Expensive

[rach445]

Hi 👋 everyone,
I have been on here since 2014 - thing is I have a partner who is a teacher and I really want to take the family to Orlando - but the prices during the school holidays are mindblowing! There is 6 of us and its looking over 7k I paid 3k back in 2014!
Question is anyone done universal on a budget? How to keep the cost down

[Floridarules]

Are you talking just flights or package ?

For 6 now, Disney tickets alone would be £3000. Universal tickets £1800.😕
For me, it’s the tickets that are making a huge difference.

Having to travel in peak times is so frustrating, tell me about it!

Ways to keep cheaper, fly indirect, stay at Rosen or similar (lots of people on here love them), trouble is for 6- looking 2 rooms?
There are lots of 2 bedroom suites, that offer good value though.

[123]

Originally Posted by rach445

Hi 👋 everyone,
I have been on here since 2014 - thing is I have a partner who is a teacher and I really want to take the family to Orlando - but the prices during the school holidays are mindblowing! There is 6 of us and its looking over 7k I paid 3k back in 2014!
Question is anyone done universal on a budget? How to keep the cost down

See more...

The price isn't that bad in reality. Just on inflation alone your 3k in 2014 would be 3.8k today.

However in that time the value of your pound against the dollar has also dropped about 30%

So your 7k today would have only been 4.6k if Brexit hadn't tanked and destroyed the UK economy.

So once you take inflation and exchnage rates out of this the holiday is £800 more, this could easily be explained away by the kids getting older or a better standard of hotel than last time etc...

[grinner82]

There are always ways to shave costs , indirect flights , get food delivered to your resort so you can have breakfasts sorted , share meals but there is also the question of how enjoyable it is if it stretches you.

It is very expensive , and to be honest it’s not worth the cost in reality but only you can know what’s best.

I’m off to universal for 10 days in August and staying at Aventura with directs flights was £1350 then add airport parking ( £166) over night hotel (£90) tickets for universal (£295) it starts adding up.

In contrast I’m also going in August 2023 as Dad wants to go for his 80th birthday and he’s paying for us . 6 people two weeks at Port Orleans flying TUI premium is 20k. That’s a new car! It’s not something I would pay and it’s an awful lot but shows how reasonable this year is!

I would say unless you can afford it, don’t stretch yourself as I don’t think it’s worth it. It’s nice but not necessary in my opinion.

[AndyGB]

Consider boomerang flights as a way to reduce the cost.

For example flying BA economy Heathrow - Miami 22nd May / returning 5th June is £400 more expensive per adult than Dublin - Heathrow - Miami then Miami - Heathrow - London City - Dublin on the same dates, but obviously you just don't go to London City when you get off at Heathrow. That is for the exact same Miami - Heathrow flights.

Yes it's not as convenient and you have to factor in the costs of getting to Dublin for the outbound leg (we use Ryanair) but it still makes a saving and as there are 6 of you it will add up.

We are 6 and are doing that for our trip in August/September and saved over £1000 per person as we are flying business class.

[aqualiv]

Originally Posted by rach445

Hi 👋 everyone,
I have been on here since 2014 - thing is I have a partner who is a teacher and I really want to take the family to Orlando - but the prices during the school holidays are mindblowing! There is 6 of us and its looking over 7k I paid 3k back in 2014!
Question is anyone done universal on a budget? How to keep the cost down

See more...

Is that a like for like comparison though? Surely you will have more/older children than when you went in 2014

Ways to save costs - stay in a condo offsite
In direct flights, be flexible on UK airport

[lizzie145]

Originally Posted by AndyGB

Consider boomerang flights as a way to reduce the cost.

For example flying BA economy Heathrow - Miami 22nd May / returning 5th June is £400 more expensive per adult than Dublin - Heathrow - Miami then Miami - Heathrow - London City - Dublin on the same dates, but obviously you just don't go to London City when you get off at Heathrow. That is for the exact same Miami - Heathrow flights.

Yes it's not as convenient and you have to factor in the costs of getting to Dublin for the outbound leg (we use Ryanair) but it still makes a saving and as there are 6 of you it will add up.

We are 6 and are doing that for our trip in August/September and saved over £1000 per person as we are flying business class.

See more...

providing your bags aren't checked in for the whole journey and end up at the final destination.

plus airlines dont really like you doing this

[Softy]

Originally Posted by lizzie145

providing your bags aren't checked in for the whole journey and end up at the final destination.

plus airlines dont really like you doing this

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They can’t be checked in all the way through if you have to switch airports, like in that example (heathrow-city).

They don’t like it at all if you drop the last leg on these tickets. They do go after repeat offenders. Technically they could charge you the price it would’ve been had you not booked the last leg and also go after your air mile accounts.

[cornishfrogboy]

The pound dollar rate was an average of 1.64 in 2014. It is now 1.20. That alone means that your £3000 in 2014 would be £4000 today.

Inflation is on average 2.4 % in the 8 years between 2014 and 2022 .. that not even taking into account the very clear spike that is occurring right now, adding a further 10% in the next year. With compounded rates, that must devalue everything by 25% .. so that £4000 adjusted cost due to the exchange rate is now £5000 once further adjusted for inflation. So, in real terms, you paid £5000 in real , today terms for that 2014 vacation.

It is no secret that there is a lot of pent up demand, with potential travellers who were thwarted by Covid in 2020 and 2021, holding onto their 2 years of vacation money until the Covid factor allowed travel once more. Travel Companies are well aware of this fact and are themselves in a parlous state, trying to recover from 2 years of lost revenue. They are clawing back as much as they can.

It is no secret that in desperation, certain airlines and TA’s issued millions of credit notes, even though they had a legal obligation to give a full refund. More fool those who took them. Those credit notes have a use by date and those dates are approaching fast. The airlines etc, would clearly like to devalue them as much as possible.
As an example, say an airline beginning with ‘VA’ charges £1300 return for a ticket, direct from LHR to MCO. It sounds extortionate, but if you are holding a credit note for £650 that is soon to expire, you will unhappily pay a further £650 in order to fly. The other major player (beginning with ‘BA’) might be cheaper at £900, but the credit note holder will still fly with ‘VA’.
VA will have in effect, devalued the credit note to nothing, whilst still getting the £650 that they would normally have expected from occupancy of that seat.

It is no secret that the parks are packed and so by extension, will be the Hotels. With this demand, they are hardly in any rush to discount anything at all.

I do not want to be negative. I note that you are talking Universal only. Imho £7000 with just Universal tickets would represent a good deal in these current times.
At a brilliant £600pp flight deal, you are at £3600
At a remarkable £800 per week for a Villa, you are up to £5200.
Tickets for Universal will be £275 plus.. £1925.. that takes you to £7000 plus!
Then we add cars or transfers.

Personally, I am out on Florida, viewing better deals on the West Coast. I am fortunate to have been to Orlando, many times.

[Moorlandman]

£7k for 6 people is a great deal if it includes flights, accommodation and tickets for 6 people in school holidays.