Where to start?

[Gemmasteele84]

Never thought I'd be luck enough to be making this post But after a hard year my Mum is looking at renting a Villa for the family and us all going to Florida! Not for a while yet, looking at October 2015 but there seems to be so much to look into this is probably a good idea lol. My question really is, where do I start? I've only ever done package holidays before so this is all new to me.
There will be 10 of us, 5 adults and 5 children ranging from 4-10 years old. My Dad is going to be renting a minibus but it would be nice if we could get buses or walk somewhere too so he didn't have to drive all the time. Obviously we want to go to the usual theme parks including Disney
I've started looking at communities but got confused so thought I would ask here first Thanks for any help.

[gpullan]

Hi.

We are having our 4th trip in 5 years this year and have always gone the DIY route. We have been the same as you, a big group when we have been with my mum, sister, her daughter and my lot. 10 of us usually.

My advice would be:

Research the communities and short list them based on the following:

Do you want gated or non gated. Neither is better than the other in my opinion having done both but some people prefer a gated community.
Will you use the clubhouse for use of a bigger pool, games room, internet access, small shop, cinema room etc... Done both and we never use the clubhouse so it's never a tick for us.
How far away from the parks do you want to be. Somewhere like the Formosa Gardens area is close and you are right in the thick of all the bars, restaurants on the I192 (you'll hear a lot about the 192 in the coming months). Somewhere like Highlands Reserve is away from the hustle and bustle so is quieter and you still can travel down the 192 for the amenties. Somewhere like Crescent Lakes is well away from the action and very quiet. We are staying on Crescent Lakes this year and have stayed in various locations in the past.
Villas are all down to personal choice. Games rooms, pool and spa, pool only, south facing, lake view, conservation view etc etc etc... You will see loads but some will just suit your eye. Start short listing the ones you like.

Flights:

Look at the flight prices for next year now and choose the month you are going just to see how much they are so you can guesstimate the prices. Watch how they fluctuate and look out for sales. Look at direct and in direct and weigh up the options. Ask lots of questions on here for advise. We fly direct with Virgin from Manchester each time and it suits us best.

Car hire:

For your group, 15 seater from Alamo is the one through the site at the top of the page on here. Used them every time, perfect service and always the best price. You can use the car as much or as little as you like but it's by far the easiest way of seeing the wider Florida than staying on site or using public transport.

Tickets:

Just get everyones opinion of what they would like to see and that will produce a wish list of tickets you need. Don't go overboard on tickets as there's only so much you can do. Make an itinerary for each day otherwise you'll end up not doing half the things you want to.

Anything else then just ask. Above all, enjoy planning, it's a great part of it.

Garry

[Gemmasteele84]

Thanks so much Are gated communities necessary? I always thought that was for high crime areas. You're right enough I keep seeing 192 mentioned but wasn't sure what it was. is it a street with lots on like the I-drive?
Took me almost a year to plan and book a holiday to Disneyland Paris so glad I have time to plan all this! lol.

[gpullan]

Not necessary but some prefer them. We stayed on Windsor Palms the first time we went and loved it but since then we have stayed on non gated communities so it's far from a necessity. We were actually burgled last year on Highlands Reserve which is non gated but that could happen anywhere so if we don't feel it's necessary for this year then neither should you.

All the communities are nice and in my opinion your decision should be based on the villa itself and location rather than anything else. Oh and which way the pool faces was an important one for us.

I've sent you a direct message.

[syrup]

Welcome to the forum Gemma. As you say where to start? The size of the villa you require will depend on your sleeping arrangements. Once you have decided on how many bedrooms you require go to the link at the top for Orlando Villas and Orlando Villa rentals.

There really isn't a bad community in Orlando, some may recommend one and others another. The main difference is the distance from the parks. Park tickets are available again from a link above Orlando Park Tickets. I get mine from them and the prices and service are second to none.

Regarding flights this is very debatable, some people prefer to book the flights before booking a villa and others vice versa. Villas are bookable well in advance to get what you want but flights are only normally only available 11 months prior

As for transport it may be better to get two vehicles as it does give you a choice if some want to go to one place while others may want to go somewhere else. Again car hire can be got from a link above. As for walking as you are getting a villa and not staying at a park hotel I would say this is definitely a no no. You can get trolleys from the International drive area but they can be very busy, especially at peak dates.

I'm sure other will come along with plenty of suggestions, but you will have great fun planning it

[gpullan]

The 192 is one long street where all the action is. From Old Town Kissimmee and the fun fair to helicopter rides, restaurants, bars, gift shops, the lot! Although it can be a pig to travel down each day to get to the parks as there are loads of traffic lights that usually turn red when i approach!!

[Gemmasteele84]

Thanks guys, SO glad to have found this forum.
Garry - Not to sound daft, but what way do I want to pool to face?

Keith - Only one car is an option unfortunately. Me and my dad are the only ones going who can drive, and I worry enough driving in the UK let alone anywhere else! lol.

[gpullan]

In October the sun is quite low in the sky so we find that a south facing pool is best as it's sun all day. East you may only get the sun in the morning, west on an evening and north.................

We are only able to use 1 car also and have never had an issue with people wanting to do different things. As long as everyone is happy with the itinerary then you're sorted.

[lynnroy]

Unless you stay in a hotel on I-drive most communities are not walkable distance to anything- and you don't really see buses apart from I drive. Really if you hire a villa you have to accept you are going to be driving everywhere. It is a lot to put on one person though- so I would suggest 2 or three folk share the driving. Its not as scary to drive over there as you might imagine- I always drive when I'm over and we usually have SUV etc- It means if I want to pop to the supermarkets for an hour I don't have to rely on my OH etc, or as we did last year we left the boys chilling with the kids at the villa and the girls went off the the outlet for some retail therapy.

With regard to gated- non gated - I don't think it matters- but you'll prob pay a higher rate for a gated villa.

Re car - we always hire our car from here too.

Park Tickets- here sells them but there are so many places to get them from- we have always waited and buy them from a place we were recommended off the 192 but some folk prefer to get them before they go.
When planning how you'll spend your time try and leave a day inbetween parks as much a possible as they are tiring
Below is our planner for last year

Date Activity
Mon 9th Arrival - quick trip to Target and unpacking
Tues 10th Celebration for breakfastthen supermarket shop
Wed 11th Magic Kingdom
Thur 12th Islands of Adventure
Frid 13th Relax
Sat 14th Universal Studios
Sun 15th Shopping at Outlet Mall
Mon 16th Relax- Fireworks at night Magic Kingdom
Tues 17th Seaworld
Wed 18th Beach day - Tampa
Thur 19th Relax - Night time Downtown Disney
Frid 20th Hollywood Studios
Sat 21st Relax - Night time I drive
Sun 22nd Busch Gardens
Mon 23rd Shopping
Tues 24th Check out 10 am


The 192 is really long and had lots of restuarants on it and touristy shops- its not as walkable as I Drive though as a lot of bits of it are quite far apart.

Have great fun planning

[Lyn]

I think Garry has given all the right advice, an itinerary is essential (even if you don't stick to it rigidly) as you will need to leave some days for relaxing around the pool and just mooching about, otherwise you will be exhausted. Once you have done this you will know how many park days you need to buy. Don't forget Sea World, this is my favourite park.