Booking stress 2022

[LuluChum]

Hi!

I really would like some advice if I could get any

I’m planing on going to Disney early 2022 - hoping for Feb/March - it would be a total of 3 of us going for 2 weeks

I can’t work out what would be best and it is stressful! There’s almost too much information that I’m just getting confused with it

I don’t know if it would be worth while getting a villa or staying on property with it being us 3 adults and where the best villa locations are if that was the case

It’s too far in advance to be able to make a proper decision but it’s also not that far away so I need to start thinking about planning it properly

Hope it all makes sense

[cornishfrogboy]

I would gather as much information as I could between the lot of you..

Which parks you intend visiting.
What other non park activities are you considering.
What is your anticipated budget.

Next decision would be based on the answers to the above.
If it is exclusively Disney and you want to eat at Disney prices throughout, then on site is for you.

If you want to get out and about beyond Disney, but nobody wants to drive, then LBV or IDrive Hotels with courtesy shuttles or ubering. May be for you. It saves a fortune in food.

If you are prepared to drive, then a nice Villa or Condo in Kissimmee or Davenport May be for you. It gives you privacy and relaxation in the evenings.

At the end of the day, if you make group decisions at an early stage as to what you seek, then firstly it doesn’t all fall on you and secondly, the decisions of which you speak may become very obvious.

When you have decided on the accommodation and ticket combinations, then you can come back to the DIBB with more specific questions as you begin to populate a group plan. Everybody has different preferences and ideas as to an Orlando vacation. I would suggest that your group needs to agree on the basics before you follow any particular route.

As an example, we don’t visit Disney parks and can be rather antisocial. We like to ‘dip in and out’ of the parks, eating out in the evening, breakfast self made in the mornings (continental) and generally packed lunch in the parks. We are budget conscious and this enables us to visit the USA every year if we choose. We like to drive beyond Orlando...( and Florida).
All of the above would lead to a Villa vacation, picking up a car at the airport. Having made this decision, we would go on Holidaylettings.co.uk and put in our requirements, dates etc for a Villa. We would look at the map that this generates and weigh up where those Villas are in relation to the things that we will want to do. In the above example, I would be drawn to Kissimmee as this places me well for both Universal and Seaworld franchises. I would want to be relatively near to the i4 interstate as this is a key road for the inexperienced. I would also be looking to nearby restaurants on tripadvisor before finally picking an exact area to book a Villa.
I may or may not actually book from Holidaylettings, having used its map for research.

That is simply an off the top of my head example to illustrate a few points. It would not actually resemble my plans as I seek very different things, having been to Orlando many times. It is merely an example. Your group probably has totally different priorities also.

The big questions are ..
1. Is it a Disney vacation or an Orlando one or a Florida one.
2. Are you wanting to stay within the Disney bubble.

All the rest follows!

[clanmacbeath]

Excellent response from Cornishfrogboy. He is totally correct. A lot depends on whether your happy to drive or need to make use of uber and local transport.

The main thing is deciding on which parks you want to visit. Are all 3 of your party adults? Young children require more breaks so that would be a consideration.

Staying onsite is great if you are a happy in one room, but may work out expensive especially if the dining plans dont resume.

We tend to opt for villas nearby as they give us more space and privacy. Plus I like having a private pool. Dh and I are both happy driving and also like eating at the local restaurants on H192.

Have a look at some you tube videos to get an idea of the parks. Tim Tracker does hundreds on the theme parks and also on the hotels. It might give you an idea of what you want to do out there. Remember the place is huge! We have been going for years and we still havent done everything thats our ever growing lists. You have loads of time to plan so relax and enjoy it.

[LuluChum]

Originally Posted by cornishfrogboy

I would gather as much information as I could between the lot of you..

Which parks you intend visiting.
What other non park activities are you considering.
What is your anticipated budget.

Next decision would be based on the answers to the above.
If it is exclusively Disney and you want to eat at Disney prices throughout, then on site is for you.

If you want to get out and about beyond Disney, but nobody wants to drive, then LBV or IDrive Hotels with courtesy shuttles or ubering. May be for you. It saves a fortune in food.

If you are prepared to drive, then a nice Villa or Condo in Kissimmee or Davenport May be for you. It gives you privacy and relaxation in the evenings.

At the end of the day, if you make group decisions at an early stage as to what you seek, then firstly it doesn’t all fall on you and secondly, the decisions of which you speak may become very obvious.

When you have decided on the accommodation and ticket combinations, then you can come back to the DIBB with more specific questions as you begin to populate a group plan. Everybody has different preferences and ideas as to an Orlando vacation. I would suggest that your group needs to agree on the basics before you follow any particular route.

As an example, we don’t visit Disney parks and can be rather antisocial. We like to ‘dip in and out’ of the parks, eating out in the evening, breakfast self made in the mornings (continental) and generally packed lunch in the parks. We are budget conscious. We like to drive beyond Orlando.
All of the above would lead to a Villa vacation, picking up a car at the airport. Having made this decision, we would go on Holidaylettings.co.uk and put in our requirements, dates etc for a Villa. We would look at the map that this generates and weigh up where those Villas are in relation to the things that we will want to do. In the above example, I would be drawn to Kissimmee as this places me well for both Universal and Seaworld franchises. I would want to be relatively near to the i4 interstate as this is a key road for the inexperienced. I would also be looking to nearby restaurants on tripadvisor before finally picking an exact area to book a Villa.
I may or may not actually book from Holidaylettings, having used its map for research.

That is simply an off the top of my head example to illustrate a few points. It would not actually resemble my plans as I seek very different things, having been to Orlando many times. It is merely an example. Your group probably has totally different priorities also.

The big questions are ..
1. Is it a Disney vacation or an Orlando one or a Florida one.
2. Are you wanting to stay within the Disney bubble.

All the rest follows!

See more...

That’s actually really helpful

The three of us have spoken about it, it’s just really hard to weigh up what would be best value for money when we can’t look at Disney prices yet
I think we’re forgetting things, like the price of food would be considerably higher if we stayed on property

We would mainly be focusing on going to Disney but would also want a few days at Universal and to go to the local malls and we’ve talked about trying to go to a sports game if we are able to

It’s hard to decide on accommodations but at the same time I feel like I’m answering my own questions and it’s pointing to a villa

Thank you so much for your input!

[LuluChum]

Originally Posted by clanmacbeath

Excellent response from Cornishfrogboy. He is totally correct. A lot depends on whether your happy to drive or need to make use of uber and local transport.

The main thing is deciding on which parks you want to visit. Are all 3 of your party adults? Young children require more breaks so that would be a consideration.

Staying onsite is great if you are a happy in one room, but may work out expensive especially if the dining plans dont resume.

We tend to opt for villas nearby as they give us more space and privacy. Plus I like having a private pool. Dh and I are both happy driving and also like eating at the local restaurants on H192.

Have a look at some you tube videos to get an idea of the parks. Tim Tracker does hundreds on the theme parks and also on the hotels. It might give you an idea of what you want to do out there. Remember the place is huge! We have been going for years and we still havent done everything thats our ever growing lists. You have loads of time to plan so relax and enjoy it.

See more...

Yeah it’s 3 adults going, two of us have been to Disney before and stayed on property and we loved it! However getting out of the Disney bubble via Uber was expensive and it put us off so it would be ideal to hire this time as all three of us can drive and have said we’re happy to

That’s one thing that is putting me off of on property at the moment as well, the no dining plan currently but I know by 2022 that could completely change 😂

I’ve been trying to find videos of people that stay off property for Disney but there are hardly any, I’ve already watching so many Disney videos

It does mainly come down to which is better money wise and I’m unable to compare at the moment

Thank you so much for your help!

[cornishfrogboy]

Following on from my earlier thread and based on what you say... A preliminary plan based on my own experience, economy (if there is such a thing in Orlando) and also gaining best value. I cannot help you with the Disney bit a great deal, having avoided it on my last 5 Orlando visits and never having done DDP. I have stayed on site before, did not like it and had similar issues getting out. I have kept it very simple as I understand your justifiable anxiety about being ‘the planner’.

TRAVEL DAY.
Flights from London? by cheapest means. I have travelled with Virgin, Delta, United, American, First Choice (now TUI) and am currently booked BA.
When? Outside of U.K. School Easter and Summer breaks as this obviously effects U.K.-US prices. Personally, I would look at shortly after the Easter hols as you get the heat without so much humidity. I have been there in every month between January and Sept.
Do not write off indirects. They can save a fortune and be advantageous at the same time... but always seek 3 hours layover going out in order to go through Immigration and Baggage reclaim. Numerous threads on the DIBB detail the simple procedure.

Example 1. You fly direct from LHR to MCO. The flight is 9 hours and you then spend 3 hours in Immigration, baggage reclaim etc before getting out.

Example 2. You fly in to Philly at 7.5 hours and spend your 3 hours doing immigration and customs before an onward in a smaller aircraft into MCO at 1.5 hrs, going straight to a much smaller in numbers baggage reclaim, then out the door.

You will note that there is not much difference in time, but you will in probability be £200 pp richer. In addition, getting to LHR for an indirect may be much quicker and convenient than the rather more difficult (for me 1.25 hrs each way), Gatwick.

Anyway, you are now outside of MCO int with your bags in your hands. It is generally late afternoon and you are tired. You get a Taxi or Uber to a cheap hotel on Int Drive at the top half. Last year we did the Ramada Plaza in August at £60 inc breakfast for four of us. (pointless spending more when you are unlikely to use any facilities). You will note there is not yet a hire car. That is because you don’t yet need one in this plan, thus saving on car hire and parking for 2/3 days. Evening meal would be on I Drive. The ITrolley is around $1.25pp and goes from one end to the other with a new one every few minutes. Whether 100yds or 3 miles.. it is $1.25.

Day 1.
You get up, have breakfast very early and then get a taxi to one of the three Universal premium hotels. We like the Royal Pacific at club level. You collect your room keys at around 0700, dump your bags on the baggage desk and head straight to the Universal parks with you room/key express pass in your hands as you also have prepurchased Universal 14 day tickets. It is a short walk to Islands and a slightly longer one to Universal. I would want to be in one or other at opening time!
You have now got all day in the parks with limitless front of line because of your Hotel Selection. You need to look at the advantages of frequent returns to the Club level lounge in order to get limitless access to Soda cans, lunch nibbles, beer and wine happy hour etc etc. This saves a fortune throughout the day.
Evening meal? On site is Universal City walk. We have a strong preference for Margaritaville and sometimes, Bubba Gumps. You may be totally different.

Day 2.
Up early, courtesy club level breakfast, pick up some soda and off to Volcano bay (a courtesy shuttle). Before going, check out and place your bags with the baggage store. (This is if you like water parks), returning at Lunch for club level snacks, then off to the parks once more.
Around 1800 return to the Hotel, collect your bags and phone (rather than pay Universal rates) for a Taxi to the Holiday Inn on Kirkland where you pick up your hire car with Alamo/Budget and drive to your villa in either Davenport or Kissimmee, stopping at a Walmart on the way and/or a Restaurant. Longhorn or Bahama breeze are a nice intro.
From this time onwards in your vacation, I would only return to Universal after 1800 when the carparking is free and the crowds can be lighter.

Day3 onwards.
Time to immerse yourselves in Disney that is for others to talk about who have been more recently than I. I would break it up with other activities, but hey! I am no Disney fan.

Last day. Flights home are generally late afternoon or evening. We tend to spend that day at Disney Springs in order to look around, buy souvenirs etc. It is a nice area and remarkably for Disney, the parking is free. Going home, then directs are easy. If indirect, it is generally a 1 hour layover and you do not even see your hold baggage, merely moving from your arrival gate to departure gate.

CONSIDERATIONS.
The above plan would fill a fortnight easily with little pause for breath. It is also simple, budget conscious and shows a few bits of hopefully good knowledge. It would be a good first visit if you intended returning later (you will notice that a few of us do!). I would ask you to consider the following if it is a once and only...

Are you into thrill rides? The places for Coasters are Busch Gardens and Seaworld. For us, the only ticket that we are certain to buy is a Discovery Cove ultimate ticket (or simply a D.C. ticket that gives you a day in Seaworld if you are not into Coasters). The D.C. ultimate is around £160 without a Dolphin Swim.. plus £70 or so for the Dolphins. You get the following.
1. A fantastic day in Discovery Cove with all drinks and food complimentary as you laze, swim in the ray pool and various other things. It is always our best Orlando day and we have done it 8 times, but only a couple of times with the Dolphins. We don’t rate the Dolphins.
2. A day in SW, a lovely park with 3 major Coasters and the fab infinity falls water ride. Very relaxing and totally different to the other parks with all of the Animal shows.
3. Aquatica, a very good Water park.
4. Busch gardens, a kind of cross between a Zoo, a Safari park and a Coaster park with 6/7 very big ones. The Giraffe Feed is excellent.
5. Free parking throughout the 14 days of access to their parks
In short, it is an excellent ticket, whether you are into Coasters or otherwise.

Is Kennedy Space Centre worth a trip? Or a trip to a Gulf Coast Beach? (I note that you are considering a Sports game, but cannot help with that).

There is a lot to take in. I have tried to drip feed you a little in order to give you ideas without causing an overload of information.
Even after all of my visits, I always do the same once I have booked flights (on a credit card) and it might help for you to start one right now as you formulate an initial plan. I form word document table and it has each day down the side. Across the top, the columns are the date and day of week, the things we will be doing with reference numbers etc, Where we are staying that night, the price, whether we have paid up front YES/NO.
Obviously each box can be expanded Vertically as more information is input. This is the method I used for the trip reports in my signature. One of them involves 9 States, Boats, planes, trains, Automobiles x 2 and also 8 accommodations plus attraction tickets etc. It worked just fine when used in conjunction with an A5 Folder full of slippery fish to hold paperwork.

I suggest that you have a look at the Boston, NY , Orlando link in my signature. The Orlando bit in particular may be of interest to you. Unusually, the whole vacation is on the one thread.

Any questions at all and you only need ask, either on the thread, on my trip report or by private message.

A final tip is this. It costs a lot to get there, but staying there does not cost much at all. Nearly all park tickets are for 14 days, there are never fully used as most people have bought into 2 or even all 3 franchises. Then there may be rest/shopping days. I would look towards 3 weeks rather than 2. Flights are so frequent that you could opt for 15, 16, 17 or any number of days you like. There are dozens of flights to choose from every day. (California tends to be the other way round, cheap to get to, but expensive whilst there). If you went for, say 20 days you may find it cheaper to fly than the standard 7,10,14 or 21 days. You can then start your Universal ticket on day 1, your Disney on day 4 and your D.C. ultimate on day 7. In this way, you are not paying a cent more for your tickets, but are achieving much better use. Food costs the same as being in the U.K. and extra accommodation days are cheap in the scale of things.

Hoping this helps (some more).

[mick]

Welcome to the DIBB Luluchum - you'll find us a helpful bunch especially when it comes to the DIBB's raison d'etre - planning holidays and sharing experiences.

I certainly can't add to CFB's excellent and detailed contribution but I might help with any questions from other options. At the risk of "stealth boasting" we've visited Florida 37 times - would have been 42 had we not had four cancelled for both our cancers and at least one this year for Covid.

We've never spent a single night in a WDW hotel so can't contribute anything about that. Apart from MVMCP in 2014 we haven't visited a theme park since 2010 so I'm useless on anything to do with Fastpasses. I have however driven around 50,000 miles over there so can help a bit on car hire and driving. On the other hand I've never sat in a Uber in my life anywhere.

I have some standard responses saved over the years about the advantages of a villa and also why we always hire a car (I'm very happy to accept that others get by very well without a car )

There's also a DIBB driving guide which I'm happy to post a link to if you like. I've added bits to it over the years.

Finally I must say it's great to start posting about planning again

Mick

[Brewers]

I'm way too much of a novice on here to add much but I just wanted to thank cornishfrogboy for a superb couple of incredibly informative posts in this thread. Also, to Mick, who has been very useful to me on here with his expert car/driving knowledge. It really is people like these guys who make the site what it is. Big thank you to you both.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Brewers

I'm way too much of a novice on here to add much but I just wanted to thank cornishfrogboy for a superb couple of incredibly informative posts in this thread. Also, to Mick, who has been very useful to me on here with his expert car/driving knowledge. It really is people like these guys who make the site what it is. Big thank you to you both.

See more...

Thanks Brewers. It does make it worthwhile to have positive feedback and I'm trying my best to stick to the DIBB's raison d'etre of sharing Dibber's experiences and information on planning, driving, accommodation and dining posts which I've been happy to contribute to for over 16 years.

I try avoid the current issues forum as it's bad for my blood pressure.

One day soon we'll get back to the "which is best Longhorn or Outback?" with some genuine and passionate debate without the unnecessary spite of other threads. Lots of different opinions articulated fairly without the mean spiritedness elsewhere

Mick

[Brewers]

Originally Posted by mick

Thanks Brewers. It does make it worthwhile to have positive feedback and I'm trying my best to stick to the DIBB's raison d'etre of sharing Dibber's experiences and information on planning, driving, accommodation and dining posts which I've been happy to contribute to for over 16 years.

I try avoid the current issues forum as it's bad for my blood pressure.

One day soon we'll get back to the "which is best Longhorn or Outback?" with some genuine and passionate debate without the unnecessary spite of other threads. Lots of different opinions articulated fairly without the mean spiritedness elsewhere

Mick

See more...

Maybe I'll start a Golden Corral thread, mick ...