View Full Version : Where do i start??
Planning a trip to Orlando in Feb '05. Need advice on everything!! Do i book flights and cars first or do i find a villa first??
We are a party of 4 adults, 5 kids and 1 baby.
Never done this before and any advice would be fab!
LiesaAnna
31-10-2004, 18:11
look through the link above for villas first...........take it from there, i wish i did, would have saved money going with these guys.........for my car rental, one step at a time.......:)
I always book my flights first this is mainly because I can`t be flexible on the dates and I`m picky who I fly with but I think that if you plan it all early enough then either way round should work out. Having said that we could`nt get our first choice of villa once but it was high season as Liesa said all the links above are very good so give them a try.
eagleydo
31-10-2004, 18:19
There is no right or wrong way. I personally book villa first and then flights and car. I also have a tendancy to fly out on a Thursday this meaning I arrive home on a Friday morning after a Thursday evening flight. This works for us two fold. If you have a weekend in front of you just after you arrive it makes you subconciously feel you have been there longer, flights tend to be cheaper during the week and also arriving home Friday morning means you have a weekend in front of you to adjust to the time change.
If you have never been before you are about to have a new wonderful experience. We like many others on this forum went on a once in a lifetime holiday only to find we keep returning over and over again. As soon as we get back to the UK we are planning the next trip.
Do flight first, to see what you can get - try link above - try not to go in school hols, I have to and cos of time in summer prices are high, car hire from link above when you have got everything else sorted.
It's fun planning!!! Read as much as you can on here you'll get grear advice.[msnsmile2]
Champagne
31-10-2004, 18:51
Find villa you really like and friendly owner from this site first - then book flights. Articles on this site also great to help you plan your holiday. Don't try and do everything and cram in every theme park on your first trip - leave time for relaxing by your villa's pool and savouring the experience.
Have a great time - we loved our first Florida trip so much that we bought our house on the second trip!
Nostromo
31-10-2004, 19:08
The only RIGHT way is to book you flights, villa, park tickets and car hire through THIS site :D. I think you need to start quickly on the flights & villa, followed soon after by the park tickets & car hire. Once these are set in motion, you can ask the other members for more specific advice (if you want to, that is) about park visits, dining etc.
huckleberry house
31-10-2004, 19:16
If your dates are already tied then I would suggest you look for flights and a villa at the same time, if you have some flexibility in your dates then I would definitely recommend choosing the right home first. There are plenty of flight choices but maybe only one or two homes that you will fall in love with and I know from experience how frustrating it can be for a guest to book a flight and then find the availability of the home of their choice is out by a few days.
Good luck, Lesley
Liam_Sandie
31-10-2004, 19:25
Hi Molly
I would definately book flights first, if your dates are fixed..then villa, park tickets, car hire etc.
Good luck, have fun!!:D[8D][msncool]
Hi Molly,
There is no right or wrong way, it is down to personal preference. However, I would book flights first as the prices fluctuate whereas villas have set prices for rental, and if dates are fixed for you then you would be better to make sure you can get suitable flights. As already said flights at weekends can be more expensive with some airlines. You can request special meals with some airlines so in your case childrens meals for the 5 children and a bassinet position for the baby.
Once you have your flights booked you then have firm dates to look for a villa (use this site or one of the 2 sister sites). As you have a baby check what baby facilities are available and if they are included in the price, cot, bath, stair gate, high chair, monitor, stroller etc. One you have your villa sorted out, you can then book car hire and park tickets through this site at good rates!!!
Lastly, sit back, relax and countdown to your holiday!:):):)
Southsider
31-10-2004, 20:29
I agree with Liam & Sandie, flights first, I have used the car hire from this site and it was definitely cheaper and also look at your park tickets from here. Its like a one stop shop!! I hope you have a great trip.
Tricia
melvazquez
31-10-2004, 20:44
Yes I agree. Book flights first. Then when you know you can get there! book the villa, from this site of course. And the car hire here is the cheapest I found.
Good luck and enjoy the experience - organising the holiday is great, tho' sometimes a bit stressful [msnscared]
Mel
orlandobabe
31-10-2004, 21:57
As I'm an owner -I can do things a bit differently-but even then I need to pencil my own weeks in just in case, which often means my dates are fixed.
If you can be flexible on your choice of airport it also gives you a bit more leeway for flight prices. I tend to leave mine pretty late-for example I booked 8 days before our last trip at the end of September-that was a lot later than usual-I did think I wasn't going to be able to go at first. I couldn't go from Newcastle-my preference-but by being perepared to go from Manchester I paid only £250 when I've seen us pay £420 at the same time of year. Granted we only needed 2 seats-but I have a friend who watches the flights and then as soon as they start to go up-she books them-and she has had the most amazing bargains!
Then I book car hire when all the main bits are sorted out.
I also watch the dollar prices and if they go up significantly-and I'm a bit flush-I buy my dollars too.
The only thing I would say is to spend a lot of time reading these forums and asking lots of questions (even if they sound obvious). You get so much info from here and the people here know what they are talking about. We found it so useful when booking and planning our trip. We also found that some of the advice got from here and other sites is invaluable for making the most of your holiday. Orlando is the kind of place you need to research fully.
I am fascinated by the info on here and definetly take advice from those who know a lot more than me!!!!:):)
Hi Molly,
I always book flights and the villa first. Get these sorted and then everything else will drop into place.
The reason for flights and villa is that prices and availability change depending on your required dates, and so sometimes a bit of date juggling is needed to get the perfect holiday.
To think of it another way; car hire and park tickets are always available for your chosen dates; flights and villas are not.
Once you have your dates, flights and villa sorted why not start a new thread to work out which parks and attractions you want to visit - and the corresponding best value ticket packages to help you achieve this.
Don't forget to have a ton of fun putting it all together.
heathercobbett
01-11-2004, 11:21
The way yhat we work is to pencil in our villa booking while our renters sort out the flights.
Once you have those 2 things in place you can sort eveything else out.
Heather
I agree, ask the villa owner to hold the villa for a couple of days while you sort out your flights, car hire etc.
We pencil in bookings as well to give the guests time to sort other items out. Sometimes they even come back with more members in their party going on holiday!!!!! We all love Florida.....:)
Ray&Sarah
01-11-2004, 19:21
Before we had our villa we would book the flights first and then the accomodation, followed lastly by the car hire. Have fun with all the arranging its all part of the process.[msnsmile2]
Madabouttigger
01-11-2004, 23:10
Hi Molly and welcolme to the forum. As you can see from the above you will get lots of very good sound advice from people with a lot of experience on this site. Personally I always book flights first, because I am in the "North" I have to fly from Manchester and am limited to the flights available. If you can afford it I would fly direct to Orlando, if you are on a budget then you will have to consider making at least one change, this makes the travelling time longer to and not much fun with 5 kids and a baby!
Once I have my flights booked I then search out our accommodation, from this site you will be spoilt for choice and maybe even able to pick up a bargain on the late availability pages! Have a good look round and any questions, just ask!
Diane
[grouphug]
I would definitely recommend booking the flight first. Weekend flights and that includes Friday are more expensive because of the added weekend supplement, so if you can go on a weekday this is obviously going to be cheaper. Once you have confirmed your flights or you could place them on hold for a couple of days, look for your villa. You will have a great choice on these sites, so am sure you will find something.
heathercobbett
02-11-2004, 12:07
If you are flexible with dates,I would still advise taking an option on your villa first.I know that some owners (like ourselves)only take bookings starting certain days of the week,except nearer the dates.This allows us to back-to-back bookings and therefore keep our prices as low as possible (not cheap,I dont think any O.V. owners are cheap as we all have great houses with lots of extras kept in fantastic condition)
We often suggest 2 or 3 possible dates and hold them for 24 hours so the guest can look for the cheapest possible time.
We also make no charge for adding extra guests after the booking has been made
Hi Molly
Obviously I have no idea when in Feb. you are thinking of travelling, but I am sure you have already realised that half term falls somewhere in the middle of the month ... my kids dates are the 12th. - 21st.
You may well find flights and accommodation harder to get, around that time, so don't delay in getting things sorted.
And most importantly ... Have a great holiday.
If you have fixed holiday dates then I'd book the flights first. There are so many villas available that it shouldn't be a problem booking a villa second, finally car hir & attraction tickets.
Hadrian
I know this doesn't apply in this case but if anyone is looking to book for Easter, school summer holidays, Christmas, etc always get an option on a villa first before booking your flights as these are really busy periods and you may find yourself with very little choice of available homes, particularly if you're booking later than a year to six months in advance.
If you're longing to stay in a particular area or in a particular home, most home owners will hold an option open for you for 24 hours whilst you get your flights sorted out if you explain that to them (not something that most travel agents will do!).