Any advice on family vacation to Orlando? Please see details below..........?

Question

My husband, 11 y/o daughter & I are planning a trip to Orlando around the beginning of May. We want to get the park hoppers for all 4 parks (Magic/Animal Kingdom, Epcot, & MGM). We live in St Louis & my husband mentioned driving because it'd be cheaper, I'd rather fly. We want to stay from one Friday until the following Friday. Would you drive or fly? And do you think staying 8 days/7 nights would be too long (we weren't sure how much time we'd need to plan on staying at each park). We also want to go to the beach(es). Thanks!

Answer 1

8 days and 7 nights is what my husband and I typically do and that is plenty of time. You only really need a minimum of 4 days to see all 4 Disney parks, so you will be fine. I'm on the West Coast, so of course, I'd rather fly. I'm not sure how many hours it is from St. Louis to Orlando, but I can't imagine it's short. I have driven through your area a few times. However, driving will be less expensive than flying - now that gas prices have finally dropped. You can make it fun for you and your daughter. Purchase a portable DVD player and pack along her favorite movies. Those sell for less than $80 at Costco or Sam's Club these days. Bring along sketch pads, CD's to listen to, snacks and plenty of drinks. If it is a longer drive than 10 hours, it will take you a few days to get there. If so, make a road trip out of it and stop at historic sites or fun locations along the way. If it less than a 10 hour car trip, you can do that in a day or two.
If driving is just not ideal, then check out http://www.bookingbuddy.com
They list great fares all the time for flights.

You can purchase discounted park hopper tickets at these locations near you:

AAA (membership required)
your local Disney Store
Sam's Club (membership required - travel services)
Costco (membership required - travel services)

Cocoa Beach is the closest beach to Orlando at a 45 minute drive east. My personal favorite is Siesta Key Beach, located an hour and 45 minutes south in the beach town of Sarasota. It is gorgeous - pure white sand, no big waves, and perfect for families.

If you would like help planning for your next trip or if you would just like to read up on some fun tips and ideas that are updated monthly, visit my Disney Vacation Services My space page, at:

http://www.myspace.com/disneymickeyvacation

Or visit our Blog page at:

http://im-all-ears-disney-vacation-services.blogspot.com/

Have a great time!

Answer 2

First of all def fly!! If you are just staying a week you have to plan at least 17 hours to drive here from St. Louis. And that is driving hard and not stopping to sleep. So there goes 2 days just in traveling time. 7 or 8 days is not too long if you can afford it. The Magic Kingdom takes us like 2 days to go thru. Plan a day for the others. I would try and go to a water park while you are here, since May will be sooo warm. The closest beach to Orlando is Cocoa Beach. It is about 45 minutes from the airport. Hotels are outrageous there, but well worth it. Most of the beaches are private since Cocoa Bach is like the timeshare capital of the world!! There is so much to do in the Orlando area you may want to consider a 2 week stay if at all possible.

Answer 3

I would fly. Gas is pretty high, so it doesn't always save you money to drive, plus it takes a lot more time. I would rather spend the day or so that you would spend driving at the parks. It just gives you more time to relax, you don't have to deal with traffic, etc.

8 days is not too many. I think that a week is the minimum amount of time to spend at Disney, especially for the first time. Plus, if you are wanting to do some things outside of Disney, you need time for that. Don't forget there are other parks, Downtown Disney, shopping, water, parks, etc. that you can always do as well.

I would say that 2 days at each park would give you a good amount of time. That way you can go at a slower pace and see more, but not have to rush and beat the crowds. I would definitely give Magic Kingdom and EPCOT two days, Animal Kingdom and MGM could be done in one day, most people do Animal Kingdom in a half-day, so you could spend the rest of the day at MGM, it just depends on what you prefer to do.

Also, if you are wanting to go in May, you should be booking soon. A lot of views are already sold out for those dates, and a lot of the dining is no longer available as well. Plus, they have a promotion for free ticket upgrades, so you could save a little money that way.

I hope this answers your questions, if you have any others, please e-mail me, I visit Disney all the time and love to help!

Answer 4

my family and i went and we drove. because your daughte is older and it is only 18 hours away, you save TOONNNSS!!! on driving. it really isnt that bad. we have 2 cars with 2 4 yr olds, 2 11 yr old, 2 13 yr old and 1 15 yr old and it wasnt that bad.