2 weeks disney/1 week coast or 3 weeks ???

[alison166]

Sounds confusing I know !!!!

Thinking of taking the children who will be nearly 10 & 9 when we go and they have never been before. Must admit it was 1995 when me and hubbie last went so a lot will have changed

Not sure whether to spend 2 weeks in villa in Kissimmee and then travel over to Clearwater and spend a week on the beach or to book 3 weeks in a villa and have a few more relaxing days thrown in

My kids are not the most seasoned 'walkers' and I do know that whilst they will love all of Disney etc they are going to be really tired at the end of the first week

Any advice ??

Cheers

Ali

[huckleberry house]

Well thats a difficult one because both ideas are great. Personally if doing a week on the coast I would look for something a bit more tropical such as Marco Island rather than clearwater.

Three weeks is a great length of time to do Disney though because it would allow you to plan a decent itinerary taking in the major parks and allowing lots of rest days in between, (if you stay in a Villa you can lie around the pool and take it easy- not quite so easy to relax and have time out if you are in a Hotel) That way you have the best of both worlds and can " Do Disney "without being totally exhausted by it all.

Lesley

[KevinT]

Hi Alison,
Depends what your kids like doing? They are a fantastic age for the theme parks and everything in the Disney area, but if they are just as happy on a beach , there are some stunning beaches in the Clearwater area. As Lesley rightly says there is more than enough to do in the Disney area to fully occupy 3 weeks and still allow some "chill" time. We go twice a year and have done for the past 6 or 7 years and still come away with a "to do next time list" You know what your kids like best - you can always plan to go back again and do the Gulf coast separately!
Have a great time whatever you decide!!

[andrewmckay5]

Hi Ali,
remember the Gulf Coast isn't just beaches. There several places to visit and enjoy a day out; have a look at some of the links in the Gulf Coast section. I'm sure you can relax and keep the children entertained during a week on the Gulf.
Having said that a 3 week stay in Orlando will obviously leave you a load of time to relax between park visits.
Hopefully Ruth will see this thread as i know she has 3 children and visits Orlando and the Gulf.

andrew

[davidandsarah]

Hi Alison

the first time we went to Florida our kids were 7 and 10 and we opted for the 2 weeks in Disney and 1 week in Clearwater. After all the fun of Disney, we all thought that Clearwater was too quiet for us (although it was just after Sept 11th and many restaurants had closed up due to lack of business) and ended up travelling back to Kissimmee early to go back to the parks for an extra day!!!
I think it really is up to you, if the kids are happy with just relaxing on a beach, go for the separate week.
The last two years we have spent all 3 weeks in Kissimmee and found taking extra time out at the villa between visits to the attractions suits us much better.
I am sure you will have fun whatever you do!!

sarah

[KarenScott]

Hi Ali
We went for nearly three weeks this year, hoping to do the same every year from now on!
We initially were going to do similar to you and go and stay on Anna Marie Island for a week but in the end we spent our holiday (apart from a couple of days where we pulled ourselves away from our villa visiting "reles" in Newport Richey) in the Disney Area. I must admit our children aren't beach kids and prefer the pool area anytime.
We planned it so we actually had quite a few rest days, chilling by the pool rather than on the go visiting parks etc every day and actually came home very well rested.
We have children, 10, 7 and 4 and they were all up for the parks, the 4 year old kept going all the time and declining to sit in the buggy we hired most of the time.
I suppose it depends on how you personally want the holiday to go, but we would recommend rest days because it can be full on especially if you do it by the book and get to the park early, which we do loke to do when on a park day.
Hope this goes a little way in helping.

Karen

[Nostromo]

It depends on what you really want to do. I believe that it takes at least 3 weeks (including some rest days) to do Orlando and vicinity justice and not feel like you've missed something major. Having said that, a week on the beach sounds excellent on its own.

On final analysis, I feel that the beach week would be a must if you two were on your own. But when you take your kids into consideration, the pendulum definitely swings in favour of all 3 weeks in Kissimmee.

[Liam_Sandie]

Hi Ali

Our kids are similarly aged, 11 & 9 and this year they were a perfet age for all the theme parks and attractions, we spent two weeks alternating with a day of activity a day at the pool. It think it would be fantastic to doing all the disney things in the first two weeks and then to have a week at the coast, ideally you could hire a villa for your two weeks in orlando and then request a 2nd villa for your week at the beach! That way you have the best of both worlds and everybody is happy!

Sandie

[CarolAnn]

Hi Alison,

We have done quite alot of holidays in Orlando area, so this year we decided on 2 weeks in Orlando, 3 days in Fort Lauderdale. Ummmm?
Personally, as a family(our daughter is 11), I think we could have made a great time of 3 weeks in Orlando!!! [8D]
I would factor in relax days by the pool so you can enjoy ALL the many things there are to do in the area, and maybe do your Gulf Coast trip exclusively next time!In previous years we have been to Clearwater( couldn't wait to get out of there) Though the beaches are FANTASTIC[8D]Orlando area has so much to offer, and trying to pack it all in, in 2 weeks is a challenge, That's why so many of us keep going back [msnwink]
Hope you find the right solution for your family[msncool]

[dreijerss]

Hi,

The first time I went to Orlando, I spent three weeks there, and I definitely feel that you will need them! It was so nice to really have a good break rather than rushing and trying to cram everythning into the two weeks. You will really appreciate those couple of days here and there where you can just lay back and relax. Travelling to somewhere else in my opinion on your first holiday to Orlando with the kids, is just more hassle.
There is just too much to do, two weeks is never enough!

Enjoy!

Sarah