Tired of people having a downer on Florida

[mickey house]

Originally Posted by JLH

I haven’t told anyone apart from really close friends we are going back to Florida as they do assume it is really expensive . There is one person in particular at work who keeps asking and I feel awful but I say I haven’t booked anywhere yet as I know she will judge .I originally wanted a week in Greece ( I work term time)there are six of us and we wanted a villa and it was coming in at around £2500-3000 for a week just for villa. Flights were around £350 mark each . I looked at Florida as youngest asked and villa for ten days £1170 flights I got as part of flydrive for around £580 each so total price around the same . I couldn’t spend ten days in Orlando with no parks so consequently have spent just over £2000 on tickets . My son is happy to be going back - me not so much as the weather isn’t guaranteed and my hearts not in it like it used to be . I am definitely going to try and book early for Europe next year and an already looking forward to it.

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£2,500-£3,000 for just one week's rental for 6 people, are you serious, and was it a mansion with butlers?

[JoJo88]

Originally Posted by Smilesonfaces

I agree that it can sometimes be cheaper to go to Florida. In 2017 we got flights for £241 each and a villa for £500 a week. This was Oct half term. We had to drive from Lancashire to Gatwick but we are always prepared to be flexible because we can only go on holiday if we can get it at the right price. Manchester flights are nearly always a lot more than London.

It is the tickets in Florida that are the killer and I am not sure we could go all that way and do no parks at all.

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Absolutely, tickets are so expensive! We’re probably just going to drop BG this year as we haven’t been for a while.


I also understand that anyone can get anything cheaper than anywhere as there are always compromises, so just to say that when I say Florida was cheaper than Europe for us, that was comparing what we were going to book in Menorca compared to what we actually booked in Florida. Yes there would have been cheaper villas in Spain but we chose the one we wanted that fit all our requirements, (without trying to make it more expensive than Florida so that we could then justifying going back to Fl ).

I’m completely off topic here though! OP, I’m not sure I’ve ever had negative responses to our holiday choices

[Lindaelaine]

Originally Posted by Moorlandman

Not sure I could spend 2 weeks in Orlando without the parks especially after a 9hr flight. Probably best off staying elsewhere

Plus the weather isn’t exactly wall to wall sunshine from June to September. Take today in Orlando, heavy rain and shops will be packed.

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I don't understand why the nine hour flight makes a difference if you aren't doing parks ?
When we were looking at villas in Europe we were looking at like for like as to what we get in Orlando , the only villas for six of us and the same standard as we get in Orlando were more or less double the price , we were only going for a week in Europe but by flying indirect we were paying slightly less for two weeks in Orlando as opposed to just one week in Europe , ok we then need to pay for a weeks extra food but we are getting a two week holiday instead of a one week holiday . We were not bothered about the parks , we wouldn't have had parks in Europe , we love Florida , the restaurants , there is as much to do there as there is in Europe even without the parks , the weather can be iffy anywhere , I would certainly choose Florida over Europe for an extra week at the same price even though it's an extra five hour flight 😊

[JLH]

Originally Posted by mickey house

£2,500-£3,000 for just one week's rental for 6 people, are you serious, and was it a mansion with butlers?

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if only villas in Greece do tend to be expensive, some parts of Spain and Cyprus tend to be cheaper though but I wanted Greece

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by Lindaelaine

I don't understand why the nine hour flight makes a difference if you aren't doing parks ?
When we were looking at villas in Europe we were looking at like for like as to what we get in Orlando , the only villas for six of us and the same standard as we get in Orlando were more or less double the price , we were only going for a week in Europe but by flying indirect we were paying slightly less for two weeks in Orlando as opposed to just one week in Europe , ok we then need to pay for a weeks extra food but we are getting a two week holiday instead of a one week holiday . We were not bothered about the parks , we wouldn't have had parks in Europe , we love Florida , the restaurants , there is as much to do there as there is in Europe even without the parks , the weather can be iffy anywhere , I would certainly choose Florida over Europe for an extra week at the same price even though it's an extra five hour flight 😊

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I am with you on the flight bit. Whether I am visiting theme parks or not has no relevance to how far I am prepared to fly. If I have to sit in an aluminium tube for a total of 9 hours to get to Pensacola, Anna Maria or Venice instead of a few hours to Benidorm, Kavos or Asia Napa , then so be it. It’s worth it. In any case I have to sit in a steel, four wheel box for 6 hours plus, just in order to get to those cheap flights from Gatwick or Stanstead .Even Bristol involves an ‘overnight before flight’, so 9 instead of say, 3, 4 or even 5 is no great deal.
Some people living in the South East or near to major airports are rather spoiled for choice when selecting how they will economically travel to their vacation destination. Even the very limited and at times expensive Exeter is a 2 and a bit hour drive for me.
I will travel for as long as it takes in order to get to the destination that I want. I recently drove 6.5 hours each way just to get to an air show and whilst in the Police, I regularly drove 9 hours each way just to get an evidential statement!

[duchy]

Our cheap week in September ... flights £315 pp , 2 nights in Miami £170 , 5 night cruise $80pp plus $120 port taxes pp . Admittedly a stonking deal for an outside cabin with Carnival on one of their cruises that suffered from losing Cuba and a reroute that popped up for a few days for repeat customers. With food (unlimited) included for five nights it compares favourably with a European all inclusive late deal (booked it at 90 days). Nice way to celebrate my birthday and wedding anniversary. Had OH had more leave left we might have added on some extra days but three or four hours to somewhere I fancied in Europe versus another four to Miami and five minutes transfer time when we land , there's no hardship.

[kevbrydon]

We have never been to the Parks for many years... kids are all grown up now lol and being DVC members and Doing our 6th Disney Cruise we don't mind the 9 hour flight

As for people moaning about Florida.. we have had it since we first went in 1990 and many friends and some family still cannot believe it that "we are doing Florida again"

[Tumpshies]

I have the same feeling about those who just go and sun bathe by the pool or on the beach. (saying that now i do a lot of lounging) i need to be doing things like going places and enjoying myself

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by Tumpshies

I have the same feeling about those who just go and sun bathe by the pool or on the beach. (saying that now i do a lot of lounging) i need to be doing things like going places and enjoying myself

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You are exactly the same as us. The thought of an all inclusive, simply lying on the beach or by the hotel pool absolutely appalls me. There is a whole, unsanitised, real world out there!

Even if it was a beach type holiday, I would still want to go out and forage for food in the local restaurants. Perhaps this is also why I disliked my solitary ‘in the bubble Disney’ experience so much.

[hellin family]

Originally Posted by SquishTheWhale

I actually find with Florida the worst people are the ones who went once 25yrs ago as a child and proceed to tell you exactly what you have to do there, where to stay etc. Not in an 'I'm interested in talking about it' type of way, in a 'I'm going to dictate to you in a really patronising way how to do Florida' type of way.

Cheers for that because I'd done absolutley no research on on my expensive holiday and your decades old information is really going to work.

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Love this - made me chuckle. I've gad that exact same thing. d: