep, then the Halloween parties - especially Universal ( and if you can get there Busch Gardens ) will have started. I think Sep is the best time to go !

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I would agree, I think September is one of the best times to go, especially as the crowds tend to be fewer.

Also, in September, the Epcot Food and Wine festival should be going!

[Fairysparkled]

It would be a lot cheaper if you stayed on a package at one hotel than doing a split. A quick check shows. Rosen inn September, 7 nights 2 adults £785, 14 nights £985. per person