What Order Should I Do Things In?

[Lee Jackson]

Hi,

Could anyone tell me in what order is best to book your Villa, Flights etc in. Im a newbie to all this and was wondering whether i should book my Villa for August 09 first before its availability is snapped up then look for a flight that coincides with my dates. Noticed that some flights are not released for booking as its to far in advance? Do I have to wait a few months then book the flight/car hire/park tickets etc and just ensure my chosen Villa is booked.
Also who is generally the cheapest flight operator and can anyone give me an approximate cost of a flight for a family of four (3 adults 1 child) to Orlando in August (an 08 price would be ok to work my budget from).
Any help much appreciated
Thanks
Newbie Lee

[christhear]

If you have a particular villa in mind the earlier you book it the better. Some villa owners will already be booked for dates in 2009 and some are ven booked for 2010.
Like you say its hard to book flights more than 11 months in advance unless you book a fly drive.
Most owners can give you slight flexibility on your dates until your flight is booked. Car hire can wait until your flights are booked, but be sure to use the link on these forums as its the best value you will find.
Park tickets can be booked at any time, if you wait to collect them in the USA there will be no problems with them being in date - anyway most dont run out. Some people spread out the purchase of their park tickets to help with budgeting

[Lee Jackson]

Thanks Christhear, should i just book my chosen Villa then and keep looking for flights over the next couple of months? I will speak to the Villa owner and explain the situation, although they must do this for most visitors and understand how it all works.

Once again thanks
Lee

[mfairhurst]

As said before it is early to book flights as they may be expensive just yet .Bu villa owners are taking bookings and on these sites you get what you see and owned by the person .
Hope you enjoy your vacation
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx

[Lynne S]

Hi Lee,

Welcome to the forum. I would argee with Christine, book your villa first. We are booked for most of the summer months in 2009 so more and more guests are doing it this way too.

You can book most flights and find prices about 11 months before your holiday dates. We usually book with Virgin as they fly direct from Manchester. Have a look on the website for flight prices.

Car-hire and park tickets, look no further than the links above a £25 deposit will hold your car until full payment is required about 8 weeks before departure.

Happy hunting, you and your family will have a wonderful time.

[msmiff]

Agree with others above, reserve your chosen villa soon, you may 'loose' it if you don't.
You can buy car hire & park tickets anytime before your visit, useful to spread your budget.
As regards flights, theres no 'cheapest' ticket vendor that we are aware of. There are a few ground rules that may help:
Generally, indirect (via Newark - for instance) flights are usually cheaper than direct.
There are 2 airports serving Orlando: Orlando International (MCO) - used by most scheduled airlines - & Sanford Airport (SFB)-(about 40 miles further North, but an easy drive) normally used by charter airlines.
Do a Google search for "cheap flights" & follow as many links as you can. It's normal that the exact same flights will be offered at different prices by competing agents. Don't expect the airlines' own websites to offer the best prices. We bought BA Gatwick>Orlando for August this year from Expedia for £318. The same tickets from BA direct were £550....
To get a decent price, you will need to check costs every day. If / when you see a price drop dramatically, then buy IMMEDIATELY. It's common for a very reduced price to last a matter of hours before rising - it's all computer driven.... We've bought flights from different vendors every year !!!
After you've bought flights, you can then book car hire to pickup from your chosen airport....
Good luck !!

[Herbie]

Airlines release seats on scheduled flights 330 days in advance. Usually the earlier you book the cheaper the price. Special offers can and do arise but do not usually apply to peak times such as August / school holidays (although I remember one company did a buy one get on free on Virgin which did cover the summer holiday period). If I was booking for August 09 I would wait to see what offers there were between September 08 and Jan 09 and book by Jan 31st.

[Lee Jackson]

Thanks everyone - great advice
much appreciared
Lee[msnsmile2]